The Price:

$160

The Verdict:

Expensive, but worth it.

How do we justify a $160 scale when normal scales are $20 at Target? Think about when the last time your parents replaced their bathroom scale. Was it before you were born? Was it never? $160 isn't too much when you spread it out over a lifetime.

But even if you you just look at the features, the Withings scale is worth it. On the "weighing you" side, it reports your weight in pounds, kilos or the weird British stone, plus calculates out your fat mass and BMI.

The top of the scale is made out of, in their words, "tempered glass slab, covered with a layer of metal", which looks and feels classy. The whole thing feels modern—again, the complete opposite of a normal filthy bathroom scale.

After the Withings weighs you, it'll send all three data points online, to their free website, where it charts and graphs it for you. You can even have different users in your family, each with their own separate data graphs. And (this is probably something you won't use) it'll post your weight updates to Twitter, if you want. It's not mandatory.

And here, for example, is a kid being tracked as she gets older—not a person devolving into a serious eating disorder.

And if you have an iPhone/iTouch, you can access your chart via the free app as well, in case you want to show off to your friends how much weight you're losing.

In essence, the Withings makes for the perfect holiday gift. It's pricey enough to not make you look cheap, yet it still conveys the "I think you're fat" message that's inherent in giving someone a scale. [Withings]

Internet connectivity and functionality is impressive for a scale

Works great as a scale

Slightly expensive

The point, of course, is to track your measurements over time to help motivate you to achieve your fitness goals. It even compares your measurements to "ideal" values as an added incentive. If you are serious about getting fit, keeping a record of your progress is always a good idea—although at $183, only serious food and gadget junkies need apply. [Withings via ChipChick via Hometone]

I, for one, would be pretty pissed off if I didn't know about this thing and sat down to wait for the bus, only to notice people laughing at my weight. It's an attention grabbing ad, to be sure, but one that might just cross the line into ruining the bus stop rather than just advertising via it. But hey, if it's getting people to work out at Fitness First, it's effective. What say you? [DirectDaily via Animal New York]

The best thing about it? It builds confidence:

"Whew, that was a fierce battle. I feel five pounds lighter. Saaay...I am five pounds lighter!"

Too bad it is only a concept, because the only way to get this kind of functionality is by dropping thousands on one of those fancy Japanese tech toilets. [Yanko]

Other interesting points:

8.0 to 8.9 Excellent A product that receives a rating in this range is superior in so many ways that its relatively few drawbacks are not very important. 18.6%

7.0 to 7.9 Very good While the strengths of a product scoring in this range certainly outweigh its weaknesses, it has some minor faults that certain users should be aware of. 41.8%

6.0 to 6.9 Good This range represents a product that is above average. Its strengths slightly outweigh its weaknesses, making it good for most uses but not a standout. 27.8%

So most products rate as very good. One might argue that "Very good" means average, and if 40% of all gadgets are rated so, they should be called that. ("Average" is a 5.0-5.9 on the CNet scale.)

It is, of course, complicated. Average implies, at the bottom line, that you probably won't be thrilled to own a device with such a CNet score. While "Very Good" implies you will be. Regular people will be happy with a lot of this gear, while the best gets an "Editor's Choice."

It is interesting that the video game reviews, which are much more subjective, made up the head and tails of the reviews.

The highest and lowest rated products both happened to be video games:

* 9.5 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PlayStation 3)
* 1.7 - Pimp My Ride (PSP)

CNet's reviews strive to be objective and reasonable, and in this, they've succeeded across the board. But I do wonder if a tighter review scale might serve the public better, along with more opinionated takes on what the best piece of gear in every category is. I mean, how often do your friends ask you what the second best set is on the market?

On top of telling them what I think is the best deal or best overall, I've long made a habit of recommending brands to friends, instead of particular models, so it's also interesting to see that ecoustics did a rundown of which brands did best, with Casio scoring lowest on average and RIM being highest (yes, over Apple.)

So, check out the article. I still use CNet for research and buying advice, and I'm sure many of you do, too, so it's good to understand that rating system. [ecoustics]

Stand on the four sensor plates and pull up on two retractable electronics, and the device sends a weak electric current through your body to see what you're really made of. It keeps track of your measurements and can display your progress in days, weeks, or months over a three-year period. One thing that will be much lighter right away is your wallet—the BC-545 costs $390. – Charlie White

The Amazing InnerScan Segmental Body Composition Monitor [Gizmag]

Actually, if you replaced these faux eggs with real eggs, you could probably stand on them just fine providing you weren't too heavy and had large enough feet. Something about weight distribution. – Jason Chen

Product Page [ViceVersa via Popgadget]

The included drive can track four users for 30 days, which then gets uploaded to your Windows PC to graph your weight. If you're one of those people who don't find motivation in losing weight unless there's some kind of gimmick or gadget, this may help keep you alive for another 20 years. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Amazon JP via Calorie Lab via The Raw Feed]

What makes this unit special is that it can be connected to a PC using a USB cable so you can chart your progress in losing or gaining weight. Not only that, they have a bluetooth module that can sync up with your phone, so you won't have to bend down to read the scale (and for keeping track of your progress).

Once on the phone, the data can be sent to a website so your doctor can monitor your health. Maybe now we nerds will be tempted to get back in shape? Nah.

Tanita BC-502. the geek's Bluetooth scale [Akihabara News]

Product Page [Ricardo]