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]

While overseas firms like Thanko and SolidAlliance are kicking out random bits of fun that surely generate a solid profit, China's Golden Dragon has probably found the real road to riches with its toy. The brilliant Ruyan e-cigarette purportedly "feels like a cigarette and looks like a cigarette, but it isn't bad for your health." The battery-powered device is used exactly like a typical, harmful cigarette, but rather than delivering tar and toxins to the lungs along with nicotine, the poisons are stripped away and doses of nicotine are still provided. Interestingly, the company claims that its product is simply the best way to kick the habit, but if these things actually do what they claim, it honestly seems like a marvelous ploy to get folks to shift their funding from tobacco-based cigarettes to the Ruyan. The gizmos are already available in China, Israel, Turkey, and a number of European countries for around $208 apiece, and while profits have "more than doubled" in just a year's time already, bringing this thing to the US would certainly provide a few early retirements.

[Via TheRawFeed]