Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

While it probably won’t appeal to kids, this radio controlled feed boat looks like just the thing to make an early morning fishing expedition actually seem fun! The boat is designed to get into places that might be difficult for larger watercraft, and at the push of a button the tipper can be used to dump up to 4 1/2 pounds of chum or feed into the water to attract the fish. It can also be used to deliver a baited hook with floater up to 950 feet away which is pretty much impossible with even the best casting techniques.

And if that’s not enough, the boat includes a sonar sensor allowing it to double as fish finder, wirelessly transmitting the information back to the remote control which includes a backlit LCD display. Unfortunately though, unless you’re fishing in a tournament for a hefty cash prize, the boat’s $726 price tag puts it out of reach for most Bob Izumi wannabes.

[ Radio-Controlled Feed Boat ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve always thought that snowmobiles had a limited appeal if you lived somewhere that didn’t have snow on the ground all year round. But the Platune Sand-X Bike removes some of the limitations imposed by a snowmobile’s skis by replacing them with a set of soft tires. While I still wouldn’t recommend taking this thing out on an asphalt road or even a grassy field, it does appear to be quite at home on sand.

In fact, thanks to its Rotax 800cc, 2-cylinder, 2-stroke engine which puts out 160HP, it can actually accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 2.9 seconds. And it has a top speed of 115mph. Pricing is unknown, but because of the custom modifications needed to make it sand-friendly, you can assume it’s going to be more expensive than a standard snowmobile.

[ Diseno-art.com - Strange vehicles: Platune Sand-X Bike ] VIA [ Luxury Launches ]

By Chris Scott Barr

When I was about 12, my parents decided to finally get a pool for all of us. I remembered being so excited when they finally got it put in, however, it wasn’t long before I realized how much work went into keeping that thing clean. I still think that I probably spent more time cleaning it than just enjoying the darn thing. Well for all of the people out there that don’t have children to do all of their cleaning for them, there is a cool little robot that can help out with at least one of the chores.

The Solar Powered Pool Skimmer does just exactly what you think it would. It simply motors its way around your pool, skimming leaves and other debris so as to leave it looking nice and clean. The Skimmer gets around using dual paddle wheels, along with four wheels on its corners to make sure it never gets stuck. The best part is that it’s solar powered, meaning you never have to worry about recharging it. It even will navigate around the pool to find the most ideal charging spot when it needs some juice. The worst part is the $500 price tag.

[ Solar-Breeze ] VIA [ Gizmag ]

By Chris Scott Barr

When you’re out playing golf, you usually have two options for getting around. Either you drive around a cart, or just walk your happy self all over the course. If you’re committed to living a “green” lifestyle, then you’ll probably pass up the golf cart. Of course if you don’t want to spend your entire afternoon walking, you could try using this Bicycle Golf Caddy.

This rather simple device hooks up to just about any bike, and carries your clubs along behind you. It seems rather simple to setup, and even collapses to make storage easier. At $200 it’s a bit pricey, but now when you’re getting beat on the course, you can remind your friends that at least you’re not destroying the environment my driving around some electric cart all day.

[ Clean Air Gardening ] VIA [ BoingBoing ]

By Andrew Liszewski

At some point along the way the development of GPS devices split into two distinct paths. On one side you’ve got complicated touchscreen devices with maps of every road on the continent that can plan out the easiest route from point A to point B, and on the other side they’ve actually been simplified to what are essentially glorified compasses, like the GD-101 from GlobalSat.

It forgoes the colorful touchscreen for a simple monochrome LCD display that features a digital arrow capable of pointing in one of 16 different directions. The idea is to set a destination you’d like to remember, like where you parked your car, and the GD-101 will easily guide you back, complete with detailed info on how far away you are. And it’s not that I think these types of devices are a bad idea or anything, I just think they could benefit from a price tag of around $30-40, instead of the roughly $80 they’re currently selling for online.

[ GlobalSat GD-101 ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Normally I wouldn’t consider a hose reel to be OhGizmo! fodder, but this one has a clever trick up its sleeve that easily passes the “hey that’s nifty!” test. The NO-CRANK reel uses a patented water piston engine and the water pressure from your outdoor tap to automatically rewind your garden hose by simply flicking a lever to the ‘rewind’ position. And while I have my doubts that rewinding a hose is actually “one of the most stressful parts of maintaining your lawn and garden” like their PR material claims, I still think it’s a clever idea. And it’s just $39.99 from Buy.com, though I have my doubts it will arrive in time for Father’s Day.

[ NO CRANK Hose Reel ] VIA [ GadgetGrid ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Designed by Clifford Couvillon, the Playnetix Tumbler 1.0 is a modern take on playground equipment, with some pretty lofty goals. You see, getting the younger set (like kids 6 and under) to go outside and play usually doesn’t take much more than a swingset and a slide. But those pesky tweens are a different story. Tearing them away from their video games and cellular phones for a little physical activity isn’t so easy. But Clifford is hoping the Tumbler 1.0 will do just that.

It’s a 3D triangular structure that constantly moves and pivots thanks to a special ball joint that’s anchored to the ground with a strong coil spring. As someone climbs on the Tumbler their added weight causes it to tip and sway which in theory encourages them to keep moving around and exploring the structure. At the least, it does look like a lot more fun than a set of monkey bars.

[ Yanko Design - New Play In The Playground ] VIA [ cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

What better way is there to keep the kids occupied on a warm Summer day than with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry? But what parent wants to spend the afternoon playing official timekeeper while their kids swim laps in the pool? Enter the Swimways ESPN Swimming Challenge which not only comes with an ESPN decal on the side, but a couple of mountable touch pads that can be used by two swimmers to start and stop the timers on the waterproof (hopefully) clock. There’s also a set of LED displays that show the current time, winning time and number of laps if you’re just in it for the exercise. $43.95 at SwimOutlet.com.

[ Swimways ESPN Swimming Challenge ] VIA [ 7Gadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Umbrellas are fairly simple contraptions. You press a little button (or move a slider) and out pops a uniformly shaped piece of fabric that works to keep you dry. Sure, some umbrellas might have a few more sides than others, but they still keep that roundish shape. Well regardless of whether yours is an octagon, decagon or some other ‘gon, it’s still not the most efficient shape out there.

I’m sure that at some point most people have been out in the pouring rain, only to have their umbrella buckle under the pressure of high winds. There are only two good ways to prevent this. The first is to just stay inside where it’s dry, and the other is to get an umbrella that’s a bit more angular. The SENZ umbrella takes advantage of its unusual shape to withstand 70mph winds. If this thing starts to give way, you’d better get your ass inside, lest you be physically carried away by the wind. You can currently pick one of these up in three sizes ($55, $69, and $83) and a variety of colors.

[ SENZ Umbrellas ] VIA [ Technabob ]