Misc. Gadgets

While some researchers are focused on making batteries that are both safer and longer-lasting, it seems like the folks at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (or KAERI) are simply concerned with making ‘em really, really safe. To that end, they’ve now announced that they’ve managed to develop a new type of “separator” that is [...]

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. There is a sleek new Wi-Fi tablet on the market that is only 0.9 inches thick, gets months of battery life from four AAA batteries and is so durable that its manufacturer encourages users to regularly step on it. After all, it’s a scale [...]

We’ve coveted many a Leica in the past, and when the company pulls out the stops for a limited edition you can bet that it will be quite lust-worthy — and quite expensive. The M7 Edition Hermes sees the classic M7 35mm camera get a silver chrome finish and a choice of either orange or [...]

Say what you will, but we love the idea of having a tireless automaton massaging our overworked noggins. And, since human slavery was outlawed a good while ago, our only choice left is modern technology. Enter the Headtime scalp massager, produced by Kinatech. This outsized helmet has an array of 29 silicone balls for acupressure [...]

Thanksgiving is moving ever closer — and we all know what that means: the day that comes after. That’s right, there’s nothing more American than following up a day of thanks with a day of hitting the malls, strip malls, big boxes, and virtual shops up for the hottest deals to be found this side [...]

You know, we don’t see too many didgeridoos in these parts (and for good reason, seeing as how it is little more than a pipe) but wait’ll to you get a load of this aerophone-wielding maniac: Kyle Evans has grafted an Arduino Bluetooth module to his “didge” (as we say ’round the drum circle) and [...]

While it may not sport the same egregious number of buttons and blue and white aesthetics as last week’s affront to ergonomics, Sony’s VGP-BMS80 VAIO Bluetooth Laser Mouse certainly doesn’t offer much better looks. It does, however, allow for wireless control of either a PC or a PS3 and, with an optical sensor on top, [...]

Let’s be honest: it’s really hard to dislike Chumby. In fact, you feel almost compelled to root for any company bold enough to put out a product as unapologetically wacky as the original Chumby, a device that somehow managed to marry a soft, cuddly vinyl sphere with WiFi and a touchscreen. It didn’t make a [...]

No, we’re not talking about “the cloud” where data goes to disappear and (hopefully) be retrieved again. We’re talking about an actual (well, artificial) cloud that promises to be both a real structure and a massive digital display. That’s the bright idea of a team of researchers from MIT, anyway, and it’s now been shortlisted [...]

We’ve seen a number of medical manufacturers with a common goal: getting you to swallow microprocessor-filled horse pills for things like cauterizing small, internal wounds and dispensing drugs — and now you can add the “evaluation of constipation” to the list! SmartPill is designed to cruise the GI tract, where it measures temperature and pH, [...]