Gadget Dose

I’ve been watching this one for a long time. When it first came out in Japan the price tag not to mention shipping was obscene. Theres a limit to what I’ll spend or link even if the gadget does have cool lights and promises hypnosis.

Hammacher Schlemmer picked this up and is making it available for the mostly reasonable price of $59.95

With three artificial jellyfish that move in the water amid seaweed and coral reefs, while LED backlighting highlights their movements, this aquarium provides mesmerizing ambiance without the maintenance required with typical aquariums. A silent, integrated motor generates gentle currents, causing the jellyfish to rise and fall in the water. You can choose specific light patterns from nine integrated LEDs that provide red, blue, and green highlights within the aquascape. The aquarium can be wall-mounted, set-up on a bookshelf, or displayed on a tabletop.

So there ya go - mostly a soothing eye candy sort of deal - might just lull you to sleep or be that perfect romantic mood light.

Product page is HERE

Protect your stuff from thieves and intruders! Set Trap #1 on top of your valuables. If it’s moved, it sounds the alarm and flashes to startle thieves. Trap #2 is a motion detector that stuns ’em as they run by firing 2 darts . . . Trap #3 is a lazer tripwire that sets off a loud siren and stops ’em in their tracks! BUSTED!

Hoo - fun for the office and an infinite amount more fun in the house annoying the wife!

heres the product page.

Billed as everything from a robotic desk lamp to a room guard - this snakelike remote controlled invention from the folks at Wowwee is an oddity. It not only acts as a r/c toy but it is capable of autonomous movement. Packing an IR radar sensor - light intensity sensor - speakers and boat loads of animated led’s. I;m not sure if its more disco ball or pseudo snake.

It can “see” as far as tracking and following light - so you could whip out that old laser pointer and have it follow the dot. The animated led’s have multiple patterns and sequences that change depending on the things “mood”.

While we’re at it did we mention its also an alarm clock? And you can attach an mp3 player to it and it becomes a speaker. Its also a dessert topping and a floor wax.

ok Im kidding about the floor wax

Supposedly it has mount points so if you set it up to patrol your room - not only will it track and follow intruders - you could mount soft projectile launchers to it and it will shoot the intruder.

Tell me thats not the best way to keep the dogs out of the kitchen eh?
With the remote you can also program up to 40 movements for some motion direction fun.

So what do we have here? I dunno exactly, its a bunch of unrelated technologies tied together in a weird but fascinating toy. I’m certainly interested in its hunt and shoot mode. I’m sure cats everywhere are not looking forward to this thing though.

Pretty fair price at $99.99 - Certainly would make a great Christmas gift ( yeah, I know its already time to start thinking of that )

You can get one from the manufacturers site HERE

This is evil genius - Introducing Echo Bot, the bug-eyed alien with a message. What message? That’s for you to know and passers-by to find out, because this wacky thingamabob is actually a stealth voice messenger that can insult, serenade or freak-out anyone who triggers its motion sensor.

For the office or elsewhere this is sure to freak out and eventually annoy all that come into contact with it.

Simply record your message (up to 10 seconds) in Echo Bot’s rear mic, position the strange little critter wherever you fancy and wait. As soon as an unsuspecting victim passes within a meter of Echo Bot’s eyeball sensor, the recording is activated. ‘Hey, get away from my desk, loser!’

Irresistible ! The folks at Firebox have sold out of the things - you can find ‘em HERE
in singles and packs of 6 - I don’t know if they ship to the states ? If anyone knows of these things carried in the US market - let me know. I’ll bet ThinkGeek will be carrying these before long.

One of my favorite places to go and gaze upon goofy gadgets ( Toys.brando.com.hk ) has just picked up ssomething I’ve been watching since it came out in Japan some time ago. Back then it wasn’t available for shipment in the states. Now everyone can enjoy this desktop space killer.

Its a small aquarium complete with fish (not real ones) that swim around the tank. Its powered by the USB connector on a 4 foot cord. You can also switch the light on via computer control too (blue led). As if this weren’t enough to get you to give away valuable desktop real estate - theres more!

With the enclosed software you can also feed and “play” with your fish - Feed / Medical / Play / Turn Light on /off. You fill it up with real water and a motor generates a real current.

Now thats probably enough for the goofy desktop toy enthusiast, but I’d actually take it a step further… You could hack the thing and put in real fish! - yeah sure - get that top off and put in a freshwater goldfish - or crayfish - or a small blue shrimp. All those do great in cold freshwater tanks. Here are the specs….

