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The Cool-er e-book reader comes in eight colors.

(Credit: Interead)

In the U.S., the Amazon Kindle remains the most popular and best known e-reader on the market. But not everyone's ready to pay $360 for the device, and the Kindle doesn't appeal to international readers, because its wireless capabilities don't work overseas. And that's where upstart digital readers like Interead's Cool-er come in.

The product's name was inspired by the concept of a "cool e-reader" and it's the first consumer electronics product from Interead, which has offices in the U.K. and New York and also has a companion online e-book store to support the device. The Cool-er's claim to fame is that it's lighter, less expensive ($250), more colorful (it comes in eight colors), and more "open" than the Kindle, accepting a wider variety of file formats, much like Sony's e-readers do.

On many levels, including screen size and readability, the Cool-er matches the Kindle 2, and even beats it in terms of memory expansion, as there's an SD slot. We appreciated that the battery is removable and replaceable (Interead will send you a replacement battery for $5).

Read the full review to find out how good a deal the Cool-er really is.

The Cool-er e-book reader comes in eight colors.

(Credit: Interead)

When I talked to Interead's CEO and founder Neil Jones a few months ago, he told me his upstart U.K. company was getting ready to launch a new lightweight e-book reader that he was hoping would get some attention in the marketplace for sharply undercutting the price of the Kindle 2. He was going to call the thing the Cool-er, and it would cost $250 and tie into Interead's fledgling e-book store.

Jones was planning a very controlled launch for the product, with a target date set for just before Memorial Day here in the the U.S. and additional promotion in the U.K.

Well, things didn't go off exactly as planned, with some bloggers in the U.K. apparently breaking an embargo. But it didn't exactly help that the company already had its Web site up promoting the new product (a PR rep said certain journalists were questioning whether the company was real or not, so they had to put up the site).

In any case, the new Cool-er digital reader, which comes in eight colors, is now rapidly making its way through the blogosphere, so Jones is getting what he wants, albeit in a rather uncontrolled way (which sometimes is the way to go for launches). It will "officially" be available May 29, but Interead is taking preorders.

Here are its specs:

• Dimensions: 7.2 inches by 4.6 inches by .43 inches (HWD)
• Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Screen size: 6 inches
• DPI: 170 pixels per inch
• Levels of greyscale: 8
• Type: E Ink Vizplex
• Touch screen: No
• Manufacturer: PVI
• Operating system: Linux
• Storage: 1GB
• Memory: 128MB (internal)
• Processor: Samsung S3C2440 ARM 400MHz
• Battery: Li-Polymer battery (1000 mAh)
• Battery Life (single charge): 8,000 pages
• Memory Expansion: SD (up to 4GB)
• Wireless: No
• Formats: JPEG, PDF, EPUB, TXT, MP3 (2.5mm headphone jack with a 3.5mm converter included for standard headphones)
• Languages: 8
• Bookstore (titles): more than 750,000

The Cool-er is compatible with Macs and Windows PCs. While we're not sure Interead's new e-book reader will make a huge dent in Kindle 2 sales here in the U.S., it is designed to be more open with its formats and should compete nicely with Sony's Readers, especially in Europe.

We should get a review sample shortly and will let you know our full thoughts after we put the Cool-er--and the CoolerBooks e-book store--through their paces. As always, feel free to comment and let us know whether you think this e-book is a contender--or a pretender.

Keeping the drinks cool and the mood warm.

(Credit: Drinkstuff)

Mood lighting is important in any situation. However, when a bottle of wine is opened the need is even more pronounced. It just calls for having the lights down low and some pleasant tunes on the hi-fi. Of course some friendly company is an agreeable accompaniment too.

But what of the times when the lights just aren't right? Too low or too bright, sometimes it's tricky to set the proper mood.

Enter the Drink Light Bottle Cooler. Or rather, turn it on.

This combination designed by Jorge Najera takes the lowly ice bucket and transforms it into something special. Weighing in at about 13 pounds and reaching up to about 2 1/2 feet, the freestanding ice bucket makes a great piece to have set up anywhere in the room. Just watch out for that power cable as it does, after all, light up.

