Mmmvelopes sell online and at stores including Albertsons, Pick 'n Save, Raley's, and Fry's.
(Credit: J&D's)I honestly can't remember the last time I sent something using conventional mail, but it may have been more than three years ago. I hate licking stamps and envelopes and risking a paper cut in one of the worst places I can imagine. But after spotting these Mmmvelope bacon-flavored envelopes from "bacontrepreneurs" J&D's, I might start looking for reasons to send random stuff out. And for as little as three packs of 25 for $14.99, I can send a lot.
The No. 10 envelopes themselves are regular paper but the glue has a bacony essence ("it's not real bacon, mind you, so you won't have to start storing your envelopes in the refrigerator," the creators stress).
We already have bacon vodka, bacon salt, bacon alarm clocks, and a Web app that superimposes a digital piece of tasty, tasty bacon over everything you navigate. So why wouldn't we get bacon envelopes too? When they make bacon-flavored stamps I might start paying those bills I keep getting. Then maybe I can make food (bacon!) in my oven because they'll have turned the electricity back on. Bacon.
(Via Uncrate)
Just barely making it under the line for the holiday season, Dell's eagerly awaited Adamo XPS laptop is now available to configure and pre-order on the Dell Web site. The estimated ship date given to prospective buyers -- December 22.
According to the online configurator, this system starts at $1,799 and despite the presence of a handful of accessory options, is essentially a fixed, non-customizable laptop.
The base specs include a 128GB Solid State Drive, Intel's 1.4GHz Core SU9400 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 13.4-inch LED display, a 20Wh battery, and integrated Intel GS45 graphics.
Beyond the usual warranty and software options, you can choose to add an external Blu-ray drive for $199, a 500GB external hard drive for $175, or an extended 40Wh battery for $100.
We've previously gotten a chance to take the new Adamo for a test drive, and were impressed with its thin 10mm design and intrigued by its tilted keyboard, but concerned that it was overpriced and underpowered in a a very value-conscious market.
It even looks good.
(Credit: Withings)You take a scale. You give it Wi-Fi. And then you let it log in to your Twitter account to tell the world how much you weigh each morning. That's what this is: the Wi-Fi Body Scale.
At first it sounds silly, but the more I think about it the more I like the idea. If I'm trying to lose weight, this is a good way to force me to watch what I eat lest I embarrass myself in front of my Twitter followers. If it shows me blowing up like a whale instead of dropping pounds then I don't just know I'm doing something wrong, my peers do, too. Shame can be a powerful tool.
The $159 scale already records the user's body weight, lean and fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to a secure Web site accessible by the user. The Twitter integration, though, is a new feature. The Twitter feature is being called "peer motivation" by Withings, the scale's maker, and they're right. I'd call it "weight loss by fear as motivation," but I'm just some blogger.
After months of teaser shots and cameo appearances, Dell has officially announced pricing and other details for the revamped Dell Adamo XPS laptop. Without setting a specific date, Dell says it expects to "begin taking orders and shipping the Adamo XPS in time for the holidays." The ultrathin luxury laptop starts at $1,799.
We had a chance to take a quick test drive with an Adamo XPS earlier this week, as well as capture some hands-on footage on a Flip handheld video camera.
Our initial impressions of the Adamo remain largely the same after getting to handle it at greater length. The system is ridiculously thin, especially for a 13-inch laptop. Unlike the 11-inch Sony Vaio X, which weighs next to nothing, the Adamo feels slightly heavier than it looks, even with an solid-state hard drive. Dell says the Adamo starts at 3.2 pounds, which is nearly twice the weight of the Vaio X.
The Adamo opens in an unusual way, with the lid shut tight until you swipe a finger on a heat-sensitive strip centered on the front edge. Then the lid lifts up, tilting the screen back and lifting the keyboard on its unusual inset hinge.
At least on the nonfinal version we played with, the lid opening action wasn't as smooth as we would have liked. When using one hand to lift the lid, at about the halfway point the front of keyboard tray itself started to lift off the table, requiring us to hold it down with our other hand.
Dell's new Adamo XPS has an unusual inset hinge.
(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)When fully opened, the keyboard sits at maybe a 20-degree angle. It's an unusual setup, but one that provides a more ergonomic typing experience than the average flat laptop keyboard. We also liked the keyboard's metal keys and the reasonably large touchpad.
The system's components seem to be located behind the screen, as the ports (two USB, a headphone jack, power connection, and mini DisplayPort) are on the side edges of the lid. The screen itself is a 13.4-inch LED, with a 1,366x768 resolution. The Adamo's lid has a larger footprint than the lower half, and when closed, the keyboard essentially fits inside the inset lid.
With a 128GB solid-state drive and a 1.4GHz Intel ULV processor, we have high hopes for the system's battery life, which Dell claims is up to 2.5 hours with the default battery and a bit more than 5 hours with an optional extended battery (which we haven't seen in person yet.)
While the new Adamo has a much more radically unique design than the original MacBook-like Adamo, the high starting price means it's still likely to be relegated to coffee shop curio status, along with other luxury laptops such as Sony's Vaio X and HP's Envy 13. Not that there's anything wrong with that; high-end concept-car-like products like these invariably trickle their technology developments to mainstream systems down the road.
We're waiting for a final shipping version of the Adamo XPS to arrive, at which time we'll run it though our standard battery of benchmark tests.
