I don't spend a lot of time in the bathroom, unless I'm cleaning it or, well, I'm "preoccupied" on the toilet. Still, the bathroom isn't limited to just showering, shaving, and sh*tting. There's plenty of tech out there to keep you entertained during those flushing and flossing moments. Check out our list of the ten most bizarre bathroom tech items, in order of bizarre-ness.
10.) OXO Pop-Up Toilet Paper Holder ($29.99) Developed by OXO, this stainless steel holder is a great way to keep extra rolls of toilet paper handy. (Gee, I just use the cabinet under my sink.) Press the top button to release a new roll automatically. Stores up to 3 rolls at a time. Accommodates both jumbo and double rolls up to 5 inches in diameter.
9.) Recessed Mirror TV with 15" LCD ($3,199) You can watch TV on your refrigerator and in your car, so why not while in the bathroom? This may not be a new concept, but it's still pretty bizarre to me! The mirror can be attached to any wall of your bathroom where you can conveniently watch TV when the mirror is turned on; when off, the LCD is hidden behind the glass. The mirror is 24" w x 36" h and can connect 3 RCA and S-Video Input, component video input, and power input. For this hefty price, you get the mirror, remote control, and 12v power input.
8.) Splash-Proof Soothing Sound AM/FM Shower Radio with Alarm Clock ($22.37) A shower radio with an alarm clock would definitely come in handy for me, especially when I take too long in the shower in the mornings. But, besides the usual buzzer sound, the alarm sounds in six nature tones: Summer Night, Spring Time, Bird, Rain, Ocean/Bubbling Brook, and Wind Chime. I don't know about you, but I would think the hissing from the shower head would drown out such tones!
7.) Talking T.P. ($9.95) If I was in the middle of squatting and I suddenly heard a voice say, "Don't forget to wipe!" coming from my toilet paper holder, I think I'd drop my toilet paper. With Talking T.P, you can record or re-record a voice message or sound up to 6 seconds. It plays automatically when someone unrolls the toilet paper. Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included).
6.) American Idol AM/FM Shower Radio ($9.99) Seriously, do you really want to promote your lover's tone-deaf singing even more with this American Idol-branded weather-resistant shower radio? No longer will the water be able to drown out their voices when singing into the microphone. Tune in to a radio station of your choice and start belting out "I'm Every Woman." Comes with a suction cup holder for hanging in the shower. Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included).
5.) The Swash 400 and Swash 600 ($559, $719) Have you spoiled your butt lately? Ditch the toilet paper with Brondell's Swash 400 and Swash 600. Both feature a heated seat with temperature, pressure, and pulsation controls; a gentle-closing seat and lid; and a germ-resistant seat. The 600 model features a warm air dryer with three levels.
4.) Plug-in Towel Warmer/Rack ($49.99) I hate getting out of the shower and throwing a cold towel around me. Maybe I need to invest in this towel warmer then? Hang blankets, robes, underwear, towels...whatever your heart desires... for ultimate warmth. These racks are heated by 75 watts of power that runs the length of the rack for safety. Available in chrome, satin nickel, and polished brass.
3.) Color Fusion Shower ($105) Take a shower with colored water. The Color Fusion Shower is comprised of different LED lights that lights up the shower head and water. The color changes according to the water's temperature. All I know is, I'd be scared to take a shower and all of a sudden see red!!
2.) Fish-n-Flush Toilet Tank Aquarium ($450) No room for an aquarium in your home? Maximize your space with this toilet tank aquarium! Developed by Aqua One Technologies, the Fish 'n' Flush is low voltage and safe to assemble. Just add gravel, water, and fish. The tank holds 2.2 gallons of water and is approximately 19.5" x 8.5" x 13.75".
And the most bizarre bathroom tech of them all...
1.) Atech iCarta ($99.95) Whoever thought that the toilet + iPod = convenience? This stereo dock for the iPod with a toilet tissue holder features 4 moisture-free speakers (2 tweeters, 2 woofers) that can play any CD player, iPod (with a dock connector) or other MP3 player. It also charges your iPod. AC adapter is included.
French robotics firm Aldebaran announced plans to launch a commercial humanoid robot called the Nao by late 2007. According to company officials, the bipedal robot’s been nearly two years in the making. (Click on the picture at left to enlarge it.)
The Linux-based, 22-inch-tall robot will have 23 degrees of freedom and be wireless-ready. The company’s Web site also promises that the Nao will be a cognitive, learning robot, “and will evolve in terms of behaviors and functionalities.”
No word yet on pricing, on whether the Nao will be available in the U.S., or whether it will have a thinly-disguised disdain for other robots.
Thanks to Lance Ulanoff, Gearlog's friendly robot overlord, for this story!
This week, we talk to PC Magazine's digital camcorder expert, Terry Sullivan, and find out what he really thinks of Sony's Digital HC3 HD Camcorder. Plus, Terry fills us in on what Sony has planned this year. Download now:
Cell Phone Mystery: What's an MVNO and why do I care? Sascha tells us what Disney, ESPN, and a left-wing political group have in common.
Nike + iPod: Our own Mike Kobrin went for a test run with the Nike + iPod. Find out how well it worked, and why Robyn has his doubts.
The First Gearlog No-See-Um Award: We reserve this award for the most annoying product that PR folks kept pimping, but yet never quite makes it to reality.
