Sleep Doctor

More pillow talk from the land which has brought you the Bust Pillow, Lap Pillow and Boyfriend's Arm Pillow. This one's a little more effective in bringing on those zzzs. Cushioned within the Sleep Doctor are sensors that will measure head and body movements to calculate just how much "pleasant sleep" you're getting on a scale of 30 to 95 percent. After analyzing slumber patterns, it then offers no less than 40 types of advice on a tiny screen. Not good enough for the sleep-deprived? Well, Japanese firm Lofty has also programmed some interesting pillow talk, ranging from "why don't you take it easy tonight? Try taking a long bath", to "you've been sleeping great, keep it up". Here's a little trivia to sleep on: Japan suffers one of the world's highest rates of sleep deprivation due to long working hours. Such insomnia costs the country's economy a cool 3.5 trillion yen (US$30.52 billion) a year, mostly in lost productivity. No sweet dreams here.

(This is just a display image; for the actual device, click here.

Price: 45,000 yen (US$392.40)
Availability: September in Japan and overseas, including parts of Asia and North America.
Device: Sleep pillow
Basic specs: Soft urethane fabric

UV-monitoring keychain

Sun's up, which is all year round in the tropics. Fortunately for airconditioning, life's bearable along the equator. But for sun worshippers, here's where Brit firm AU-MY's UV monitor-on-a-keychain is a handy-sized guardian angel insofar as your skin's health is concerned (read: Premature aging, sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer). This gizmo not only has a countdown timer to keep track of how long you've been out in the sun, it will calculate your recommended exposure time once you input data like your personal skin type and sunscreen's SPF (Sun Protection Factor). It even automatically updates the recommended exposure time when the intensity of those harmful ultraviolet rays changes, making this one hot little lifesaver to tote around.

Get a closer look here

Via CNET News.com blogs

Price: 11 pounds (US$20.10)
Availability: More info at AU-MY Web site
Device: UV monitor
Basic specs: Time, date, daily alarm, stopwatch, temperature display, splashproof

GraphiCard

Just about everyone has a loyalty card somewhere. Problem is this tends to get forgotten amidst the numerous cards collected. So we were pretty surprised when one of our reviewers, who's just this side of a shopaholic, flicked out an ultra-thin loyalty card he had gotten during the Great Singapore Sale. With one difference. It has a thermal rewritable face that allows personalized messages to be displayed on the silver area each time there's a transaction. Rather nifty if you stop to think about a card that can now provide updates on points earned, particulars of instant winner games, and details of special offers each time. On the other hand, you'll also have to swallow the advertising that inevitably comes with it. Win some, lose some.

See full image | graphical version

Price: N.A.
Availability: More info at Visible Results
Device: Rewritable smart card
Basic specs: N.A.

Ipevo free.1 USB phone for Skype

We're sold on Ipevo's Skype handset. Having had a good whack at the handset over at the Kogen booth during the recent CommunicAsia2006 tradeshow, we're impressed by its solidity. It doesn't hurt that this will project designer chic while sitting on your table. That largish hole in the base isn't just for looks, either. We're told it's meant to eliminate echo effects, while onboard software ensures the Ipevo picks up only voice and not background music on your PC. Though the tagline may say "keeping in touch the free.1 way", the Ipevo is anything but free. Prepare to cough up S$88 in order to yak on a tethered, if handsome-looking, Skype handset.

See phone in hand | both colors

Price: S$88 (US$55.30)
Availability: Distributor Kogen Singapore
Device: Skype phone
Basic specs: Skype button, SkypeOut button with predial country codes, IM button, toggle scroll for fast contact list searches, three user-programmable shortcut buttons for changing online status or setting ringtone

Jawbone Air

Two years back, we wrote about the vogue-looking Aliph Jawbone headset, which featured bone conduction technology. Recently, we spotted what appeared to be its progeny at Hong Kong-based i.Tech's booth at CommunicAsia2006. While we weren't able to determine if this was, indeed, an Aliph issue, i.Tech's Jawbone Air works along the same lines. Its voice activity sensor picks up vibrations from your jawbone as you yak away, while onboard noise cancelation technology filters out ambient sounds for greater clarity. At least you don't have to stick a finger in your ear like the Finger Talk (Yubi-Wa) device.

Get the full picture | the specs

Price: N.A.
Availability: September, Asia
Device: Bluetooth bone conduction mobile headset
Basic specs: Talktime 11 hours, standby up to 200 hours, headset and handsfree profiles, Bluetooth v1.2, noise cancelation technology

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