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Sometimes, all you need in life is a cat tail cushion
You may not instantly recognize the name "Yukai Engineering," but you may have already come across its earlier products like the Necomimi brainwave cat ears or the Bocco "family robot" at some point. At CEATEC, the Japanese company unveiled its latest wacky product, the Qoobo "tail therapy" robot. This is essentially a cushion with a realistic cat tail that reacts to stroking and patting, such that it's able to comfort its "owner" like a real pet would simply through tail wagging. To make it more lifelike, Qoobo also wags its tail randomly when it is left alone for too long.
The always-cold pillow is no longer a fever dream
The cold side of the pillow is one of life's oddly satisfying phenomena. But no sooner have you felt its gratifying chill caress your cheek than it vanishes. The cold side of the pillow could be more than just a pleasant sensation for your conscious mind, though. It's pretty well known that your body dumps heat as you drift off to sleep and your core temperature follows a rough nightly cycle, much like brain activity, hormone levels, breathing patterns and so on. There are various studies that suggest you can game the system, cool yourself down and minimize those restless nights. That's the intent behind the Moona smart pillow pad: A temperature-regulating pad that keeps the cold side of the pillow cold, indefinitely.
The Zeeq smart pillow is the Swiss Army knife of bedding
Sleep tracking has never taken off the same way activity tracking has, probably because no one wants to wear their smartwatch to bed. (That's when you should be charging it anyway.) The Zeeq from REM-Fit aims to fix that by taking the tech off of your wrist and putting it in a place that's a lot more comfortable when you're asleep: inside your pillow.
Play a game of Mega Man ZZZZZZ with this pillow set
We understand that you're on the fringe of sleeping – a renegade REMer who doesn't conform to society's rules of rest – but you've seriously got to stop using that Dead or Alive 5 body pillow; it's gross. Enter this more wholesome and elaborate Mega Man sleeping ensemble from Capcom, including a Mega Buster pillow you can slide your arm into and a Mega Man helmet pillow you can slide your head into.The kit isn't for sale yet – it's coming in July – but Capcom has already opened up pre-orders through its Japanese site. The helmet and cannon will set you back ¥6,090 (around $60). Not listed: the price of waking from a dream world where Mega Man Universe exists only to find out it doesn't exist at all.
Sony patent application puts electrodes in a pillow, eases you out of slumber
You could monitor your sleep using the science of actigraphy but, as we've learned, accelerometers don't always make for the best slumber trackers. The real deal stuff, used by scientists, requires all sorts of electrodes, which are a tad cumbersome and tend to yank out hair. Sony is proposing a system that removes the glue and sticks the sensors in your pillow. This is according to a patent application the company filed that proposes, among other things, an advanced alarm clock that monitors brain waves to detect when you enter and leave REM sleep. One particular example has it guiding users though an efficient power nap, by starting a timer once they've started dozing and only waking them once they've come out of a deeper sleep state. The proposed alarm could take any number of forms, from a buzzer, to a flashing light or bed shaking motor. To dig through the application for yourself hit up the source link.
Engadget visits Nokia House, walks down memory lane (video)
It's not the first time Engadget editors have stepped foot at Nokia House -- the company's HQ in Espoo, Finland -- but it's always a treat, and our visit this week is no exception. Today we took a walk down memory lane, and spent some time with several Nokia handsets -- from one of the very first mobile phones to the Lumia 920. We played with some of the more iconic models and designs, such as the 1011 (first GSM handset), 1610, 7700 / 7710 (S90), 7280 (lipstick phone), 770 / N800 tablets, N-Gage / QD, 3300, 8800, 8110 (from the Matrix movie), N93 / N93i, N91, N92, N76, N95 and finally the 7650 (the first handset running Symbian). In addition, we also got to handle some of the Lumia 820 and 920 accessories, including the Fatboy wireless charging pillow and JBL-branded Power Up speakers. Check out the gallery below then hit the break for our hands-on video. Oh, and don't forget to tune in tomorrow for our live Q&A with Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop.%Gallery-166392% Update: That music-centric handset which uses an IBM Microdrive is the N91 (not N90) and was announced in 2005 (not 1995), and that flip-phone is the N76 (not the N75) -- sorry for the slip in the video. Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Nokia announces wireless charging pads, Fatboy Recharging Pillow for Lumia phones
Any of you who bothered to read Engadget this past Labor Day Monday must've noticed all those Nokia leaks making the rounds. Chief among them was a wireless charging pad, featured in a legit-looking press shot. Well, Nokia's big day of announcements has arrived and indeed, the company just formally unveiled the charging accessory -- a soap-dish-shaped device based on the popular Qi wireless standard. (Of course, the Lumia 920's built-in Qi tech means that you can use all manner of third-party charging pads; they don't have to be made by Nokia.) Additionally, the company briefly teased a Fatboy-branded pillow (pictured), also designed for recharging. Other than that, the company didn't share too many specifics, though it did reveal that Virgin Atlantic and Coffee Bean will both be offering wireless charging -- Virgin in its Heathrow Airport lounge, and Coffee Bean on its countertops.
