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Sharper Image

gadgets

Sharper Image Puts Itself On the Market Like a Cheap Floozy

Two months after Sharper Image declared bankruptcy, they've gone and put themselves on sale, saying it would "preserve values and yield the best recovery to the company." They're as serious about selling themselves off as they are about selling you laser instruments and brushed metal meat thermometers. Sharper Image wants to finish the sale by the end of May, meaning hopefully the gift cards you've got stored away will be valid again and you'll be able to get that motion-sensing soap dispenser you've always wanted. HOW DID YOU WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE THIS?! [Reuters]

review

Lightning Review: iWavecube Ultra-Mini Microwave

The Gadget: The iWavecube microwave from iCube Designs and Sharper Image is billed as the "world's first and only personal portable microwave." A Ramen-ready space-saver that is perfect for a foodaholic that lacks the time or the skills to cook a proper meal. More »

laser beams

Beamz Synthesizer Uses Lasers as Strings, Has Plenty of Cowbell (Literally)

In the future we'll probably play music with our minds, but for now the Beamz Laser Music System uses a series of six lasers which you can break with your hands to play instruments like guitars, violin and (YES!) even a cowbell. There are also 30 preloaded songs and musical genres that can play alongside your flapping arms as background tracks. Add some speakers and you'll be ready to rock like Jean Michel Jarre when Beamz goes on sale on April 15. [The Sharper Image via Geek Alerts]

gadgets

Sharper Image Accepting Gift Cards Again, With a Catch

Good news, fans of overpriced ionic massage chairs that refresh your feet, atmosphere and mind simultaneously, Sharper Image is accepting gift cards again! But you have to buy something worth twice as much as the card, and you have to use it all at once. They're not screwing around here. Our advice? Dispose of your invisible Sharper Image monies as fast as you can before it turns into vapor again. [BW via Consumerist]

sharper image

What Went Wrong With Sharper Image

Now that Sharper Image declared bankruptcy and plans to close down 90 out of its 180 stores, us (vibrating) armchair quarterbacks are all trying to figure out why the store shut down. The Washington Post explores, and says that the chain's downfall came because it remained the same—stainless steel tools that streamlined "your life by .002 percent"—while the rest of the world changed. More »

gadgets

Brookstone Accepts Your Temporarily Worthless Sharper Image Cards For 25% Discount

You know that $100 Sharper Image gift certificate you got for Christmas? The one that's now not being accepted while the company's going through bankruptcy proceedings? Turns out you can head to Brookstone, the other purveyor of fairly useless light-up gadgets that you stick up your nose to generate ozone, and get 25% off any purchase. What's even better is that you can take any gift card there, regardless of value, so feel free to trade in a $10 gift card for a quarter off a vibrating jacuzzi submarine with built-in alarm clock and personal organizer. [Yahoo]

sharper image

Sharper Image Suspends Gift Card Redemption

As a result of Sharper Image's bankruptcy filing earlier this week, the company's decided to stop accepting gift cards until they can get their finances in order. That really sucks for you if you just received a Sharper Image gift card for Christmas '07, but it really sucks for people who returned merchandise and could only get store credit in the form of a card. What's even more unfortunate is the banner at the top of Sharper Image's press release site. Ouch. [Sharper Image via Consumerist]

retail

Sharper Image Files for Bankruptcy; You'll Need to Go Elsewhere to Try Out a Massage Recliner

When I was a kid and would get dragged to the mall by my parents, I would always gravitate to stores like Sharper Image. These gadget-stuffed stores probably never actually got a sale out of me, but they were stuffed to the gills with impractical and expensive gadgets for me to ogle, and there was generally an expensive, ultimately-uncomfortable massage chair near the entrance that lured me in every time. Sadly (I guess), it's now the end of an era: Sharper Image has filed for bankruptcy. More »

roundup

Afternoon News: Sharper Image Cellphones, Cancer-Detecting Mouthwash and More

• Sharper Image is now selling four unlocked Windows Mobile cellphones. The top of the line model has a 2MP camera, touchscreen, Bluetooth, tri-band, and GPRS, but sadly no ionic air-purifier or back massager. [Uber Phones]
• A new smart plug from the UK will reduce energy consumption by turning off gadgets that are turned on but not in use. [Daily Mail]
• Qualcomm has completed new chipsets that do not infringe on Broadcom patents. [Phone Scoop]
• Wikia, an open-source search engine by Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, will launch on January 7. [Slashdot]
• A mouthwash-like solution in development at Johns Hopkins can diagnose head and neck cancer from your spit. [Locker Gnome]
• Ex-Palm CEO, Carl Yankowski, is taking over as CEO of Ambient Devices, which you might remember as the maker of the Ambient Forecasting Umbrella. [News]

