The Safe-Clik-N-Grip Laptop Strap

Here's a nifty device that makes life a lot easier for execs who spend more time in the air than on the ground. Even those of us who travel on the occasional job junket will have gone through the hassle of digging out our notebook, chucking this into the security bin to be scanned by the x-ray machine, retrieving it and packing it back. All while trying to hurry through the tedious process. There's always the horror of dropping your laptop (owners of hardy ToughBooks or ThinkPads may sneer, but one never knows). A case of drag-and-drop? Okay, pun aside, out of necessity comes invention, and for enterprising traveler Gary Peters, that was the Safe-Clik-N-Grip Laptop Strap. It may look like some cheap DIY strap, but as Peters explains: "I developed a strap and handle assembly, with the handle allowing me to easily extract my laptop from my backpack prior to reaching the security belt. In other words, I can carry my laptop like another piece of luggage; drop it into the security bin, and extract the laptop from the bin by the handle, and easily return it to my backpack following the x-ray process." Two versions of strap are available: One for briefcase laptop bags and one for backpack laptop bags. Sit, Ubu, sit.

Via Gizmag

Price: US$14.95 (excluding shipping)
Availability: At Midrix Strap Store
Device: Laptop strap
Specs: 2-inch Poly-Pro webbing, main strap assembly fitted with 2-inch side release buckle, 2-inch tri-glide, support strap fitted with 5-inch hook & loop fasterner on each end, rubber handle.

Inkless pen

Curse of the leaking ink? Tell us about it. Stained fingers aside, yours truly had a perfectly good bag strap accidentally inked to the point where no ink remover would salvage it. Which is where this little pen makes a great addition to your writing arsenal--since there's no ink involved. Uncapped, all it has is a solid metal tip that actually writes on any paper type. No tricks. Just good, old science which borrows from medieval times when scribes and artists used silver-tipped styli to scribble on specially prepared paper. Silver being too rich for today's humble stationery, the modern version employs a metal alloy that leaves marks on paper much like a pencil. There're tradeoffs, of course. You can't rub those marks off, and you certainly won't be marking papers in red.

Get up close with the writing

Via popgadget.net

Price: US$23.53
Availability: Mid-January at Grand Illusions catalog
Device: Pen
Specs: 8cm long

Coolight

The jury's finally out on the latest designboom competition. And with the theme of "house party", the top prize has been nabbed by Taiwanese entrant Wen-Haur Yen. Good to know Asia has the design gumption to score one against 3,070 participants from around 89 countries. We reckon what makes Wen-Haur's entry a hit is that it's as much about function as form. The practical Asian side? The Coolight works as a handle fitted with a steel cylinder of cryogen you pre-freeze, which you can pop into your beer bottle to chill without the diluting effects of ice. A hole at the top lets you drink your preferred poison without having to remove the device. Color LEDs add fun party effects. Again, Wen-Haur's pragmatic side emerges with the LED doing double-duty as a display for information such as time and temperature. We won't be surprised if the commercial model throws in a breathelizer for drivers. Until then, somebody get this out into production quick!

See how it works | bigger image | projected effect

Via Yanko Design

Price: N.A.
Availability: More at designboom
Device: Cooling device
Specs: N.A.

Sony's VAIO TP1 Living Room PC

Looking like a hat box or even one of those circular containers holding a treasure trove of Lunar New Year goodies, Sony's new VIAO TP1 Living Room PC will keep you guessing its function. We like that the stylemeister has broken away from the usual boxy CPU designs to one that looks good enough to eat off. According to barebone specs, there's HDMI-out so you can hook it up to your HDTV for some big-screen action. Onboard will be Windows Vista Home Premium, an Intel Core 2 Duo chip, Wi-Fi. The TP1 will also offer (rather disappointingly) a standard-def dual-layer DVD burner, media card reader, a decent 300GB hard drive and TV tuner. It'll be interesting to see the actual size of this piece of hardware since it's hard to tell by a single image alone (it's the only available picture at press time). As with all designer Sony products, start saving early for the US$1,600 sticker price.

Via CNET Crave

Price: Est. at US$1,600
Availability: Slated for a March launch, though no details on which country gets this
Device: PC
Specs: N.A.

Tekuteku Angel Pocket

2007 may be the zodiac year of the pig. But that doesn't mean you have to make a pig of yourself. To get healthy, check out this little angel. It's a pedometer that works like a Tamagochi game. But rather than lavish TLC on it, the virtual pet in the game grows up according to the distance walked. Incentive perhaps for those who've gained some plump love handles from all that Christmas and year-end gorging? According to the writeup, you can set a target such as distance to be walked each day. Upon successfully meeting your goal, your pet (which oddly looks like a monkey from the pictures) turns into an angel, brandishing encouragement such as "nice walking". Nintendo DS owners can hook their console to the pedometer to exploit the DS Tekuteku Diary, which usefully keeps track of distance walked, calories expended and other health data. However, if you've been slacking on those new year resolutions, Tekuteku will get fat and even fall ill. Gruesome warning to your arteries.

Via Crisscross

Price: 5,229 yen (US$45.49, S$69.66)
Availability: At yesasia.com
Device: Weight loss gizmo
Specs: Available in blue or pink, 200g

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