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(Credit:
Tag Heuer)
If you like fast cars, you might get revved up by the Meridiist phone from luxury sports watch maker Tag Heuer. The company has teamed with Italian super sports car manufacturer Lamborghini to create the limited-edition phone, which flashes fancy dual LCD displays made from 60.5 carats of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The phone's design references the Lamborghini Murcielago down to its signature on the battery cover--the same one as on the Murcielago LP 640's V12 engine block. The device has a hand-brushed stainless steel case and backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad customized with Automobili Lamborghini's trademark Taurus bull on the steel central button.
The Meridiist measures about 4.5 inches by 1.8 inches by a little more than half an inch, giving it something of a 2002 aesthetic, but it does boast above-average battery life--seven hours of talk time or 28 days of standby power. Otherwise it has standard specs, like a WAP 2.0 Web browser and a 2-megapixel camera.
In tribute to the year Automobili Lamborghini was founded, 1,963 of the quad-band Bluetooth phones will be sold worldwide.
You can reserve a Meridiist in different colors of real leather or alligator skin, but the fact that we're not seeing a price listed anywhere on the Tag Heuer site makes us think we're better off sticking with our Ford Explorer handset.
(Credit:
Intelligent Design)
Great. So you sprang for an uber-expensive laptop the likes of the Sony Vaio X or Dell Adamo. But what's this? You dare put your el cheapo $50 mouse next to that gorgeous and overpriced portable?
If you do not want to be arrested by the fashion police, then only this wireless mouse by Dutch firm Intelligent Design will do. To quote from the press release, the ID Mouse is made from "grade 1 titanium and high-quality plastic resin" and has a neodymium scroll wheel. Using the standard Bluetooth protocol, it requires two AAA-size batteries to power its laser sensor and comes in white or black.
But that's not the best part. This oh-so-desirable rodent has an oh-so-expensive price tag of 800 euros ($1,176.80). Compatible with both Windows and Mac, you can order one at the Web site--if you've got cash to burn.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Design Boom)
A rocking chair with an integrated OLED lamp would in and of itself be cool enough to feature here on Crave, but the Murakami Chair is different. The power to run the light, you see, comes from your own rocking motion.
As you rock, nano-dynamos built into the chair's skids (I love a job where I get paid to type things like "nano-dynamos") convert the kinetic energy of the motion into power, which is stored in internal batteries during the day or sent straight to the light when dark.
The concept chair was developed by American designer Rochus Jacob, which means it even looks cool. It nabbed first place in designboom's green life competition.
The lighting is all made possible by advances in OLED technology, which make it a very efficient way to convert energy into light. If I had a more high-tech grandpa, I'd get him one of these if it hit the market. That way he could read a book as he sits on his front porch with his shotgun to make sure the kids keep off his lawn.
Really, though, we could see even more practical applications of this technology. Imagine adding nano-dynamos (again!) to the bottoms of your shoes. As you walk around they charge your cell phone or MP3 player or Virtual Boy. OK, maybe not your Virtual Boy. That would be dangerous. And stupid. On many levels.
The new Adamo's offset hinge.
(Credit: Dell)We've mentioned a couple of times how the new, revamped version of Dell's high-end Adamo laptop has a pretty interesting design twist. After offering a few tantalizing teases (including a brief appearance at a press conference last week), the company has now released a couple of shots that show just how the superthin laptop can get away with being only around 10mm thick and still be usable for typing.
Dell says: "Because so many people who have had a sneak peek of Dell's superthin Adamo XPS laptop seem to be falling in love with it, the company today released two more photos of the highly stylized, thin 9.99-mm Adamo by Dell system. The Adamo XPS is as intriguing open as it is closed."
We say, it's an intriguing way to design a laptop, and even though we've only seen it up close very briefly, the idea of an offset hinge which, in effect, props the keyboard up at a more ergonomic angle, is worth further exploration.
Dell has hinted that the new Adamo would be out in time for the holidays, but for now will only say, "Stay tuned for more information on this head-turning product."
(Credit:
Dell)
(Credit:
The Next Web)
OK, we're not really sure what demographic this fake iPhone pocket scale is aiming for, and we also don't condone illegal drug use, but we still have to admit this is pretty funny stuff.
It's just what it appears to be: a fake iPhone that conceals a pocket scale for weighing minute quantities of, uh, cinnamon. Or oregano, maybe. For discreet chefs on the go. It was found on a shelf in a head shop in (where else?) Amsterdam. That said, I've actually seen one in a convenience store here in Seattle.
Really, though, an iPhone? Seems rather conspicuous. We could think of a few other gadgets that would make better decoys than an iPhone. Maybe a Zune would be a better choice, as chances are a police officer wouldn't know how a real one looks.
A quick sneak peek at Dell's new Adamo design.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)At a press conference to show off new licensed laptop lid designs from Major League Baseball and nail polish brand OPI, Dell teased the audience with a brief peek at the new design for its high-end Adamo laptop.
The system, purported to be only 9.99 millimeters thick, was previously hinted at with a single-shot teaser Web site launched by Dell in September. This time around, Dell VP Alex Gruzen pulled one of the new Adamo systems from a laptop sleeve and, keeping the lid closed, held it aloft for a few seconds before handing it off to be spirited away.
Also onhand were two new partnerships for customizable laptop lids on Dell systems. The Dell Design Studio will offer MLB designs for all 30 teams, with "Fan, Classic, and Die-Hard" versions available. Concurrently, OPI, a leading nail lacquer brand, will offer "26 exciting, high-style OPI fashion shades," as laptop lid design options. On top of that, Dell is adding another 80 designs from artists from around the world to the options available when customizing a laptop.
In keeping with Dell's current premiums for custom lids on most of its laptops, these new designs add $85 to the cost. Basic single-color lids are still an extra $40.
We managed to snap a few photos of the elusive new Adamo's brief appearance--check them out in the gallery below.
