Pratesi Guitar Backpack

You won't really go wrong with the Pratesi Guitar Backpack, especially if you're a hardcore music lover. This special guitar-shaped bag is made from premium vegetable-dyed calf leather (talk about being organic!), where it will come with an integrated mini speaker as well as outlet for you to hook up your favorite MP3 player. Other features include inner slit and zip pockets located alongside the shoulder strap for that sophisticated musician look, although don't expect the two AA batteries power the speakers to unprecedented heights in public. It will take a fair bit of busking with the Pratesi Guitar Backpack in tow to recover the $398 you spent on it…

Scratch: The Ultimate DJ

"Go DJ! Yeah DJ!" That's the jingle for Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, a new video game with a controller that is quite similar to DJ Hero.

As you can see, it comes with a turntable with a somewhat authentic vinyl record attached to it. There may not be an arm for you to scratch up the vinyl, but there are five buttons with a cross-fader. Scratch will allow the player to upload samples with a compatible USB mic, as well as use the preloaded ones.

As of now, I am not certain what console this will be available for. You might be able to see that there is an X, circle, square, and triangle for the buttons, so is it for Sony Playstation? The peripheral certainly seems versatile enough to be used for any console system, even a PC.

I believe that I previously mentioned how the controller on Scratch resembles the one for DJ Hero. If I had to choose the one that I would use, I would probably use the one from Scratch, as its buttons are on the side of the turntable and not on the turntable itself.

By the way, the Scratch controller can be used by both left-handed and right-handed players. I'm not certain if DJ Hero allots for that.

I guess we will see in the fall, when Scratch is due for release. There is planned to be a preview of this game at E3 if you can't wait that long, though.

Silverlit Kazoo Indoor Kite

It's summer right now in my little corner of the world, and there is nothing that I like better than to go out in the sun and wind and fly a kite. However, if I wanted to, I could just stay inside, watch TV, and fly the Silverlit Kazoo indoor kite.

I know what you are thinking the moment you saw the title: an indoor kite? What are you, nuts? Is this designed for people who have a wind-tunnel in their living room?

Actually, the Silverlit Kazoo comes with an electric motor that is able to keep it aloft in the absence of wind. Now, you could say that the Silverlit is not a kite per se because of the aforementioned electric motor, and I would agree.

The motor is tethered to a remote control that requires 8 AA batteries in order to function. I am guessing that the remote just has a button to control the speed of the propeller motor, and nothing to control the direction or height of this "kite".

However, the product is billed as the "Silverlit Kazoo Electronic Remote Control Indoor Flying Kite", so if you want to check it out for yourself, go over to the HobbyTron site and order it. It only costs $14.95.

Travel Honey GPS Location Finder from Chinavision

Have you ever parked your car in a large parking lot, and forgotten where it was? From there it becomes a quest. I remember when I visited Walt Disney's EPCOT Center and it took me a half-hour before I could find my rental car.

Now if I had the Travel Honey GPS Location Finder from Chinavision, I would have found it right away. That, or I could have written down the coordinates as I left my vehicle behind. Of course, this is why we have technology, right? So we don't have to write things down on scraps of paper.

With the Travel Honey, you get out of your car, then push a button on the GPS location receiver and finder for two seconds. After you are finished with your business or pleasure, you push the button again, and an arrow will point to where you need to go.

As you can see by the photo, it works like a compass, only a little easier. It will blink when you are within 50 meters, and turn blue within 15 meters. This could be a problem when you are in a parking lot, unless you intend to walk in between the parked cars.

Of course, who says that this device has to be used just for parking? You could use this to find anything that you need to come back to later, like a hotel or campsite. You can even use it as a USB dongle for your laptop, which will turn it into a GPS device, provided the proper mapping software is installed.

This would make the Travel Honey a GPS Receiver, Location Finder, Data Logger, and even a Photo Tagger. All for just $54 on the Chinavision site.

Compact MP3 Speaker with mirror

Here's a speaker that I'm surprised I haven't seen around before, purely because it's a fairly logical combination.  I'm not a huge fan that it only comes in the cheesy bright pink, but it'd be a great speaker for women.  If you are one that enjoys having the option of hooking up your MP3 player to a speaker, this could easily be dropped into the bottom of your purse.

It has the shape of a compact and even has the added feature of having a mirror on the inside.  The face plate on the very top can be changed out to show something a little more personal.  Such as a family photo or a picture of a recent girls night out.  The unfortunate thing about this speaker is that instead of being USB powered, it needs 3 AAA batteries.  It's not the end of the world, but it'd be nice if it was rechargeable.  You can purchase the speaker for £14.99 or about $24 from BB Shopping.

