GadgetReview

Well hello novelty, at least according to one commenter on the linked product page.  The LED Credit Card Pocket Light is small enough to fit into a wallet and uses a 3V built in battery to power its light source – not sure how you recharge it, though.  My mom might enjoy this product for reading menus in dark restaurants, but beyond that its practical applications have to be few and far between.

Meritline currently has it on sale for $3.99 including shipping.

Read

All right, road warriors, pay attention–because this is some really awesome news, especially if you have to do a lot of time-zone hopping in the course of your travels.  This is also awesome for anyone with a hugely variable schedule that requires you to work, and sleep, at different times every day.

We’re talking about Daylight Savers from Flinders Tech, glasses with a pair of bright blue LED lights that shine directly into your eyes, causing a delay in your circadian rhythm.  Now, circadian rhythms are those things that generally cause you to get tired at the same time every day, or wake up at about the same time every day, or even get hungry at certain times.

There are literally dozens of different uses for this product, though I have to wonder about the long term effects of artificially altering your circadian rhythms. However, for people whose time clocks are already out of whack, this could be the answer to your prayers.

They’re not yet ready for market, so there’s no pricing or release data, but they hope to have them available within the next year.

Read

If you’ve looked at your job and thought, you know, it’s great here and all, but what we need are more random Jedi duels, then do I have the gadget for you!

Five words: Star Wars Lightsaber Laser Pointers.

I know, I just said a whole volume of geektastic joy in one handy little five-word burst, but it is exactly what I said it is, a red laser pointer (what, no color options?  Can’t I have something other than Sith Red?  Why no love for any of the half-dozen or so Jedi colors?) that projects a small beam of red light.  Call attention to points in your PowerPoint presentation.  Freak out your cat.  Grab a magnifying glass and try in vain to fry ants.  Stage duels on your lunch break.

There are so many uses for this, but the clearest use of all is to clearly denote that YOU, sir (or ma’am as the case may be) are a serious Star Wars fan, true believer.  And if you’ve got $14.99, you too can slice up your choice of foes.

Read

There aren’t too many iPhone apps out there that get me hot and bothered, let alone some DIY kit to go along with it.  But John Boile’s WiFi Router light dimmer, called Dimlit, has flipped the attention switch in my brain.

Attached to a WiFi router (aside from circuit boards and wiring) are 4 AC outlets.  Plug in any light and the router can control their voltage by using the accompanying iPhone app, which allows you to adjust the lights in variety of manners using a set of slider bars, tapping a button or waving the phone around in the air (accelerometer).  Hit the video below for a complete walk through, which includes the whitest dance party you’ll ever see.

Read

This time of year, glow in the dark anything gets just a little extra street cred, but even I can’t help but wonder if this is going just a bit too far.  It’s called the LiteCube, and it is basically what it looks like, a lighted ice cube.  They’re made of sealed acrylic plastic with an LED light inside.  They cost a whopping $2.40 each, and you get a quantity discount if you order over 24, then another price break at 288.

If you throw a lot of outdoor parties, or parties in low light, then the lighted drink special might be exactly the kind of thing you want.

Plus, Glowsource, the company that makes these, also offers plenty of other light-up bar supplies, like stir sticks and olive picks, among a host of others.  So for all your light-up bar needs…well…I think about the only place you CAN think of would be Glowsource.

Read

By now we’ve all heard about the benefit to keeping a light or two on in the house when you’re away so as to discourage burglars.  But the problem with this is that, one, you leave a light burning nonstop and you boost your power bill, and two, the burglars may eventually figure out that it’s the same light in your house that’s always on.  Thus, some turn to timers to make their lights switch on and off at prearragned times, and one of the best is the Emerson Digital SmartSet Lamp Control Security Timer.

This remote will actually allow you to PROGRAM your lamps to come on at different times of day, much like how you would if you were home personally.  You don’t turn your lamp on promptly at eight PM every night–some nights you’re five minutes late, or ten minutes early, or an hour late.  The Emerson will actually allow you to simulate that, being programmable to turn devices on and off at certain times.

You can even set the device to “random” operation and the preprogrammed times will be varied by as much as an hour and fifteen minutes either way.

I have to admit, if I did more traveling, I might well want a device like this in my house, trying to fool burglars into believing I’m home, even when I’m not.

Read

For those of you survivalists out there compiling your “apocalypse gear” collection, this may be the flashlight you have been dreaming about.  Harnessing an appropriately titled Flashpoint Power Technology, the flashlight uses environmentally friendly ultracapacitors to help manage the the flow of energy in terms of performance and run time.  So without the help of actual conventional batteries this 5.11 tactical flashlight can be fully charged in 90 seconds.

With that full charge you get 23.5 hours of continuous light.  Sounds freaking amazing to me and if there is any downside to this awesome technology it would have to be the $170 price tag.  Even so, check out the specs below if you’re still not sold.

• Recharges in 90 seconds
• No batteries – uses ultra-capacitors, no memory loss
• Made of a firearm-grade high-strength polymer
• Impact, abrasion, and water resistant
• Contains 3 LEDs rated for more than 50,000 hours
• Will charge and hold its charge 50,000 times
• 4 output options: Standard (90 lumens), Peak (270 lumens), Strobe and Standby
• 12 Volt DC Charger, Plastic Belt Ring with Nylon Strap, and a mounting bracket
• Size: 11.5″ x 1.75″ diameter

[via TheGreenHead]

Read

You know, I can’t imagine how anyone might have thought this was a good idea, but in the early stages of design is a product that brings together a clothespin with an LED light.  Dubbed the Lighting Pin, it was never meant to be used for hanging clothes, but rather as a simple, go-anywhere book or task light.  It’s just a clip on light, much like the kind you see in garages  only much smaller and simpler to use.

It’s actually fairly powerful–you can see above that, when used with a bit of paper, you can actually get a tiny lamp out of the thing.  And I believe that, under other circumstances, this might have been a great idea, but no.  Not this one, not as long as flashlights are still cheap and plentiful.

But someday, this may be exactly what we need, even if we don’t know it yet.

Oh, and if you follow those links, try the via first–it’ll actually warn you that the read is a processor-hungry Flash-intensive monster, so you may not want to hit that one unless you’ve cleared some memory first.

[via WIRED]

Read

Late last month Joby launched the GorillaMobile, a tripod built specifically for your mobile devices (think camera or mobile phone).  Today, the company announced the Gorillatorch, a 65 lumen white LED flash light mounted to a set of Joby’s patented flexible and bendable legs – and they tossed magnetic feet.  Joby will include 3 AA batteries for your convenience and a slider switch that allows you to adjust its brightness while saving battery life.  The 8-inch, 9oz torch will ship sometime this September and retail for about $30.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Joby Flexes And Releases Gorillatorch For Grease Monkey’s And Those Alike

Stick one of these in the back of your car and you’ll be loved or hated, but either way you’ll get your point across.  The Light Hand Gestures uses electroluminescent technology to display 7 different…shall we say ‘moods’, that can be changed by a wireless remote.  It will apparently never burn out and it attaches via a set of suction cups and can be programmed to cycle through all 7 gestures in set intervals, or you can choose the most appropriate one given the scenario. Available now for $40.

[via Nerdapproved]

Read