Drop an extra $12.95 and this TomTom GPS will tell you where to go--as Homer Simpson.
(Credit: TomTom)Update: Sorry, folks, looks like Newegg sold out. That happens with many of the deals I post, so as always, if you see something you like, hurry before it's gone!
The best GPS deals these days fall in the $50-60 range, but sometimes it's worth paying a little extra. Case in point: Newegg has the refurbished TomTom One XL-S wide-screen GPS for $89.99 shipped.
So why is this model worth a few extra bucks? Two words: Homer Simpson. Like many TomTom nav systems, the XL-S lets you install (for a nominal charge) various celebrity voices.
The latest addition is "Simpsons" cast member Dan Castellaneta, who tells you where to go--as Homer.
Need I say more? Well, OK, I'll say more: The XL-S also offers a 4.3-inch touch screen, text-to-speech capabilities, Bluetooth, and an optional traffic-data receiver.
However, it's important to note that text-to-speech isn't available with the celebrity voices--only the built-in computer voice. Thus, Homer says things like, "At the end of the road, turn left," not, "Turn left on Evergreen Terrace."
Also, the Bluetooth capability doesn't afford hands-free calling like on some models. It does, however, allow you to download traffic data via your cell phone, without the need for the aforementioned receiver. (You still need a TomTom PLUS subscription, though.)
I particularly like TomTom's Map Share feature, which lets you make map changes and import changes made by other users. Also, the easy-to-use TomTom Home desktop software helps you update the device, install new voices, plan routes in advance, and so on.
The Homer voice costs $12.95, which I think is quite reasonable. It's optional, of course, and I'll admit the novelty does wear off--in about three years! Seriously, I so dig this that I'm selling the Sony GPS I bought a few months back and moving to the TomTom. You?
This week was FILLED with conceptual ideas that were sometimes pure genius, and sometimes pure WTH. Seriously, Pornisonic, we are talking to you! Natali Del Conte and Gknee join the party to make this extra-long episode 80 percent female, 20 percent male. Has this ever happened at CNET before?!
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EPISODE 142 |
Programmable doorbell blends soothing chimes with real wood craftsmanship
Panasonic’s limp remote concept is both cool and unsettling
Tennis star Maria Sharapova dons geeky light-up phone dress
B-Touch cell phone with Braille touch screen is an iPhone for the blind
Nested cellphones track techno-evolution
Power outlet wall solves your electrical needs
... Read more
(Credit:
Drinkstuff.com)
Those on a diet who can't resist the temptations lurking in the refrigerator will appreciate the Homer Simpson Talking Fridge Guard. Meant to sit on one of your fridge shelves, Homer will recite one of his six canned phrases ("Uh oh. Someone's gonna have a tummy ache!" "Mmmm...fattening") every time you open the door.
Aside from giving guests a good laugh, this battery-operated gadget will shame you when trying to reach for that soda or cheesecake while trying to lose weight. There's nothing quite like the world's most famous slob to remind you to stay disciplined.
Quite a few gadget sites based in the U.K. list the product as being out of stock, but with a bit of searching we're sure you will be able find an online store with a ready unit for sale. It retails for about $29.
(Source: Crave Asia via bookofjoe)
(Credit:
Drinkstuff)
Just the thought of being in a swimming pool with Homer Simpson is enough to make anyone cringe. But if the situation is inevitable, it's probably best to have him in a supine position. The best feature of this floating Homer radio, aside from the sight of it alone, is the beer can on his belly: It serves as a volume or station control, depending on how his legs are positioned. On the other hand, it might be asking for trouble to have him involved in anything that requires electricity and water.
(Credit:
HealthTools)
Next to dentists, scales are our worst enemies. Not the fish or music variety, but the kind that unfairly make us cut back on our sensible daily diet of Domino's and Krispy Kremes. Worse yet, they're getting more powerful all the time.
But most of them do their work after the fact, happy to just mock us without helping. What we really need is some intervention--such as a scale for the food, before we eat it. The EatSmart Nutritional Scale, for instance, "serves as a food guidance system to regulate calories, nutrients and portion size appropriate." Or, as Medgadget puts it, you can become "your own chow master."
Consider it a way to regulate your diet by literally weighing your options first. Because iit's definitely a better alternative to HAL or cat food.
Arma virumque cano?
(Credit: Bungie Studios)Forget 300. The real way to make ancient history and literature cool is...Halo?
We've already seen World of Warcraft used as a way to bring The Canterbury Tales into the digital age. But that was a student project--this interesting story, which we read on Joystiq, is the project of a professor at the University of Connecticut who's looking to better connect his students with the literature they're assigned in class. This would be Robert Travis, an associate professor of modern and classical languages, who has gone so far as to take an Xbox to class into the lecture hall to prove that Halo has its roots in ancient epic poetry like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgil's Aeneid.
"Both Halo and the Aeneid tell a story about a more-than-human hero defeating enemies who would be too much for ordinary people like us; enemies who nevertheless bear an important resemblance to the ones we and the Romans face in our respective presents," Travis is quoted as saying in the UConn Advance article. The idea of interactivity, he said, is also something that the two have in common--Homer's tales were told orally, and the audience wouldn't know what to expect. "Like today's gamers, the bards' audiences didn?t know what was going to happen next, so they were immersed in the story and were interactive with it in a very real way," Travis explained.
Um, okay. I think it's a bit of a stretch, but hey, if it makes the UConn kids do their homework...
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