http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Weird gadgets Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2013 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:51:01 GMT Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:51:01 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://news.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vavuud-Creates-A-Wind-Meter-for-Smartphones-338580.shtml There are a lot of things that smartphones can do, but there are a lot of things that they cannot do too, and measuring the speed and intensity of wind is one of them. Or rather used to be one of them until now.

Vavuud is a Danish hardware startup that had the very unusual idea of making a wind speed measuring tool compatible with smartp... (read more)]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vavuud-Creates-A-Wind-Meter-for-Smartphones-338580.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vavuud-Creates-A-Wind-Meter-for-Smartphones-338580.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Portable-Breath-Analyzer-Will-Tel-your-Smartphone-If-You-re-Drunk-336892.shtml Some things come as easy as breathing, but sometimes it's breathing itself that can be problematic, or rather the composition of the air being expelled while breathing out. Breathometer deals with precisely such things.

The Breathometer is probably one of the most unusual things invented over the past few months, if... (read more)]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:12:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Portable-Breath-Analyzer-Will-Tel-your-Smartphone-If-You-re-Drunk-336892.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Portable-Breath-Analyzer-Will-Tel-your-Smartphone-If-You-re-Drunk-336892.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Panasonic-F-S1X-Slim-Fan-an-Electric-Fan-That-Looks-like-a-Rod-335513.shtml Panasonic makes many consumer electronics and appliances, but it occasionally releases unusual gadgets as well. As people may have guessed, this is one of those very occasions.

The company has formally launched the F-S1X Slim Fan, which would hardly qualify as anything interesting if it actually had the shape of a fan.<... (read more)]]> Fri, 8 Mar 2013 09:56:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Panasonic-F-S1X-Slim-Fan-an-Electric-Fan-That-Looks-like-a-Rod-335513.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Panasonic-F-S1X-Slim-Fan-an-Electric-Fan-That-Looks-like-a-Rod-335513.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Thanko-USB-Powered-Air-Purifier-Ready-to-Sell-334239.shtml Thanko is the company behind a great many things, a large proportion of them being less than normal, even on a market where the uncanny is supposed to be the norm. The UV Air Purifier proves it.

From just the name, one might be hard pressed to figure out why the product would qualify as strange, but a photo of it, or even a cursory gla... (read more)]]> Mon, 4 Mar 2013 14:49:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Thanko-USB-Powered-Air-Purifier-Ready-to-Sell-334239.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Thanko-USB-Powered-Air-Purifier-Ready-to-Sell-334239.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/3Doodler-3D-Printer-Pen-Sells-for-50-Instead-of-Thousands-of-Dollars-330604.shtml People might not think it, but it is actually already possible to write and draw things in the air. It might sound like Sci Fi wishful thinking, but 3D printing has provided the solution at long last.

WobbleWorks LLC has posted a project on the Kickstarter hosting website, one that bears the name of 3Doodler.
read more)]]> Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:28:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/3Doodler-3D-Printer-Pen-Sells-for-50-Instead-of-Thousands-of-Dollars-330604.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/3Doodler-3D-Printer-Pen-Sells-for-50-Instead-of-Thousands-of-Dollars-330604.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/CES-2013-Samsung-Unveils-Fridge-with-Touchscreen-Baby-Monitor-and-Evernote-319267.shtml Just like it happens every single year, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas comes with many, many out-of-this-world gadgets that no one would ever buy.

Samsung’s very own T9000 Four-Door Refrigerator isn’t your typical refrigerator. It’s an all-in-one fridge that comes with an Ultra ... (read more)]]> Tue, 8 Jan 2013 09:30:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/CES-2013-Samsung-Unveils-Fridge-with-Touchscreen-Baby-Monitor-and-Evernote-319267.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/CES-2013-Samsung-Unveils-Fridge-with-Touchscreen-Baby-Monitor-and-Evernote-319267.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Bogdan Popa) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ball-Camera-Only-Needs-to-be-Thrown-at-Things-290262.shtml Boston inventor Steve Hollinger has been granted a patent for a camera that, only by being tossed through the air, can shoot photos of ground-based targets.

The description of the patent gives the following definition: “a ball that provides normalized images of a ground-based target subject captured over the course of the arc of ... (read more)]]> Wed, 5 Sep 2012 14:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ball-Camera-Only-Needs-to-be-Thrown-at-Things-290262.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ball-Camera-Only-Needs-to-be-Thrown-at-Things-290262.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samarai-Surveilance-Drones-the-Size-of-Maple-Seeds-279472.shtml This may not be the strangest thing we've had the chance of writing about in our news articles and blogs, but it comes really close, even among robots and nuclear reactors owned by photo film companies.

