We can't help but love when a plan comes together, and if you've been hesitant about replacing your kitchen hood while secretly longing to redirect those funds towards a new LCD, there's a compromise staring you right in the face. Faber's luxurious Imago+ multimedia hood boasts a stainless steel / glass finish, fits nicely above your range and includes a 19-inch LCD TV with a 1,440 x 900 resolution, 300 cd/m2 brightness and 850:1 contrast ratio. Unfortunately for you Americans, the internal tuner caters to DVB-T signals, though the decent lineup of ports will allow you to connect up other sources of content. Mum's the word on a price, but again, those having to ask will probably be forced to pass.

[Via Appliancist]

If you're cool with a circular gizmo flanking one of your ears, Callpod's Bluetooth earpiece is probably right down your alley. Aside from rocking a dual-microphone design, noise cancellation technology and multi-device pairing support, this headset promises to stay connected even if you stray 100-meters (give or take) from your mobile / computer. Additionally, you can count on 8-hours of talk time (300-hours in standby) to handle those all-night sobfests, and it's even firmware upgradable should the future hold some extras not yet available. If you're all ready to sign up, hit the read link and throw down your $119.95 -- Callpod says they'll be shipping soon.

[Via Uber-Review]

When you're already tracking every kid out there to make sure no one gets into too much mischief, you definitely need a way to make a call whilst in "mountainous areas or at sea," right? Apparently the Japanese government thinks so, as it's planning on bringing satellite calling to the masses by launching a bird that's 50-meters in diameter in order to enable "ordinary handsets" (you know, the ones without the mile-long antennas) to make satellite calls in times of emergency with just slight modifications. The aforementioned sat would be over twice the size of the 19-meter Kiku No. 8, which currently holds the crown for the largest launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, meaning that the newfangled equipment would fit nicely within the confines of today's increasingly shrinking cellphone and still find signal. Interestingly, the ministry isn't looking to get the service going before 2015, so we just might be looking at mainstream antenna-less iterations by that time anyway.

[Via DigitalWorldTokyo, photo courtesy of SatellitePhones]

If your built-in WiFi antenna is less than phenomenal, or you're just looking to jack some WiFi from another country to avoid severe punishment, Buffalo's AirStation WLI-U2-SG54HP might be the answer. This USB 2.0 stick adapter operates like any vanilla 802.11b/g wireless LAN adornment, but ups the ante by suctioning to the rear of your display and reportedly boosting your reception capability by 210-percent. Granted, we're not sure where the firm is deriving this lofty figure, but it's probably safe to assume that strapping a relatively large antenna on the back of your lappie will persuade a few more far away signals to come your way than your factory-installed alternative. So if you're looking for a way to extend that range (legally), or just enjoy having a tethered weapon at your disposal at all times, Buffalo's WLI-U2-SG54HP can be snapped up next month for ¥3,700 ($31)

[Via OhGizmo]

Here at Engadget, we're all about DIY projects that make your (and our) life easier. Ever since the days when range-extending cantennas were the rage, we've all been hankering for increasing the reception of our notebook's WiFi adapter (legally). Displeased with the built-in Dell 1470 a/b/g mini PCI unit in his Asus A2H notebook, a brave, engineering mind over at NotebookReview took to eBay in search of a solution. After purchasing a $118 "Turbo-Tenna," he concocted a plan (hit the read link for the full skinny) to wire the amplifier internally in order to provide a sleek, unobtrusive appearance. Using a soldering iron and an "on / off switch," he wired the Hong Kong-based device to his laptop's power supply and routed the connector to free pins on the VGA output. Once complete, his reception went from spotty and sluggish (1Mbps) to a much improved 24Mbps. It was noted that the installation was a tad on the complex side, and when the antenna is in use, your VGA port is subsequently out of order -- but hey, who needs a connection to the board room projector when you're enjoying wireless internet on a beautiful offshore island?