Canon’s 5D Mk. II to get manual video control

When Canon released the 21 MP 5D Mk. II complete with 1080p full frame video, serious videographers were drooling. And after seeing such shorts as "Reverie," by professional photographers using the video feature to shoot some serious cinematic imagery, the chief complaint was that the 5D Mk. II's video feature was purely automatic. That there was no ability to control manually the exposure or shutter settings for the video feature, was always a thorn in professional videographers side. No more. According to CNet, a firmware update for the $2500+ camera body is coming which will give photographers the keys to the video kingdom.

The basic reason why Canon left out manual control for video was simply because they considered video to be the "icing on the cake" to the core feature of the camera, which was obviously to shoot digital still images in high resolution. But they did such a great job with the quality of the full frame 1080p video that 5D users were screaming for Canon to release the manual hounds.

"This new firmware will accommodate a great number of user requests for manual exposure control in the EOS 5D Mark II video mode. Manual exposure control while shooting video on the EOS 5D Mark II is expected to make a big impact with cinematographers and videographers using the 5D Mark II for high-end HD video production," Canon said.

The ability to control the ISO, f stop and shutter settings for the 5D Mk. II will allow the camera to become a serious cinematic contender for budding filmmakers on a budget. The new firmware update will be available next month.

The MP3 Clock DX

I still strongly prefer the classic look of this type of clock over the fancy new clocks packed full of LED lights.  However, my alarm has far too many benefits to give it up for a clock that doesn't even do half of what it can.  Well although this clock features a very classic look, it at least has a little bit of a modern twist.  It won't work as a dock or double as a radio, but it at the very least can utilize MP3s to wake you up first thing in the morning.

 

The clock has a very large sound bank to let you choose between different alarm sounds.  Instead of choosing one of those, you could also add favorite songs or strange sounds you've recorded yourself.  With the ability to record your own sound effects and use those, you could wake up every morning laughing, just as long as you get creative.  To keep this running it uses 3 AA batteries.  It's compatible with Windows XP and Vista, so those on a Mac not using Windows will have some issues.  To pick this up it'll cost you ¥ 3,850.00 or about $41.

iTalk Alarm Clock understands English

Sure, you can have the MP3 Clock DX if you want a cool alarm clock, but I will have to say that the iTalk from Neutrano is one of the most interesting alarm clocks that I have seen in a while.

 

After all, how many alarm clocks do you know that allow the user to set the time or alarm with your own voice? Yeah, no more of those stupid buttons that you have to hit simultaneously, and then keep pushing until the right time shows up.

At least, that is what the Press Release tells me. Apparently, the user just says "Hello iTalk", and tell the digital alarm clock the time. It will understand any voice in English, and you can also ask: "what day is it"? I'm guessing you set that by voice too. The iTalk clock will also understand other commands such as "snooze".

Granted, I don't know if I will ever get up if I just say "snooze" for some extra minutes of shut-eye. I wonder if I will learn to say "snooze" in my sleep.

The iTalk needs 3 AAA batteries to power its huge 2 inch numbers. You should be able to get the iTalk from many retail outlets in a few months. That's about as specific as my source will say, but it will definitely hit Amazon.com in June, with a suggested retail price of $49.99.

Giant Katamari Controller

I have noticed a recent trend in video games that gets the player into
the game with some kind of accessory. For example, Tony Hawk: Ride
uses a plank for a controller for all kinds of skateboarding action.
Considering that Guitar Hero and Rock Band have been very successful
games with peripherals, it was about time someone developed a large
trackball accessory for the Katamari series

For those of you who are not familiar with Katamari, it is an odd
little game that originated in Japan. The object is to rebuild
heavenly bodies by rolling a sticky ball called the katamari that gets
bigger with every object the player rolls over. Of course, the ball
rolls quite awkwardly with all the incongruously non-round stuff
attached to it.

A blogger by the name of Kellbot has created a way to make the
Katamari game much more interactive by connecting an ordinary PS2
controller to a large ball. You can see a video of it after the jump
to see how well it works.

Originally, Kellbot wanted to put this control on a yoga ball, but she
found that the rubbery surface didn't really work to well. Too bad,
because that would have created a very unique video gaming experience.

If you would like to try this out, Kellbot has a schematic of her
creation on her blog. If you ask me, someone needs to seriously
mass-market this thing. Katamari people, get on this ball!

Halo RC Vehicles

There have already been several different Mario Kart toys that you can
play with when away from the game. Finally Halo is getting a little
love now too. Thanks to the Big Bad Toy Store, you can now own a
remote control Halo themed toy. Giving you even less time during the
day that you're not playing with something that is related to your
Halo addiction.