iCEO is a plush Steve Jobs
Throwboy's got a new pillow coming out soon, and as you can see above, it's in the shape of a plush Steve Jobs. I don't know -- some of you might say this is too soon after the late, great CEO's passage last October, but we certainly wouldn't have had a problem celebrating Steve in this way when he was alive, right? I figure that this man is an icon in every sense of the word, even the huggable ones. The iCEO pillow, as it's called, is available for preorder now, and ships in August for $60. It's 15 inches tall, with a 100% cotton turtleneck (of course), and 100% denim jeans (of course). And just in case you're still not sure if Steve would have appreciated this, Throwboy is also donating ten percent of the proceeds from the pillow to the American Cancer Society. Seems like a win all around to me.
Robotic bear pillow stops your snoring by gently mauling your face (video)
Looking to stop snoring? What you need is Jusui-Kun, a robot bear that paws your face while you're sleeping. Okay, it's more of a "gentle tickling," according to the bear's creators. The key is to get the snorer sleeping on the pillow to move his or her head from side to side. Jusui-Kun has a built-in mic to detect the sleeper's snoring, while an equally cuddly hand monitor detects blood oxygen levels, letting the bear know when to issue one of its loving face swipes. Video after the break.
Plush camera lens pillows get you through the night, koala hug approved
Here's something you can curl up with after those long winter... photoshoots? Straight out of the there's something for everyone department comes a trio of plush toy camera lenses -- in Nikon 35mm, Canon 50mm and 24-105mm varieties -- for even the most discerning leisure connoisseur. These hand-crafted part fleece, part felt creations are the fruits of Plushtography's shutterbug-obsessed labor and come "pre-hugged by a team of koalas to ensure maximum huggability" -- we guess Olivia Newton-John was busy. The pillows range from amateur to expert, in keeping with their lens type and could lighten your wallet to the tune of $35 - $65 smackeroos. These lenses won't imbue you with any magical pro-photographic skill, but they should prove to be an interesting bedroom conversation piece.
Universal remote arrives within a pillow, makes channel surfing hip again
It's a pillow. And a remote. And if your powers of observation are anywhere near "strong," you've probably deduced by now that you're looking at a universal remote control... albeit one that's wrapped within a pillow. We've seen similar creations come around in concept form, but leave it to the folks at Brookstone to turn this thing into a reality. Purportedly, this unit can be programmed to work with over 500 devices, and there's a power-saving auto shutoff feature that'll definitely be overrode by your incessant squeezing. We wouldn't count on this thing actually working well, but for $29.95 (in addition to the cost of two AAA batteries, of course), we highly doubt you'll find a more fashionable, lovable cube of cotton.
Takara Tomy Neckphones: wraparound pillow speaker, coming soon to a Skymall near you
It may not have the same charm as the Flying Pasties, but Takara Tomy's Neckphones definitely have the "it" factor. Perfect for lounging in a nearby water hole (or watering hole, we suppose), this blow-up neck pillow has a pair of stereo speakers strategically placed near your ear canals, and there's even a pouch that we'd never, ever trust to keep your PMP safe from the liquids below. We suppose you could also take this on a plane, but don't bring your grumbles over here when the gals in 16A and 18B take issue with you blasting Now That's What I Call Music! Volume 11 for the entire coach cabin to hear. We're guessing you'd need to contact an importer to pick one of these up outside of Japan, but you'll have to let go of at least ¥1,800 ($21). We're surmising the hit in respect will be far more detrimental than the MSRP, though.
The iPillow is cheaper than an iPhone, cuddles better, still no Flash
There's something about Apple's products that just makes people want to cuddle them -- we've talked about lots and lots (and lots) of Apple products turned into pillow form. Here's another: Drew Olanoff's (from Blame Drew's Cancer) mother made this iPhone pillow for him while he was recovering from chemotherapy. It's handmade and super cute -- I especially like the stylish icons, including the textPlus icon, which is Drew's own iPhone app. There's also a stitched Home button (which you can see in the full picture), and there's even a pocket on the side, sized just right for an actual iPhone of course. Awesome. [via Unpluggd]
Does Android dream of DIY cushions?