# Swimming fish with hinged tails and life-like motion
# Blue LED nightlight and water current
# Able to feed and play with your fish by using the interactive menu
# Plug and play
# No batteries required
# Compatible with Windows 2000/XP
# 4 feet USB cable
# Size: 11.2×11.2×8.8cm
# Weight: 343g

Youll need a usb port - and surprisingly 200 megs of hard drive space for the software …

A you can’t turn this down kinda deal at $23.00 HERE

And while your at it - you might as well hook up the scrolling usb message board to brag about your new fish tank.

Happy Friday!

I was gonna save this for the Friday fun gadget feature but I couldn’t wait - its just too cool.

Before shooting each suction cup-tipped, foam dart, you load a cap into each one. When the dart sticks to your target, the cap explodes with a load crack. Sometimes you can even see a spark.

Check out this video of it in action

You can get one at ThinkGeek for a mere $14.99!

Its been a couple weeks since I found a gadget fun enough to put up for a Friday. This gadget qualifies nicely though. IT was featured on the Today show - and gets rave reviews from every buyer.

Full sized guitar - with 4 buttons on the fretboard to make playing a cinch for even a first timer. You can use it like a regular guitar - OR - hook it up to your mp3 / music player and play to your tunes! You can also have it play background rhythms so you can concentrate on the solo parts.

The pitch and tempo are adjustable for tuning to just about any song.

This is a great way to introduce a child to guitar - or heck just give the thing for the pure joy of playing. I gotta admit - even though my kid and I can play basic acoustic guitar - I’m thinking of getting this purely for its fun value.

Well, that and the excellent price - How could you go wrong for $27.96? Grab one at Discovery before they’re gone!

This is for us goofy Doctor Who fans that aren’t happy just owning a sonic screwdriver

You get a 5″ Doctor Who (the 10th Doctor) and a 2.5″ K9. Both figs are cool enough alone, but the K9 isn’t your normal action figure - it actually has action. It’s remote control!! AND, there’s a button on the remote which will cycle through several K9 phrases and sound effects. “Affirmative, Master” and “Bleep bloop bleep.” You know, all your favorite K9 sayings.

$39.99 at Thinkgeek

Yep, you can now pimp out your bed with glowing blue led’s. Its supposedly for seeing where you are walking. However I can think of plenty of cool uses for these. Pretty nice price at 20 bucks for two.

A doorbell for you cubicle - yep, if your boss lets you get away with it - you can have something that makes your cube life just a bit more fun.

12 different sounds can be selected - from a Cat meow to a Laser.

Yeh, we all don’t need one… and thats what makes it kinda cool.

For $12.00 though I think its an affordable mistake - and you could use it at home too - need a doorbell for your room?

You can get yours HERE

You are riding your bike - or scooter - or heck, your riding lawnmower… you may not need a horn. You certainly may not need one that blares at an ear shattering 115 decibels. But it sure would be cool eh? Get yourself one 9 volt battery and 12 bucks later you too can scare the crap out of innocent bystanders.

# This Thunder Horn is not recommended for children under 8 years old unless supervised by adults
# Do not use within 50cm (18 inches) of anyones ears to avoid damage

Ready to get a ticket for disturbing the peace ? - Go HERE

Don’t say I didn’t warn ya….

My heart just skipped 3 beats when I found this. My wallet skipped a few dollars too. Here’s the details.

The Solar Airship needs no blowing or pumping up, because, as it’s name suggests, it is 100% solar powered. All it needs is reasonable sunshine, and you can go from box to sky in as little as two minutes!

It can fly up to about 30,000 feet on a reasonable day!

Now all you gotta do is to find 30,000 feet of string Available HERE - though they are currently out of stock. (It wasn’t me !)

Hooks up to your iPod, PC, home audio system, musical instrument (or virtually any other musical source) and projects a light show that moves across the room to the rhythm of the music. The interactive Lightcast features a cluster of 33 multi-coloured LED lights which pulse, flash, fade and synch according to the intensity and beat of your music.

Using an interchangeable lens/mirror for different light patterns, the Lightcast has four mix modes: Smooth, flow, vibe and pulse, and includes an illuminated infrared wireless remote allowing you to create a psychedelic light show in any room for the ultimate visual experience.

The price is $104.46 US and £49.95 Euro - You can grab one HERE

Mp3 Accesory, Light show

I saw this and couldn’t pass it up, maybe it doesn’t fit the exact description of a gadget? Still -who could resist getting one for their kids. It’s back in production and you can get one HERE for only $19.99 !

Snoopy Sno Cone Maker

Breezy Singers are realistically designed interactive wild bird figures. Each bird has a light sensor on its breast which reacts to changes in light, causing bird to sing its natural song while the beak, head and tail move realistically. Bird songs are supplied by Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology. Requires 3 (LR44) batteries (included).

Available in American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, and Yellow Warbler varieties.

Find ‘em HERE for $14.99 ea.

Gadget, Robot, Bird