If you need a few minutes outside, there's no reason to neglect your
love of Halo. Just grab one of these and you can continue while
you're outside. There are three different toys up for sale right now.
There is the R/C Mongoose with Master Chief, the Warthog with 2
figures and finally the IR Control Flying Hornet. That last one does
actually fly and all of the preorders of that one are already sold
out. The Hornet would have cost you $38.99, the Warthog $23.99 and
the Mongoose for $23.99 at Big Bad Toy Store. The other two still can
be preordered if you hurry. They will be officially out as of August
of this year.

Zipit Motorized Clamshell Package Opener

Opening clamshell packages can be quite a challenge for some of us who
are less adept with a scissors, and more often than not, even with the
best equipment around, doing so results a cut finger or something
equally catastrophic. It is hoped that the Zipit Motorized Clamshell
Package Opener will be able to change your perception that opening
clamshell packages is a real challenge in life.

<i>The Zipit Motorized Clamshell Package Opener is the first and only
motorized tool specifically designed to safely and easily open these
troublesome clamshell packages. It is as easy to open these tough
packages as pressing a button and guiding the opener around the
outside of the package. There are no rough or sharp edges left to
worry about. It is powered by two AA batteries (sold separately), and
holding down the button will activate the rollers to easily open most
hard shell packages.</i>

<b>This $19.99 device ought to do the trick in getting rid of such
pesky packaging methods. What do you think?</b>

Insect Repeller just in time for summer

With summer having arrived, it is time to start the annual battle with
pesky insects as well as other creepy crawlies who love to do nothing
better than irritate you out of your skin by their mere presence in
and around your home. Apart from keeping a huge collection of
anteaters as well as spiders to capture those winged nemesis of yours,
why not consider the Insect Repeller instead?

Insect Repeller is a small handheld environmentally-friendly gadget
that plugs into any UK mains socket and emits an advanced high power
variable ultrasonic wave and an electromagnetic wave to ward off
unwanted pests and protect you and your home. Inaudible to humans and
harmless to your pet cat and dog, the ultra sonic pest repeller
consumes very little power and outdates messy traps and
chemically-laden sprays. Once plugged in and switched on this 2-in-1
insect and rodent repeller protects 250 square meters, which is
roughly the size of the average three bedroom home, giving you a
healthy amount of breathing space between you and world's critters.

Sounds like £12.95 well-spent if you're going to bring home the Insect
Repeller this summer.

Nite Glowring

Not everyone of us are privileged enough to live in homes or apartments that have decent lighting as we walk up to them, let alone those automatic lights which come with a sensor to detect whether there is someone at the doorstep, turning on its spotlight so that you will have an easy time looking for your keys in your handbag. With the Nite Glowring, things could be different for the rest of us ordinary plebeians.
The manufacturers of our Glowrings, who produce military equipment and other need-to-see-at-night items, have taken this everyday nugget of basic science and made it their business. A Glowring is small enough and tough enough to attach to anything you might need to use in the dark, a bunch of keys being the most obvious. But because they can glow for up to a decade, you can leave them hanging off things that only come out once in a while like fishing gear and camping equipment. It does have to be pretty dark to see the glow, but that’s the point.

Sounds like £9.95 well spent if you tend to live the life of a night owl, retiring for the ‘night’ when the garbage trucks and street sweepers are starting to make their rounds.

Electrolux Dishwasher uses Wind and UV Rays to Clean

I don’t have a dishwasher in my house, other than my wife and myself, of course. Many people complain that dishwashers waste too much water between cycles, but there isn’t a better to way to wash them other than spraying them with gallons of scalding hot water.

It would appear that there is another way to clean dishes with this concept device known as the Electrolux Wind Washer. It does this by using air and UV rays for cleaning.

Yeah, don’t ask me how air and UV rays can clean a dish, unless there is some serious high pressured air going on. I would imagine that you would have to affix this to a big and loud air compressor to make that work.

Also, it seems to be made for just two plates. What kind of pathetic dishwasher is capable of just two plates?

Okay, this is only a concept for now, so I’m not going to be too picky. Hopefully someone will eventually create a full-sized dishwasher, but I’m not certain how it will get the angles on all the plates. Since the plates are sandwiched in there, I am assuming that this process only works if the plates are hit on both sides by air and UV rays.

While we’re at it, lets talk about glasses and silverware. How is it going to do those? Okay, this new technology has a lot of bugs in it, but you have to give credit to these innovators for trying to save water and doing something different.

