Gadzooki

The iTurtle

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Ah, now isn’t this just cute!  The iTurtle seems to trump it’s predecessor the iDog in cuteness, would you agree.  This is not an MP3 player though, nor is it a docking station for your iPods. No, no, no.  Like iDog this is a speaker system.  Plug an audio source into it and you can watch the iTutle bob and swing its head to the beat.  

Now what I like most are the light effects.  It’s not just the bobbin’ and swayin’ head that’s good, you get lights too… through iTurtles shell.

Cost?  Kinda’ affordable at US$19.99 right here. Manufactured by Tiger Electronics. 

 I-TURTLE communicates his moods through musical riffs, movement and tons of blinking light patterns on his shell! He even whines when he’s hungry for more music or attention! I-TURTLE loves to move and groove to your music, but watch out – flick its tail, and it won’t be happy! He may have a little shell, but he has a big sound!

Sprinkler Hide-A-Key

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You remember the time you locked yourself out of the house AND nobody’s coming home in say about 3-4 hours still.  Bummer eh?  And what is there to do but wait it out until they come home.  Well now there is hope.  The traditional spare key would be hid under the welcome mat, above the door post or a lamp neary.  Too bad criminals know they’re there too.  And you wouldn’t even think twice to put it there anyway.

A simple solution would be to hide it somewhere else, but where?

“this fake inground sprinkler head offers a good place to put a set of spare keys or maybe an emergency USB flash drive. It looks like a regular sprinkler head and the tough water-tight plastic case holds multiple keys.”

You can get it at ThinkGeek right here for US$6.00

(Just hope that thieves don’t read blogs too! haha)

Fingertip Mini USB Trackball

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It’s a little helpful gadget to have, a USB trackball has its value in tight areas where the table-top maybe too size-restrictive or totally prohibitive. While I’d imagine the trackpad would have been naturally your rescue device it just may not work in specific situation… like when you have your laptop on your lap and the trackpad is just too near your belly. Picture it now?

Shanghai-based computer peripheral maker Evergreen sells this at about US$20. Notice that it comes equipped (as with the notebook mini mouse) with a retractable cable. Look closely and you’d see that the track ball is almost as small as a Blackberry pearl, the same is surrounded by three buttons representing the left, right and middle mouse buttons.

I have no clue if there is a software driver for this… I’m guessing it has. This mini USB trackball is only compatible with Windows XP and Vista systems.

Time-lapse Garden Video Camera

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You only see time-lapse videos in hi-tech movies, well now it’s your turn. This garden video camera can literally watch your garden grow. What a perfect time as spring has just come about. Garden hobbyists would surely enjoy the labor they pour into the ground day in and out.

Available right here for about US$150. It can focus as close as 20″ away to illustrate petal growth or, with its wide 54″ field of view, it can capture perennials as they grow to conceal your spent spring bulb foliage.

How does it perform the time-lapse effect? Well… The camera takes a picture at one of six pre-determined intervals (five seconds to 24 hours) and combines them into a single 1280 x 1024 resolution AVI movie file for easy playback on a computer. It has a light sensor that turns off the camera at dusk and back on at dawn, allowing for continued video capture each day. Movies are timestamped and stored on the camera’s removable 2GB USB flash drive, which can take up to 18,000 pictures.

Is it at all weatherproof? It surely is!

Mini Marshall Amplifier

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A tiny reproduction of the real thing, this is the Marshall half-stack style amp speaker. If you’re a band member or at least a fan of a rock band, this would be a great addition to your room. You’ve always been in the hunt for speakers that complement with your room’s design, well this is it. I’m guessing nothing would speak louder “I’m in a band” than this.

It’s available right here for about US$65.

It stands a little over 5 inches high and is easily portable so you can plug and play just about anywhere. There is a clip fastened to its back that allows you to bring this along with you, 9-volt battery needed of course.

We haven’t come across any reviews regarding this yet. We’re assuming that you are paying more for the design than the actual sound quality though. Yes, a little expensive, I might add.

