Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t know if it’s the wanna-be John McClane in me, but for some reason I’m fascinated with Zippos. However, since I don’t smoke, and as far as I know I’m not a pyro, I usually don’t have an excuse to carry one around. But thanks to the Tab-Dock, I do now! It’s basically a mint dispenser designed to replace the lighter mechanism inside a Zippo. So instead of offering your friends a light, you can offer them a solution to their terrible cigarette breath.

Sadly the Tab-Dock is only available in Japan at the moment, unless their website ships outside the country. And even if it does, $70 (6,800 Yen) is a bit steep for a mint dispenser.

[ Tab-Dock ] VIA [ Boing Boing Gadgets ]

By Evan Ackerman

It’s a cruel joke, but Hershey has partnered with Jazwares to develop a frustratingly inedible line of consumer electronics, starting with this chocolatey looking but not chocolatey tasting USB drive. Also on the menu are other things that you tend to find in Halloween grab bags but nowhere else, like Krackle and Mr. Goodbar. These drives are available in capacities from 1 gig to 4 gig, for $15 – $30.

What makes even less sense are plush (yes, plush) Jolly Rancher speakers, or a digital camera shaped like a Hershey Kiss. I can’t even imagine how that might work, but thankfully I don’t have to, since we’ve got a rendering of it right here:

Awesome, that’s just awesome. It’ll be $25. As for availability on all of this stuff, I have no idea, but I’m hoping for as long from now as possible.

[ Jazwares ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

By Evan Ackerman

We saw a pretty sophisticated vending machine at CES this year, but it can’t hold a candle to these new machines selling Kit Kats in London, since they have a real live (for a while, anyway) human inside them. The economy must suck pretty badly for “vending machine gnome” to be an actual job now, but on the upside, you’d get to enjoy such perks as easy access to change and unlimited fresh Kit Kat smell.

For the purchaser, it works just like a standard vending machine. Try to shake it, fail, try to stick your arm up the slot, fail, and as a last resort put your money in, tell the machine what you want, and enjoy your snack. If you’re poor and desperate, though, this is one vending machine you might actually be able to threaten some candy out of.

VIA [ Core77 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not a coffee drinker, at all, but those who indulge in the brown sludge tell me that instant coffee is the worst way to enjoy a cup of brew. But Starbucks claims to have developed an instant coffee that doesn’t taste like instant coffee. Here’s a blurb of marketing-speak from their VIA Ready Brew website that sheds a bit of light on what exactly makes it different:

Starbucks has found a way to offer a truly great cup of coffee that you can prepare by just adding water. Other instant coffees taste flat and lifeless. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is different – it’s full-bodied and flavorful, just like the Starbucks® coffee you know and love.

It’s made with the highest-quality, ethically sourced 100% arabica beans. The magic is in a proprietary, all-natural process that we spent years perfecting. We microgrind the coffee in a way that preserves all of their essential oils and flavor. No other coffee company takes this step, and it makes all the difference.

At launch the VIA Ready Brew coffees will come in a 3-pack for $2.95 or a 12-pack for $9.95 in your choice of Colombian Medium or Italian Roast Extra-bold flavors. So you’re looking at about a dollar a cup.

[ Starbucks VIA Ready Brew ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When Luke wrote about this ice sphere mold last May there was no pricing info available, but now it seems like it would have been a worthwhile investment no matter how much they were charging for it. That’s because a California-based company is now selling a “premium ice product” called Glice which are basically perfectly spherical 2.5-inch balls of ice. The Glices are supposedly hand-carved in Canada (sure they are) and delivered in “elegant packaging” complete with dry ice, and are designed to compliment even the most expensive of drinks.

And besides their claims that a sphere is “among the most efficient ways to cool your drink” the company does use purified water to ensure there are no contaminates in the ice spheres to alter the taste of premium drinks or liquors. The whole concept has a sort of ‘Pet Rock’ vibe to it, and I guess until the novelty of round ice wears off, they’re probably going to make a small fortune.

[ Glace Luxury Ice Co. ] VIA [ BallerHouse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Whenever I go camping I’m happy to walk away from my cellphone, computer and the small arsenal of electronics I carry with me every day, but the one thing I refuse to leave behind is my deep fryer. You thought freshly caught salmon was delicious? Try deep frying it. And while squirrel cooked over an open fire is ok, after just a minute in the deep fryer it’s like nature’s real candy.

Thankfully Coleman’s Frywell portable fryer makes it easy to travel with 6 quarts of boiling oil since it comes with a metal basket that can not only hold up to a pound of food, but also features a collapsing handle so the whole thing can fold up for easy storage. It’s also powered by a standard 16-ounce propane cylinder which means you don’t need to carry a generator just so you can enjoy delicious beer battered raccoon. The Frywell is available on the Coleman website for $159.99.

[ Coleman Frywell Portable Fryer ] VIA [ BallerHouse ]

By Luke Anderson

There’s nothing quite like a hot dog roasted over an open fire. Sure, you can cook them on an outdoor grill, but it’s still not the same. When you set the hot dogs down on the grill, it cooks them differently. What you need is something to hold them up away from the metal rack and allow them to cook suspended in mid-air. You need the Weenie Wing Commander.

What’s that you say? The Weenie Wing Commander looks just like an X-Wing? Yeah, it looks an awful lot like one, which makes it even cooler. Sure, Mr. Lucas doesn’t get his buck from these, but I think he’s made enough from far worse products. Speaking of money, one of these will set you back around $20.

[ RoastMyWeenie ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a Mountain Dew addict. I’ve honestly considered trying to see if I can order the stuff directly from a distributer, rather than by going through my local supermarket. Yes, I know that it’s bad for me, and that I should at the very least switch to the caffeine-free kind, but that would defeat the purpose (not to mention taste disgusting), wouldn’t it? Well if you’re a health nut, or just have your own reasons for not wanting any caffeine in your diet, you might be surprised to know that many beverages that tout a lack of caffeine might actually contain the very thing you’re trying to avoid. So how do you spot the impostors? With a simple test.

Sure, you could lug around someone that is highly allergic to the stuff and make them try everything before you drink it. However, that course of action probably isn’t the best way to learn the truth. What you should do instead is pick up a pack of these Caffeine Test Strips. These little suckers can tell you just how much caffeine your beverage contains. You just dip one into the beverage (you’ll need to separate some out from your cup, as contact with the strip can contaminate the liquid) and wait for about 30 seconds for a result. The strips come in packs of 20, and cost around $10.

[ DiscoverTesting ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Luke Anderson

Chopsticks are by far the strangest utensils that I’ve ever used. Personally, I just go with a spork if I can. I’ve used chopsticks many times over the years, but I’m convinced that I still haven’t mastered the art of using them. I do well enough to get the food in my mouth, but for those just learning, here is an interesting way to practice.

This Hiyokomame Chopstick Pracktice Set gives you everything you need to master the art of chopsticking (is that even a word?). You get a bowl, chopsticks, a guide and a pouch full of strange little plastic beans with chicken faces on them. I guess that you just spend hours on end picking up the little beans until you’ve mastered it. Honestly, for the $40 price tag, I’d better be able to catch a fly with those little sticks.

[ Gizmine ] VIA [ Technabob ]