crapgadget
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Postmodern dining with the Japanese art of useless gadgets
The Japanese word "chindogu" covers a delightful range of terrible gadgets. It's about vaguely genius concepts, ruined either in their execution or ambition. If you've seen the baby-floor-mop onesie or the upside-down umbrella for capturing rainwater, you've seen a chindogu. Yo Sushi, arguably the UK's biggest sushi chain, wanted to celebrate this ridiculous facet of Japanese culture, and invited me to embarrass myself through a selection of crapgadgets and tasting dishes.
Dongle 'fixes' your PC's security by killing your USB port
We've seen some questionable crowdfunding campaigns in our time, but this one might take the cake. A Russian outfit is raising money for USB Killer, a $99 dongle that thwarts data thieves by... electrocuting your USB port. Yes, you're paying money to damage your computer. There's even a disclaimer that this could wreck your motherboard, turning the whole PC into a paperweight. It's supposed to help in case of "emergencies" like break-ins, but something tells us that you'd have a lot more to worry about with someone so close to physically raiding your data.
'Loogun' uses a water jet to make toilet cleaning less crappy (updated)
Not all of us can afford $6,000 for a self-cleaning toilet, so scrubbing one usually revolves around a yucky toilet brush. However, a product coming to Kickstarter may make the chore marginally more pleasant. Called Loogun, it's like a big dental WaterPik for your toilet that cleans with a narrow stream of water. The cordless, handheld device has a reservoir you fill with fresh water from time to time, and runs on four AA batteries that last nine months. With a powerful stream, it can blast detritus from your bowl, even below water level, according to the team behind it. It's also child-safe, since it won't spray when it's pointed up (and prevents toddlers from trying to snack on a regular toilet brush, of course).
Pocket ghost detector may be as hard to find as its targets (update: details)
Let's get this out of the way: ghost detection is based on junk science. It's trying to prove something that's unprovable almost by definition, using theories that have little connection to the real world. But if you are going to chase phantoms, you might as well have the best technology at your disposal, right? GhostArk certainly thinks so. It's developing a pocketable ghost detector that supposedly has everything you need to track down supernatural beings, including an electromagnetic field meter, high-sensitivity microphones, radio frequency sweeping and sensors for both atmospheric pressure and temperature. Think of it as an audio recorder on steroids -- you can even add white noise to "bolster the spirits' strength." It's a clever concept, even if none of its findings would stand up under academic scrutiny.
SkyMall's savior might be one of the products that it used to sell
Rumors of SkyMall's demise might have been exaggerated, at least if the CEO of Scottevest gets his way. Scott Jordan, head of the company that makes coats with pockets sufficient to carry your entire gadget haul, believes that he's the man to save the moribund publication. According to the businessman, SkyMall was "doomed to fail." Presumably because being trapped 30,000 feet in the air isn't enough to convince you to buy a beer pager or protein-infused ketchup.
Crapgadget purveyor SkyMall is filing for bankruptcy
You'd be forgiven for thinking that SkyMall, the ubiquitous in-flight magazine featuring things you'd only buy when drunk on tiny liquor bottles and jet lag, was already dead. Well, it's alive -- but it appears not for much longer. SkyMall has just filed for bankruptcy, The Wall Street Journal reports. Its killer? You guessed it: internet access and more gadgets on planes. The wider availability of in-flight WiFi "resulted in additional competition from e-commerce retailers and additional competition for the attention of passengers, all of which further negatively impacted SkyMall's catalog sales," said CEO Scott Wiley. Guess you'll just have to get your day of the week clocks and zombie garden statues elsewhere. [Photo credit: Shozu/Flickr]
For clucks sake: KFC Japan takes extra crispy to a new level
There's really only one way to properly celebrate Colonel's Day: a collection of fried chicken-themed accessories to show your pride. That's just what KFC Japan is doing as part of a Twitter promotional campaign. Lucky winners will be treated to the likes of an over-sized chicken leg iPhone case, a keyboard that's adorned with various pieces of chicken and both a USB drive and mouse that each showcase rather drumstick-like appearances. For the less tech savvy, there's chicken leg Ostrich Pillow-like headwear for comfy napping and a set of earrings to let everyone know what your favorite food is. The whole lot is quite ridiculous really, but don't take my word for it, take a gander at the entire collection in the gallery that follows.
This PowerGlove stays in the kitchen, not with your NES (video)
We've seen the PowerGlove pop up in a few different places before, but until now the focus hasn't strayed far from gaming. To wit, the Power Mitt wants to make your trips to the kitchen awesome in the way that only a heat-resistant-rubber oven mitt shaped like Mattel's wearable peripheral ever could. Unless the one-size-fits-most baking accessory hits its Indiegogo campaign's 450-backer target, however, that won't happen. One right-handed glove will set you back $39 (larger and leftie flavors are stretch goals), and there's a $20 discount if you order two. Let's say you want to get crazy, though: cough up a whopping $10,000 and you'll get a one-of-a-kind gold-plated version of the Power Mitt. Sure, you'll lose heat resistance, but the flip-side is gaining a boatload of geek cred -- isn't that what matters most?