10 Neck-Tech Gadgets You Should Wear: The Jenitor shows off some gadgets in the form factor of a necklace.
Neuros (through our mystic guru, Carol) sent me its iPod and PSP Video Recorder, AKA the MPEG-4 Recorder 2. It claims to be able to convert video to iPod video and PSP video formats, and in this aspect it succeeds. I was able to rip video from my TiVo onto a Memory Stick Pro Duo, and then watch it on my Sony PSP. It looked OK on the PSP's screen, though the video quality was a little noisy under critical viewing.
Note that the Neuros recorder isn't a full-blown DVR: there is no TV tuner, so anything you record needs to come through the included composite video cable. VHS, DVD, and recording from TiVo or external DVRs is doable, but you can't hook it up directly to your cable feed. You'll also have to set both your settop box and the Recorder 2' timers if you want to do unattended recording.
Last but not least, you can't edit out commercials unless yhou sit there and pause the recording manually, just like in the old days of duping VHS tapes. The Recorder 2 is available from one of your favorite sites, www.thinkgeek.com, for $150. All in all, not a bad product, but only geeks and those in that mindset will be able to use the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2 before frustration kicks in.
The Good: Allows you to rip iPod video and PSP video to memory cards from a video source in real time. For PSP, no PC needed.
The Bad: The user interface is the usual semi-comprehensible group of nested menus. Transcode happens in real time, so a 2-hour movie will take 2 hours to convert.
The Ugly: No tuner (composite video-in only), and you need a PC or Mac to transfer files to an iPod.
After watching movies like The Net and Hackers, it's pretty scary to see what a human being is capable of hacking into: your personal records, your computer, even government files. So when Product Review Coordinator PJ Jacobowitz told me he was going to a hacker conference, I was a little skeptical. But, I soon learned that the very activity of hacking is needed--not in a bad way of course--but to learn about surveillance and security.
From July 21 to July 23, the HOPE Number 6 (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference was held at The Pennsylvania Hotel in NYC, featuring over 60 one-hour forums. Discussions ranged from "Password Cracking and Time-Memory Tradeoff" and "Lock Picking" to "Law Enforcement Wiretaps" and "Bin Laden, National Intelligence and More".
At the conference, many products were available for purchase, such as "How To" books on hacking everything from your Xbox to your cable modem and Faraday caged wallets that provide protection against attempts to read or copy information from RFID cards.
PJ was fortunate to talk with HOPE's MC, "Lazlow," who is a host of XM Radio's Technofile show, as well as writer and producer for Rockstar Games. To read the interview and more, check out PJ's report.
The Case family is a pretty average American family when it comes to things automotive. That means we have two cars, one of which is an SUV. Granted, the SUV is a Toyota Highlander, which is relatively small as far as SUVs go, and the car is a Honda Accord Hybrid, which is somewhat more efficient than most 6-cylinder cars that push 260HP. The Accord can be considered small, at least when it sits next to a Ford Crown Victoria, but it's still not small, in the way that a Mini Cooper is small.
Most small cars in the US are either specialized—like the Mazda Miata or BMW Z4—or are considered "economy" cars. "Economy" here is a euphemism for "cheap." Most small cars sold in the US until this year have been low-cost cars with minimal amenities and designed for people with tight budgets.
Of course, there has been a gradual movement in the US to smaller cars that don't completely suck, like the Mini Cooper or the Mazda3. But for the most part, the Chrysler Neons and Chevy Aveos of the world are boring and uninteresting. Honda and Toyota have recently introduced more interesting small cars, in the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, but these are still perceived as cars for the budget conscious—students, people on fixed incomes and people just getting started in the work force.
So when we took our vacation this year in the UK, I was impressed by the wide variety of small cars. Lo and behold, small doesn't mean boxy or simply cheap transportation. For example, I saw the first Mercedes-Benz I would ever want to own: the A190. I don't have a picture of the A190, but here's an A150, which is pretty similar. The A190 has amenities like leather seats, room for five and a decent, if not large, hatchback area.
Another interesting vehicle is the Smart, which was co-developed by Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, but has since reverted completely to Mercedes. We've seen some press about the two-door Smart car in the US, but did you know there's a four-door version, aptly called the "Forfour?"
Another car that I spotted was the Audi A2, and advanced technology car that has had a troubled history and isn't currently being manufactured. Still, the form factor is pretty cool, the diesel version gets tremendous mileage, and it doesn't lack for amenities relative to other small cars.
Speaking of diesel engines, they're quite popular in the UK, and not just among European car makers. Until I made my trip to the UK, my impression of diesel cars came from the very loud diesel pickup truck that lives next door, or the Mercedes diesels that trail clouds of blue smoke around Silicon Valley.
But when we went on a tour of the area around Stratford-Upon-Avon, our host, Bob Ochoa of Diamond Tours squired us around in a Ford minivan. But this Ford minivan sported a diesel engine, and it was the quietest, easiest-starting diesel I'd ever experienced. And it scooted along just fine when fully loaded with five people. And there wasn't a bit of blue smoke to be seen.
I'd love to see more creative and interesting small cars become successful in the US. The publicity around the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris may be well and good, but they're still boxy and lack in amenities that might make them attractive to families with teenagers.
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