bltd

I’m still a little fuzzy on how this works, but if I got one, I would just say it’s magic. Might be a good stocking stuffer if you’re still doing some holiday shopping (and, if you’re still way behind and freaking out because there’s basically no time, gift cards might be an excellent solution)…

“Our SmartPad® prevents items from slipping, sliding or falling on virtually any surface! The revolutionary material grips the surface it’s on and the items you place on it. Use one on a dashboard, the side of a computer monitor, refrigerator to securely hold a cell phone, keys, sunglasses or MP3 player.”

Revolutionary material includes no adhesive so it won’t damage the surface
Works horizontally or vertically

The jury’s out on whether Amazon’s new electronic book will be a hit or not. I’m a fan of building up my own library, so I’m probably not going to try it out, but I can see the benefits of downloading books immediately for 1/3 the price it would normally cost, not to mention all kinds of newspapers and magazines being handy in a relatively small package. Quite convenient sounding…

-Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
-More than 90,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.

-Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
-Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
-Holds over 200 titles.
-Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed

7.5″ x 5.3″ x 0.7″

[posted by katie]

This little desk mate, which lip syncs to music, is the next big thing in Japan and possibly your desk.

You can see it in action here.

“cute little USB creatures (think Tamagochi all over again) that you
plug into one of the many USB hubs you have sitting around, and when
Tengu picks up music, it starts to sing (or sync) along… Tengu has 7
different facial (hmpf) expressions that it uses to lip sync, that are
displayed in red LEDs over his white face”

[posted by kris ]

This is quite clever, and even though you might have seen it before, you might consider buying a few up for holiday gifts or stocking stuffers (if you’re already thinking about that sort of thing).

“Think of it as an exact replica of a 9-Volt battery made out of high powered LED’s. All you do is plug it onto the before-mentioned 9-Volt battery and voila, you have a modern day version of a candle.”

[posted by katie]

Man, this is smart. It would be a great gift for your favorite nano-owner.

“45 NANO CASES are made from reclaimed cassette tapes rebuilt to fit your 1st and 2nd generation iPod nano.”

Do you have that nagging feeling that you need to back-up the contents of your computer? I know I do. I don’t think I’ve backed up my hard drive in over a year. This 500 GB LaCie Golden Disk hard drive designed by Ora-Ïto may make the task more fun.

Available for both PC and Mac, plug & play, driver-free (Windows® 2000, Windows® XP & Mac® OS X), and fan-free for quiet operation. The Golden Disk comes with our LaCie ‘1-Click’ Backup Software for easy backups (Windows & Mac).

Clever way to protect your prized posession…

“leather book cover designed for 30gb and 80gb ipod with video (but equally good on older model and other MP3 players of the same size). the tough leather case will help you cherish your music. you can sync and charge your player directly in the case with full cable access.”

These sound like a very smart buy for all of you laptop owners. And quite affordable, might I add…

“Cool feet are 4 small ‘feet’ with suction cups at the end. Or actually, they are suction cups in the size of small ‘feet’ that attach to the bottom of your laptop, allowing the heat to be dispersed properly. Why is that smart you might ask? Well for starters angled keyboards are more ergonomic than a flat one and a raised laptop protects your furniture from any heat damage… But the kicker is that when laptops release their excess heat, they become faster! And isn’t speed something we all want in our machines?”

Look at this tiny little headset! No wires, no clips. It’s less than the size of a quarter, and it’s so much better than the crazy-big-behind-the-ear ones that so many people wear even when they aren’t talking on their phones. Be slightly less obvious with this new gadget…

“…it doesn’t require a behind the ear clip, mainly because its unique shape ‘sticks’ in the ear… You put it on with one turning movement (yes, somewhat like a screw) and it just stays in your ear. And it obviously comes with three different sized silicone covers to adjust it to your earsize…”

I’m still trying to decide exactly how I feel about this particular hub. It’s a bit strange, but also nice in that it has connections for up to six devices, which is particularly handy in this day and age.

“Famed designer Ora-Ito designed this hub to work with Mac or PC. Its globe shape, glossy white polycarbonate finish, and flexible cables give it a distinctive, out-of-this-world look. Provides 4 USB ports and 2 FireWire ports to your computer system, so you can connect up to six devices simultaneously. Bundled with 8 flexible cables (5 USB 2.0 & 3 FireWire 400), a USB fan, a USB light, a USB extension cable, an AC adapter and a FireWire 400 extension cable, the Hub comes fully equipped to let you connect easily and in style.”

Size (without cables): 4.3″ wide x 5.2″ tall

How cool is this? It’s a regular size keyboard that is projected onto a flat surface from a unit that is slightly larger than a matchbook. It comes complete with clicking sounds and works with any bluetooth enabled PDA or Cell Phone.

Art Lebedev Studio is the largest design company in Russia, and it has a storehouse of some pretty great ideas. One of them is this mouse, which despite it’s shape it’s still pretty ergonomic.

Also something you should check out is the Optimus-Mini ($100, available May 15.)

Currently taking pre-orders.

When will the insanity stop??? Just when I was entirely happy with my little shuffle (which I use much more than my bulky, 3rd Gen 40 GB Ipod), Apple goes and throws a monkey wrench in the works!

Holds up to 1,000 songs and full-color album art
Only 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches and 1.5 ounces
Bright 1.5-inch color LCD display
Up to 14 hours of battery life(1)
Apple Click Wheel
Charges and syncs via USB
Accessory-compatible Dock connector
Completely skip-free playback
Works with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
Plays music, podcasts and audiobooks
Holds up to 25,000 photos(2)
Syncs contacts, calendars and to-do lists

If you have extra space available on your ipod, you can fill it up with music from your choice of thousands of radio stations. Griffin offers a free trial for a week.