Lockheed Martin has created something that could make spy planes obsolete or humans scream and flee in terror, or both.
read more)]]> Thu, 5 Jul 2012 13:30:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samarai-Surveilance-Drones-the-Size-of-Maple-Seeds-279472.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samarai-Surveilance-Drones-the-Size-of-Maple-Seeds-279472.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Kinect-Using-Sandbox-Lets-You-Move-Mountains-268077.shtml It's one thing to play in a normal sandbox and other to have one that lets you build things on a massive scale without any chance of getting sand and water all over you.

Kids, of course, love to play in sandboxes anyway. Some even prefer being dirty to cleanliness, for some obscure reason. Maybe they feel more in tune with mother earth ... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 May 2012 19:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Kinect-Using-Sandbox-Lets-You-Move-Mountains-268077.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Kinect-Using-Sandbox-Lets-You-Move-Mountains-268077.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Big-Brother-Gadgets-Mandatory-in-All-Cars-in-USA-265781.shtml In a surprising move, the US Senate has already passed a bill that makes “black box”- or “big brother”-like gadgets mandatory for all cars driven in USA in just two and a half years, infowars.com reports.

The House is expected to quickly approve it while the citizens are probably overjoyed with the fact that the... (read more)]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:49:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Big-Brother-Gadgets-Mandatory-in-All-Cars-in-USA-265781.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Big-Brother-Gadgets-Mandatory-in-All-Cars-in-USA-265781.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Constantin Murariu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/PumPing-Tap-Outlet-Pushed-Out-Plugs-243409.shtml The new idea that showed up on Yanko Design may not be the best there ever was and will probably become obsolete by the time it becomes eligible for adoption.

Over the years, various strange devices have been invented or at least envisioned, most of which, for better or worse, never became more than an idea.

What now emerged on Yank... (read more)]]> Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/PumPing-Tap-Outlet-Pushed-Out-Plugs-243409.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/PumPing-Tap-Outlet-Pushed-Out-Plugs-243409.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Carp-Pet-Is-a-Carpet-With-Moving-Painted-Fish-240409.shtml Designer John Leung just came up with the idea for a carpet that, under the right circumstances, can become something akin to a dry aquarium.

We suppose it could just as easily qualify as a wet aquarium, if some water were to be spilled over it, but that is neither here nor there.

Basically, the designer took an optical illusi... (read more)]]> Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Carp-Pet-Is-a-Carpet-With-Moving-Painted-Fish-240409.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Carp-Pet-Is-a-Carpet-With-Moving-Painted-Fish-240409.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/SteelSeries-and-Gunnar-Optiks-Create-Gaming-Glasses-227611.shtml If there is any gizmo that qualifies as unusual, the new pair of glasses that SteelSeries and Gunnar made are probably it, being a special pair for non-3D screens.

People probably haven't heard about many tech glasses that aren't meant for 3D, but SteelSeries and GUNNAR just collaborated on making a pair.

Basically,... (read more)]]> Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:31:01 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/SteelSeries-and-Gunnar-Optiks-Create-Gaming-Glasses-227611.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/SteelSeries-and-Gunnar-Optiks-Create-Gaming-Glasses-227611.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/SMI-Glasses-Know-What-You-re-Looking-At-222384.shtml Eye tracking isn't something that is done very well nowadays, not yet anyhow, but SensoMotoric Instruments definitely wants this to change, as made clear by its newest invention.

Eye tracking can be a good means of testing a variety of things, like brand awareness at the point of sale, user experience on mobile devices, man-machine interac... (read more)]]> Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:21:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/SMI-Glasses-Know-What-You-re-Looking-At-222384.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/SMI-Glasses-Know-What-You-re-Looking-At-222384.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Razer-Mouse-Bungee-Ensures-Mouse-Cord-Freedom-211270.shtml The concept of freedom is usually linked to the idea of free will, but sub-meanings are being attributed to all kinds of things nowadays, like mouse cords, if Razer's most recent product is anything to go by.

Gamers, especially those with no sort of financial worries, always make it a point to have the baddest hardware around, down to ae... (read more)]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:55:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Razer-Mouse-Bungee-Ensures-Mouse-Cord-Freedom-211270.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Razer-Mouse-Bungee-Ensures-Mouse-Cord-Freedom-211270.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sebastian Pop) http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Audio-Light-Bulb-Gives-You-Light-Music-Too-192090.shtml We've come across plenty of rather bizarre, hybrid devices over time, and now, it's about time to check out yet another item of this type, namely the Audio Light Bulb, a device that will offer users not only a fairly good level of lighting, but also an interesting (and rather unusual) extra.

