By Chris Scott Barr

When you’re trying to lose weight, sometimes it’s hard to find the proper motivation. Sure, having a goal in mind, or even a pair of old jeans that you’re hoping to fit into can help. But sometimes you need something a little stronger than your own will to keep you going. I’m talking about peer pressure. No, you don’t need a bunch of people standing around telling you that you’re overweight. However, if all of your peers know your exact weight at all times, you might feel pressured into doing something about it. If that sounds like the kind of prodding you need, then you might want to check out the Withings Wifi Body Scale.

I’m still no fan of Twitter, but this has to be one of the more interesting uses of it that I’ve seen. The scale uses Wi-Fi to send a Twitter update every time you step on it. Now you can send all of your friends instant updates so that they can support you in your effort to reach your goal. You have to wonder how many people will keep an extra scale in their bathroom, just so they can check their weight before broadcasting it to the world. The Withings WiFi Body Scale will set you back a whopping $159.

[ Withings ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’m sure that everyone remembers the TV-B-Gone. It’s the little device that can turn almost any television on and off at the push of a button. While it was just a fun little toy, I think that it was made infamous by a certain other tech blog’s shenanigans at last year’s CES. Well the original was a bit bulky and conspicuous, so one enterprising hacker decided to shrink it down. The result is a device with the exact same capabilities that’s smaller than your thumb.

While I don’t think I’d ever walk around a giant electronics show shutting off random TVs at will, this does give me some ideas. With a device that small, you could likely setup some sort of automatic timer, so that it goes off in 10-second intervals or so. Now disguise it in such a way that it can be carried around with only the LED showing. Sure, your battery probably wouldn’t last too terribly long, but it would make those trips to Best Buy far more entertaining.

VIA [ Hack a Day ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Ladies, have you ever received a piece of jewelery that looked a little too good to be true? Sure, your boyfriend/fiancé/husband means well, but how can you be sure that it’s the real deal? My advice is to just believe he saved up the money for such a wonderful gift. But if you’re dead set on finding out the truth, here’s a little gadget that will help you out.

This little DiamondNite Diamond Moissanite Tester can spot a fake diamond in just 1.5 seconds. Ladies, this will make the perfect conversation at your next big party. Just slip it in your purse, and offer to test your friends’ rings, necklaces and earrings. Just make sure you’re wearing the real stuff, or risk the embarrassment when it gets turned on you. Of course the $200 price means that you’ll really only want to get this if you’re in the business of buying and selling rocks.

[ Kassoy ] VAI [ BoingBoing ]

By Luke Anderson

One of the things I’ve always been happy about is that I never picked up smoking. My parents both smoked a lot when I was a kid, so I think that seeing a cloud of smoke in the living room was enough to turn me off to them. Unfortunately for those that have picked up the habit, it’s a tough one to kick. We’ve seen gum and patches that are supposed to help you quit, but what about gadgets? We’ve already seen a couple of electronic cigarettes, and now SuperSmoker’s Blue is the latest one to his stores.

SuperSmoker has launched their interesting cigarette alternative, which should be much healthier than your ordinary cancer stick. These devices look very much like a regular cigarette, but instead of having you inhale all of the toxic chemicals that you usually find, you’ll only find nicotine. Since nicotine is the addictive ingredient, most people should be able to switch without much of an issue. They even went as far as to use the same filters, giving you an even more realistic experience.

One of the big issues with most cigarette alternatives is the price. Smoking is costly enough, but special patches and gum are usually even more pricey. SuperSmoker claims that they will actually save you money in the long run, as their cartridges are a better value than packs of cigarettes. You’ll need to dish out an initial cost of $139, and $18.95 for each 24-pack of cartridge replacements. I won’t pretend to know the price of a pack of cigarettes, but when you consider that each cartridge is the equivalent of  4 cigarettes. You can purchase the cartridges in Zero, Light, Menthol and Regular, each of which has a different level of nicotine.

VIA [ Super Smoker ]

By Luke Anderson

There’s always been something that bothered me about toothbrushes. You use them to clean your teeth, but how often do you actually clean the toothbrush itself? Sure, you rinse it under the water, but just how good is that? Well if you’re worried about the germs that are leftover on those bristles, you can ease your mind with the VioLight Zapi.

