Nubrella: tomorrow's fashion mistake, today!
This is frankly brilliant. A hands-free umbrella is perfect for walking to work while yapping on your phone with one hand and cradling a cup of coffee with the other. Unfortunately it's just never going to make it past the "my friends will laugh at me" stage, because they will. They will laugh so very hard. It's a cruel, backwards society we live in, and it's no wonder we don't have flying cars yet. That said, you can destroy your own fashion credibility today for a mere $59.99. Maybe the fanny pack types will accept you, but we can't make any guarantees.
[Thanks, Chris]
[Thanks, Chris]



















bubblegirl's all grown up. where's bubbleboy from seinfeld ftw?
Noobrella?
thanks but no thanks maff
Monica luwinski found a new job, modeling blowjob shields
agagagaggaggaga, it's Sean Young!!
popeye?
strong to the Finich
I say agagagaagaggaga whenever anything whakso happens, in reference to Xenon (search for notxenon on youtube!)
whoops, somehow my "thanks but no thanks maff" ended up a comment up. but in any case i'd like to add two things: 1) is youtube! owned by yahoo!? and 2) google freaktard and tell me what you get
1/ people can visit youtube if they want to you know, it's your choice, jeez!
2/ grow up, baby
These look impractical. I guess it will keep your head dry, but once you start walking, your legs and feet will get wet.
On the nubrella.com website, there was even a picture of someone riding a bicycle with a nubrella. Wipers anyone?
i guess you use the full body condom pioneered in Naked Gun?
That's where I can really see it taking off and being used in a country who's citizens often ride bikes. It's got to be safer/better than holding an umbrella in one hand and cellphone in the other. (At least I think they're going to outlaw cellphone use on a bike here in Japan.) Good idea, just market it to the right countries and it'll fly.
As for walking, I like my collapse able umbrella.
**Bonus: This thing would also block people with bad break getting the air all funKy.
Bukkakebrella.com
seems to me like it covers more than a regular umbrella...
watch out for that wind though... :-/
"**Bonus: This thing would also block people with bad break getting the air all funKy."
LMAO, yeah all the smelly people would suffocate themselves :)
At least you can tilt an umbrella to get through tight spaces.
But who knows, maybe these will catch on. People wear those god-awful Crocs, so anything is possible.
Hey! I don't know about you, but I KNOW how to get big round things into tight spaces.. ;-)
failure
Sounds like a child molester if you ask me....
Imagine trying to get into a car or cab wearing this. Not only will you get the seat all wet from all the water dripping down, you probably would not even be able to get into the car at all.
It would also get extremely hot! Think about it... no circulation... it may be alright if you are up north, but if it is hot, muggy, and raining, it would be like having a small greenhouse on your head.
$59.99 isn't a bad deal for this. After all you can go diving with it too. It's sort of like carrying a submarine air supply with you. No need for an expensive air tank.
Please, go try that and tells how it worked out.
Sorry but where does it "fix" onto your body? If I am thinking correctly, I don't want my neck to be yanked violently out of place by strong winds.
That'll look great when I'm riding my Segway down the street!
Gob Bluth FTW
Hmm I can only imagine it now. Denim long sleeve shirt, khaki shorts, colorful crocs, knee high black socks and this umbrella-dome all riding on a Segway. It will be called the Faux Pas of Doom.
Don't forget... it will also protect that bluetooth headset you wear everywhere!
Where do I sign up ?
Does anybody else see this as a first step in a Big Daddy costume?
Absolutely... the first thing I thought was ... get some gold spray paint and you're on your way.
"Unfortunately it's just never going to make it past the "my friends will laugh at me" stage, because they will. They will laugh so very hard."
OMG, I love engadgets' captions..lol. I would love to see someone with this so I can laugh and laugh also. But they are right, I can't tell you how many times I just hate holding on to an umbrella with freezing rain. Come to think of it, what would heavy winds do to this thing?
Oh yeah it must be asked, does the girl in the picture come with it? Because if so, I'm sold..lol.
eric, you really should get out more.
on second thought...
What? She looks actually pretty good to me....
This is a nice idea, but not very well implemented... Like KC said, your head will be dry, but everything else will be taking a bath.... (well, guess that's a good thing for some people)
By the way: Non-electronic gadgets FTW!...
yeah but think of how good she'd look w/o a saran-wrap half dome in the way?
She'd look pretty .. fugly.
