Grab it and go.
(Credit: Hamilton Beach)Summer is all about being on the go. There's good reason to be, too. The weather is nice, the kids are out of school, and it is time for vacation. We don't have time for sitting around; there's just too much fun stuff to do. Of course, this means that we also enjoy grabbing our food on the go, too. If it's a fruit smoothie, an icy drink, or a blended shake that you have in mind, what better way to truly be portable than to blend and sip from the same cup?
The Hamilton Beach Single-Serve Blender comes in red, white or black and complements your on-the-go lifestyle. Stainless-steel blades create your favorite blended drinks at a touch of a button. Conveniently sized to fit into most cars' cup holders, the mobile drink-maker is also dishwasher-safe. At the end of the day it's easy to clean up by letting the dishwasher do all the work.
Particularly well-suited for whipping up quick breakfast beverages, the blender makes it easy to get out the door in a flash. With a blender that truly lets you take your drink to go, it gives you more time to actually spend out and about--in any season.
Sadly, the video won't embed. Click on the image above or the link in the story below to see the contraption in action.
(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Hickey)While some of you might think of the "Blender Defender" as mean, I don't. Animals kept as pets need to learn the rules. Cats and dogs, though, are notorious for deciding the rules don't apply when we, the owners, are away.
That is why one clever soul rigged up a blender filled with water to a motion-activated wireless Webcam aimed at the house plants his cat liked to nibble. When the cat would enter the frame, a networked upstairs computer would activate the water-filled blender--and a strobe light next to it--via an X10 wireless home automation module. The cat (not mine, let me stress!) would then scramble off the counter, terrified. Ta-da!
It's not just enough that the genius concocted the two-part scaredy-cat machine. No, this genius put a video on the Internet so we can all share his cat's terror and, in the future hopefully, the bitter revenge scheme that's sure to follow.
Just add margaritas.
(Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond)Along with toasters, blenders are an iconic part of the American kitchen. They look cool, are very useful, and don't take up much room. In the list of appliances to get, blenders are certainly near the top. Blended margaritas certainly wouldn't be the same without them.
The Oster Blender with eLume Touchscreen brings blender style to the 21st century. Featuring a control panel sans traditional knobs or buttons, the blender relies entirely on a touch-screen interface. Without any nooks or crannies to hold spills, the flat screen easily wipes clean. When not in use, the eLume lights turn off, giving this blender a sleek, modern appearance.
Design may be important to kitchen decor, but usefulness has to be paramount when selecting any appliance. The 6-cup dishwasher-safe vessel has been thermal shock-tested to withstand temperature changes. An all-metal drive system is designed for durability.
Features include timed automatic settings for crushing ice. With its ice crusher blade for pulverizing ice and frozen fruits, along with its contemporary look, this blender could bring a new level of fun to your next margarita party.
LetsTalk has launched a new service this morning called ToneMine that lets you build your own ringtones. The service uses a multitrack composer that lets you drag and drop short, prerecorded sound clips onto an editing canvas. There are eight themed "packs" to choose from ranging from hip-hop and salsa, all the way to heavy metal. You also get some shared sound clips that will show up no matter what pack you've chosen.
The eventual goal is a takeaway ringtone you'll be able to use on your phone. You can get it sent directly to your handset via your carrier (which is configured when you sign up for the service), or download it as an MP3 ringtone to transfer on your own. You can also share it with other ToneMine users in a massive pool. There you can preview other people's ringtones and go in to remix them if you'd like to change something. It also keeps track of how many times it's been listened to and downloaded by other users.
Despite the selection of eight packs, there's really not that much to play with, although the editor is quite snappy. As an occasional user of Apple's Garageband application, I felt like the one thing it's missing is the capability to extend a looping sound clip. Instead, you're often dragging more clips together as well as you can. The service is also missing some of the commercial tie-in you'll find on competitors like Razz and Ringblender--the latter of which actually lets you go in and remix bits of commercial songs. It also reminded me a little bit of MusicShake, which demoed at last month's TechCrunch40 conference, although with a little less extensibility.
On a side note, for any 24 fans, you can get that wonderful CTU office ringtone free of charge from the site. I've embedded it after the break.
Put together all sorts of sounds, then spit them off to your phone to annoy everyone around you at meetings and in other public places.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
(Credit:
Klinq)
A sexy blender doesn't have the same shock value as, say, a sexy air filter, but they still have a bit of a kick to them. Like this hourglass-shaped beauty from Breville, the Moda bar blender. It sure looks like it could make one heck of a margarita.
Unfortunately, at the same time it doesn't look all that functional. The stainless steel is sexy, yes, but I'm skeptical of the fact that it's not see-through and you consequently won't know exactly how well that frozen daiquiri's been blended. Plus, there are only two settings. My cheap blender from the '80s (shut up, it's "vintage") has at least five.
But if you're willing to take the risk, it's $100.
(Via Cribcandy)
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