YumSugar

How-To: Never Be Woken Up by Your Partner's Alarm Clock Again

Emily Co — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:51:07 PDT

We can never have enough inventions to increase our quality of sleep and it seems like we have a winner with the new Lark alarm clock ($129) which is available on its website and since it connects wirelessly to your iPhone, it will be coming to Apple stores on June 14.

Developed by a Harvard sleep expert and a sleep coach for pro-athletes, the Lark gadget is a wristband you strap on that vibrates to wake you up, thus only waking up one person. Don't worry, you're not going to feel a strong electric jolt, the vibration is quite light and is described by the Wall Street Journal to feel "gentle and soothing."

Further, the product even tracks your sleep patterns with a sensor and records it onto an app available in iTunes. And if you're worried about how effective this product will be after a long length of time, the creators have solved this problem - apparently the vibrations also change daily so people won't start getting used to it and ignoring it.

The WSJ review also said that although wearing a wristband takes some getting used to, it starts to feel less noticeable after a couple of wears. So what do you think - is this something you would buy?

Le Whif Coffee and Chocolate Inhalers: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:00:07 PDT

Back in April, we caught wind of Le Whif, a chocolate inhaler that is supposed to satisfy chocolate cravings without the calories. First, pick one of three flavors - pure chocolate, raspberry chocolate, or mint chocolate - puff on the lipstick-size inhaler, and a small deposit of chocolate sprinkles onto your tongue through the mouthpiece.Le Whif must be doing OK for itself because it's just launched a coffee inhaler ($3) - same concept except with coffee. One puff gives you 100 mg of caffeine, which is the same amount you get from one cup of instant coffee.

If you give into latte and candy bar cravings all the time, this may be your product. Personally, I'd rather give myself the treat of a small indulgence every now and again. I'm also worried that puffing on a coffee inhaler might leave me bouncing all over the walls. How about you?

What's the Worst Way You've Lost a Gadget?

GeekSugar — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:14:23 PDT

Your phone fell in the toilet. In the pool. Your iPod got run over by a car. You dropped your laptop hustling to make an airline connection. We all have horror stories about the gadgets that we've loved and lost, whether it was our fault or someone else's.

I have dropped my Sony point-and-shoot camera face down on concrete outside when doing a hand-off, had an entire bottle of water flood a handbag that was home to my iPod, and dropped my first iPhone face down on a sidewalk on - get this - a very steep San Francisco hill. The iPhone kept ticking, but the previous two gadgets were not so lucky.

As much as I try to be so careful with my valuable (technically and sentimentally) electronics, there will always be accidents. Sometimes they won't break; other times, they're gone forever before you can even attempt a clever rice trick.

Anyway, I know I'm not the only klutz or unlucky person here - hook me up with your story of the worst way you've ever lost or broken a gadget.

Never Wonder How Old It Is Again

YumSugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 03:38:19 PDT

You've probably opened a carton of chicken broth, soy milk, or juice, used a little bit, put it in your fridge and forgotten about it. Now you've got a recipe calling for one of those ingredients, and you've got the ingredients in your fridge, but are they still good?

When did I open that chicken broth? How long has this soy milk been in the fridge? Was this deli meat from this week or last? With the DaysAgo Digital Day Counter, you'll never have to ask yourself these questions again. Just stick one of these handy little timers to the side of the package, turn it on and let it go. The timer counts both days and hours and the replaceable batteries can run for 18 months (although it only counts up to 99 days). Available in packs of two for $10.

Fergie Ferg's FuelBelt: The Terminator

FitSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:00:00 PDT

Lately we've been seeing Fergie taking her runs and workouts outdoors, which is cool. I like to see a celebrity exercising outdoors. I am chuckling about her giant headphones, but what's with that crazy belt?

Fergie is sporting a 6-Bottle Terminator FuelBelt by FuelBelt ($32.26). While she has the 6-bottle (7 oz flasks), you can get also them in 2-8 bottle sizes as well. Typically people use these sort of belts when they are training for an endurance event like a marathon. You can fill a few flasks with water and a few with gels if you want.

