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June 12, 2008 3:57 AM PDT

A scale for the Iron Man in your family

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: The Competitive Edge)

Those callous souls who gave their poor mums a Wii Fit for Mother's Day should take note: They can even the score between parents by giving a similarly subtle hint to dad this weekend. But why not be a little more creative?

Tanita is pushing its "BC-558 Tanita Ironman Segmental and Full Body Composition Monitor" as an ideal Father's Day gift. It's especially useful for those vain fathers who spend too much time at the gym and flexing in the bathroom mirror, because this scale measures the body by segments--as in arms, legs, and the trunk. It's probably equally appropriate for dads of the flabbier variety, as it gauges "segmental body fat" as well as muscle, bone mass, and metabolic rates.

For those fitness-challenged types, Tanita even makes another kind of scale that would be a perfect companion gift: a kitchen version that's sensitive enough to weight every Cheeto, right down to the crumb.

May 6, 2008 2:26 AM PDT

The Cadillac of kitchen scales

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: The Competitive Edge)

A few days ago we ran an item noting the faux pas of giving a Wii Fit as a Mother's Day gift and suggested sarcastically that a scale be included to round out the package (pun intended). Some disagreed with our post and, we fear, may actually make matters worse by doing just that.

For those misguided souls we have another unsolicited suggestion: Rather than a scale used to weigh Mom, here's one for the kitchen instead that's a little more subtle. Tanita's stainless steel KD-400 is supposedly the Cadillac of kitchen scales, "designed to live up to abuse from the toughest cooks" and ensuring precise digital measurements for proper portions.

But frankly, we think this too can send the wrong message, unless she's one of the "foodie moms" this device is intended for in its product description. And even if she is, it doesn't mean she wouldn't like to be taken out to dinner for a change.

January 25, 2008 1:18 AM PST

A machine that's worth its weight in fat

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: Popgadget)

We should have seen this one coming after learning of Matsushita's plans to make slimmed-down massage chairs. Now another Japanese company has developed what appears to be the ultimate fat-analysis machine.

Tokyo-based Tanita--whose slogan is "the body fat experts"--has gone well beyond its bevy of smart scales to produce "a precise electronic, abdominal fat meter that can measure the amount of fat deep inside of you, even around your organs," according to Popgadget. The AB-101 does seem more civilized than being assaulted by those inhumane calipers, but it still looks like a cross between a TSA scanner and an MRI machine.

Perhaps it's all part of a national obsession to make sure that the Wii Fit doesn't become known as the Wii Fat, at least in Japan.

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