Evil Gadgets?

With great power comes great responsibility. Wired magazine had a post a couple weeks ago on the top 5 gadgets that will get you arrested. Of course that's only if you use them improperly.

My personal favorite of their choices is the handheld laser marking system that can etches materials with a 2 mJ laser. How cool is that? The flyer from the makers (Laser Photonics) says it is capable of 2D matrix codes or bar codes. I suppose that's what a lot of people use it for. But they also say it can handle AutoCAD, Illustrator, or other vector/raster file formats so you could etch just about anything you wanted into an object. Go here for the details.

Carpet Alarm

As much as I'd probably hate it every day of the work week, I might need one of these. I know Dianne would probably like it better than hearing the snooze alarm go off umpteen times in the morning. Check out the carpet alarm here.

Tastespotting

I stumbled on the Tastespotting website today. It's a photo based site showing pictures of food and food related gadgets. The photos are links that take you to blogs or websites showing recipes or describing the kitchen gadget. It's not an efficient way to find a recipe, but it's a great site to browse. The photos show some awesome creations.

An example of a gadget item is the Mr. and Mrs. Bento Box shown at right. A set of stackable trays (4 for Mr. and 2 for Mrs.) that fit inside the insulated jar. It's rare I pack a lunch, but these are pretty cool.

Always Room for Innovation

Nails have been around for a long time. I would have thought that nail design would have been…well…nailed down by now. But I was wrong. Popular Science posted their picks for the best of what is new in 2006. In the Home Tech category, the top innovation is a new nail, designed by Bostitch, called the HurriQuake nail. It’s an improved design to better withstand nature’s fury during hurricanes and earthquakes. A neat innovation without adding much cost.

Another innovative item that caught my eye in the Home Tech category is the X-beam wrench. It’s another example of a simple twist on an old design that lets you push against the wide, flat portion of a wrench rather than along the narrow edge. Presumably it shouldn’t add much cost either. I would guess adding the twist has some strength implications for the wrench, but for everyday applications the added comfort seems like a good idea.

Check out the Popular Science site for picks in other categories.

Antimicrobial Gadgets

All you gadget loving germ-o-phobes will love these items. One will give you a clean exit from a restroom and the other will give you peace of mind when eating spinach.

Various Gadgets

Here is an eclectic collection of gadgets I've run across in the last week. Maybe this will give you some ideas for your own Christmas list.

Stuck in traffic? Time to buy a new BMW.

Can't afford that? An alternative is the latest nuvi from Garmin -- the nuvi 660. Pretty nice features including hands free cellphone use, navigation, traffic receiver, FM transmitter, etc.

Did your Tamagotchi end up in the toilet? Get an ant farm -- see the picture at left.

Bored while on the go? Get a Sony LocationFree box and watch live TV or DVR'd items on your computer or PSP.

Need a new monitor? Here is a neat LCD monitor/tablet for your PC or Mac. Wouldn't that be a great addition to a Mac mini?

Some New Gadgets

I found a couple new gadgets (at least new to me) while surfing this weekend.

For the cook in the house, these "foodloops" look pretty interesting. Tying up food with twine is always such a hassle. These look silicone based like the baking mats and hot pads now available.

For the readers, you know it's difficult to read a book with one hand -- especially a paperback. This ThumbThing is a great, simple idea to keep a book wide open with one hand.

For the builder who aspires to be the next American Idol, this Edison style phonograph kit is pretty neat. You record your voice on plastic cups. I know, it's easier to use the microphone built into your computer.

And for all you snowboarders, I'm sure this will be on your list for the summer months.

Segway's New Frog

Segway has developed a new concept vehicle called the Centaur. It's a four wheeled, zero emission vehicle that still applies their stabilization technology so you can use it for two-wheeled fun. An interesting idea, but lacking in length of use between charges.

I also found it interesting that Segway uses a kissing frog approach to coming up with new product ideas. I guess that's why the new concept seems more of an evolution than a revolution to me. Perhaps at this stage of growth they want to capitalize on their strengths rather than get too diverse. Nevertheless, this approach to new ideas is in sharp contrast to the innovation approach described by Steve Denning that encourages folks to avoid kissing frogs and instead look for a prince.