color-changey things

When it comes to bathtime, bubbles aren't just good enough anymore. You either need a floating music player, or maybe light-up disco balls for your bath salts. But even that might not suffice in today's cutthroat bathtub-gadget culture.

Enter the Aqua Rain, which does all of the following: 1) lights up via LED to illuminate your tub in soothing, color-changing hues, 2) plays waterfall noises, and 3) creates a mini-fountain of water. I'm normally a fan of things that change color, but really, I don't see any point to this whatsoever. And it's $40.

Next, … Read more

A few months back, the Transport pod created by Alberto Frias gained some serious blog buzz, and with good reason--what self-respecting tech blogger wouldn't want to write about a space-age sleeping pod equipped with speakers and color-changing LEDs that pulse along with the music?

Consequently, while wandering around at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC on Sunday, I spotted one of the cocoon-like Transport pods on display and more or less squealed. Frias himself was there to show it off, and the first question I asked was, "Can I go inside?" I wasn't expecting Frias … Read more

You do? Good. Then these are perfect for you. The Toyo I-Lit TwinSpin speaker system, a Japanese import, is a set of desktop speakers that do look peculiarly similar to eyeballs. But that's not all. They've got LEDs in them that pulsate to the beat of your music, and said LEDs change color along with the volume. They're $69.

Never mind that it's a little bit creepy to have a set of giant eyeballs on your desk playing music. It's a bit Big Brother-ish, even. But I suppose we can all deal with that.

I … Read more

There are certain gadgets that make me wish I had a swimming pool. Namely, pirate ships, remote-controlled water cannons, and Robo-Shark. Then there's this one, the floating jellyfish pool light.

They're pretty much completely awesome; the top lights up and changes color, and the tentacles are made of glowing fiber optics. They'd be the perfect decoration for all your pool parties! Unfortunately, they aren't remote-controlled, nor do they squirt water at people. That's why I classify them as "pretty much completely awesome" rather than "completely awesome."

The price, at $59 a … Read more

At Crave, we're all about living the high life, or at least pretending we can--it sure beats Hello Kitty sometimes. You know, flying cars, Ferrari phones, and speaker-equipped cocoon beds. Basically, if it's gorgeously yet somewhat-obnoxiously designed, we're all over it (vicariously).

Consequently, we are totally drooling over this shower from Signorini Design (yup, it's Italian). Not only does it pour water forth from a sleek metallic block rather than a typical shower head, but a set of colored lights can illuminate the water in your shade of choice. Which means--yes!--it's color-changey. That basically … Read more

The Lounge Light Projector might resemble a can of WD-40 more than anything else, but it's actually a lamp affixed to a battery that can keep whatever-you-want lit up for 150 hours. (That's the battery life. The bulb itself lasts a whopping 100,000 hours.)

Plus, to use one of my favorite expressions, it's color-changey! But if that annoys you too much, you can push a "color hold" button on the Lounge Light Projector to "freeze" the gadget on a color that you like.

It'd be cool if you could get a … Read more

Recently we've been digging astronomy gadgets around these parts (and astro-mashups on Webware). Most of the time, they deal with plain old stargazing or the simulation thereof. This Japanese import, however, deals with recreating the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on your wall, ceiling, or projector screen of choice.

The gadget in question is a 6-inch-tall lamp, retailing for the Japanese equivalent of slightly over $60, which runs on AA batteries and even comes with a sleep timer so that you can use it as a sort of visual lullaby. It obviously isn't an exact scientific reproduction, but for … Read more

If you have a mean landlord who doesn't let you paint anything in your house or apartment, this could be a solution to your lack-of-color woes. The Morpheus Ambient Lighting Modules use really, really, really, really high-end LEDs to mix a combination of red, green, and blue light. Then it projects it on white walls--sorry, I'm not sure how it would be distorted by that lovely eggshell or alabaster color you've got in your living room.

It'll cost you the Brit equivalent of $167.

Basically, it's the ultimate haute end of color-changey gadgets. Because here'… Read more

Imagine if you had one of these in your yard. It's a floating fountain that you can place in your decorative pond of choice (provided it has at least a foot of water in it) and it'll create an array of water that's 10 feet in diameter. Plus, it's illuminated by 42 LEDs that make it an awfully pretty sight. There's even a sensor that will make sure that the lights are only on when it's dark out. Sure, it costs $850, but that's a small price to pay for such coolness. (Right?)… Read more