Oh! Gizmo

By David Ponce

A simple stainless steel creation by Scandinavian designer Maria Kivijärvi, the Cake Server could replace your current wedge-shaped cake cutter (or even more primitive knife) with this more elegant, purposeful and efficient utensil. It’s both cutter and prongs. Slice, squeeze, carry and release. The only issue we can see is if your horizontally challenged friends demand a larger piece. Or if you’re 20 people sharing slivers of cake.

Still, it’s smart and we like it. It’s made by Magisso and costs €60.

Keep reading for a video and links.

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By Andrew Liszewski

It may not be as fancy or high-tech looking as a Dyson, but I like the idea behind this BucketVAC. The vacuum itself is basically a self-contained lid (weighing in at 7lbs) that attaches to any 5 gallon bucket, turning it into an easy-to-empty receptacle for either wet or dry waste. But who says you even have to empty it? What I like best is that once you’re done cleaning up a mess you can simply put a lid on the bucket and label it ‘5 gallons of gummy worms’ or ‘5 gallons of ice cream’ and I suspect someone else will happen along and get rid of the bucket for you. Genius!

The BucketVAC isn’t available for sale just yet, but it’s expected to be released sometime in the 4th quarter of this year.

[ BucketVAC ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By David Ponce

If you’ve got 44″ square free space somewhere and are able to lift 75 pounds, you can basically carry a one-person sauna around with you. The AromaSteam capsule can be assembled in about 10 minutes, will connect to a standard wall outlet and the steam will reach a temperature of 115-130 degrees F with a warm-up time of about 5-10 minutes. Just pour in some water (distilled preferably to avoid water spots) and you’re good to go. The unit is made of nonporous materials that do not promote the growth of mold or fungus.

That kind of convenience doesn’t exactly come cheap, with the device retailing for $2,375.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ ChipChick ]

By David Ponce

You gotta think we’ve achieved some new kind of sophistication as a species when you see a product like this. It’s quite simply some toilet paper that’s been treated with heaven knows what chemical in order to glow in the dark. Perfect for power outages as the website says. Also perfect for contaminating your posterior with glow-in-the-dark afterwipe.

It appears as though you can only purchase in bulk at £5 per 72-roll carton, with a minimum of 6 cartons. Oh, and they’re out of stock until September 30th.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Geekologie ]

By Andrew Liszewski

When you’re hacking away at your face with a sharp razor I’d suggest staying focused on the task at hand, but if you’d prefer to multitask and be more productive in the mornings, this shower mirror with a built-in weather station will kill a few birds. The 7-inch mirror has a special fog-free coating so it won’t ever steam up, and it’s accompanied by a high-contrast LCD display which provides updated weather info like current temp, humidity and the day’s forecast thanks to a wireless sensor that can be located up to 100 meters away. $49.98 from Taylor Gifts.

[ Weather Station Shower Mirror ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By David Ponce

Bang & Olufsen are better known for their impossibly expensive and allegedly superior speakers. Who knew then that they’d dabble in something so mundane as alarm clocks. Of course, they wouldn’t be living up to their name if they’d done any old alarm clock. In the BeoTime, you’ll find a “built-in motion sensor and subtle automatic backlighting.” Motion sensor? It’s not what you’re thinking, it’s more like the iPhone’s, to properly align the LCD display.

Of course, we asked ourselves just why it looks like this… And sure enough B&O’s site had a handy answer:

Inspired by the conflict between night and day in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, BeoTime is visually unlike any alarm clock you have ever seen. And yet every innovation is grounded in clever functionality. The horizontal line and square panels relax the eye to suit a bedroom setting, whether you place BeoTime on a side table or hang it on the supplied magnetic wall fixture. The tube shape is easy to hold when setting wake-up or shut-down times or using BeoTime for basic remote functionality.

Right… We’re thinking this sounds just like the kind of talk that always manages to separate certain folk from ridiculous amounts on money… in this particular case €311. Given B&O’s relative success in the market place we can only conclude that the world is full of people with more money than sense.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ Xataka ]

By Gilberto J Perera

This guest post was written by Gilberto who is the main article contributor for Laptoplogic.com, where you can find the latest laptop reviews.

How would you like to set your thermostat at home while you’re at the office? Wouldn’t it be nice if you forgot to turn off your water heater for a two week vacation and you were able to log on to an online portal and turn it off? How about using an energy management system for your home that charges when electricity is the cheapest and avoids the peaks where electric costs are higher? These are all scenarios that will be possible in the next 5-10 years as utilities move towards Smart Grids. The days of a mechanical meter and a visit from a meter reader are slowly approaching to an end.

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By Andrew Liszewski

They say once you go backpack you never go back, and if you’ve had the pleasure of using the backpack paint roller system I wrote about a few minutes ago, you’ll probably wish you could strap all of your household appliances to your back. Sadly that’s still a pipedream for a lot of us, or maybe just me, except when it comes to vacuuming!

This “ergonomic” backpack vacuum can be carried around the house on your back, which is supposedly easier than rolling it from room to room… And before you get any ideas about roaming the neighborhood at night, serving as some sort of cleaning vigilante, you’ll want to be aware that this thing doesn’t use a rechargeable battery, but instead plugs into the wall via a retractable 26 foot power cord. $169.98 from Taylor Gifts.

[ Ergonomic Backpack Vacuum ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t really see what’s stopping you from using this indoors, but the Weathershield BackPack Roller System from Dulux is actually designed to be used for sprucing up the outside of your home where ladders and hard to reach places makes painting particularly difficult. So the company’s smooth masonry paint comes in a special container that integrates into this backpack roller system along with an electric pump and a hose-fed handheld roller.

Loading the roller with paint is as easy as clicking a trigger, and being able to wear all of the equipment on your back means you’ve always got a free hand for steadying yourself while on a ladder or when going all Spiderman on the outside of your home. The Weathershield BackPack Roller System will set you back about $80 while the Dulux smooth masonry paint starts at about $34.

[ Dulux Weathershield BackPack Roller System ] VIA [ Gizmag ]