Gadget Dose

With this little R/C car you can drive your way to eavesdropping and get the audio broadcasted right to your ears.

Ideal snooper robot that comes fully assembled and is fully remote controlled. Capable of entering a room undetected it will listen in on conversations then transmit them to up 150 feet away to the listening receiver.

As long as you don’t drive in front of the people your trying to listen to

Around $80 you can find it and other interesting robotics HERE

Now this is a game I’ve had my eye on for several years, lately it has come down in price to make it affordable. So much so in fact its one of the gifts I got my lad this year. ( Don’t worry, he does not read Gadget Dose yet)

Egyptian themed pieces with one, two, or no mirrored surfaces move about the game board in any number of directions, including rotation by 1/4 twists. Each turn ends by firing a laser beam built into the board which bounces from mirror to mirror on a series of pieces.

When the beam finally lands on a non-mirrored surface, that piece is removed from play. In maneuvering each piece, the aim is to illuminate your opponent’s pharaoh and eliminate them from the game, while shielding your own pharaoh from harm.

So its like Chess - with Lasers! You can’t get much cooler than that.
The game comes with the required batteries ( button type ) which should last quite a while as long as you don’t take the laser pointers and start zapping spaceships from your lego collection.

One small note - even the low powered red lasers can damage the eye so I’d say the ages 9 and up is a good call unless you plan to supervise the use of the game.

They retail for $44.95 and you can find it HERE

As the holiday gets closer I’m finding it hard to spotlight serious gadgets, so heres a goofy one that fits the mood.

Its a digital voice recorder built into a light switch cover. When you turn on a light the message you recorded will play.

Surprise your friends, family, or co-workers with a “special” message when they turn on the light switch!

This Digital Messaging Switch Plate is easy to attach to a wall and lets you record a short message and hear it back via its built-in speaker. Flip either switch and your message plays back!

Space for two (2) flip switches
Built-in speaker
Operates on four (4) “AAA” batteries (included and pre-installed)
One-touch record mode up to 20 seconds
Easy to install (no wiring, replaces existing light switch cover)
Parrot Lock (lock or change your message as often as you want)
LED light

Cool - and mostly goofy - you can find them HERE for only $12.97

(Click on the image to enlarge)

If you’ve been reading Gadget Dose for a while you know I have a special love for lights, and this one fits right in. The details on it are really skimpy - heres the description from the site.

In the clouds or underwater…..there are no limits to the powers of imagination. This new lamp projects on walls or ceilings and creates a relaxing, waving effect simulating being under water in a crystal blue sea and looking up into the sunlight.

Perfect for creating a romantic mood, or simply relaxing in bed or any comfortable place.

They do say the device uses AA batteries but not how many - Id figure 3 or 4.

With some mood music (or underwater sounds) this could create a really relaxing atmosphere. Sure- theres no lasers included, but then it wouldn’t be as relaxing then would it?

You can find em HERE for $69.00

How cool is this? Got a young one that does not like to take a bath? Put this bad boy in the water and you will have a hard time getting ‘em out.

Both the duck and the remote are waterproof so no worries about breaking anything. On a full charge you get 15 whole minutes of duck driving goodness. (Any more and your young on would be coming out of the water looking like a wrinkled prune.)

About $30.00 Product Page

add some fear into your banking routine with the Bomb Bank and you’ll never forget to save your change again. Why? Because if you do . . . if you dare have the nerve not to put money into your Bomb Bank on a regular basis, it will erupt and spill your savings all over the place.

Just set how sensitive you want your bank to be (i.e. how many days it will let go by before getting mad), and start saving. If you return to find coins all over your room, you’ll know you need to save more. And an exploding bank is cool, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The Bomb Bank also has a “Party” mode, which is a sudden death type game. After you adjust the sensitivity, each person takes turns putting in a coin. If you are the lucky person who puts in the coin that “explodes” the bank, you win all the coins!

A really nifty and fun gift from Thinkgeek - price is $34.99 and you can find it HERE

A super fun gadget from ThinkGeek - heres the scoop…

these precision ChoroQ Qsteer Mini R/C Racers imported from japan. Amazingly we were able to zoom these mini cars all over our desk with nary a fender bender.

They also have a turbo button for an extra boost of speed - Choose from cute versions of the Nissan 350Z or the Mazda RX-8. Remotes operate on different frequencies so you can race each other.

for $14.99 its a great deal! Product Page

Just what you need to scare the crap outa party goers at your next holiday bash. Once they are done with the shock and horror of the tree singing - then their in for hours of fun.

You tie this silly looking face into your tree - so it looks like its part of it. Its motion activated so it waits silently for an unsuspecting passerby and then either lets loose with some jokes or funny songs.

Know what the best part is ? You can use the included microphone to record your own messages!

Uses 4 AA batteries. And for only $19.98 how could anyone resist?

Product Page

Motorola really went the extra mile on this one, (pun intended). This 2 way radio set can transmit up to 18 miles! 11 Weather channels with weather alert feature - handsfree communication mode and a vibrating alert will page you if someone is trying to reach you.

There are many times when these would come in handy, for instance finding your wife in the mall - (thats my favorite). You could use these hiking or camping, or just to stay in touch while your out walking the dogs.

