Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

The last few days of January where I live have been particularly brutal, with temperatures falling well below freezing, and wind chill making the prospect of going outside completely unappealing. But the ColdAvenger mask could be the perfect solution for sub-zero temperatures, as it promises to keep your face warm and dry even in the worst of conditions, without the use of electrical heating elements or chemical reactions.

Instead, the ColdAvenger uses a patent-pending ventilation design to mix the cold air you’re inhaling, with the warm, humid air you’re exhaling, to create temperatures inside the mask that are on average 40º to 60ºF higher than outside, depending on your level of physical activity. The mask was developed and researched during the Winter months in the Rocky Mountains, and according to the company’s own testing, has been worn, with comfort, at -20ºF. What I like best though is that the ColdAvenger mask starts at just $49.99, which is cheaper than a nice scarf! Not to mention the fact it makes you look like a baddie from Half-LIfe.

[ Talus ColdAvenger Mask ] VIA [ I New Idea Homepage ]

By Evan Ackerman

Remember how your mom used to tell you not to eat so fast? Well, if you’re not living with her anymore (and you really shouldn’t be) technology has come to the rescue with a gadget that replicates her nagging. The Mandometer is essentially just a scale that weighs the food on your plate while you eat, and then yells at you (vocally, no less) if you’re stuffing your gob faster than is allowed. It’s not just doing this for fun, though: studies have shown that using the Mandometer can lower your BMI by 2% over 18 months, and it’s supposed to act as part of a clinical method of improving your eating habits.

Still, this thing has no idea what you’re eating, it only records weight. Solution: pack your plate with chocolate mousse and souffle plus a couple rocks to throw of the sensor, and then go ahead and make a gigantic mess of things.

Or I guess you could just turn it off, but that would be way less fun.

[ Mandometer ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Newborns, infants and toddlers aren’t able to trim their own fingernails, because quite simply, they don’t have any teeth! But overly cautious new parents might be reluctant to use a nail clipper for fear of hurting an active or squirming infant. The Buzz B from Zoli, however, is supposed to be a safer alternative to a nail clipper thanks to its oscillating cushioned pads which work like a palm sander, though considerably toned down. The pads will safely grind down a baby’s nails without harming the surrounding skin, and it includes 4 pads of varying textures that can be swapped out as your child grows. $25 available from the Zoli website.

[ Zoli - Buzz B ] VIA [ Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Technically it’s just another speaker system designed to be strapped to a pregnant belly to provide the fetus with music to further its mental development before it’s even born. But the Ritmo Advanced Sound System can also be used to talk to your baby while it’s still in the womb with your iPhone, so in a roundabout way, it’s kind of like your fetus’ first cellphone. Sure, the only response it can give is a kick or two, but to be honest there are plenty of times when I’d love to be able to kick someone on the other end of a cellphone conversation as well.

The device, or at least the speakers, can be later removed from the belly straps and attached to a crib or stroller after the baby is born, providing enriching or soothing music and sounds while they’re sleeping or playing. The Ritmo Advanced Sound System is available now for a special introductory price of $129.99.

[ Ritmo Advanced Sound System ]

By Evan Ackerman

Want to know where the whole dog versus cat thing got started? I’ll tell you: allergies. Dogs are allergic to cats. Think about it, it makes so much sense, especially for us humans who also have cat allergies. Allergies turn you in to a crazy feral beast who sneezes. The solution to this, obviously, is to get your dog a personal ionic air purifier, which will virtually guarantee harmony with all other animal species. But wait, there’s more.

In addition to cleaning the air that your pet breathes in, the purifier will also “instantly neutralize smells,” a feature which I’m sure all dogs will appreciate. And if they’d rather not have one of their senses denozzified, you can pop in preloaded “scent cartridges” which are “available in many different scents to relax, calm, soothe & energize your pets.” Brilliant, brilliant I say.

The mini wearable ionizer air purifier for pets is a fabulous value at only $17.20.

[ Uxsight ] VIA [ Techchee ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Instead of jarring you out of bed at a random time in your sleep cycle which can make you feel groggy, the WakeMate wristband uses actigraphy to determine the ’semi-awake’ arousal points in your REM cycle when waking can actually make you feel rested and refreshed. The wristband itself features a motion sensor to measure your body’s activity throughout the night, which correlates to your sleep cycles, and the information is sent to an application on your cellphone via Bluetooth.

Before you go to bed, instead of specifying an exact time to wake, you give the WakeMate software a 20-minute window in which you’d like to get up, and it will sound an alarm at the optimal time within that window. The WakeMate isn’t expected to be available until late January 2010 at which point it will sell for $49.99, but you can pre-order one on their site right now for just $5 down.

[ WakeMate ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Evan Ackerman

There must be something addicting about head massages. That’s the only thing that can explain the number of bizarre and expensive head massage gadgets. Like, it must be that if you get head massages too frequently, you start to crave them, and become willing to spend however much money and endure however much ridicule and social ostracization necessary to get your fix. The latest and arguably least weird way to give yourself a head massage comes courtesy of the OSIM uCrown 2 “soothing head massager with music,” which uses “a combination of patented air pressure technology, vibration massage, magnetic therapy, gentle heat and soothing music” to do whatever it is a good head massage does. It runs on AA batteries, meaning that you can wear it out of the house, but if you do, I would suggest that you find yourself an even more ridiculous looking hat to cover it up with. $200 from where else by Brookstone.

[ Brookstone ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

By Andrew Liszewski

You have to have one hardcore fear of the barber to ever consider using the BaByliss Hair Clipper. Firstly, I really don’t get the name, secondly, the device seems innocent enough until you check out the underside which looks like the business end of a lamprey eel. Look at those teeth! It comes with 2 different comb guides that can be swapped out and adjusted to 6 different length settings, and the trimmed hair/bits of your scalp are collected inside so they can be emptied/re-attached later. ~$64 from Argos.co.uk.

[ BaByliss for Men Easy Cut Hair Clipper ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the new ActiFry from T-fal can cook anything from seafood to risotto to even desserts, its biggest claim to fame is being able to cook up to 2lbs of fresh cut french fries using just a spoonful of oil. Now you might be asking yourself, “how is such a thing possible when my local McEatery uses a tank of oil deep enough to hide a nuclear sub?” Well my first guess would have been stolen alien technology, since I’ve never seen an overweight extra-terrestrial, but it turns out the ActiFry uses a patented stirring paddle and pulse heating system to cook up crispy fries that are considerably better for you. (When using a healthy oil of course.)

Now I still wouldn’t recommend eating french fries every day (4 years of college proved that to be an unhealthy experiment) but the ActiFry seems like a far better alternative to a vat of scalding hot oil sitting on your kitchen counter. $299.99 from Amazon.

[ T-fal ActiFry ] VIA [ GadgetGrid ]