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teen repellent
You remember that lousy mosquito noise device generators in the UK that were supposed to drive teens away because only they could hear them? The ones that actually turned out to be audible to just about everybody? They're coming to the US. People here aren't too happy about it, with some bans and protests after (and before) some shop owners decided to install them. What do you think? Is this going to work better than calling the cops? [CNN via Boing Boing]
British Teen Repellent System Irritating US Residents Soon
You remember that lousy mosquito noise device generators in the UK that were supposed to drive teens away because only they could hear them? The ones that actually turned out to be audible to just about everybody? They're coming to the US. People here aren't too happy about it, with some bans and protests after (and before) some shop owners decided to install them. What do you think? Is this going to work better than calling the cops? [CNN via Boing Boing]
great idea
LG just figured out a way to nestle a couple of wireless earbuds into the hinge of a clamshell handset. Leave them attached to the phone, and they act like a couple of ordinary small speaker/microphones, but pop them out and stick them in your ears, and you've got yourself some rockin' 'phones without all those wires. When the phone rings, one of these acoustic transducers is used as the mike and the other as an earpiece. LG also designed a version of the tiny wireless cans for a candybar-style phone, where the two earpieces are stuck into the top and bottom of the front of the device. Neat stuff, but it looks like those small pieces would be easy to lose. [US Patent & Trademark Office, via Unwired View]
LG Files Patent for Way-Cool Detachable Wireless Earbuds
LG just figured out a way to nestle a couple of wireless earbuds into the hinge of a clamshell handset. Leave them attached to the phone, and they act like a couple of ordinary small speaker/microphones, but pop them out and stick them in your ears, and you've got yourself some rockin' 'phones without all those wires. When the phone rings, one of these acoustic transducers is used as the mike and the other as an earpiece. LG also designed a version of the tiny wireless cans for a candybar-style phone, where the two earpieces are stuck into the top and bottom of the front of the device. Neat stuff, but it looks like those small pieces would be easy to lose. [US Patent & Trademark Office, via Unwired View]
bright idea
Bright Idea: Pop-up Lightbulb Light
This lightbulb-shaped lamp can be affixed to a wall or placed on a desk whenever you need some extra light. Plus it has a touch activated dimmer to help you navigate treacherous terrain on a late-night trip to the bathroom. May also be amusing when placed overhead to indicate that you have a bright idea. Available for $9.50. [Product Page via GeekAlerts]
usb
The USB-powered Bright Idea Light designed by Graham Alexander Bayne will provide just enough light when needed most. Although the soft silicon and plastic light bulb doesn't get any brighter when you actually have an idea, it still looks cool...and it's USB.
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Bright Idea Light Inspires Via USB
The USB-powered Bright Idea Light designed by Graham Alexander Bayne will provide just enough light when needed most. Although the soft silicon and plastic light bulb doesn't get any brighter when you actually have an idea, it still looks cool...and it's USB.
More »
great idea
Brush & Rinse Toothbrush Creates Mini Water Fountain
The Brush & Rinse toothbrush from Amron Experimental creates a little water fountain for you to sip from when it's time to rinse. Hey, this is a solution to a problem that's long overdue.
More pics and pricing on the next page.
design
BusinessWeek/IDSA IDEA 2007 Awards Gallery
This year's award winners tend to fall into two categories: old, at least to up-to-date gadget hounds like y'all, or not there yet, with no good way to figure out when they will arrive. That doesn't mean they're not the epitome of great design, though, and it doesn't mean they're not worth having a gander at. I put eight of the more self-explanatory items in the gallery below—including urinals!—but if you want to see the long string of crazy shit, you'll have to visit BusinessWeek.com.
bad idea
Disney's New CDVU+ Sounds Like Every Other Stupid Enhanced CD Format
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the reason CD sales suck is not the fact that there isn't enough crap loaded onto the disc. Enhanced CDs have been around for over a decade; hell, many of the first interactive CD-ROMs came from the record industry. Does anyone remember a single one? Apparently Disney doesn't, because this week its Hollywood Records label introduced the CDVU+ format. The who what? More »
idea for a rainy day
BlueSky Design Group's Dosh wallet takes advantage of flexible and semi-flexible polymers so that it's not only tough and bendable, but waterproof to boot. You've got the usual space for credit cards and bills, an area for coins and a compartment that can hold keys and SIM cards. It runs on the large side and is missing the display area we're used to for a photo ID. Don't like that safety vest orange? You've got a few colors to choose from.
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Dosh Waterproof Wallet Keeps Keys and SIM Cards Safe
BlueSky Design Group's Dosh wallet takes advantage of flexible and semi-flexible polymers so that it's not only tough and bendable, but waterproof to boot. You've got the usual space for credit cards and bills, an area for coins and a compartment that can hold keys and SIM cards. It runs on the large side and is missing the display area we're used to for a photo ID. Don't like that safety vest orange? You've got a few colors to choose from.
More »
good idea, too early/too late
Soban Photo Keychain
The Soban Photo Keychain is a replacement for storing wallet-sized pictures of your kids printed out on—gasp—paper. Instead, the Soban has 128mb of memory storing up to 7,000 (really tiny) photos. A slideshow can run for 8 hours on a charge. More »
peripherals
Prestigio Leather Wrapped Hard Drives: Bad Idea?
Pardon my logic, but when I'm cold, I generally like to wear my leather coat because it warms me up. So wouldn't a leather coat around a hard drive be a bad idea? Prestigio has released their leather clad Data Safe II USB HDD available up to 120GB in size. It is a pretty average external hard drive: bus powered, encryption, passwording, etc. It is available in black and brown leather and would likely make your hard drive burn to a crisp, but at least it will look good doing so. More »
gadgets
Design Concept: E-Rope Modular Power Strip
The E-Rope Modular Power Strip is a 2006 Idea Award winner designed by Chul Min Kang and Sung Hun Lim. Still in the design concept phase, this is an idea that's bound to take off because not only does it look great but it's functional, too. Its blue lights glow to indicate power is flowing, and if you rotate the socket section 90 degrees, it turns off the current, saving you from that power-sucking standby mode that's so prevalent in many of today's electronic devices. Plus, its modular design lets you add just the right number of outlets needed. While we're really digging our PowerSquid, the multi-tendriled power strip device thingamajig that gets the job done while offering plenty of separation for all those wall warts, we could use about a dozen of these E-Ropes, too. E-Rope [BusinessWeek]
portable media
Friendtech iDea Travel Kit Hands-On
For the most part, if you've seen one FM Transmitter, you've seen them all. That would be true for the iDea Travel Kit if it weren't for the extra connectors they include with the package. More »
home entertainment
Friendtech iDea Wireless Home Dock and Wireless Hi-Fi Headset Hands On
This iDea Wireless Home dock is pretty much an iPod dock that can support PSPs, any MP3 player and mobile phones (using the cellphone adapter). More »
home entertainment
Friendtech iDea Cellphone Audio Adapter Hands-On
The nice folks at Friendtech sent over a few things for us to review. We'll get to the other later, but first up are the iDea Cellphone Adapters. More »
home entertainment
Acer Aspire IDEA 500 Low Profile Media Center PC
Our ears are extremely sensitive to computer fan noise—freak clapping accident, don't ask— so Acer's new living room friendly Aspire Idea 500 makes PC specs available without all the PC noise. More »
portable media