Haven't you seen a girl without paint on her face (or worse yet, paint worn down by the rain)? Just think of grandma when she gets up :-)
Primitive site, they even want your credit card details on a plain HTTP (no SSL) page. Probably they even use email to forward that data to themselves...
Isn't there already something like that, called a
"HAT"
or possibly
"rather large HAT"
that is designed to shield your head and cellphone, and perhaps coffee, from the rain?
I'm sure I've heard of them!
it's new! it's: HAT! now in XXXXXXXL and transparent!
The urban sombrero!!!
i was thinking bioshock myself.
I'd love to steam up that umbrella, if you catch my drift...
I hope I don't catch your drift or catch anything else from you.
If style is the problem, that can be taken care of incrementally. First, they need to promote a simply hands-free umbrella. After that becomes popular, rounder and rounder umbrellas are promoted until they get to this point, or wherever the ideal point is.
bluetooth umbrella ftw
I never pull out my phone when it's raining, anyway.
Oft useful when protecting your.... Little Sister..?!
sorry, couldn't resist.
This is something you get ALL your friends to buy. When it rains, and you all walk into a bar together ... quite a sight, I'd imagine. Probably think you're all members of a new wave or emo band. =)
Or just big dorks.
voted up for awesomeness.
DEVO _totally_ would've worn this! are we not men?
Is there any chance this was invented by Professor Cone*?
*inventer of the Cone of Silence
"To infinity ... and beyond!"
Reminds me of a Big Daddy for some reason.
I thought the same thing. I expect there to be a Big Daddy helmet skinned one soon.
More like n00brella... HAH!
Yes! Now my hat won't get wet! Wait... :/
Ok, I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to see this thing take off!
(If only to see kissing scenes in movies when everyone is wearing one) :-)
can't quite say why, but this reminds me of A Clockwork Orange somehow...
But how do you get said phone and coffee to your face?
It's actually not a bad design. It's a little bulky - it could be a little smaller. In very cold environments, it would be a good thing - it would block wind from your face. It has a little bit of an astronaut outfit look to it and its functionality isn't bad at all. Too bad it looks too radical for people to take to it readily - I think the styling will make people shy away.
http://www.pal-v.com/
This has inspired some of the best comments we've had on Engadget since I joined.
All I have to say is, all I can think of when I see this is hurricane force winds....
Mary Poppins wouldn't approve
I'm the Juggernaut.
The hood...it does nothing!
Looks like something you would find in SkyMall or SharperImage!
Looking at their website, I can't get a clear idea on how this attaches to your body. Does it strap to your shoulders?
Dammit Engadget! You guys are such Nubrella fanboys!
Looks to me like it just sits on the shoulders. If it does somehow avoid the lift phenomenon associated with normal umbrellas, that's all it needs to do.
It could take off-- some of those very made-up women in places like New York would sooner look like retro-futuristic idiots than mess up their hair and make-up. If you spent as long as they did in front of a mirror every morning you'd probably feel the same way.
You'd probably also feel hollow inside, but that's beside the point.
LOOK SOOOO KOOL!!! I WANT ONE!!!
die. now.
Or just get the umbrella that's shaped like a stealth fighter jet. Cool...and practical! It'll stand up to force 10 winds easily.
I wonder if Rihanna could do a song about this? Though really can't imagine what the video would be like.
Yeah but she never wrote that song. It was written by two blokes for Brittany Spears but she didn't want it so JZ bought it for Rhianna.
*shoot me now*
GO GO Gadget brolly!
Does she come with the Nubrella too?
*wink*
Here's an interview with the inventor:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=26000&select2=8615
Do you think she can hear what he's saying?
Will it come in fashionable colors?
I'll take the misguided hottie, you can keep bubbrella.
Kccchhhht…I am venusian woman from the future…Kccchhht…will you have dorky sex with me? Over…. Kccchhhht.
What a towel.
WOW! That's actually GOOD! The only problem is the name: Dumbrella would have been more accurate.
Fashion mistake be-damned. If enough folks use this, it will take off. I, for one, am looking to buy one.
actually used one of these during a recent snowstorm in Chicago...I was well protected from the snow and wind while some geeks were chasing after their bluetooths and trying to hold onto their homemade knit hats and scarves. I will never leave home without it. next to a 9mm, best investment I have made in personal protection.
I think this is a seriously COOL product - at last someone really has invented the windproof umbrella - these are definitely going to be the next big thing - already umbrellaHeaven.com are selling them - it won't be long before these are commonplace on the streets of London - something slightly yuppyish, don't you think?