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Crapgadget CES, round seven: MiniDV underwater goggles for all ages
Really? For all ages?
Crapgadget CES, round five: iPhone 4 and iPad wed in unholy KIRF matrimony
Yes, this is what happens when the iPhone 4 and the iPad mingle in the back alleys of Shenzhen and bring mutant KIRF-y children to CES. The EYO T8100 is a dumbphone boasting a (likely resistive) 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen, quad-band GSM radio, dual SIM slots, two megapixel rear camera (with flash), VGA front camera, analog TV tuner, Java support, and WiFi, all wrapped in a silver / black, white, or pink package. Check out the spectacle in the gallery below. %Gallery-113420%
Crapgadget CES, round four: the Konka g-baby
We're not sure why anyone would KIRF 2005's LG Migo, but if you're gonna do it, why not add some kitty icons?
Crapgadget CES, round three: the ioPrego Electronic Rosary
This is definitely what Jesus would do. %Gallery-113434%
Crapgadget CES, round two: TASER C2 now in pretty colors
The most disturbing part... are the smiles.
Crapgadget CES, round one: the Magic MousePad returns!
We stumbled upon Fortrend here at CES expecting to find their existing Magic MousePad and were shocked to discover something else entirely: a new and improved Magic MousePad! You'll still get the same multitouch trackpad / keypad combo as before, but it now comes with a "high texture" glass surface, and "friendlier" design available in a range of colors. We're sure you'll agree those changes make all the difference. %Gallery-113357%
The Fingerist turns your iPhone into an iKeytar, available now
Remember The Fingerist, the guitar headstock-themed speaker and case for your iPhone or iPod touch? You know, the one with the shoulder strap for public (and private) performances with all of your favorite music making apps? Well, it seems that it's finally available in the states. Indeed, there has been so little fanfare behind this announcement that the company responsible, Evenno, hasn't even acknowledged it on its site. But don't worry: we found this bad boy for $150 on Amazon. And if that's not enough, iLounge has done a series of hands-on photos (see the More Coverage link, below). Or, if you're like us, you can skip the thing altogether and groove to Rick Wakeman after the break. We do have one more thing to say about the Fingerist, however: at least it's not endorsed by this guy.
Crapgadget: Animal House redux edition
College: four (or five, or six) years of crackin' brews, listening to tunes, trippin' out to light shows, and snugglin' up to coeds at bonfires on the beach. Just in time for homecoming, we have an assemblage of crapgadets that should put you in good stead, including: iBottleopener (turns your iPhone into, well, a bottle opener, for a mere $20), the BONE iPhone portable amplifier (a large, ugly horn that essentially turns your handset into a Victor Talking Machine for $25), Glow In The Dark USB memory sticks (capacities up to 16GB for $90), and an honest-to-goodness lighter that does double duty as an 8GB flash drive ($37). Which one of these "party favors" isn't doing anybody any favors? Cast your vote below. Read - iBottleOpener Read - BONE iPhone Case Series Read - Zip Zip Glow Read - USB Flash Drive Lighter (8GB Edition) %Poll-54367%
Crapgadget: 'cubicle shoot-out' edition
This crapgadget installment features things that would get you immediately fired from most right-thinking American corporations, HR Department be damned. Seriously: if Morty over in Accounts Receivable ever rolls into work with a USB fan tie, fingerless USB powered hand-warmin' gloves (or, failing that, a mouse that also heats up), or starts fussing over the goldfish in his desktop USB aquarium, it's time to start working out escape routes (or at least look forward to a mention in a revised edition of Mark Ames's Going Postal). But what about the landline telephone shaped like a large set of lips? Oh, that one's totally awesome. Read - Thanko USB Necktie Cooler Read - Kitty USB Hands Warmer Read - Cartoon USB Warmer Optical Mouse Read - USB Desktop Aquarium Holds Real Fish Along with Your iPhone Read - Grimacing Mouth Phone %Poll-53581%