In case you haven't noticed, the Drink Light Bottle Cooler is from across the pond. But don't let that stop you. If you have more than $400 (£274.99) to spend, you can get it shipped right on over. Of course at that price money might be an issue, so you may want to opt for the old-fashioned ice bucket and a candle instead.

(Via Appliancist)

(Credit: GeeAlerts)

This may be the best way to deliver beverages since the "Flying Barstool."

The radio-controlled cooler can take the place of a poolside cabana boy and you won't even have to give it a tip. We suggest only sealed containers, however, not any fruity drinks that can easily spill their umbrellas.

There are other drawbacks: The cooler holds just six beverages and has a range of only 30 feet, according to GeekAlerts, so your guests will have to stay reasonably nearby whether you like it or not. But if you team it up with a beer-fetching Roomba for reloading, the supply is limited only by the capacity of your fridge.

(Credit: Thermaltake)

This may sound a little far-fetched, but anyone who's suffocated a still-hot laptop in a zip-up sleeve might be interested to hear about a bag that cools its contents without the help of a fan. That, at least, is what Thermaltake claims its "iXoft Notebook Carrying Bag" can do.

The 15-inch bag uses "unique thermal shifting chemicals to spread heat out evenly across the pad," according to Fareastgizmos, which "melt into a gel state when heated and solidify into crystal state when cooled." Yes, it could well be an attempt to capitalize on burning laptop fears, but that doesn't mean it won't work.

The company does have something of a track record on the subject, especially where sweaty palms are concerned. Besides, it's more convenient than lugging around a laptop in a picnic cooler. Just be sure not to use it with one of those Glacial touch screens that's supposed to stay warm.

(Credit: Dormbuys)

Summer is just around the corner, so it's time to start thinking of barbecues and picnics (translation: beer). And as luck would have it, there are all manner of multi-tasking coolers now on the market that can facilitate outdoor entertainment with built-in speakers and iPod connections.

To date, however, most the MP3 coolers we've seen are exceedingly boring to look at--hardly appropriate to celebrate the solar rites. Thankfully we came across the "Chill Out Stereo Cooler Bag" on Chip Chick, sporting a design that seems to fit a psychedelic '60s trend we've been noticing lately. And any product with a "James Dean" model is worth at least a second look.

If the battery-powered cooler runs out of juice, never fear. There's always the MP3 barbecue, the MP3 mini-fridge, or, for the most serious revelry, the "Tailgating Trailer."

(Credit: Fareastgizmos)

Computer cooling technologies are serious business--and for good reason--but it still seemed a bit odd at first that one such device would be created as a limited edition. Yet that's the distinction Asus has bestowed upon its "Triton 79 AMAzing" cooler. (The uppercase is correct, by the way, in case anyone was wondering if our caps-lock key was stuck.)

Aimed at gamers and others fond of overclocking their systems, each one of these 3,200 coolers comes with "an ultra-exclusive identification card marked with a limited-edition serial number," according to Fareastgizmos. And here we though all computer products had a unique serial number. It does, however, have an unusual metal casing and construction made of copper, nickel, and aluminum, as well as the ability to work with both Intel and AMD processors.

But if you really want to make an impression where cooling is concerned, you've got to check out Spotswood's latest drum case.

(Credit: Gadget Grid)

We appreciate additional help cooling down the computer as much as anyone else, for obvious reasons. But the way things are going, external PC fans may be getting more complicated than the climate control system for our entire building.

Take this multi-fan controller from Zalman, for example. It looks like something out of a Doppler weather center. The box can control four fans, indicates power consumption in real time on a color LCD, and even sounds an alarm when a fan stops working, according to Gadget Grid.

But what hooked us is the animated propellers. Hours of mesmerizing fun.

(Credit: Amazon)

In preparation of the gastronomic orgy that will take place in a just a few days, Crave continues its beverage-oriented theme for professional imbibers and teetotalers alike. In today's installment, we cater to the oenophiles among us.

What's special about this latest appliance isn't that it chills your favorite vintage to order--we've seen plenty of those--but it can control the temperature of two bottles at once, according to Product Dose. The "Coldmate EF-8780 Thermocool" actually bills itself as a digital warmer as well as a cooler, which strikes us as a bit odd. Then again, it would be a stretch to describe some of the wine lovers we work with as conoisseurs.