The Audio Light Bulb is presented by Hammacher... (read more)]]> Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:17:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Audio-Light-Bulb-Gives-You-Light-Music-Too-192090.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Audio-Light-Bulb-Gives-You-Light-Music-Too-192090.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/NeuroFocus-Mynd-is-World-s-First-Wireless-Full-Brain-EEG-Measurement-Headset-190641.shtml The idea of having a headset that can actually automatically measure one's brain activity by simply being placed on their head seems to be a bit far-fetched, but, in fact, that's exactly what the people over at NeuroFocus promise with their brand-new Mynd headset.

According to NeuroFocus, their Mynd device i... (read more)]]> Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/NeuroFocus-Mynd-is-World-s-First-Wireless-Full-Brain-EEG-Measurement-Headset-190641.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/NeuroFocus-Mynd-is-World-s-First-Wireless-Full-Brain-EEG-Measurement-Headset-190641.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Yamaha-Helps-You-Keep-Your-Conversations-Private-with-New-VSP-1-Sound-Generator-188897.shtml Yamaha's expertise in the field of audio solutions (and motorcycles) is unquestionable, and in order to prove it one more time, the Japanese company came up with a device that will allow users to keep all of their conversations completely private.

There are quite a lot of situations when we'd simply love ... (read more)]]> Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:40:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Yamaha-Helps-You-Keep-Your-Conversations-Private-with-New-VSP-1-Sound-Generator-188897.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Yamaha-Helps-You-Keep-Your-Conversations-Private-with-New-VSP-1-Sound-Generator-188897.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Breville-VTT296-Toaster-Doubles-as-Radio-or-Viceversa-188076.shtml From time to time, we happen to come across certain products that are so strange, so odd, that we simply can't refrain from writing about them, and this is also the case with the Breville VT296, a very interesting combo between a radio and a...toaster.

As strange as such a combination might sound, the truth of the matter is that t... (read more)]]> Mon, 7 Mar 2011 20:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Breville-VTT296-Toaster-Doubles-as-Radio-or-Viceversa-188076.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Breville-VTT296-Toaster-Doubles-as-Radio-or-Viceversa-188076.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/iGrow-Users-Lasers-to-Help-Fight-Back-that-Receding-Hairline-186055.shtml The idea of adding an “i” before just about any kind of product has become somewhat of a bad cliché already, but that's not stopping Apira Science from taking this path as far as their iGrow laser-based hair growth system is concerned.

We'll have to admit that loss of hair has always been a problem for m... (read more)]]> Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:46:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/iGrow-Users-Lasers-to-Help-Fight-Back-that-Receding-Hairline-186055.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/iGrow-Users-Lasers-to-Help-Fight-Back-that-Receding-Hairline-186055.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/USB-Flash-Drive-Doubles-as-an-AA-Battery-178898.shtml Just about everyone carries an USB flash drive around nowadays, and while the number of devices that are still powered by AA batteries, instead of rechargeable Li-Ion units is constantly decreasing, the truth of the matter is that combining these two concepts seems like a really interesting idea.

In fact, that's exactly what designer Wonchul H... (read more)]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:54:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/USB-Flash-Drive-Doubles-as-an-AA-Battery-178898.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/USB-Flash-Drive-Doubles-as-an-AA-Battery-178898.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-Powers-New-Phone-PC-Hybrid-from-Speakal-176857.shtml Beside all those 3D HDTVs, Sandy Bridge notebooks, tablets and digital cameras that fill the booths and halls of CES 2011, this show is where you'll also come across plenty of innovative gadgets, developed by companies who want to make a name for themselves in the CE market, as is the case with Speakal.

And for this year's CES, the co... (read more)]]> Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:35:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-Powers-New-Phone-PC-Hybrid-from-Speakal-176857.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-7-Powers-New-Phone-PC-Hybrid-from-Speakal-176857.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fridge-Shaped-Like-an-Apple-MacPro-Launched-in-Japan-169652.shtml It would really seem that some people's love for all things Apple extends way beyond the usual purchasing of just about any device featuring the famous fruity logo, this being exactly the case with Japanese company Twinbird, who's actually rolled out a mini refrigerator that looks a lot like the famous desktop monster developed by the company... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:55:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fridge-Shaped-Like-an-Apple-MacPro-Launched-in-Japan-169652.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fridge-Shaped-Like-an-Apple-MacPro-Launched-in-Japan-169652.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Foxconn-Sues-Creative-for-Half-a-Million-Dollars-169467.shtml Sometimes it seems like all those court battles between tech companies just can't be put to rest, a new fight emerging on the consumer electronics front, this time between Foxconn and Creative, the former accusing the Singapore-based company of failing to pay $500,000 for services that Foxconn is said to have provided.