Crapgadget: you never thought you'd need this (and you were right) edition
A great idea can change the world -- and a bad idea? All too often, that becomes a crapgadget. Do you really need a pair of speakers for your MP3 player shaped like stuffed bears? Juicy Couture seems to think so. How about fluffy "cat ear" headphones? We wouldn't recommend them unless you're a 13-year old girl -- or maybe getting ready for Anthrocon 2011. And don't even get us started on Tuttuki Bako, the little green box that exists so you can put your finger in it and see a heavily pixelated, monochromatic rendering of you finger... in a green box! We also have a Bluetooth speakerphone unit for your wrist and an ultraviolet toothbrush sterilizer that gets power from glorious USB. No thank you. Read - UVMini USB Toothbrush Sanitizer Read - Tuttuki Bako green box toy Read - Nekomimi Headphones for Cosplay aficionado, perverts Read - Juicy Couture Mini Bear Speakers Read - Atomic9 Bluetooth wristband speakerphone %Poll-50123%
Thanko's Bluetooth earpiece / wristwatch for the on-the-go, shameless tech professional
Thanko has given us much joy over the years, from e-cigarettes to necktie / spy cameras. But the Bluetooth Headset Wristwatch? Hell, this one looks almost useful: your watch can be popped out of the wristband to do double duty as a Bluetooth earpiece. Charging for two hours via USB will give you around four hours of operation, depending on whether you're using it to make calls or listen to music. Available in Japan for roughly $90.
The Fingerist finds fame, retail opportunities in Japan (video)
Japan tends to be on the weird side of any coin, and The Fingerist does nothing to undermine that reputation. This accessory for the iPhone and iPod touch was conceived at a "mutton BBQ restaurant" when one dude said to another that he needed an amp for his guitar app. Lo and behold, after an apparently successful CES appearance, the axe-imitating speaker thingie -- replete with a guitar strap and line-out to jack into real amplifiers -- is now on sale for ¥14,800 (or $150 for the rest of us). We can't wrap our minds around such an expense just for the privilege of fingering our touchscreens, but then you can make some pretty sweet music using these things (video evidence after the break).
Crapgadget: frightening party favors edition
There are a few things in life you can count on. And we mean really count on. You may argue "taxes," but as one Wesley Snipes has so clearly proven, even those can be evaded given the right motive. Instead, we're arguing that the next installment of Crapgadget is indeed more likely to be unavoidable, evidenced by the fact that you're reading this right now. What's up in today's best of the worst? Oh, just a USB arm wrestler, a knockoff Land Rover mobile phone, a faux gold World Cup trophy storage device and a handgun that's anything but. And that's just for starters. Dive in below if you've got a stomach of steel and a thing for sick jokes, and be sure to cast your vote for which turns your evil smile up the most. Read - USB arm wrestlers Read - Land Rover phone Read - Transformers USB drive Read - World Cup Trophy USB drive Read - USB handgun Read - USB itch removal instrument %Poll-48544%
Dual SIM watchphone gives us two reasons to be non-plussed
Oh, the humble watchphone... we've seen a few iterations, but very few that we'd wear for anything but a laugh. The gang at eSales China are offering a slight twist on the typical fare by throwing in dual SIM cards behind the 1.3-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, 2 mp camera, microSD card, and GSM850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 support. Sold? We weren't either (not for $128 at least). Feel like a good laugh? Get a closer look after the break.