The LED Alarm Clock with Electronic Bird

This isn’t the first alarm clock I’ve seen with a bird sitting on top. It is however, the first one that could possibly be defined as chic and stylish. The pretty bright white makes it so that although the bird sitting on top is a little whimsical, it would still fit within a home that conforms to most adult standards. Not only that but you’d have the joy of waking up every morning to the sound of a chirping bird instead of that obnoxious beep.

Of course, I think I’d just stuff a pillow over my head thinking it was coming from outside, on mornings that I was more tired than usual. If you’re not that hard to wake up though, it shouldn’t be difficult to comprehend that it’s an electronic bird that is chirping on your nightstand. There aren’t a lot of details on the clock, but it does of course utilize LED lights for the clock part. Then they also mention that the bird does move, but no word on how it does that. You can pick up the bird for £20.00 or about $30 from Habitat.

Smart-Leaf by Originatic

Smart-Leaf by Originatic

One of the better products is the Smart-Leaf by Originatic. The Smart-Leaf is a Wi-Fi enabled computer that mounts on the wall. It is made for both business and the home, and has a fold-down keyboard.

The Smart-Leaf comes in two forms: the Oasis and the Mountain. The Oasis has a Standard keyboard with a touchpad control, and the Mountain has a stainless steel keyboard with a trackball controller.
Other features include an integrated 3 Megapixel webcam, a 4 in 1 card reader, an Audio out, plus six USB ports! As for the other specs, it has an Intel Celeron M processor, and type DDR2 Dual Channel of memory. It contains 1GB of memory with a maximum of 4GB. As for the hard drive, the user has the option of 80GB, 250GB, 500GB, or 1TB.

Even though the Smart-Leaf looks perfect for a business kiosk, I believe that the Smart-Leaf is ahead of the game when it comes to household computing. I think that every house needs some sort of central station by the door or kitchen where family members can log in and check email and other web activities.

The Smart-Leaf is ready to purchase on the Originatic website, and you can check there for the prices.

eTape measuring tape takes design cues from the iPod

eTape measuring tape takes design cues from the iPod

When you’re busy worrying about getting several things done and measuring something important, it’s easy to forget or misread the measurement. Well this measuring tape offers a solution for those days that you can’t seem to remember the measurement long enough to grab a piece of paper and write it down. Although it does seem to look a little cheesy, taking design cues from the iPod is an odd choice for a home improvement gadget. However, it’s still a handy tool to have around.

It offers 16 feet of measuring tape and of course has the normal perks of measuring tape. It can stop and hold the tape at one spot if you need it to. It also has an LED screen, which is what really makes the device stand out from your average measuring tape. The LED screen will display the measurement, then it has an internal memory that will keep limited records of measurements. It was designed by the Taiwan San Tyau company, who will hopefully make their eTape available soon.

The affordable Robot Lamp Base

The affordable Robot Lamp Base

This isn’t the first robot lighting I’ve seen, however, I do believe it’s my new favorite. It’s my new favorite for several reasons really. One of which being the robot is just the base and the lightbulb itself can be up to a 100W bulb. Which means this isn’t another novelty light that only puts off a faint glow. Don’t get me wrong, novelty lights are still fun, but I’m happy to see this cute and still functional light. One of its absolute best features is that it won’t break the bank to own this geek-friendly robot.

The robot is actually made of ceramic then finished off with a metallic silver coating over top. It also features foam rubber at the base to make it a bit more stable. Although it’s hard to say if it’s entirely kid-proof, but it’ll at least help keep them from knocking it over. He measures 4.5” wide by 17” tall by 2.5” in diameter. Like I said, the price is the biggest perk about this little robot. He’s being sold for $30. Which hopefully means that he’s still good quality, but either way you can pick him up on Urban Outfitters.

The Towel Spa Towel Warmer

The Towel Spa Towel Warmer

Everyone loves their hot towels, but most of us don’t have the spare cash to buy a towel warmer. For most of us, a hot towel ranks high on the list of luxury items that we just can’t seem to get our hands on.

Sure some of you are lucky and have a dryer in your bathroom, but that’s just cheating. Plus not everyone has that, sometimes the washer and dryer are in the farthest point of the household. Well now it doesn’t matter, because this towel warmer is marked at a decent price.

Some of the towel warmers you have to install and hook to the bathroom wall. This new one just sits on the floor, which would be perfect for renters. It’s not quite as attractive as the ones mounted to the wall, but it still warms your towels. At the size it’s at, if you really wanted to, you could probably store it underneath the sink when it’s not in use. The towel warmer takes less than five minutes to pump out a freshly warmed towel. They also suggest using it for blankets and robes as well. You can pick it up for $79.95 from Brookstone.