Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Everyone has a different idea of what ‘roughing it’ really means. And if your definition includes frozen drinks, milkshakes or other blended treats then this Coleman battery powered blender should be high on your packing list. I mean why settle for a hand-cranked blender when the high RPM motor in this model can make a pitcher full of frozen drinks in just 30 seconds?

It uses 2, 6V 4.5AH rechargeable batteries that hold enough of a charge to blend 20-30 pitchers. Obviously your mileage will vary depending on what you put in the pitcher, so if you’ve decided to shoot some ‘Will It Blend‘ videos on the road, it might not last as long. Of course if it does run out before the weekend’s over you can always recharge it using the 12V or 120V chargers stored in the base. Backpackers might also be happy to hear the polycarbonate pitcher is light and durable, making it a cinch to throw in your pack instead of clothes, food or other more essential items.

You can find the Rechargeable Blender on the Coleman website for $77.49.

[ Coleman Rechargeable Portable Blender ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While it might seem like a leftover prop from the Tim Allen sitcom, Home Improvement, the L’Equip R.P.M. Blender is as real as it gets. Besides the industrial looking stainless steel base and angular design, the blender includes a tachometer on the front showing the operating speed in R.P.M.’s. It’s powered by a 900-watt motor and has variable speed control ranging from 500 to 20,000 R.P.M.’s making it the perfect tool if you’re in the mood for a delicious bowl of dust.

The blender also features a commercial grade stainless steel blade, and the polycarbonate pitcher can be attached to the base on any angle without having to properly line it up first. When you think about it, all that power coupled with the 6 year warranty makes this an ideal choice if you’re looking to start your own ‘Will It Blend‘ website.

You can get the L’Equip R.P.M. Blender from Tabletools.com for $134.

[ L'Equip R.P.M. Blender ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Evan Ackerman

Unless you live in the southern hemisphere (in which case I’m wicked jealous), it’s winter outside, and that means it’s cold, even here in less-than-sunny California. My temperature tolerance is pretty bad: I’m only happy when it’s 76F plus or minus 2 degrees. My laptop and powerbrick help, but what I really need is a good old fashioned radiator. Or even better, a new fashioned radiator, which is what Modulo is. As a concept, Modulo doesn’t have to explain exactly how it works, but the principle is this: you can attach however many Modulo radiator modules you feel like you need, and they’ll radiate heat from your wall. Each module contains an aluminum core wrapped in a cushion, so whenever you get especially chilly, you can take one out of its module and stuff it down your pants. Or, you know, wherever. No word on price or availability, of course.

[ Anna Gotha ] VIA [ Yanko Design ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you hate having to iron your clothes after doing the laundry you might want to upgrade your dryer to the new iron Aid from Electrolux. At the end of the regular drying cycle you can choose to add an extra 20 minute steam phase, which serves to actually de-wrinkle your clothes. The steam phase can also be used to refresh a dry-clean-only item, reducing your trips to the local cleaners. Of course I managed to find an even better way to get out of having to iron my clothes, by simply not ironing my clothes. That’s right, I’m lazy and disheveled.

From what I can tell the Iron Aid is actually designed for small European homes so it might not be ideal if you’re doing the laundry for a large family. And the $1,145 price tag isn’t cheap either.

[ Electrolux Iron Aid ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The Response Kettle from Kenwood makes a good attempt to appeal to the gadget crowd with a couple of nifty features. The first, and most obvious is that the inside of the kettle changes color as the water heats up. It goes from blue indicating the water is cold, to a bright red indicating the water is boiled and ready to scald.

But if you’re not a fan of drinking boiling hot liquids the kettle can also be set to only heat the water to 80 degrees and it will maintain this constant temperature until you shut it off. That way you can top up your hot drink without having to completely reheat the water and waste energy.

[ Kenwood Response Kettle Press Release ] VIA [ Chip Chick ]

By Shane McGlaun

I have seen some weird convergence items before, but this side-by-side refrigerator makes a bit of sense. It is a bit odd to get something hot from a refrigerator, but aside from that putting an espresso maker into the door of a refrigerator is sort of cool.

The Whirlpool 20RI D4 Espresso should be available in January of 2008 at an unspecified price. The fridge is large with about 12 cubic feet of fridge storage and about 7.5 cubic feet of freezer space. You will need a large kitchen to use this refrigerator.

I prefer to get my caffeine intake in the form of soft drinks so I would have been more impressed if Whirlpool put a soft drink machine in the door. Still, adding a coffee maker makes more sense than putting a TV in the door like LG has done.

VIA [ Whirlpool ]

By Evan Ackerman

I live and work in Napa Valley during wine season, but I’m the first to admit that I haven’t a clue about wine. That is, I’m the first to admit it privately (like now). In public, I’ll examine it, swirl it, sniff it, sip it, and pretend to have a clue about what it is and where it comes from while I try and sneak looks at the label. Technology has come to my rescue with the RFID Wine Rack. Not only is it filled with hundreds of color shifting LEDs, but the entire rack has built in RFID readers to keep track of your wine. Using your computer, you can add information to the database, or even run custom queries:

“A handheld browser commands the rack to display multiple types of information and project the results with RGB LEDs directly onto the individual bottles, which are identified by the rack via custom walnut veneer radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on each bottle. For example, a collector planning a dinner party could specify they want to see all of their 2003 Napa Chardonnays whose current market value exceeds $50. WineM will identify and light up just the bottles that match those criteria.”

A chardonnay? From Napa? HA! If you’re going to drink a Northern California wine, go for a big chewy red, even I know that much. But that’s all I know, seriously. A video of the wine rack in action, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Evan Ackerman

Last month we showed you the Haier WasH2O, a washing machine which eschews detergent for regular water. Airwash does one better by skipping the water altogether, using ionized compressed air to clean clothing. Not only does it save water (obviously), but you don’t have to dry your clothes since they don’t get wet in the first place, saving energy as well. I guess that would make it… Drycleaning? Anyway, it’s won a bunch of conceptual awards, and they’ve just come out with a working prototype. No word on how clean it manages to get things (and I question its ability to remove stains), but as long as I can get one of these installed in the floor of my room, I’ll be happy.

[ Electrolux Design Lab Award ] VIA [ TreeHugger ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Here’s a clever way to give you a bit more counter space in the kitchen without going through the hassle of a complete renovation. Appliance manufacturer Dacor has a special line of microwaves known as the Millennia series that are actually designed to function like a drawer beneath the counter. So instead of your microwave sitting on top of the counter wasting space it can almost disappear as part of the cabinetry.

And like any other drawer the microwave actually pulls out making it easier to reach the food than if it had a conventional microwave door on the front. The Millennia series also has all the functions one would expect on a modern microwave in addition to a special child safety ‘Control Lock’ feature since the oven is now down at their level.

A 30-inch model with a black glass finish runs about $1,000 but you’re probably going to want to budget in some additional expenses when it comes to the installation.

[ Microwave In-A-Drawer ] VIA [ Home Improvement Ideas ]