With the estate of Philip K. Dick up in arms over the slightest commercial reference to his published works, we may come to regret the above headline. But it's worth the risk to bring more attention to this lovely, handcrafted Android pillow. Covered in fleece and filled with fluffy polyester for a texture that creator Craftsquatch describes as "firm yet springy," the cuddly 12-inch square, made-to-order cushion can be yours for $20 before shipping. If only it came with dessert.
Only two days left for SOE's ConnectDING event!
Two words for you: cushy pillows. Yes, that's right, you heard me. There are two days left for the Sony Online Entertainment ConnectDING event -- a marketing event designed to get you and your friends looking at the Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts of EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms. Each one of the games has its own special reward once it hits so many fans, so why turn down free rewards for doing nothing more than clicking a button? And that, my friends, is where we get to cushy pillows. EverQuest II is close to their goal -- only 2,000 fans shy! However, the event ends on February 10th! Oh teh noes, right? If EQII can get 2,000 more fans, everyone in the game will get 500 station cash for the in-game marketplace and awesome "Community Pillows" to add to their homes. The pillows not only look stylish and reduce the rent status of your property, but they also let avatars have pillow fights when activated! So please, reach out and become a fan of EverQuest II today. Follow them on Facebook, on Twitter, or on both! Give these poor, orphaned pillows a home. (Plus the cash isn't too bad either.)
World of WarCrafts: A WoW-inspired grab bag of creativity
World of WarCrafts spotlights art and creativity by WoW players, including fan art, cooking, comics, cosplay, music and fan fiction. Show us how you express yourself; contact our tips line (attention: World of WarCrafts) with your not-for-profit, WoW-inspired creations. It's catch-up day at World of WarCrafts! We have all sorts of little goodies to pass along that have been piling up in the submissions box. So tuck in and get comfy with this snuggly little fellow from Serthida of US Bloodhoof, the crafter who brought us last year's plush moonkin. Don't worry, he won't drain your mana ... or your creativity. %Gallery-84780% More from the World of WarCrafts, after the break.
Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 comfily enters the burgeoning speaker-lapdesk market
This is where we've come as a society. No longer are external speakers, pillows or even laptop cooling apparatuses enough to satisfy us. Instead it takes a conglomeration of all three to prop up our hapless "portable" computers as we wallow in our Snuggies and fat free comfort foods. The new Logitech Speaker Lapdesk is one such $80 conglomeration, with two-inch stereo speakers, a built-in fan and a nice bit of padding to keep the whole assembly from frying your lap. It all plugs in over USB, both for audio and for fan power, and there are hardware buttons for switching the fan on and off and changing volume. We gave it a quick trial run, and can certainly vouch for its comfort and protective qualities, though at the same time we're not quite sure why it's so enormous. The speakers are decently loud and clear, and the fan noise wasn't loud enough to be heard over the general din of the tradeshow, so there's really not much to complain about if you can stomach the price. But for anything smaller than a 17-inch laptop this is probably overly large for no apparent reason. There's a quick demo video after the break. %Gallery-81584%
Monster Hunter pillow will give you nightmares
Capcom's Monster Hunter Furu Furu Pillow is officially the most terrifying pillow we've seen today. What appears in the games as a winged, eyeless wyvern (called Khezu outside of Japan) has been transmuted into a tube with a lamprey mouth. That you put on your bed. And look at when you wake up. We suppose it would be better used as an accent pillow on a couch or something, especially if you don't want anyone to use your couch ever. Japanese Monster Hunter fans will be able to bring this abomination into their lives, in white or red, on January 29, for ¥9,240 ($103.52). [Via Andriasang]
Belkin justifies $30 for a pillow, calls it CushDesk
If you're still up for spending unnecessarily these days, Belkin has the perfect excuse to blow 30 bones on a couch pillow replacement. The oddly, almost comically named CushDesk, is nothing more than a sophisticated lap cushion with a somewhat sturdy top that acts as a portable tabletop for your molten-hot laptop. It's available in a number of soothing hues, and while it's fully compatible with mobile PCs and Macs up to 17-inches in size, we're still waiting to hear back about compatibility with UMPCs, MIDs and Linux-based netbooks.
Dig Dug Pillows spark dreams of retro gaming paradise
We've seen folks lay their noggins on some pretty interesting pillows, but these critters just stand out like no other. Featuring Dig Dug himself along with a menacing Pooka, these homegrown cushions were created by manicmaiden for his / her brother's birthday. We know what you're thinking, but it doesn't seem as if this particularly thoughtful individual is accepting applications for adoptions.[Via CRAFT]
