By David Ponce

An entire horse? Well then, you better get a hold of the “I could eat a horse” spaghetti measuring tool from Icelandic designer Stefán Pétur Sólveigarson. What it does should be fairly clear from the picture. It comes in three models: green and white at €12.90, and for another €8, stainless steel.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By David Ponce

This product initially reads like one of those things only a really lazy person would get. “What, you can’t even hold your own darn tablet? What’s wrong with you?” But then you watch the video and realize that there’s tons of situations where you’d be well served by it. It’s called the Flote, and it “is a machined-metal floor stand designed to securely hold a wide variety of tablets like the iPad or e-readers like the Kindle in virtually any position so you can use them hands-free for prolonged periods of time.” Yeah, we realize it still sounds like something completely useless; put it on your lap, right? Well, watch the video, it’s pretty nifty. Sure, putting the reader on your lap is fine but…sad as this may sound, tilting your head downwards for a while can, yeah… hurt your neck.

Screw all that, it’s just awesome because it’s awesome not to have to hold stuff. Come on, people, since when do we need to justify this?

The price on the other hand? Well, it’s on Kickstarter right now and you can pre-order for, ahem, $245. Yeah… The project is about one third funded so who knows… maybe the Flote will see the light of day.

[ Flote Kickstarter Project ]

By David Ponce

Folding liquid containers is a great way to save space. And the Cuissential SlickBoil kettle lets you boil up to 4 cups of water only to collapse down to under 2.5 inches in height for easy storage. Perfect for hiking, camping of living in a bathroom-sized apartment.

It’s $35.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

We can’t really think of any occasion where we’d want to delicately spray citrus juice onto our food, but we’re not in any position to know as we consider deep fried pizza delectable. Should your gastronomical self be better suited to require such a thing, you should know that the Stem accessory in this article lets you take an actual citrus fruit and squirt the juice directly from it. Simply insert, squeeze and squirt. Clearly you won’t be able to get all the juice out of the fruit but if it’s fresh you’re after, then this is probably better than that bottled concentrated stuff we usually like to drown our fish and chips in.

The Stem is currently in the Quirky production process, which means it doesn’t yet have a date of availability, though their projected price for the item is $5. They’re honing the design and we do expect to see an actual product on shelves at some point.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

By David Ponce

German designer Elena Belmann was looking at a good ole’ flat QR code and asked herself two questions: “What would this look like in 3D and could we still read it?” So she got to work making a stool/mood light with hundreds of little wooden blocks (which, let’s face it, she took from a Jenga set). This is what it looks like and apparently, yes, you can still read it. Although we’re not being told just what data it contains.

Yes, sadly this appears to be a one off creation, which means you can’t buy it.

[ Elena's Site ] VIA [ Geekosystem ]

By David Ponce

Few things compare to the joy of eating pancakes with flowing rivers of silky sweet syrup. Little did we realize the experience could actually be enhanced through the clever design of a plate made specially for the task.

After a lifelong love affair with breakfast, [product designer John Wye] pin-pointed the crux of satisfaction: syrup. Designed with a raised edge that gently slopes the plate toward the diner and an ingenious reservoir for pooling loose syrup, this plate was made for slicing, dipping and delighting in each bite of pancake goodness.

A set of two will unfortunately cost $45 (steep price for a dollarstore shopper…) but sadly they are backordered until January 27th.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By David Ponce

Sometimes… well, heck, no… most of the time we end up wanting gadgets just because they look cool, and today is no exception. A concept from Jason Giddings, an aerospace engineer and CEO of Giddings Product Development, this awesome looking multitouch sensitive keyboard and mouse combo is made from a special curved piece of tempered glass, and a couple of cameras in the base. Here’s how they work:

The design is based on a touch screen technology known as FTIR or Frustrated Total Internal Reflection. There are basically infrared LEDs placed at the edge of the glass. In this case, they are hidden inside holes where the glass is mounted to the metal base. Because of the low angle at which the light impacts the internal glass surface, it is bounced around inside the glass, much like looking through a tube to see the reflections on the inside walls. When the glass is touched it frustrates the reflection and the IR light is diffused downward, out of the glass, allowing the camera to see it. Software then determines the location and sends the appropriate information to your computer.

Jason is trying to raise $50,000 through Kickstarter and he’s off to a good start since he’s already at $24,415 right now. There appears to be no working prototype at the moment, although Jason’s experience in the field of product design (having successfully brought several products to market) should smooth over fears that this is vaporware.

If you want to go ahead and pre-order, it’s $150 for the mouse, $250 for the keyboard, or $350 for both. Not cheap. But look at them.

[ Kickstarter Page ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By David Ponce

Nearly 7 years ago when OhGizmo! launched, it had an emphasis on design. It was just me back then and I remember being amazed at products that were elegant and ingenious in their design. And while I shifted focus somewhat after a while (smart design turns out to be pretty rare), I still get excited when I come across things like this Tipping Teacup.

The teacup has an unusual angled bottom that allows it to rest in two different positions. On one side is a screened compartment in which you place your favorite loose tea leaves. Pour hot water through the screen and allow it to steep. Once it’s done, simply tip the cup in the other direction, lifting the leaves up out of the water. The cup’s large size is perfect for cradling between your hands as you enjoy the warmth of your drink. Screen is removable for simple clean-up.

One cup holds 6 oz. and though it’s made out of plastic, it is not dishwasher safe. It comes in black or white and is $20.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ LikeCool ]

By David Ponce

Extension cords are great but they’re too beginning-and-endy to be as useful as this project from one Kate Vallon. See, the Power Pod is a 15ft long extension cord that features 5 specially shaped sockets along its length. This allows you to toss it on the ground in a room and share power among several people. The shape of each node lets you wind up some of the slack to keep things a little more tidy. This could be great for study groups, for example. The cord is rated at 15 amps and features 900 Joules of surge protection.

At the moment the Power Pod is in the social funding phase at Quirky, but at $35 for a pre-order, they’re almost halfway through their needed commitments. Looks like this might see the light of day.

[ Page On Quirky ] VIA [ Geeky Gadgets ]