Filed under: Cellphones

You know how Stewart Copeland plays that insanely slick triplet hi-hat part in “Message in a Bottle,” and every time you hear it you wonder how it’s possible for him to stay so perfectly in time? And you know how his drums fit so perfectly in the pocket with Sting and Andy Summers on pretty much anything The Police ever touched despite the fact they all hated each other? Well, Copeland’s “soundtrack” for the BlackBerry Bold — commissioned by RIM — should rid you of all of those amazing memories real fast. The drummer provided six ringtones, an alarm sound, and a Bold “theme” for the company’s new device, yet not one of them is remotely pleasant to listen to. In a word or two? They stink.

[Via CrackBerry; Photo courtesy of spisharam]

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Filed under: Household

Finally, the days of ruined breakfasts and tossed cups of coffee will be a thing of the past, thanks to work being done by researchers in the US and China. Scientists have discovered a simple chemical reaction can sense if your 2 percent has lost its charm before you get it home and crack it open. The system works by floating a small widget in the milk which can be scanned at a supermarket checkout by magnet — the device will vibrate slowly if the liquid has thickened. The same will occur if the potentially harmful bug Staphylococcus aureus — which can cause food poisoning — thins the consistency of the milk. Researchers claim that the system will cost less than a penny per carton, and could also be used in fruit juices. This all sounds pretty altruistic, but as soon as you can get this into super-cheap domestic beers, please give us a call.

[Via Switched]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve seen some fairly sinister alarm clocks in our day — ones that fly around, nearly make you go deaf and “explode” if you don’t get up in time, for starters — but this DIY creation is definitely lobbying for top honors. The Turing Alarm Clock, which has admittedly been making the rounds of late, starts making racket just as any other alarm clock when the time comes, but rather than letting you smash the snooze button, it forces you to answer math questions with varying levels of difficulty before quieting down. Evil? Sure. Effective? You betcha. Check the video after the jump.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Continue reading Homegrown alarm clock tests your math to gauge alertness

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Unless you’re waking to a playlist, you’re likely subjecting yourself to a constant AM rehash of the same alarm drudgery. The kind of fitful start which makes any netizen long for the gray and death-accented cubicle release of work. Enter Sleep.FM, “the social alarm clock.” The beta service allows your friends and family to record custom audio alarms which playback on your PC or other Internet enabled device. “Honey I’ve left, and I took the kids,” has never been so arousing. Tear-jerker of a demonstration after the break.

[Via The Red Ferret Journal]

Continue reading Sleep.FM brings social networking to the alarm clock — forgets to ask why?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Household

If you thought the original Neverlate 7-day alarm clock kept your eyes peeled, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Years after the original took bedside tables by storm, American Innovative has finally unveiled the Neverlate Executive, which boasts a sleeker design along with a myriad new amenities. For starters, this version includes a pair of 7-day alarm banks, Daily Reminders and a full-blown Preferences Menu that enables you to control everything from the backlight brightness to the alarm duration. You’ll also find an AM / FM tuner, which as you may expect, allows users to assign different stations to each alarm; furthermore, the line-in, headphone and USB jacks add even more connectivity options, and the Descending Snooze feature forces you to wake up after you slam it too many times. Interested consumers can get their pre-order in now for $59.95, and truthfully, that’s a small price to pay when staring termination (due to chronic tardiness, of course) in the face.

[Via Gizmag]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Household

If you’re truly trying to protect wares that actually posses a substantial level of worth, we’d recommend a few alternatives more suited for the job, but if you’re simply trying to keep the office snoop from “borrowing” your red stapler, this cubicle defense system ought to suffice. Put simply, the three devices can be set up around your personal space, and while the first unit simply flashes, emits a blast and simultaneously alarms the other two, the second device actually throws out an uber-terrifying (okay, so maybe that’s a stretch) red beam to further startle the invader. If he / she persists, the final unit launches two non-lethal missiles to let that encroacher know that you mean business. Yeah, it’s not exactly intimidating, but if you’ve nothing better to do than watch a demonstration of the $39.99 system in action, check it out after the jump.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Continue reading Shooting Cubicle Alarm System keeps your stapler, paperclips safe

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!