Gizmodo: smells

Le Whif Inhaler Stinks of Chocolate, Marketing Ploy

Jack Loftus — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Harvard professor David Edwards wrote a graphic novel envisioning a future world where people ingested their food by smelling, or "whiffing," it. That vision begot Le Whif, the chocolate inhaler.

"Over the centuries we've been eating smaller and smaller quantities at shorter and shorter intervals," Edwards said. "It seemed to us that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we've helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion. We call it whiffing."

In high school I called it huffing, but that might have been something else entirely. This version comes in four chocolate flavors: mint chocolate, raspberry chocolate, mango chocolate, and milk chocolate.

If it can curb people's appetites as advertised, great, no complaints here. But my snap reaction is this is just another way to boost chocolate consumption amongst members of the population that enjoy sticking things in their noses. [Le Whif via Boing Boing Gadgets]

P.U. Smelly Board Game Begs for an Adult Version

Jack Loftus — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Sure, the kids will have a blast filling their nostrils with various scents while playing PU: The Guessing Game Of Smells, but what about the grown ups? Where is our late-night olfactory adventure, made physical by a $28 game board? While the kids search for the mischievous skunk in P.U., using their noses to hunt for clues, what are we adults going to do to pass the time? These are the things I need to know. Meanwhile, I'll be playing P.U., by myself, trying to guess which cards are peppermint, burnt rubber, cut grass, or "the dreaded doggie doo doo." [Lighter Side via Random Good Stuff]

Good-Bye Foot Raunch, Helloooo Minty Freshness!

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:48:43 EST

Thanks to a new springy plastic insert for shoes, Japanese people will be spared the embarrassment of letting their foot smells waft through public places. Instead, they will experience the embarrassment of adding a strange breath of mint to every establishment where they are required to de-shoe. At every step, the insert pumps out a small dose of mint essence, replacing—and hopefully not just mixing noxiously with—your natural, potentially horrible foot odor. It's a hell of a trade-off. Would you use it? [Reuters]

Smellivision Ads, Coming to Billboards

Mark Wilson — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:53:53 EDT

The prospect of smellivision has intrigued Man since he was enjoying the earthy scent of dinosaur cooking over an open flame, wishing He could exploit its musk to sell more dinoburgers. At long last, NTT Communications is incorporating smells into their digital signs. Using one billboard (OK, LCD display) as an experiment this month, visitors of the Tokyo JR train line will get to see beer and smell delicious oranges.

No, it's not what we had in mind either. The sign's smells will change throughout the day, emitting lemon in the afternoon and "woody" aromas at night. The bottles of chemicals are used in various recipes to create the smells, which are ultrasonically sprayed across a 5,400-square-foot area. The sign can gather updated scents through an auto web download. And for the ambitious hacker, we're guessing some nasty pranks could be programmed for unintentional public consumption. [press release via pinktentacle]

BBC Sez Smellable Internet on the Way

Travis Hudson — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:15:12 EST

The solution to the Internet addicts is on the way, and should be here by 2015. According to the BBC a South Korean company is claiming that the Internet will be able to delivery smell data by 2015. Why will this be the ultimate medicine for Internet addicts? Because they will be forced to smell the people and things they look at on a daily basis. I don't even want to imagine what kind of foul stenches the Internet could produce on any given day and I don't even want to know why a smell-o-net would need to be available by 2015. Smells like a turd covered in burnt hair—name that movie! –Travis Hudson

Fragrant future beckons for web [BBC via Wired]
Speaking of smelly Internet; it is ironic how the BBC decided to use a picture of a bunch of South Koreans playing WoW in a room to go with this story.

Japan's Sony Ericsson SO703i Smells Purty

Travis Hudson — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 16:55:18 EST

No longer will you have to worry about your cellphone stinking up the place. Not if NTT Docomo and Sony Ericsson have anything to do with it. The SO703i is a cellphone that includes a slot for replaceable scented sheets that give off a pleasant smell. Up to 11 different smells are available. You may think you are hot stuff with that custom ringtone, but you don't have anything on my apple pie-smelling cellphone. Japan only—sorry, folks. –Travis Hudson

Excuse me, your phone is smelling... [telephony's wireless review]

USB Aroma Fan

Jason Chen — Tue, 30 May 2006 20:00:11 EDT

Similar to the USB Stencher, the aroma fan combines two things we enjoy, wind and pleasant smells, to create the perfect gadget for the office.

Place scented aroma oil onto the leaf sponge, then place the sponge into the USB fan, plug it into your computer and wait for the smells of Rick the IT guy drift away.

Comes with 3 sponges and 1 oil bottle. Available for $15. – Jason Chen

USB Aroma Fan [USB Geek via Red Ferret]

Samsung Smell-o-phone

Travis Hudson — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:07:28 EST

Smell-o-vision was something previously reserved for cartoons and other gags. Well, Samsung has done the unthinkable and is actually developing a smell-o-phone. This phone will release "smell tones" upon incoming calls. According to the patent documentation the type and amount of perfume can be controlled. Thanks, Samsung. Now cell phones can annoy two of our senses instead of just one.

Mobile phone having perfume spraying apparatus [Textually]

Smellable Websites? Maybe a Bad Idea.

Travis Hudson — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:03:49 EST

Foreign mobile market powerhouse NTT must have gotten a little bored with the cellphone market and has decided to develop this ball-like device. It sits on your desk, looks really awkward, and has the ability to emit an aroma based upon what website you are looking at. Yeah, it could be badass for any food-related website, but don t even try using it with Gizmodo or you will be bombarded with the smell of dirty laundry and dead hookers. This worthless device can be yours for only $640.

Smell my web [Akihabara]