The Rocket Sled that Made Winter Cry [Rockets]

Ky Michaelson, or The Rocketman as he's known in some circles, doesn't trudge through the frozen winter tundra like the rest of us. His custom-built rocket sled is modeled after a miniature Radio Flyer. Of course, his features machined aluminum rails, oak planks, front-mounted steering bars, speedometer, and, oh right, a freaking rocket strapped to the back. But our favorite part of the rocket sled isn't the sled itself. It's that The Rocketman is testing his creation near some families who were probably happily ice skating on that pond before some lunatic Apocalypse Now'd the otherwise tranquil atmosphere, replacing the aroma of roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate with spent rocket fuel.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

SmartMow mows the lawn but won't accept a glass of lemonade

The unmanned lawnmower is nothing new, but we still think there's something downright iffy about arming a Roomba with sharp metal blades. That said, if you've been dying to get in on the action, SmartMow might be worth checking out. Set to hit the stores in Spring '09 for $749 (much cheaper than some other robo-mowers), the thing weighs 17 pounds, features three cutting blades, will cut around a sixth of an acre on a single charge (about 2-3 hours), and is auto-docking. As far as knowing where to mow, SmartMow eschews sci-fi grass detection algorithms and rudimentary artificial intelligence in favor of the tried but true method of marking off your mowable yard with an edge wire. The best thing about the bot, however, may be its educational value -- not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores.
[Via: Robot Stock News ]

No Cuff automated blood pressure monitor proves that you can go home again

What if you could relive all the magical moments of your childhood, like playing with the blood pressure machine at your local supermarket? Now, thanks to the personal, portable No Cuff Blood Pressure Monitor, you can. Just slide your hand in and press the button to inflate -- it's that simple. In addition to the hours of fun you're sure to have as you feel the device lightly squeeze your arm, the blood pressure reader comes with a detachable LCD display that stores as many as ninety readings, offers AM/PM systolic averaging, an irregular pulse indicator, an alarm, and an arm-movement indicator to keep you from lousing up the reading. Not bad for $200, eh? And if you're feeling generous, maybe you could share this with a sick relative, an elderly neighbor, or anyone who might need to need to check their blood pressure regularly. That is, unless their underwear already does it for them.
[Via: Engadget German ]

Gamerox gamer chair keeps you on your toes, so to speak

We've been acquainted with all sorts of strange exercise / gaming apparatuses, and while the Gamerox is far from being the strangest, it's pretty high up there. Rather than just letting your kid grab any nearby stool and have a seat while melting their brain on games for hours on end, why not force their nates into this contraption? Put simply, it forces kids to continually balance and adjust in order to stay seated. Will it really tone muscles and improve posture? Doubtful, but it's practically guaranteed to frustrate and / or enrage your offspring.
[Via: Slashgear ]

Antlers For Your Outlets [Outlet Antlers]

Leaving your gadgets on the floor while charging is barbaric (besides, the floor is made of lava). Prop up your precious portables with these handy Socket Deer antlers. The rubber antlers come affixed to the plate and are available in three different deer types (just in case you had a favorite). The manufacturer also claims that the plates are excellent for light switches—making it an extremely bizarre way to store your keys and accessories.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Toasty Charger is Part of a Power-Packed Battery Breakfast [Battery Toaster]

Over the last few years, pop culture has become enamored with all things toast (and bacon). Everyone loves a cool toaster—except this one isn't cooking up bread. It's powering-up your gadgets.

The "Toasting Charger" concept by Hyun-A Ko is designed to charge your batteries like a toaster cooks bread to a golden brown. Just slide in a lithium ion battery, push down the handle and wait for it to pop up fully charged. There is even a color coded light on the side to keep you informed on the battery's progress. I love the idea—but, alas, it is only a concept at the moment.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Foolproof Black & Decker LI4000 SmartDriver Screws Perfectly Every Time [Tools]

Thanks to its special foolproof screw guide, the Black & Decker Ll4000 SmartDriver might just be the perfect holiday gift for that special poseur carpenter in your life who's nothing but thumbs. Why? Because in addition to the typical magnetic drill bits that save sanity and screws from falling between the cracks of your current project, the 3.6-volt, Lithium-Ion battery powered SmartDriver also has a little extended arm that holds the screw in place while you work. Add in an LED work light and a six speed clutch and you have a pretty indispensable little gift, should you be a butterfingers handy man, like me. Pay no attention to the wacky $4,000 Amazon price tag—the SmartDriver supposedly only retails for about $40.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Hanging Lanterns Conjure Up Morbid Thoughts [Lamps]

While not as blatant as the noose lamp, these adjustable hanging lanterns have a similar deadly vibe about them. Mathias Hahn's concept is interesting enough—a cool looking lantern that can be height-adjusted by sliding it up and down the rope—but I can't help but envision someone swinging from this thing or tripping over the cord. That's probably why I wouldn't expect a production version anytime soon.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Tell Time, Snap Photos with Thanko MP4 Video Watch [Watches]

The Thanko MP4 watch lets me tell time and take compromising photos or video of coworkers at the office Christmas party? SOLD!

