Any time I’ve enjoyed a game of air hockey on a real table, the puck still manages to find it’s way off the table on many occasions. So while I applaud the clever design of this portable version of air hockey, where the fan is integrated into the puck itself allowing it to float across a table or any flat surface, I can see it losing its novelty when you have to go pick it up for the 37th time in the first 3 minutes of a game.
But for just $14.99 from Urban Outfitters you get the puck, 2 paddles and a set of nets making it a cheap and easy gift. Just don’t let the giftee rope you into playing.
I’d like to make a comment about how in this day and age of modern technology and electronics it’s sometimes nice to just sit back and listen to an old-fashioned radio, but this USB stick AM/FM tuner is pretty much useless without a laptop, so forget that idea. It does however allow you to record radio broadcasts with its included software to be later enjoyed on your MP3 player, and since the flash drive doesn’t even include any storage space, I guess that’s pretty much it… Price TBD.
Who needs gnomes guarding their flower beds and gardens when you can have those hard working little scavengers from Tatooine protecting your daffodils? Available from the StarWarsShop.com starting December 9th, this fully painted Garden Jawa is crafted in solid resin and stands almost a foot tall. And instead of holding a restraining bolt to tame a wayward droid, it’s got a garden hose in hand and appears to sport a pair of stylish gardening gloves. $34.99 available for pre-order now.
How many ways can one create a simple clock? It would seem that the possibilities are quite endless. My latest find is this eccentric piece which features the hours on a bike chain. The chain is connected to a small motor which turns in correspondence with the hours. It’s not the most accurate of timepieces, as you’ll need to do a bit of guesswork on the exact minutes.
This Catena Wall Clock looks to be made of scraps, and might be something you’d see hanging in someone’s workshop. However, the $2,300 price tag suggests otherwise. Considering how simple it would be to make something similar, I can’t see many people bothering to buy one.
Sometimes, for chronic computer users like myself, it’s hard to differentiate between the digital world and reality. If you’ve ever done something really really stupid and then noticed your fingers unconsciously pressing control + z, you know what I’m talking about. This issue is made substantially more complicated by these calculators, which are modeled on the little calculator apps that come with your operating system unless you use something cooler like Linux.
These calculators are currently a concept from Mintpass, and their designer rightly points out that the chances of them ever getting produced is rather slim considering who owns the actual designs, but he envisions them being made as trade show handouts or something… We’ll let you know if we see any at CES in January. And I just have to wonder what, exactly, is supposed to happen when you press that bright red button in the upper right corner… If it’s as faithful a reproduction as it looks, it probably causes the calculator to self destruct.
In order to illustrate just how much stuff you can fit in their new E-Class Wagon (which has a generous 1,950 liters of load space) Mercedes-Benz created this video where they filled the car with 400 meters, or 1,275 pieces, of 1/32 scale slot car track. And to illustrate just how much track that is, they laid it out in a computer designed course which at one point passes through the E-Class itself, and takes the scale cars about 4 minutes and 40 seconds to complete a lap.
You make the slot car tracks an official option Mercedes and you’ve already got yourself at least one guaranteed sale.
If you’ve looked at PC cases, power supplies and cooling systems, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the name Thermaltake. However, you may not recognize their new brand, LUXA2. The LUXA2 brand features products that keep simplicity, luxury and unique designs in mind. I’ve had the opportunity to check out one of their first offerings, the H1-Touch.
The H1-Touch is very simply a holder for your mobile phone. Specifically, it is aimed at the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the nature of the design allows it to work with just about any phone. Practical applications range from watching a movie to using it as a stand for charging.
When it comes to marketing and product tie-ins I think the only company that can give Lucasarts a run for its money is the WWE. So in this corner we have the WWE Smackdown Alarm Clock Radio which features wake up calls from current WWE stars like John Cena, Edge, Triple H and even the Undertaker. (Yeah apparently he’s still alive.) Or you can just choose to wake up to the radio, it’s your call.
But what makes this alarm clock ever so slightly more interesting is the large blue wrestling mat on top which is actually the snooze button. So for a few extra minutes of shut eye in the morning all you need to do is body slam your fist onto it. They still do that move right? $29.99 available from Digital Blue.
Wannabe DJs with a bit more money in their pockets now don’t just have to settle with DJ Hero to get their ‘wheels of steel’ fix. Vestax Japan has just announced the ‘Spin’ which is a turntable-esque USB console/controller designed specifically for the Mac.
It’s got a set of touch sensitive scroll wheels allowing you to scratch or backspin in real time, and while I can’t imagine it’s anywhere near as accurate or realistic as the real thing, the Spin at least allows you to play and mix songs directly from your iTunes library. In other words you don’t need to spend money on milk crates full of vinyl. It’s expected to be available in Japan come December for about $330 which gives me a glimmer of hope that it might not actually suck.
By Andrew Liszewski
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