If you're a regular Gearlog reader, then you probably remember when I listed the Desktop Air Conditioner as the #21 gadget on my Summer Lovin' Gadget Countdown.

A couple of you asked if it really works. So, I decided to put it to the test. Oh, and those aren't my Quaker Grits. They belong to Product Review Coordinator PJ Jacobowitz (a.k.a. my partner in crime).

The Desktop Air Conditioner ($19.99) contains a freezer bottle that is filled with ice, which is what gives the cooling effect together with the fan. When I received it in the mail, I took it out of the box and removed the freezer bottle inside. I filled the bottle up with water and placed it in the freezer overnight. (There are a lot of Lean Cuisines and unidentifiable food items in there!)

When I returned to the office the next day, I grabbed the freezer bottle and placed it into the Desktop Air Conditioner unit. To my surprise, I turned the fan on and heard a very annoying noise. The fan part didn't seem to be screwed in tight enough into the unit, causing the loud noise. I didn't want to break the unit, so I didn't fuss with it. After awhile, I learned to drown out the sound, and the frozen bottle lasted for about 3.5 hours. During this time, I had to check the compartment tray and get rid of the water; it has to condense somewhere!

But, what do you do when the freezer bottle turns to water? You have to freeze it again, and it takes 6 to 8 hours to completely freeze...so you'd have to buy an extra freezer bottle to use as a spare. I found this to be a big pain.

Likes: It cools somewhat (not as good as a real air conditioner obviously, but it suffices if you're desperate to cool off). Got me a lot of attention at work (people would stop and ask, what the heck is that?!).

Gripes: The fan makes noise when on. AC adapter isn't included (who keeps spare D batteries around?). Once the bottle is no longer frozen, you have to wait a long time before it freezes again. There should be different fan settings (it doesn't blow very high). The unit could be smaller and come in different colors.

So what did I learn? You can get the same effect by placing a frozen water bottle in front of an ordinary fan (of course, be prepared to place some paper towels underneath the bottle for condensation). And that's just what my cubicle buddy, Commerce Producer Arielle Rochette, did.

Even so, the Desktop Air Conditioner is a cool gag gift for a co-worker.

Thanks to product review coordinator PJ Jacobowitz for this review!

In the spirit of the upcoming 2006 Comic-con, I present to you every comic-book geek's dream: 485 Uncanny X-Men comics on one DVD.  

Take a moment to catch your breath.

Amazon.com hooked us up with this little gem. It houses high-resolution PDF scans of original comics, advertisements and all, from September, 1963, all the way to August, 2005. 

To put the PDF quality to the test, I popped the DVD into one of Joel's gaming desktops, which was hooked up to a Dell 30-inch LCD and running a desktop resolution of 2,560 by 1,600. Man, did the images hold up to the test. The quality is excellent, and you can zoom in very close.

The DVD autoloads to a PDF clickable menu, where you can choose the decade you'd like to start reading. The simple menu system means you can find the comic you're looking for in seconds.

Ready for the best part?  It costs only $39.99. Boo-yah! But you already knew that, because after reading my first paragraph, you immediately purchased it along with the other flavors it comes in: 40 Years of The Amazing Spiderman, 44 Years of Fantastic Four, and 40 Years of The Avengers. According to the manufacturer, GIT Corp., more are on the way.

Happy birthday to me!

SanDisk is really trying to turn heads with the company's latest ads. According to PCMag.com, the iSheep ads have been replaced with a new mascot: Lil' Monsta.

If you go to the iDont.com site, you'll notice a flash animation of Lil' Monsta attacking the iSheep like he's Hannibal Lector. So what are they trying to say? Die iPod puppets, die!! Okay, maybe the company isn't thinking to that extreme (at least I hope so), but their ads surely are eye-popping. They could have used more blood though. It's a little too "Cookie Monster meets PacMan" for me.

The real fun is on lilmonsta.com where there's a whole lot going on. The chomping guy's got a message for you:

"Watch out, you've got a lil' punk on your hands...Toss movies, music, and pictures his way and it's a freakin feeding frenzy. Just don't get in the way -- you might lose a finger."

Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

It was a really short week here at Gearlog - we were off Monday and Tuesday. So we're spending the rest of the week upgrading our recording equipment in the hope that no one will ever again have to sound like Doctor Doom on the radio, unless they want to. Also, both our fearless host Robyn and marvelous audio engineer Angry Mike have been out this week. So check back next week for our rantings and foamings, and for now go watch DL.TV or something. They don't try to deafen you with high-pitched noises and talk about robot butts, but they're great guys with a great show.

I could have used this T-shirt when I was at the Jewel and Rob Thomas concert in Atlantic City last month!

BimBamBanana.com is offering the Show Off T-Shirt ($72), a T-shirt with a built-in sound sensitive graphic equalizer panel. It has a fully functional EL (Electro Luminenscence) panel with a battery pack that fits into a pocket inside the shirt. In layman's terms, the shirt's equalizer lights up to the beat of music. Now how cool is that?!?! I like it better than the Digital Clock T-Shirt.

Only Small and Medium sizes are left, so hurry and order one!

Batteries not included.

Thanks to editor, reviews, Lance Ulanoff, for this story!

According to various Web reports, while most United States citizens were celebrating the 230th birthday of our nation's independence, Samsung Electronics quietly announced two new robot vacuum cleaners: the VC-RS60 and VC-RS60H.

The two bots clean your floor automatically; they even use UV lights to "see" debris that may be invisible to the human eye. They have bump-detection technology, so they can work around walls, chairs, and other obstacles. Reportedly the Samsung bots will charge themselves and  allow for manual override via remote control, to get those spots that you think need extra or spot cleaning.

This isn't Samsung's first foray into the robot vac world. In 2004, the company introduced the Samsung VC-RP30W Cruising Intelligent Robot Vacuum Cleaner. It was supposed to change the way we think about vacuuming. Of course, I never saw one for sale in the U.S. Let's hope the RS60 and RS60H do not suffer a similar fate. I can't wait to pit them against an iRobot Roomba.

I live in an apartment, so it will be awhile before I buy a house and can have my own garden. Although, I'm not so sure I'd be able to keep up with one. (I'm not exactly a garden guru.) My boyfriend's mom is known as the plant killer, because she can never keep a plant alive for more than a week. Maybe it's because her plants never get enough sunlight, or maybe she forgets to water them from time to time. Whatever the case may be, what she needs is a self-sustaining planting system!

The AeroGarden, made by AeroGrow, lets you grow a garden in your kitchen, minus the dirt and weeds. It's 100% natural, organic-based, and no gardening experience is required.

So what does the AeroGarden have to do with technology? Well, it uses the science of Aeroponics and Hydroponics to grow seeds without soil. It features:

• A built-in plant lighting system, so no natural sunlight is required.
• Computerized "Smart" Garden Technology that automatically alerts you to add water and nutrients, as well as a light timer to automatically turn lights on and off.
• "Plug 'n' Grow" Bio-Dome Seed System: pre-seeded grow pods are enclosed in their own greenhouse for 24-hour germination.
• Aeroponic Optimizing Chamber: plant roots are bathed in ideal levels of nutrients and water for maximum growth.
• Micro-processor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery, light cycles, and water flow for specific plant types.

AeroGrow offers six seed kits for growing your own garden: Salad Greens, Gourmet Herb, Chili Pepper, Cherry Tomato, Cascading Petunias, and International Basil. I'd probably choose the Gourmet Herb and Chili Pepper kits!

The AeroGrow AeroGarden sells for $149.95. Each package includes the AeroGarden, 2 daylight spectrum bulbs, and one free seed kit of your choice. Additional seed kits are $19.95.

[via Techie Diva's]

How cute is this Birdy Web Cam? Designed by China-based XingShengHang Electronic & Plastic Factory, the BC801M Web Cam comes in four different colors: silver, red, blue, and gold.

Companies should make more kinds of these web cams. A Betty Boop Web Cam would be right up my alley!

No word yet on pricing.

Other products the company manufactures are USB Christmas gifts, LED lamps, and LED candles.

[via ChipChick]