Light Your Space and Be Unique

Vintage is in! Retro anything seems to attract attention. For some of us we flashback to our younger days. Others that are too young just think retro equals cool. More unique creations pop up on the market every day. Creative types seem to be looking at what many of us consider ‘old and trash bound’ and turn it into functional products, some even gadget-y. Wish I could say I was that creative!

If you are looking for a way to stand out and charge your gadgets take a look at BOSS Lamps. A creative Canadian electrician decided to put his knowledge to use in a fun way. After acquiring a variety of parts and pieces, scraps and salvage, a line of lamps with special flare have been created. BOSS Lamps offer a sort of industrial looking retro feel for a 40W bulb. The charging station versions include a socket and two USB ports to make it not only stylish, but functional. Available to ship in the US and Canada, BOSS Lamps run from $68 to $92 and are being sold directly on Etsy. So if a combo lamp/charging station makes sense for some table in your life, take a look at a more unique solution.

A Smartphone’s Sensing Companion

Ever run into a product and just say “I wish I was smart enough to think of that”? Yep, found one. Aside from lacking any knowledge about the topics, experience with NASA and a doctorate in who knows what, perhaps you or I could have come up with this innovation. But George Yu and Variable Technologies beat us to it. As our smartphones continue to control and guide more parts of our lives it makes sense to incorporate necessary job functions and even life-saving functions into the phone’s capability.

Pen Sized Scanner

You know, the scanner is one computer peripheral that you wish you had purchased when you didn’t need it, only to find yourself ringing up a mate late into the night, asking him whether he could open up the doors of his home so that you can drop by and perform that necessary scan. Older scanners of yore tend to be large, bulky and noisy – not to mention slow, of course, but it is a good thing that modern day technology has ushered in the age of miniaturization, shrinking down what was once rather large scanners into a pocket-friendly form factor. Case in point, the $124.95 Pen Sized Scanner.

The Pen Sized Scanner works as its name suggests – this is a ballpoint pen which allows you to leave your John Hancock on important documents, while also being able to laser-scan documents in a jiffy. The scanning bit is handled by a high-precision auto-focus lens, where it is accompanied by a 5-megapixel sensor that has been integrated into the pen itself, letting it scan letters, recipes, or important documents at 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Whenever you press the shutter button down halfway, a visible red laser will be projected to frame a document, as it focuses on the image automatically before snapping a photo. Sporting 1GB of internal memory, it is good for up to 1,000 scanned pictures in JPEG format and also being able to hold 1,000 1-minute voice memos in WAV format. A single hour’s charge offers up to 300 scans if you’re interested.

Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow

Whether you are in the midst of Summer or in the depths of Winter enhancing your grilling never hurts. Some continue grilling all year round. Others play it more conservative and just look forward to warmer months. Brookstone offers a couple of tools that empower you to keep on grilling – regardless of the elements. And they now ship internationally.

Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone.

Crowdfunding has to be one of the biggest buzz words of the last year. Kickstarter and Indiegogo really put a different spin on how to create a product. Unfortunately, many good products don’t achieve funding goals. A new type of crowdfunding site began to emerge to help move these unfunded projects along, give inventors more infrastructure and feedback while also protecting buyers. Christie Street does just that and took on a product that is now funded and slated to launch this summer.

DoorBot looks to be a next generation example of how our phones continue to integrate into and control parts of our lives. DoorBot is a wireless video doorbell that links through your home network to your phone or tablet. Included on the device are a video camera and doorbell. Rather than ringing in the house, DoorBot will ring the app on your device when activated. Whether at home or away, you will immediately see who is ringing. And similar to when a call comes in, you have the chance to speak to them or ignore them. In addition to not missing instructions for delivery people or friends dropping by, DoorBot provides a perfect deterrent for warding off unwanted solicitors. And it can even help you give an illusion that you are home to not encourage thieves.

A few months ago we wrote about Lockitron, which enables you to lock and unlock your door remotely. Combined with DoorBot you can remotely see who is at the door and choose to let them in (or not!). Shipping in July, DoorBot on its own runs $189, Lockitron$179, or sign on for the DoorBot/Lockitron combo offered on Christie Street for $339 – and enter the world of remotely controlling access to your home or business.