According to the... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Foxconn-Sues-Creative-for-Half-a-Million-Dollars-169467.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Foxconn-Sues-Creative-for-Half-a-Million-Dollars-169467.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sorin Nita) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Revolutionary-Microsoft-Technology-to-Turn-Touchscreens-into-Real-Keyboards-169117.shtml One of the biggest problems posed by virtual keyboards available via touchscreen displays is that they don't really offer the same level of physical feedback as their USB or PS/2 counterparts, but it seems that Microsoft might be working on a technology that will actually solve this issue and grant touchscreens a whole ... (read more)]]> Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:44:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Revolutionary-Microsoft-Technology-to-Turn-Touchscreens-into-Real-Keyboards-169117.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Revolutionary-Microsoft-Technology-to-Turn-Touchscreens-into-Real-Keyboards-169117.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/90-of-Retailers-Plan-Cyber-Monday-Promotions-168807.shtml Although everybody is used to seeing all sort of crazy discount going around when Black Friday hits, Cyber Monday is a somehow more risky venture since this was first invented five or so years ago and not all retailers plan on offering special promotions, although this may soon change as a study shows that 90% of retailers plan special Cyber Moday pr... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Nov 2010 18:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/90-of-Retailers-Plan-Cyber-Monday-Promotions-168807.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/90-of-Retailers-Plan-Cyber-Monday-Promotions-168807.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sorin Nita) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Nokero-N200-Solar-Charged-Light-Bulb-Is-Also-Rainproof-167893.shtml Without a doubt, solar power represents one of the best bets for our future as far as renewable, green types of energy are concerned, and for this reason, products that fully leverage its advantages, such as the Nokero N200 solar-charged light bulb, should become more and more popular in the coming years.

The Nokero company... (read more)]]> Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Nokero-N200-Solar-Charged-Light-Bulb-Is-Also-Rainproof-167893.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Nokero-N200-Solar-Charged-Light-Bulb-Is-Also-Rainproof-167893.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gear4-Set-to-Introduce-Angry-Birds-iPhones-4-Cases-Soon-166163.shtml If you thought this whole Angry Birds craze is going to die down sooner rather than later, this is one news you most certainly wouldn't like to read as you most probably won't go for one of these colorful iPhone cases that just made their appearance online and feature three of the game's characters.

Slated to appear sometime lat... (read more)]]> Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gear4-Set-to-Introduce-Angry-Birds-iPhones-4-Cases-Soon-166163.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gear4-Set-to-Introduce-Angry-Birds-iPhones-4-Cases-Soon-166163.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sorin Nita) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amplicom-TCL-200-Alarm-Clock-Uses-90-Decibels-to-Wake-You-Up-166103.shtml Waking up can prove to be a pretty daunting task at times (especially if you've gone out partying the night before), but in order to lend a helping hand to those people who have some serious trouble getting up and about, German company Amplicom has come up with the TCL 200, an alarm clock that will wake up not only the user himself, b... (read more)]]> Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:33:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amplicom-TCL-200-Alarm-Clock-Uses-90-Decibels-to-Wake-You-Up-166103.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amplicom-TCL-200-Alarm-Clock-Uses-90-Decibels-to-Wake-You-Up-166103.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alex Vochin) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Get-Your-Geek-On-with-Frank-Zhao-s-USB-Business-Card-Video-Included-165194.shtml If geekish gadgets are really your thing then you most certainly have tried, or at least laid your eyes, on more than your fair share of bizzare business cards, but few come stranger than Frank's Zhao flat USB creation, this contraption really managing to awake the geek in you.

Looking pretty weird for what should ba... (read more)]]> Mon, 8 Nov 2010 09:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Get-Your-Geek-On-with-Frank-Zhao-s-USB-Business-Card-Video-Included-165194.shtml Weird gadgets http://news.softpedia.com/news/Get-Your-Geek-On-with-Frank-Zhao-s-USB-Business-Card-Video-Included-165194.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Sorin Nita)