weather

Waterdrop Weather Station Has New Shape, Mostly Old Features

Weather stations come in all shapes and sizes, and here's another one to add to that collection, the Waterdrop Weather Station from Sharper Image. While it's supposed to be shaped like a water drop, we think it looks more like a red egg, or worse, a drop of blood. Besides its unusual look, it has the usual features of weather stations of this ilk, including an iconized forecast (this one's color-coded, though), indoor temperature and outdoor temperature and humidity, an alarm clock that's regulated by the atomic clock, and then a graph that shows you 24 hours' worth of barometric pressure readings. We especially like the hands-free infrared sensor that lets you magically wave your hand to turn off its alarm. You'll pay extra for that and its eggcellent shape—it's $119.95. [Sharper Image, via Weather Snob]

speakers

Outdoor Monophonic Speaker System Goes Wire Free Wild

The summer may be dwindling, but are you going to let the elements dictate when you can take your tunes outdoors? No, you are not. Sharper Image's Wireless Outdoor Monophonic One-Speaker System—besides having a ridiculously long name—is here to help. The stylish speaker will allow you to pump your beats, via the included 2.4GHz transmitter, from MP3 player to glorified outdoor speaker. If the sun refuses to shine on your party in the park, the soft blue lighting will bring illumination to your festivities—is there nothing the Sharper Image people have not thought of? More »

portable media

New, Discounted Sharper Image iPod-Ready Speaker Docks

Sharper Image, the company made famous for selling everyone else's iPod-ready crap, is joining the fray themselves. They have released a plethora of iPod-ready speaker systems ready to suck up your dollars, and have discounted some of their other models. There are so many I am even going to do a bulleted list—a list I tell you! Here she comes... More »

portable media

The New York Times Exposes "iSilly" iPod Accessories; iSigh

The NYT has a rundown today on the supposedly new trend of iPod accessories where "cute or irreverent often trumps wow." While I wouldn't exactly call the piece bleeding edge in its discovery, the trend it points at is definitely real, and most of the products it highlights are interesting or amusing, my favorite being the i-Bratz iPetz Piggy (pictured). I also hate it with a passion. More »

deals

Dealzmodo: Sharper Image Half-Yearly Sale, Up to 70-Percent Off

Sharper Image, the king of all crazy gadgets, is having their half-yearly sale with 100 items or so with up to 70-percent off discounts. I would say half or so of the items are actually fairly cool and could be useful, the other half is garbage, more or less. Just go check it out for yourself. More »

gadgets

USB Device Charging Desk Lamp

In the category of awesome-ness comes this lamp that includes USB ports for charging of USB devices. With a large chunk of portable electronic devices being capable of USB charging, this is the perfect desk lamp. This lamp, the SI561, just recently received FCC pound-me-in-the-ass clearance, so it should be available sometime in 2007 from Sharper Image. And because it is from Sharper Image, expect to shell out quite a few c-notes for this one. More »

gadgets

Spion Orbitor Lets You Spy on Your Unsuspecting Neighbors

Want to know what your neighbors think of you? The Spion Oribitor isn't pretty, but it's the best way of finding out. This high-tech listening kit was designed to let you hone in on conversations taking place up to 300 feet away from you. The included headphones can filter out ambient noise while a built-in recorder lets you store up to 2 minutes of salacious conversation. We wish it had more on-board memory, but for $60 it's a cheap way to get James Bond-like on your neighbors. More »

home entertainment

Ality Pixxa LCD Frame: Pick a Day, Display a Pic

LCD photo frames are flooding the market, and now their makers are all trying to differentiate their products from each other. The Ality Picca 8-inch LCD Photo Frame's unique feature is a calendar that lets you display specific photos or movies on certain days and times. More »

peripherals

iBeam Speaker Dock Makes Your iPod Look Like a Car

Few iPod docks resemble the front bumper of a car, yet that's exactly what Shaper Image's iBeam Speaker Dock manages to do. It connects with any dockable iPod and uses SRS WOW technology to deliver surround sound. On board you get everything you'd expect from a speaker dock like an AM/FM radio, a backlit LCD, and an auxiliary input for connecting other MP3 players. The iBeam can also be hooked up to the company's optional Woofi subwoofer ($49 bucks) for additional thumpage. At $169 dollars, it's not that pricey and I admit the weird car-like design helps it stand out from the rest of the pack. More »