Gizmodo: peek 2007

Halo Ultraviolet Vacuum Is Like Nuclear Man for Germs: Destroys Their Will to Live

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:40:36 EDT

The Halo UV Vacuum aims to make paranoid germophobes not flee your home at the site of your carpet, which typically contains 100,000 dust mites per square yard. It claims to terminate the mold, dust mites, germs, viruses, bacteria and other microscopic creepy-crawlers lurking in your carpet and mattress with extreme prejudice—granted, I don't know if anything can kill what's undoubtedly festering in my roommate's mattress.

It also sports a HEPA filter, telescoping handle and automatic height shifter. Plus, the rep promised me it could totally handle the Oreck challenge and lift a bowling ball, which totally sold me.

If the germ genocide works, the only things that suck (sorry, had to) are the price ($400, like another sweet vacuum) and that the UV light doesn't make for a fun light show to keep you entertained while you vacuum, which is what I was hoping for. More pics after the jump.

– Matt Buchanan

Product Page [Halo]

Rohto V Arctic Eye Drops for "Techno Lifestyles" Review: Sweet Christ, I'm Blind

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:20:09 EDT

These Rohto V Arctic eye drops are supposed to "keep eyes cool under the strain of today's techno lifestyles," in particular the kind that results from staring at a monitor 20 hours a day, like we do at Giz. The "cool" part is supposed to be the menthol in the drops, which their rep said had her hooked on them.

I became suspicious when I read that I had to wait 15 minutes to put in my contacts after using the drops. Luckily for you guys, today I happened to be wearing glasses. I held the bottle over my eye and let two drops fall in.

Aftermath with picture after the jump.

Burning. Blindness. My eye went numb. After three minutes my eye was still red and kind of numb (which is when I snapped the picture below, though it doesn't convey the waterfall that poured out of my eye). Ten minutes later, it felt okay again and I was definitely more awake. But definitely not soothed.

Final word: for masochists only. – Matt Buchanan

Product Page [Rohto]