Crapgadget: countdown to extinction, home edition
Feast your eyes upon the bloated list of horrific wares we've dug up from the dregs of the 'net for you this fine, delicious afternoon. Most of these "gadgets" are of the home-making variety, so will you waste your money on the R2-D2 vacuum, telling yourself that it'll motivate you to do that spring cleaning before fall arrives? Or will you lay down a bit of cash for the "toilet sound blocker" which spares you the intense, buzz-killing embarrassment of allowing other people in the vicinity to hear you flushing the toilet? Will you instead reach into your wallet to make the USB seat cooler your own (you know, since seats are so very hot)? No? Well, there's some other, even less interesting crap available too. Enjoy. Oh, and be sure to check out the Chicken Burger USB hub. It's the breast. Read - R2-D2 vacuum Read - Toilet Sound Blocker Read - USB seat cooler Read - Soccer ball headphones Read - Windshield mount Read - Chicken Burger USB hub
Kisai's Escape C Bluetooth receiver is very expensive, very Crapgadget
It strikes us as we post this that perhaps you need to be something of a Crapgadget connoisseur to understand the attraction that Kisai's Escape C wireless Bluetooth receiver holds for us. Available from Tokyo Flash (one of our favorite CG purveyors) the thing does serve a purpose: it'll receive Bluetooth from your phone, laptop, or whatever, and let you listen to music and / or answer calls with your non-Bluetooth headset. But, as always, the devil is in the details -- not only does the build quality look especially sub-par, but the way that they've re-imagined what should be a simple time display into a brain-teaser (hit the source link for that one) is totally hilarious -- and totally Crapgadget. Did we mention that this thing is $106? Not laughing now, are you?
Crapgadget: 'Just because you can doesn't mean you should' edition
To be quite frank, CES this year was so tame that we kinda thought our beloved Crapgadget series would have to go on hiatus. We needn't have worried. This latest batch of technological breakthroughs includes the regular team starters we know and love -- a mangled animal-emulating USB hub and a heart-shaped Bluetooth dongle -- but also some new recruits from way out of left field. We've got those crazy awesome finger lights above and a starfish-shaped quad-band cellphone that apparently manages to fit in a camera and space for dual SIMs, but the true winner has to be the camera-shaped spy camera. Working off the classic spy trick of double- and triple-bluffing, this pinhole camera is embedded inside what looks like a poor (really poor) man's point and shoot compact camera, which we suppose is the last place anyone would look for a spy cam. Hey, maybe there's something to this idea after all. Anyhow, get clicking then come back here and vote, won't ya? Read - Party rats finger lights Read - Heart-shaped USB Bluetooth dongle Read - Doggie 4-port USB hub Read - Starfish GSM cellphone Read - Camera-shaped spy camera %Poll-42906%
Crapgadget: 'no rhyme or reason' edition
Amazingly, these waves of Crapgadgets tend to showcase some sort of mini-trend. Oftentimes it's a certain fondness for USB overkill, while other times it just feels like gaudy is the new black. This go 'round, however, we're looking at a veritable cornucopia of lameness. Eager to drop a Jackson to enjoy one of the most non-ergonomic wooden mice to ever see the light of day? Now you can. There's also the common issue of not being able to see text in a book while in pure darkness, but rather than just flipping a light switch or changing time zones to locate the sun, there's a wearable necklace to do the trick. Believe it or not, the list just keeps on getting better, with a machine gun-styled USB drive, heart-shaped telephone and a USB scent flower rounding things out. Dive into dumpster below if you dare, and drop your vote for the worst of the worst in the poll below. Read - USB bamboo mouse Read - Wearable hands-free light Read - Machine gun USB drive Read - USB guitar speaker Read - Heart-shaped telephone Read - USB scent flower Read - Steering wheel Bluetooth mount %Poll-40404%
Crapgadget Crapdown, CES 2010: the best of the worst
It's that time of the year again, where we round up all the gadgets we found on the CES show floor that help us to reset our gauge for bad ideas and hardware. Following in 2009's footsteps, there seemed to be much less crap this year than before. Still, we're here to recognize those souls who strive harder than most to hit that point of mediocrity -- pick your favorite below, then rest easy knowing that you live in a world that accepts the existence of all kinds of products, no matter how miserable. %Gallery-82654% The nominees Crapgadget CES, round 1: Polar bear TV Crapgadget CES, round 2: The Phubby (wrist-on) Crapgadget CES, round 3: Moneual's $45K HTPC Crapgadget CES, round 4: The Fingerist Crapgadget CES, round 5: Gimme Tunes Crapgadget CES, round 6: Goscam China's Body-worn DV for Police %Poll-39884%
Crapgadget CES, round 6: Goscam China's Body-worn DV for Police
If you can't get funding for Taser International's Axon head-mounted video recorder, why not try your luck with Goscam?