* Delivers a range of up to 18 miles (under optimum conditions)
* 22 channels, each with 121 privacy codes for 2,662 combinations for clear, uninterrupted connections
* Dual power, works with 3 AA batteries (not included) and rechargeable NiMH batteries (included)
* Approximately 32 hr. alkaline or 11 hr. NiMH estimated talk time
* iVOX for speech-activated, hands-free communication
* 7 NOAA/Environment Canada weather channels and 4 marine weather channels
* QT (Quiet Talk) interruption feature helps eliminate interference
* Backlit display for readability in low lighting conditions
* Companding technology to help filter out static between words
* LCD battery meter for charge indication
* Digital Signal Processing to help provide consistent sound quality
* VibraCall vibrating alert Other features include: audible low battery alert, battery save feature, keypad lock, time-out timer and a choice of 10 unique call tones.

Wow - these are awesome! - Another really nice Christmas gift for the gadget lover in your life.

They retail for $69.99 and the product page is HERE

Ok this has got to be way up there in terms of gadgety holiday decorations. - First off yes, its a snowman. Second - it makes snow! Third - it has a remote control. So you’ve got guests coming over and you want to make an impression - wait till they pull up and hit the remote. The snowman makes up to 5 hours of snow per bottle of solution - and 4 bottles are included. Voila -Festive!
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snowman generates realistic snowflakes that emanate from its upturned tophat and drift up to 20′ away, allowing you to greet guests with your own snow flurries using the included wireless remote. Its patented snow solution is turned into evaporate snow by a quiet fan that works in cold or warm weather. Includes four bottles of snow making solution that each provide five hours of snow making (snow evaporates in 90 seconds), and leaves no residue. Made of durable polyethylene with a nylon cover, the snowman plugs into AC

Woot - on sale now - was $149.95 now $99.95

Product Page

Create your own custom neon sign on the spot with these snap-together 2” X 3” neon letters. You buy the power supply for $29.99 and each letter you order costs $6.99

Basically they all link together and then you plug the power supply into the lot.

You can make whatever message you want, From Toms Room to Eat at Joes. Perfect for your home bar or playroom.

# Sealed blue neon letter blocks
# Low heat generation
# Choose from letters, numbers, and special characters
# Push button control for blinking or steady-on
# Up to 22 neon letters can be connected to a single Power Supply unit

Cheapest neon sign you’ll find! - and you can change it anytime you want.

Product Page

Think of this as a portable screensaver with all sorts of extras. Something you’d put in a room to relax, soothe, or catch the eye of guests.

Featuring a backlit LCD screen (320×240) - and all sorts of digital sounds, from the ocean waves and underwater bubbles, to whale sounds and others.

It comes stocked with more than 100 kinds of marine animals!

Speaker in jack to connects the audio output to another device - Yep, its sound reactive. And as if that weren’t enough, it has a clock and calendar too.

Heres a neat feature - it will remind you of special days ( New Year’s day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, April Fool, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas )

Annnnnd — you can set your own special days as well. Expect the sea creatures to celebrate your special day too.

All in all a pretty neat little device - You can get one HERE for the mildly expensive price of $135.41

Ok, I couldn’t resist. IF you’ve got a spare usb port just burning a hole in your pocket - why not fill it up with something totally useless that lights up, has cylon action, and articulated arms.

And since its getting closer to the holiday season - why not go with a snobot.

The eye that scans in the ever popular cylon raider fashion can turn blue or red on command, and it also has that evil cylon sound. You can also select the speed of the eye - for those days where a faster eye scan might just be necessary.

Does it do anything else - well yes, you can pose the metal arms.

I’d personally set this up on top of my cubicle wall (30′ cord) and set the eye for my mood. If the eye is red don’t even think of bothering me - or the snowman just might take you down.

Available from the always cool ThinkGeek for the ultra low price of $12.99

Also a perfect secret santa gift for the alpha geek in your office.

Just in case you have a USB hub or still have extra usb jacks to fill don’t forget the interactive USB aquarium.

Another possible Christmas idea here - this little nicely priced beauty comes from Discovery.

Its remote controlled - and apparently the remotes are neatly sculptured little dragons. The dragon walks on command, his eyes light up in red. Tell me when you were a kid you didn’t go nuts for sparkly or light up eyes!

With fire breathing effects and of course it sports a big ‘ol dragon growl. You can also turn its head and make it roar. What dragon would be complete without the roar?

Touted as its last feature are its moving dorsal fins.

Just about any kid would love this - I dunno, maybe its more of a boys toy. I could imagine walking this thing into any lego / block city and having it reap terror amongst the lego people.

Yeah, Im still mostly a kid.

You can find this dragon at Amazon for the entirely reasonable price of $39.95

Attempting to combine exercise, video games, and learning - this neat gadget from Fisher Price is an interesting crossover platform. Thinking ahead to Christmas, you might want to look into this for the little tyke on your list.

Smart Cycle plugs right into your TV, ready to take kids on learning adventures.. As they pedal, favorite character friends guide them through learning discoveries, games, and even exciting races. Bring the arcade experience home, with multiple levels of play for different ages and stages.

I don’t know how much of an arcade experience this is - but lets face it, once the little guy gets to ride up and down a mountain on this thing you probably wont be able to peel him/her off.

Another nifty feature is the included joystick - so when the little one gets all tired from driving all over the place they can use the joystick for a bit.

You can also go into race mode for that sheer joy of speed… and I wonder if little Jonny wont be so tired he just might take his nap on time?

It comes with a number of games which plug into a cartridge slot on the side and presumably more are on the way. Sounds like a great gift to me - heck, I wouldn’t mind a grown up version of this.

Originally priced at $100.00 its currently on sale at Amazon for only $89.19 - so get the savings while they last!