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Ruyan keeps the e-smoking trend ablaze with Vegas e-cigar
Thinking of quitting cold turkey? Good on you. Finding it a bit harder than advertised? Enter Ruyan America, the same folks who delivered the e-cigarette just over a year ago. The new Vegas is based on the same concept -- delivering nicotine to smokers without the harmful toxins that typically follow -- yet it's obviously shaped like a cigar. This disposal product provides around 1,800 mouthfuls of vapor and comes pre-loaded with a 16mg nicotine cartridge. Granted, Ruyan America doesn't claim that this thing will help you quit, but those who'd like to feel suave or give it a go anyway can grab one now for $45 (or a box of five for $200).[Via I4U News]
Japan's face-authorizing cigarette machines no match for Bruce Willis photo
Remember those Japanese vending machines that use face recognition to scan for wrinkles and saggy skin before authenticating cigarette purchases? Surprise, they're so easy to circumvent that even a nicotine-addicted kid can do it. Turns out the cameras will authenticate "a 15-centimeter (6-inch) wide magazine photo of a man who looked to be in his 50s." Smaller clippings work too as demonstrated by a successful cigarette vend using a 3-inch photo of a woman in her 30s -- a 1-inch wide photo failed, however. Still, only 4,000 of Japan's 570,000 cigarette vending machines feature the cams and these are due for a software update in response to the flaw -- the rest use RFID readers to check the smoker's Taspo age-verification card. Nevertheless, we don't think it's much of a stretch to predict that this system, like that of DRM controlled music, is destined to fail. [Via The Raw Feed]
Next Safety developing nicotine-delivery device to curb smoking
Nah, Next Safety's approach to curbing smoking isn't nearly as fun as puffing on Golden Dragon's Ruyan e-cigarettes, but it just might do the trick. Reportedly, this North Carolina-based startup plans to bring a "nicotine-delivery product" to market which would actually "deliver nicotine to the brain faster and safer than cigarettes," all while protecting children and nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. Interestingly, the pulmonary drug-deliverer (which works similarly to a medical inhaler) is said to provide "a stronger kick" than smoking, but actually administers a smaller amount of nicotine to the body than your average Marlboro. Currently, the firm is hoping to release it into less restricted overseas markets by the year's end, but analysts here in America are questioning its ability to pass through all the red tape required for it to hit our shelves.[Via MedGadget]Read - New nicotine-delivery device is safer than smoking, NC company saysRead - Next Safety's Pulmonary Drug Delivery System
It has a name, part II: "smexting"
It turns out that cleaner air and healthier people aren't the only side effects of a "No Smoking" sign. A wide-reaching ban on smoking in enclosed places just went into effect on July 1st in the UK, and in the two weeks following, carrier Orange reported that 7.5 million more messages were sent on its network than in the two-week period the month prior. Analysts (who apparently are responsible for researching these sorts of trends) suggest a couple explanations: first, smokers freshly ousted outdoors to get their smoke on need something to do to pass the time -- out comes the phone, and, well, you know the rest. Secondly, smokers that are working on quitting as a result of the ban are turning to texting to give their fidgety, nerve-wracked fingers something to do and to seek support from friends. The behavior, which arguably didn't need a name, is being called "smexting." Looks like the money saved on cancer sticks is going straight to the carriers -- but hey, at least it's a little safer (or not).[Via Techdirt]
USB e-lighter concept could fire up your next carton
Those trying to kick the habit should seriously consider looking away. The e-lighter concept, designed by Tao Ma, looks to come in black or white motifs, and can apparently fire up your next cigarette with nothing more than the mere 5v current from your nearest USB port. As these things typically go, not much information beyond that is readily available, but Tao does mention that reservations could be fielded if this type of habit-supporting device suits your fancy. Click through for a darker shade.[Via EverythingUSB]
NY Governor Spitzer spitting mad about games
"It is now pretty well established that certain types of videos and images have an effect on behavior," New York Governor Eliot Spitzer told reporters yesterday. Spitzer wants video games that are "degrading" to minors regulated the same way as cigarettes for those under 18. Retailers who would sell or rent these "not appropriate" games to minors would face fines.The Democratic governor plans to give details about his plans this Friday in a Manhattan speech before Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Like wagering how many times President Bush will bring up 9/11 in a speech, start placing your bets now on how long it'll take Spitzer to bring up the VT massacre in his speech.Spitzer's proposal is sure to be in good company with other New York-based bills looking to regulate games. Spitzer better watch his back, the courts have not been kind to taxpayers for overzealous politicians who ignore Constitutional Law 101.
Finally, the cigarette pack phone
We're not even gonna bother with full specs here -- the only three you need to know are "phone," "cigarettes," and "lighter." The Cigarette King 8383 gives an entirely new meaning to the term "all-in-one" by curiously combining all three products into a single package that takes its design cues from a local brand of smokes. Open up the flip top, and voilà, seven cancer sticks and fire at your disposal! You should be able to find this among countless other oddities in Hong Kong's Sin Tat Square, and word has it they even throw in real cigs with the purchase. If it scolded you mercilessly (or even better, blocked you from calling and texting for a while) every time you lit up, it could be a decent quitting tool, could it not?[Thanks, Paul]