This toothbrush sanitizer, uses powerful UV rays to kill off any germs that may be lurking around. When you’re done brushing your teeth, just set your toothbrush in the little egg-shaped device and it will clean it in minutes. It comes in 4 different colors and will run you just $30.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Luke Anderson

For those iPhone owners out there, where do you keep your beloved phone at night? Mine sits on the nightstand, generally plugged in, but not in a fancy cradle or anything. I’ve been tempted to get myself some sort of alarm clock in which I can nestle my iPhone and recharge it at the same time, however, since I wake up to the sound of my iPhone’s alarm, it seems a bit redundant. Well if you’re looking for somewhere to put your iPhone at night while it’s charging, Scosche has something for you.

If you’re the kind of person that likes a little bit of light shining while you sleep, then this might just be the perfect thing for you. The reviveLITE plugs into an available power outlet and holds your iPhone (or iPod) while both charging it, and shining a little light into your room. If you’re like me and use your phone as an alarm, this will also help you get out of bed every morning if it’s placed out of reach. The reviveLITE will set you back around $40.

VI A [ Scosche ]

By Luke Anderson

About a month ago I called up my phone provider and attempted to have it shut off. I haven’t used the line since I got it, and don’t even bother leaving a phone hooked up to it, as it simply rings nonstop with telemarketers. Unfortunately, it would actually cost more to have it removed than to leave it on, since I have a package deal with my internet and TV. I’ve noticed that more and more people are ditching their landlines, however, this seems to apply mostly to the younger generation. The elderly are especially dependent on their trusty landlines, and this is a product aimed squarely at that demographic.

The Telephone Ring Amplifier is a simple gadget with a self-explanatory name. Plug this into your phone line, then hook it up to your telephone. Now the next time someone calls, this baby will blast out a ringtone at 75dB. That’s about as loud as say, your average vacuum cleaner. If you can’t hear that from across the room (or the other side of the house), then you’re probably going to have trouble hearing the person on the other end of the line. If you’re worried about the price, don’t. This little gadget will only set you back around $4. My only question is why it is obviously shaped to look like a mouse.

[ SourcingMap ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Luke Anderson

I remember as a kid that I’d come inside after playing in the snow for hours and shedding off my boots, gloves and snowsuit. We’d arrange our gloves and boots next to the fire in hopes that they would be dry for our next outing. Unfortunately this wasn’t usually the case, and we would have soggy feet before even stepping outside. Well now that I’m an adult, I can purchase a gadget to dry my gear after playing in the snow for hours.

This Glove and Boot Dryer is a handy piece of equipment for drying boots and gloves. It uses convection to dry them out, so as not to risk setting fire to your house. You can choose to run one or both pairs of dryers, which comes in handy if you just need to dry a couple of things. Just $40 prevents soggy socks all winter long.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Luke Anderson

I, much like many other people in the world, have trouble sleeping at night. No, I’m not the CEO of a large bank that’s ruined the financial lives of many Americans while still raking in an enormous salary (zing!), I just have a hard time falling asleep and staying that way. I’ve seen a couple of doctors and tried a few different sleeping pills without much effect. I’ve been like this since I was a kid, so I’m pretty sure it’s not something that’s going away any time soon. However, that doesn’t mean that I won’t still try a new gadget or two that promises to make me sleep better.

This Sleep Partner wristband promises to help you fall asleep by reducing stress and resetting your body’s internal clock (for those with jet lag). It “stimulates the acupuncture points of the wrist associated with sleep”, which sounds a little strange, but for around $30, I’d probably give it a shot.

[ Expert Verdict ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

I purchased my first car power inverter a good five or six years ago so that I could run my laptop while driving my car over long distances. This, coupled with an auxiliary input on my CD player meant that I had my entire music library, or a movie at my fingertips. (I’d just listen to the movie, I wouldn’t actually attempt to watch it, mind you.) Granted, nowadays iPods are much cheaper, and we have portable DVD players for movie watching, however, power inverters still come in handy. Finally, someone has realized that a clunky box does not sit well in a car, so they’ve created one that fits perfectly in your cup holder.

The logo on that inverter looks really familiar, but I can’t seem to put my finger on it (cough, Starbucks, cough). Other than it’s unique shape, there really isn’t much to tell about this little gadget. It’s good for 200 Watts and gives you two AC plugs and a single USB port. So long as you aren’t trying to run anything too power-hungry it’ll be worth the $30 for the convenience factor.

[ Think Geek ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]