The Supersmoker Bluetooth pairs an electronic cigarette with a speakerphone
We've been punked, right? This thing can't possibly actually exist. We've seen plenty of ridiculous inventions in our day, but a combination electronic cigarette and speakerphone? What the what? According to the people behind this abomination, the Supersmoker Bluetooth "aesthetically combines the convenience of electronic smoking with modern-day technology." (Given that there are bigger fish to fry here, we'll forgive them for calling a speakerphone "modern-day technology.") From what we can tell, the Supersmoker Bluetooth is real, and it's available now from a Dutch e-tailer in black, silver and gold for the princely sum of €84.90 (about $117). Oh, and it plays music, too.
Caption contest: Mr. Marinator fuses meat, marinade, motion... and madness
Bombing on a home shopping network near you.
CES 2013: Crapgadget roundup
For every big name present at CES, there are literally hundreds of smaller companies littered throughout the show's many halls and venues. We make it our mission to walk every aisle in search of hidden gems. However, that treasure hunt sometimes leads us to the most useless of products, otherwise known as Crapgadgets. While there was plenty of shameless branding in Vegas this year, we didn't find nearly as many pointless novelties as we expected. Nevertheless, it just made the ones we did spot all the more special, so head past the break to see what took top honors as this year's "worst in show."
Crapgadget CES, round two: Necomimi brainwave cat ears (video)
Mee ow... Daniel Orren contributed his brain and dignity for this report.
Crapgadget CES, round one: the iPotty iPad dock
Compatible with children aged 3 years and under. Kevin Wong contributed too much to this report.
Crapgadget: Ca-d'oh edition
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. That's probably because it's Christmas. A time when the diet goes out of the window, everyone but you is wearing a hilariously ironic knitted sweater and the festive Crapgadgets rear their ugly heads. Yes, the sort of technology that tries to dupe unwitting relatives to buy you "something for your eyephones" from the bargain bin at Best Buy, this collection of aesthetic anomalies, taste travesties and electronic errors will have you praying for the cold, hard glare of January.
Crapgadget: summer show-off edition
When summer starts to creep up, so does that dreadful jumble of terms like "swimsuit season," "beach body" and "crippling insecurity." But these crapgadgets would like you to stop being so dang selfish and think about your tech's appearance for a change. After all, what you lack in muscle you can always make up for in accessories that inspire, intrigue and lead others to speculate about your financial standing. Read - All that darting around corners and covert memo-recording just makes you look creepy, but it could make you look as cool as this man with a mission. Japanese retailer Strapya World would have you know that its radio transceiver for the iPhone is "made for the everyday awesome person." Read - Those Swarovski crystals decking out your smartphone? They might as well be lumps of coal. The discerning consumer knows that it's diamonds or nothing, and this $11 million diamond laptop sleeve -- complete with sable fur trim -- is certainly something. Read - Just as you wouldn't ride a bike without a helmet, you wouldn't be caught dead holding your phone without a ring to secure the device to your finger. Don't you care about safety at all? Read - Maybe you're one to buck all this flashy materialism, but still want to be recognized for the unique soul that you are. No one will accuse you of gadget snobbery if you stick to a soup can for all your telephony needs.%Poll-75147%
Crapgadget: Spring Phling edition
As winter recedes, the Crapgadgets emerge from their hibernation as they attempt to separate fools and their money. Today's selection includes a ridiculous workaround to a ridiculous accessory, an iPad case that has lips like Jagger and a hook for, er, spinning your iPhone around like a Wild West gunslinger.Read - Our biggest regret in life is not being able to spin our $600 cellphone around on a $20 sticky coat hook.Read - We're expecting the iPad 3 to be able to recreate the title sequence of the Rocky Horror Picture Show without the aid of this case.Read - If you were into smartphones before they were cool and portable, you'll love the ability to carry around your over-sized retro handset on your jeans.Read - Nothing evokes the grace, beauty and power of Enzo Ferrari's engineering than these decade-old-spec flip-phones that kinda resemble a Ferrari 966, if you squint from a distance.Read - This "noiseless microphone" has two functions, and only one is to prevent your karaoke from annoying your neighbors.%Poll-73797%
'Connect Pritect to Protect Kinect:' for all your tinfoil helmet needs
Have you considered that if a secretive governmental cabal seized control of your Kinect, it would be able to spy on you as you lurched awkwardly to Just Dance? Such is the price we pay for abrogating our right to privacy, or at least it was until Catalyst Components came up with a solution. Connect Pritect to Protect Kinect is a high-gloss plastic shield that clips over your device to block the sensor bar's cameras from prying eyes. The only opening is a tiny hole for the Xbox logo -- the efficacy of which is shown after the break. Freedom from surveillance will cost you a meager $15 from Target, Microcenter, Best Buy and Amazon.
Crapgadgets at CES 2012: the best of the worst
For one week at the beginning of each year, we see the gadgets that will help define the industry for the following 12 months. The Las Vegas Convention Center is brimming with innovation and excitement at the moment, but for every hot new Ultrabook there are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of devices that make us scratch our collective heads. But we've got a special place in our hearts for the strange, sometimes frightening, and often downright useless products we spot. Check out some of the highlights after the break, and be sure to check back in, because there are plenty more Crapgadgets to come, we're sure.
Crapgadget CES, round seven: Because everything looks better in fur
This furry case was unfortunately un-priced. But nothing exudes premium more than the combination of faux pomeranian tail and leopard print.
