(Credit:
Hammacher)
Several months ago we thought the idea of custom ringtones for home phones was a pretty nifty concept that would be picked up by other manfacturers. Our prediction, naturally, was met with dead silence. But now Hammacher Schlemmer is trying to introduce one such gadget for the masses, claiming the technology as its very own by labeling it "the first home telephone custom ringtone player."
While the hype is to be expected, other aspects of this "first" are less excusable. For starters, there's the $70 price: Do its features really justify costing that much more than the $12 Evertek "Magic Ringtone MP3 Ringer" we mentioned earlier? And even if they do, couldn't the design of Hammacher's version look a little better than an intercom speaker from an apartment building lobby?
Perhaps the price is simply justice at work. One probably should have to pay a penalty for subjecting everyone else in the household to the Bee Gees' greatest hits.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
We're somewhat dubious about any machine that serves cocktails but, the way things are going, we may be faced with a robot the next time we belly up to the bar. Still, a martini--now that's something sacred.
So we pray that Hammacher Schlemmer did its research before coming up with "The Perfect Temperature Martini Maker," a digital appliance that shakes or stirs its stainless steel tumbler "until it reaches the optimal drinking temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring perfect homemade martinis at the touch of a button."
The ritual of mixing the ingredients, however, is left to human hands. So you'll have only yourself to blame if the martinis are bruised.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
Online stores like Hammacher Schlemmer are turning into little Harrods. To prove the point, one needn't look any further than this two-person, three-wheeled scooter coupe on its virtual storefront.
In addition to a retro-chic design, it has all the trappings of a miniature car: a 50cc air-cooled, four-stroke engine can reach 30 miles per hour on a 1.5-gallon fuel tank that's good for 100 miles with two riders up to 400 pounds. The coupe sports a steel tube frame covered in a fiberglass body and comes with 13-inch alloy wheels, rubber tires, front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. On the body you'll find front, side, and rear turn signals integrated into the headlights, folding side mirrors and brake lights. Inside, the chrome dashboard includes gauges for fuel, a speedometer and tachometer, and there're two-point restraint seatbelts.
At $6,000, it gives those China-made Chery QQ mini-cars a run for the money. And they're cuter too.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
See bird. Look it up. Bird gone.
This is the usual sequence of events whenever we've tried our amateurish hand at birdwatching. That's why the pocket-sized "Audio Visual Handheld Bird Encyclopedia"--a specially outfitted Palm Tungsten E2--would be tempting were it not for its $450 price. (The regular PDA goes for around $200, and Palm's future might be a consideration if support is an issue.)
If you are so inclined, however, the Hammacher Schlemmer device is a treasure trove of birding information that's searchable by name, color, size, location and other parameters: 867 North American birds, 1,600 images, 650 range maps and "four hours of recorded birdsongs from the renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology." Yikes.
It can build community too. You can upload "birding checklists" from eBird.org, a site where you can also share information with other enthusiasts, such as fellow Craver an reknowned birder Harry Fuller.
But first things first. If you're a backyard birder, all of this is irrelevant until you can take care of the rodent issue.
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