Gizmodo: ear

Drive Alarm, In Your Ear, Keeping You Awake

msparkes — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:47:09 EDT

This unusual-looking gadget is worn behind the ear, and wakes you up if you start to catch some Z's on the highway. It constantly measures the angle your head is resting at, and vibrates if you tip forward. Of course, if you fall asleep and lean back into your headrest, then it will happily let you careen off the road to your fiery, but restful, death.

The design comes from Korean company Design Fingers but there's no word on availability. Popgadget helpfully point us to a similar product on Amazon though, if you really must get your hands on something like this. [Popgadget]

This is the Worst Thing I've Seen in my Life

Mark Wilson — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:00:44 EDT

...or at least it's up there. [techeblog]

USB Ear Scope Looks But Doesn't Pick

Jason Chen — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:10:45 EDT

If we're going to look inside our ears, we prefer something like the Ear Scope GXL. Unlike this Thanko USB Ear Scope, there's a pick on the end of it so you can scrape out earwax. This Thanko one? It can only look.

However, Thanko's version does support USB, which probably means it's tons cheaper than the GXL's $200. Plus, once you've got a shot of your ear canal on your computer, you've got an easy way to take screenshots and use them as wallpapers or the background of a mass email to all your friends with the subject "Does this look infected to you?" – Jason Chen

Product Page [Thanko via Everything USB]

Mini Castle Mini Alarm For Your Ear

Jason Chen — Tue, 29 May 2007 16:00:36 EDT

Although the idea of an in-ear alarm clock that doesn't bother your roommates is sound, this implementation is quite poor. The Mini Alarm does go inside your ear, but it hangs out so much that it's bound to fall out when you're flopping around like an injured whale during REM.

On the other hand, if you use it for other purposes, like making sure you don't fall asleep too long on the subway or reminding you to take a break when working or studying, it's much better. But if you've got a cellphone from the last five years, you can easily set that on vibrating alarm, put it in your pants, and accomplish the same thing. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Mini Castle via Coolest Gadgets via Oh Gizmo]

Ear-Mounted LED Flashlight

Brian Lam — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:10:29 EDT

Continuing our obsession with ear gadgets, I proudly report on this LED ear-mounted flashlight. It clips on like those Sony behind-the-ear headphones, freeing up your hands so you can easily roam in the dark. Eighteen hours of battery life per ear, thanks to the lithium batteries. –Brian Lam

Ear Light [Sci Fi Tech]

Ear Force D2 Headset Lets You Nintendogs in Semi-Private

Jason Chen — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:00:26 EDT

Ever spend five minutes yelling, "SIT! SIT! SIT!" at your DS only to have the other people on the subway get up and move away like you were a psycho? Check out this Ear Force D2 from Turtle Beach. This Nintendo DS headset includes both headphones and a mic, which means you can both hear and speak without bothering bystanders too much.

It's better than other headphones since it supports the mic, and with the mic you can talk softly while still being heard. Which is great, since playing Nintendogs on the subway really gets you that authentic fresh urine smell. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Turtle Beach via Gadgetell]

Is it an Ear Infection?

Jason Chen — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:00:52 EDT

Save money and spare your child from a trip to the doctor with this EarCheck ear infection diagnosis kit. Just stick it in, press the button, and you'll be able to diagnose on a scale of 1 to 5 whether or not your kid's in any danger.

The LCD also gives you a reading that says either "Consult Doctor", "Monitor", or "Fluid Unlikely". Then again, you could always just use an Ear Scope GXL to see for yourself what's going on in there. – Jason Chen

Product Page [EarCheck via MedGadget via Uber Gizmo]

The Ear Scope GXL is the Ultimate in Self Ear Cleaning

Jason Chen — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:15:18 EST

Taking both the Ear Wax Camera and the LED Ear Wax Cleaner to the next level, this Ear Scope GXL is the last word on cleaning your own ears. If you're not comfortable with (or don't have) someone else cleaning your ears for you, this Ear Scope lets you peep into your own LED-lit ear canal for easy scraping.

If the scope's somehow too uncomfortable to use, you can even attach the Ear Scope to an LCD TV so everybody can get in on the fun. Seriously, we need to know where to buy this and how much it costs. Screw everything else, this is what we want for Christmas this year.

Check out the TV version after the jump.

– Jason Chen

Impress Watch [via Plastic Bamboo]

LED Lit Ear Wax Scooper: Dirty Ears Begone

Brian Lam — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 10:00:43 EST

My ears are waxy. The gooey kind. Is that too much information? Likely so. Regardless, I tell you because I need you help. This LED lit ear wax scooper was found in a random Korean grocery store, in between the air fresheners and the shower caps, by Andrew at DirtyNerdLuv. (Great name, btw. Nearly as good as BabyGotMac.)

Do you know where I can find one online?–Brian Lam

LED Earpick [via Boing Boing]

Our Take on NYT's "Risks for Ears with iPods" Article

Brian Lam — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:05:17 EDT

Photo Credits Richard B, Ben Longo.
–Brian Lam

NYT Breaking News Again: Loud Music Makes You Deaf [Giz]

Harmony Bionic Ear System

Brian Lam — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 17:57:36 EDT

Boston Scientific's bionic ear gets FDA approval today, perfectly timed to save the hearing of Metallica fans rounding 40+. The piece delivers 120 spectral bands, which is 5-10 times more than the competition. Hmm...120 bands? I bet that makes the world sound as if it were in MIDI. The internal sound processor hooks into the brain, while the external processor automatically adjusts gain to make speech clearer, whispers audible, and keep the brain from exploding in the vicinity of loud noises.–Brian Lam

Harmony Bionic Ear [via Med Gadget]

The LED Earlight

Travis Hudson — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 11:41:26 EST

Never in a million years would I have thought the Bluetooth headset market would develop into a bandwagon full of strange-looking ear modules, but I was proven wrong with the release of the Earlight. This looks a hell of a lot like a Bluetooth headset, but it does nothing wireless. All it can do is shine a light so you don t trip over your faux Ralph Lauren and Louis Vutton lying on the ground, you wannabe trendy kid.

The Earlight [OhGizmo!]

Product Page [Amazon]