Can real rock be listened to through tiny portable speakers? Yes, although why would you want to listen to anything like that?
The best way to listen to a band is live on stage, smashing guitars and all… but if all you’ve got is a puny iPod, you can get a tiny bit of that atmosphere back with the MP3 Retro Speaker Amp.
It can output 5W of power and gets its juice for batteries or an USB port, but the best part is that the little Bass, Treble and Volume dials are adjustable.
However, as nice as it looks, I can’t help but thinking it’s a bit lame. Rock is supposed to be big and loud, after all…
How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Did you ever wish you could show your Facebook status to the whole world, even when they’re not online? Well, you can’t. But a new app takes one step forward in that direction: StatusKing brings us the Facebook Status t-shirt.
It’s partly an app with a contest and partly a t-shirt creator. The latter is simple: you choose a status and it gets printed on a t-shirt using a screenshot of your profile page. It doesn’t change, but it’s a start…
You can also get it for free, if you get creative: by submitting your status to the app and getting enough votes, you can win a t-shirt printed with that message. Three chances every week, so start posting those witty words!
How much under $29.99?
Some: $18-$20 on Facebook.com.
Via Pocket Lint
Drinking coffee or tea can be a simple activity, or it can be a ritual complete with several tools for proper enjoyment.
The Coffee & Tea Glass Filter Straws are tools… of a more unusual kind. They aim to eliminate the need for any find of filters and bags, but it’s debatable whether they’d work or not.
Seeing as the two brews are different, the straws aren’t the same either: the tea version finishes with a glass strainer, while the coffee one has a mini French Press filter on the end.
It’s a matter of “tried to be believed” here: the coffee filter seems ok, but loose tea leaves tend to clog up anything in their area, so that filter might not work very well. And at $20, I for one don’t want to be the first to try it.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $19.99 on ThinkGeek.com
If you’ve shared a room with a cat for more than 1 hour, you know why feline owners all over the world will cry when they hear that the Control-a-Cat Remote Control doesn’t actually work. It’s powered by positive thinking but, as we well know, this method doesn’t work with our furry friends. “Fluffy, please don’t scratch the new couch while I’m gone” will only result in shredded pillows…
Each button of the remote can remind you of a delightful activity your pet loves to grace you with: attacking everything in sight, moulting on the new bed covers, hiding for hours and becoming affectionate when you’re trying to sleep, and ah, those adorable furballs…
My favorite is the “Here kitty kitty” button. After looking for a cat for 4 hours and checking the concrete under the only open window for signs of blood… I would give anything for a sure way of getting her attention.
How much under $29.99?
A lot: $6.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
The Romantic Personalised Calendar is one for the seriously mushy.
If you want to remember your love all day, everyday… just tell these guys what you want printed. Each page of the calendar features a picture which will have your name/your lover’s name/your friend’s cat’s name inserted in a fitting way (cloud lettering on the cloud-themed page etc.)
Although a calendar is still a lame present, this will make it a bit better. At least you’re making it clear it’s just for him/her, right? Well, unless their name is longer than 10 letters, in which case think of a nickname or something, because that’s the maximum length.
How much under $29.99?
A little: $21.50 on Firebox.com
Why would someone want Homer on their wall? Not sure, but I bet sales for the Homer Simpson Rotating Eyes Wall Clock are going to be impressive. Maybe it’s something about the vacant expression on his face that makes people like him so much?
In this case, he is thinking of something. A Duff beer at Moe’s Bar. But the damn bottle is elusive and keeps moving around, and all he can do is follow it around with his eyes over and over again…
It has hypnotic properties, you know. Don’t mount it on the wall in front of your desk or you might end up with Homer’s expression on your face, and the boss will know you’re not working then.
How much under $29.99?
A little: £14.96 on Drinkstuff.com.
Via OhGizmo!
What can be fancier than a nice bottle of sparkling wine for a special occasion?
A nice bottle of sparkling wine with gold flakes. Yes, that’s real gold, and yes, it can scratch your throat a bit, but what’s a bit of pain between a man and some precious metal?
The Sparkling Gold Cuvee is like a snow globe with alcohol instead of water and 22 carat gold instead of plastic flakes. Which means that, aside from the “whoa, gold!” effect, it also looks impressive from a purely aesthetic point of view (in translation: you’re going to shake it to death before actually drinking it).
The affordable option is the 200 ml bottle at $15, but there’s also a 750 ml bottle at a hefty $37. How special is that special occasion again?
How much under $29.99?
Some: $15 on Firebox.com.
When is geeky too geeky? Well, the Binary Love t-shirt almost qualifies, but then the design is so cute you can’t help but want one.
See those 1s and 0s making the pretty heart shape? It’s not a random string. Each 8 digit series, once converted into digital and then ASCII, is a letter. So 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 spells “l o v e”. Ain’t that sweet?
And because love is universal, this t-shirt comes in both men’s and women’s style; loose or form-fitting, the message stays the same.
How much under $29.99?
Some: $18.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Social networking is supposed to make connecting with other people easier, right? Yet we take it to extremes, make dozens of accounts and at some point it gets simpler to just call people than find them online.
Some people who pay attention to the social part of the internet saw a problem and invented a solution: Poken. On the outside, it’s a cute little toy shaped like a skeleton, a bee, a panda or an alien. On the inside, it uses RF technology to exchange account data with other Pokens.
You see the catch, right? In order to avoid the trouble of writing down complicated screen names, both people need to have the gadget.
Is it a cool idea? Yes, definitely. But I don’t think it will catch on. Early adopters will always exist, but social networking isn’t that important. Maybe once the price drops…
How much under $29.99?
A little: £12.95 on Firebox.com.
Learning about alternative energy can be entertaining, if you know how to do it.
In short:
Mini Solar Car – yes.
Solar Climbing Orangutan – no.
It’s not a bad idea in itself… but that monkey is ugly. Seeing a piece of solar-powered plastic “climb” a rope would be fun for a couple of minutes, or even more for educational value, but they really could’ve made it better looking…
How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.99 on ThinkGeek.com.
Via Gizmodo