The iPanda

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The iPanda by Speakal is an iPod dock system that stands out. Design-wise this is all too cute versus the traditional iPod docks. I’d say it’s a perfect addition to your kid’s iPod gift. Their room will definitely enjoy the music. The iPanda’s 2.1 stereo speaker system isn’t too shabby and occupies little room on a table-top.

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ThumbTacks™

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This is a little odd now, is it? I could imagine people taking another look at you… some would probably sigh in disbelief at how you’re punishing your iPod with a thumbtack. Oh well, it is kind of weird.

ThumbTack is a mini microphone designed for the Nano 4G or Touch 2G. Designed by a company called SwitchEasy, this iPod mic takes the shape of a familiar everyday object, a common thumbtack.

Check out their website and you’d see it available in several colors (white, black & red). You wouldn’t believe the US$13 price tag for a ThumbTack! Isn’t this something worthwhile to plug into your iPods?

This audio gadget is compatible with third party software. By plugging Thumbtack into the available 3.5mm headphone jack, you will be able to use it as a personal voice recorder. This can be handy if you want to record class lectures, office meetings or take a voice memo of important facts or reminders.

Just be careful NOT to mix the ThumbTack with the regular thumbtacks you have. It would be painful to see your iPod investments severely damaged.

WTF lamp

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Well… I honestly said that. What could you do if you find something that’s made for “opposite day”. It sure is fun to see your friend’s eyes to roll up when he switches this lamp on and find the base light up!

This is still in its design stage… by John Nouanesing. Have a look at his website and you’d see a lot of promising stuff all waiting to roll out. I just love it when engineering designers think out of the box. There’s no predicting what the world will see next.

While it may be a little “blinding” to use, I guess in a sense it will give a sensible solution for more light? Anyway. 🙂 At least if you get two to three of these you may pull up a room design concept you’d be happy with.

ECOLight shower cabin lights

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Definitely a gadget that has great sense and function. Everyone showers everyday (well, I think so), and that water pressure sure is an energy source, even to just light up the bath area. There’s no sense turning on any other light anyway. Now that times are tough, these little geniuses are important. We may not end up using any of them, but it sure does “spark” the noble and needed idea of saving power.

The ECOlight by Sylvania is a water-powered LED shower head. Designed to cater to a sustainable lifestyle, the light comes with temperature sensors. The LED glows blue for temperatures less than 78 degrees Fahrenheit and red for temperatures greater than 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check out the features:

– Aimable LED light
– Eco friendly design, no wires or batteries required
– Blue LED color scale for temperatures less than 78 degrees Fahrenheit
– Red LED color scale for temperatures greater than 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit
– Rated for maximum water pressure of 85 pounds per square inch (PSI)
– 4 in. x 2.5 in. x 3 in.

USB Chinese BBQ

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I know these look really tempting to bite and enjoy BUT you just got to hold-off doing so unless you want to be called “Toothless Joe/Beth” !  These yummy looking things are actually USB drives available in designs such as “chicken wing”, “drumstick” and “pork barbeque” variants.

They’re standard USB drives able to store around 4GB of data, available right here for US$28 per piece.  These would be great corporate giveaways, a sampling of creativity without pinching the pocket.  You want to land that catering deal, spruce up the proposal by offering a small dose for the client.  Be careful though that it is done with taste as they may sense a “bribe”.  Ouch.

Check out the shopping site for other variants of designs like the watermelon, fast food and cookie designs.

Features specifications below:

  • USB 2.0
  • Portable and easy operate
  • Plug and play
  • Support Window 2000/XP/Vista or MAC OS
  • Dimension: 75 x 40 x 20mm (approx.) (Chicken Wing)
  • Dimension: 72 x 33 x 20mm (approx.) (Chicken Drum Stick)
  • Dimension: 47 x 28 x 18mm (approx.) (BBQ Pork)
  • Weight: 35g (Chicken Wing)
  • Weight: 28g (Chicken Drum Stick)
  • Weight: 17g (BBQ Pork)