World's first interactive refrigerator

The good life just got better. LG has returned with an iteration of its Internet fridge which not only features a polar bear mascot on a 4-inch screen that will interact with you, this icebox now tells you the weather, advises parents on what to feed and dress their kids in. Plus you can also watch TV, display digital photos and write digital memos on the 15-inch screen, besides being able to hook up to a DVD player, USB drive, TV and FM radio. Say, did we also mention that it keeps your food chilled?

See fridge in full

Price: S$3,999 (US$2,531)
Availability: Singapore, in next two months; note that real-time weather forecast function will not be available
Device: Refrigerator
Basic specs: Digital temperature sensor controls, OptiFresh crisper to keep vegetables fresh, BioShield anti-bacteria gasket

Taiwan International Design Competition

With Computex Taipei coming up in June, gadget geeks are assured of the weird and the wondrous being dished out in giant halls. But before that, check out some winning results from the latest Taiwan International Design Competition based on the theme "Experience". The winners range from a personalized tombstone to shoes that double as mops, to a wristband diary. Perculiar choices from the panel, considering the finalists appear more "with it", from a purse phone to a mosquito box. Either way, we can expect 2006's theme of "Nomad" to spawn yet more oddities.

Via Coolhunter

Price: N.A.
Availability: N.A.
Device: Assorted
Basic specs: N.A.

H-Racer

For a toy, the H-Racer is amazingly sophisticated. At a palm-sized 16 x 7cm, it's not only the world's smallest hydrogen car, the H-Racer is a working miniature of fuel cell vehicles to come. An external hydrogen refueling station feeds tiny (and safe) quantities of H to the car's storage tank to power it, producing fuel from water and the sun's energies tapped via a solar panel. How's that for cool? Not surprisingly, this picked up an Intel Environment award nomination in Silicon Valley's Tech Museum. What surprised us was that this came out of the labs of a Shanghainese company.

View top view | hydrogen refueling station | bigger image

Via Gizmag

Price: US$80
Availability: You can contact Horizon Fuell Cell Technologies here or check it out at Hammacher Schlemmer
Device: Fuel cell toy
Basic specs: N.A.

Gun-shaped teddy bear cracker

Bridal couples in Japan apparently have a different spin to shotgun weddings. It's become chic to toss teddy bears in place of bouquets and, sniffing out a good business opportunity, paint firm Sunamiya has created a party cracker gun that blasts out teddy bear ammunition. That's not all. The bears come equipped with their own little parachutes for a soft landing. Awww. Only in Japan, folks.

Via Mainichi Interactive

Price: N.A.
Availability: Now out in Japan
Device: Party cracker
Basic specs: N.A.

Sonic Teenager Deterrent

This seems like something right out of a comic book. But it's for real, and you're going to love the sound of it--a sonic deterrent that repels that portion of the demographics which thrives on being whinny and grating to adult nerves. That's right, we're talking bratty teens under 20. Nicknamed the mosquito, the gadget, invented by Briton Howard Stapleton, apparently emits a shrill noise audible only to this particular age group. Adults lose that ability as they age. The noise is annoying enough to have teens clutch their ears and move away from the source, and is said to sound like a demented insect or a very badly played violin. Quick, someone send this to Supernanny.

Via Ananova

Price: £622 (US$1,100)
Availability: At Compound Security Systems
Device: Security device
Basic specs: 80-decibel bursts of pulsing sounds at up to 16khz

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