[Aquaovo via MoCo Loco]

The Price: $59

The Verdict: Unlike normal aerosol sprays or room scenting plug-ins, the Brethe Air Revitalizer is actually supposed to filter air as well as freshen it with scents. The scent part is nice, and comes in lime, vanilla, citrus or lavender. You add two teaspoons to a bowlful of water, and when you switch the thing on, the liquid sloshes around in the base in order to dispense the scents.

We're not sure how well the filtering is supposed to work (there's no actual filter), but I tested it in my bathroom after doing some "dirty work" and could only smell "fragrant lime" and not "disgusting log." The Brethe worked equally well in the kitchen after cooking up a particularly onion-y meal. The only downside to this is that you need to refill the tank with 2 teaspoons of liquid once in a while (around twenty-four hours of use), and that the fan is kind of loud so you probably won't want to use this while you're sleeping or working. The air really does smell a lot "fresher" when it's in use, though we're not sure if that's because of the scent or the "filtering"—but it's nice. If you don't mind spending sixty bucks, this is a fantastic alternative to normal air fresheners. [Homedics]

After showing the bottle off at a defense conference in the UK, Pritchard sold all 1,000 of his $385 bottles in under four hours. Defense experts were impressed with the fact that it could filter 4,000 or 6,000 liters before the filter had to be replaced. An innovation such as this could have a significant impact if it ever reached the consumer market, not only being used as emergency gear, but for camping and travel as well. [The Register]

This might be a good little item for world travelers, whipping this baby out at a moment's notice instead of dropping tablets in every glass of water that invariably results in some mighty weird-tasting H2O. You might even use this iStraw at home if you find yourself out of bottled water, instead of going to great pains to attach elaborate filtering systems to the water supply.

Why use this at home, though? Fear of our generally safe water supply is mostly unfounded, but the multi-billion-dollar water sales industry is more than happy to perpetuate it. If you buy into all that and are shaking in your boots every time you take a sip of tap water, maybe this $40 iStraw is for you. [iStraw, via CrunchGear]

The Plane Clean Air Filter is the kind of product that makes me think: "Yay! Great idea," while at the same time wondering whether I am becoming a little too prissy for my own good. How prissy? And how will this gizmo help me? Find out after the (disinfected) jump.

When I was at college in France, I met a student of Oberlin College who once talked me through her public restroom routine. She would discard the first five sheets of loo roll because someone else's hands had touched them, then, using another bung of paper, flush immediately. The loo roll would then be stuffed down the loo so that no splashback from the previous occupant sullied her untouched and fragrant skin. Using her well-developed thigh muscles, she would hover above the seat, wipe and then use loo roll to flush after finishing up. Once out of the cubicle, she washed her hands twice with Bacto-cide™, a caring-looking solution that she carried everywhere before leaving the cubicle. Her chemical warfare suit would only be removed once she was safely back at home. But I digress.

The Plane Clean Air Filter is a simple concept: an FDA-certified filter that you screw onto the air nozzle above your airplane seat that is guaranteed to remove 99.5% of allergens, viruses and bacteria from the plane's air stream. It costs $19.99 from Target. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Target via Oh!Gizmo]

They even come with some self-adhesives to keep the screen in place when closing and opening your notebook. – Jason Chen

3M Laptop Privacy anti-peek filter [Reg Hardware]