It doesn't really look as though Fergie is training for a marathon (maybe a walk-a-thon), but I could be wrong. She could also just be really, really thirsty. My guess, however, is that Fergie's trainer is having her wear one for added weight (similar to a weighted vest) during her walks -- This way she is killing two birds with one stone, a few added pounds and thirst quencher (or fuel boost). You can do the same, so buy it from GotBody.com.
To see more pics of her out on her walk wearing the FuelBelt,

View 2 Photos ›

Source

What Is This?

YumSugar — Sun, 06 May 2007 04:19:21 PDT

This week's mystery item won the prestigious German Design Plus award, to find out what it is,

read more Why it's the One-Handed Balancing Serving Tray from Hammacher Schlemmer. The tray is designed to be carried with only one hand, without compromising stability. The handle locks in to place at a 55 degree angle, ensuring a level carrying surface, exactly balanced for drinks, snacks, and even a full bottle of wine. When not in use, the handle folds down for easy storage. Available for $69.95. Source: Cooking Gadgets

What Is This Kitchen Tool?

YumSugar — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:13:47 PDT

It's time to play, What Is This Kitchen Tool!

I'll give you one clue, this one is flexible.

To find out what it is,

read more
This wacky device is actually called The Foodloop. It was designed as reusable kitchen string. Made from food safe silicone, the Foodloop is heat resistant to 675F and can be used in the freezer too (just don't put it over an open flame). Looks like it could be pretty interesting, sort of like a food safe zip-tie. Say bye-bye fancy french knots! The website shows it wrapped around roulades, fish, leeks and more. Available for $14.95.

Pop Up Pop Art

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:58:19 PDT

I really have a thing for toast, it's one of my favorite breakfast meals. It's quick and easy - just grab a good loaf of bread, a little dab of butter and you're set. I really didn't think there would be any way to improve on my morning treat, but it looks like I might have been wrong. The Pop Art Toaster, available at Target for $35, should add a tad bit of whimsy to breakfast - and you guys all know how I feel about whimsy... Available in several different colors with a few choices of interchangeable plates (like "boys r smelly", hearts, flowers or cake), it seems like a fun, albeit totally unnecessary, breakfast find. One thing though, it looks like the part with the pattern is actually darker than the rest of the bread. Does this mean the rest of the slice doesn't get toasted?

Source: Tastespotting

Another "Easy" Way to Twirl Spaghetti

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 12:58:31 PST

A few months ago, I told you about the motorized Twirling Spaghetti Fork, and well what do you know? Today we've got the low-tech version. It's still a twirling spaghetti fork, but this time you've got to actually put your fingers at the top and push down. The corkscrew design makes the pasta twirl around the tines.

Okay, now is it just me, or is anyone else having a hard time seeing how this would really work or why it's better than just twirling a regular fork? If you're not having a hard time and need to get one for yourself, It'll cost you about $20 for a set of 2.

Source: Coolest Gadgets
I love how they call it the "Automanual" Pasta Twirling Fork.

What About the Gadget Oscars?

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:09:15 PST

I am sure you've noticed I've been in Oscar mode, wondering what gadget-filled flicks will take home the golden statues this weekend, but what about awards for all the funny gadget moments in movies? Tech Digest is putting together a great faux Movie Gadget Oscars list that I couldn't help but share. They are asking for reader help, so if you feel compelled, you can share your picks.

Most Gratuitous Gadget Product Placement: Note, Casino Royale is as much a shoe-in for this award as Mirren is for the Best Actress category in the real world.
Most iPoddable Soundtrack: Which film had the best choons this year? Which considering Dreamgirls has three of the five Best Song nominations in the real Oscars, and the Crazy Frog bio-pic has yet to be released, should be an easy choice.
Achievement in HD-worthy Explosions: This is the proper award for special effects. Meaty fireballs are the reason we bought our HD tellies. Well, that and the football. If someone contrives an enormous explosion in a football movie, they win this gong by default.