And, does it all without the usual stigma that affects these kinds of devices—utter butt-ugliness. It's a bit bulky, to be sure, but thanks to some solid Japanese ingenuity it's finally something I feel confident bringing into public for another of my infamous "photos of things you can never take back" field assignments.

As for the specs, the MP4 sports a 1.8-inch color screen (160x128), supports MP3 and WPA, WMA audio, and can display JPG or text files. A video camera mode recordsin 352x288, while the photo mode is 640x480.

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

@kickbee OMG, this Twitter / baby-tracking hack is so great. Keep on kicking mommy! http://snipr.com/81153

Everything goes down on Twitter these days, (memes happen, people, memes!) and now there's another kid on the scene, literally. Lil' @kickbee is hitting us from the womb, thanks to his / her nerdy father. Kickbee Sr. wrapped his expecting wife's belly with some piezo sensors to detect baby kicks, with an Arduino Mini transmitting the info via Bluetooth to a MacBook Pro, which beams the info on up to Twitter, making him officially the dorkiest dad since Wayne Szalinski. Next step for this little A-lister? Gadget blogging.

[Via: Gadget Review ]

Thanko's latest MP4 watch boasts 1.8-inch display, video camera

Thanko's last MP4 watch was, um, less than gorgeous, but this one can actually be worn in public without automatic public humiliation. Sure, it's still a bit stocky, but we're confident that fashion-forward nerds could still pull it off. In between the two (p)leather straps sits a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution color display, a multimedia player with MP3 / WMA / AVI / JPEG support and a video camera capable of logging VGA-quality clips. You'll also find a mini-USB port and an internal speaker, and there's 4GB of internal memory to go along with about 3.5-hours of music playback time. All yours (if you live in Japan) for ?14,800 ($163).

[Via: AkihabaraNews ]

Wearable toy piano makes music, looks good doing it

Now here's a concept. A musical shirt with enough transistors to make even the hardest of hardcore nerd blush, and a long-sleeve garment fashionable enough to make even the world-class design student stop and admire. Mashed into one. The Musical toy piano shirt is that very piece, which was constructed to wow onlookers at the Electronic Textile workshop held this month in Switzerland. Packing removable batteries, speakers and circuitry, the shirt enables the wearer to emit eight different notes from Do to Do, and we hear there's nothing quite as cute as playing a song on yourself. See what we mean in the vid hosted just after the break.



[Via: Coolest-Gadgets ]

Lackluster line-up of new iriver DAPs leaked

It looks like we might have two new iriver DAPs to get semi-not-really excited about in the very near future, if the leaked photos and specs are to be believed. We know very little about the uber-basic T5 (picture above) beyond the fact that it supports MP3, WMA, and OGG formats and has a built-in USB jack. It's quite small, weighing just 25.9 grams, and will come in 2GB and 4GB sizes. The T6 is a little bigger, but also an apparently quite basic 4GB player with an added FM tuner. The rumor mill also reports that the T5 will run €50 (about $65) while the T6 will be €60 (about $77), but nothing's official and we don't know when they'll hit us with these bad boys.
[Via: Engadget Spanish ]

Ultimate Portable Sewing Machine to Make Clothing Companies Margins Increase [Fake]

At last, good news for worldwide economy. A Bangladeshi company has released the SmartStitch, a portable sewing machine that will allow clothing factory workers to produce 24/7, with obvious benefits.

Think about it. The more all these people work in all those weird countries, the more clothes there will be, and the cheaper the manufacturing will result. Result: Increased profit margins for manufacturers, free entertainment for those workers/slaves/kids slaves no matter about where they are, and exactly the same quality for your jeans, shirts, jackets, and sneakers, at the same price. See?! Everyone wins! [The Onion]
[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Nokia introduces Home Music WiFi radio

Hot on the heals of today's look at the N97, Nokia has dropped the dime on Home Music, the company's first internet radio. Meant for the office or smart home, the device features WiFi and Ethernet connectivity, as well as the usual USB port, aux line-in, analog and digital outs. For those of you who kick it old school once in a while, it also sports an FM receiver and a 10W speaker. No pricing or shipping date yet, but you'll know as soon as we do. In the mean time, hit the read link for more specs and info.

[Via: Electronista ]