Gadgets and Gizmos - February 2012
Let’s Keep This Between Us
The Korean company VCNC wants to make the Information Age less about expanding your connections and more about deepening the intimacy between you and your special someone. Between, a free app available on both Android and the iPhone, lets you share pictures, notes and engage in private chats. And if things go sour? Well, hopefully all you’ll have to do is delete the app.
Price: Free. Web: appbetween.us
Keyboard Magic
Now you see ’em, now you don’t. The keys for the portable Levitatr keyboard retract when they’re not in use, assuring that they won’t rattle around in your bag while you’re on the go. And with a built-in stand for your tablet or mobile device, getting work done on the fly has never been easier.
Price: RMB 630. Web: www.levitatr.com
Walk At Work
Slumped into your chair, eyes glazed over, limbs settling into a state of atrophy – it’s the lot of most office workers around the globe. To buck the trend, Steelcase has designed a combination desk/treadmill, known as a ‘walkstation’, allowing you to take a stroll while working on your latest report. It truly is an invention to help put your best foot forward.
Price: RMB 30,350. Web: store.steelcase.com
Clock Full of Surprises
It’s not a cause for alarm. In fact, many of us would welcome a clock that would evade our efforts to hit the snooze button when we’re supposed to be getting up in the morning. Enter Clocky from Nanda Home. This spunky alarm clock doesn’t just chime when it’s time for you to get up in the morning, it rolls away, hopefully getting you to roll out of bed after it.
Price: RMB 250. Web: www.clocky.net
Head Encased
It’s the pedestrian’s right in the digital age to walk down the street absolutely aloof, moved by a personal soundtrack. If only it weren’t for those pesky street noises, you could be transported by the music entirely. Yamaha’s EPH-100 earphones are specially designed to fit more snugly in your ear using a super compact driver and dual flange technology. That means the only thing you’ll be hearing aside from your music will be the voices in your head.
Price: RMB 1,260. Web: www.yamaha.com
Prepare for the Invasion
Don’t just sit around waiting for the next wave of flesh-eating undead to stalk your town, prepare! San Diego-based retailer Zombie Industries sells life-sized, ‘blood-filled’ shooting targets shaped like zombies to hone your skills. Capable of sustaining more than 1,100 rounds of live ammunition, these dummies promise to be as tough to stop as the real thing.
Price: RMB 570. Web: zombieindustries.com
