Magnetic buttons

If velcro doesn't do it for you, someone somewhere in Hokkaido, Japan--specifically World Work Company which doesn't seem to have a Web site (surprise, surprise)--has come up with magnetic buttons. Developed more for the elderly and disabled, one assumes these fasten on really well and won't pop open as easily as they snap close. There's a reason magnetic buttons haven't become a standard fastening mechanism for clothing, besides being customs checkpoint-unfriendly. Still, the Japanese have added their own meticulous touch with special coating to prevent rust. Yaka!

Via Plastic Bamboo

Price: Shirt at 6,000 yen (US$49), PJs at 7,900 yen (US$64)
Availability: In Japan
Device: Buttons
Specs: N.A.

Piano can

More weird stuff out of Japan, this one takes the cake, erm, can. StrapYa, better known for its mobile phone straps, has stuffed a roll-up keyboard into a can. Unlike the other rollup keyboard, this one's more for the baby set. You can thump out some notes and trip off the eight pre-programmed tunes. But otherwise, don't expect to compose Beethovan's Moonlight Sonata on this. So what's with the duck on the can? Only for quacks?

See more images here


Via Plastic Bamboo

Price: 1,050 yen (US$8.90)
Availability: At Japanese site StrapYa
Device: Piano keyboard
Specs: N.A.

Wii Hero Pack

Can you say Wii? History will be rewritten by something that sounds almost rude to the male gender. Thanks to enterprising third-party vendors like Camry International, there is now an accessory that will let you carry out your most medieval fantasies to the hilt, from Dungeons and Dragons to LOTR, to Samurai Warriors: Katana . We're already seen tennis racquets and even steering wheels, but we like the cut and thrust of this addon which lets you have a slashing good gameplay that ought to work up some sweat. Wiii…

See more images here


Via Coolest Gadgets

Price: N.A.
Availability: Coming, more info here
Device: Wii accessory
Specs: Foam based

////furminator

Google furminator, and you'd probably get to a site for pet deshedding products. The concept, though, is doggone fun. Take a pinball game, and basically reverse it so the paddles are right in front of the player's eyes, giving him an intense first-person perspective. As long as you're not claustrophobic, you don a VR helmet that basically seals your head in a force-feedback capsule. Just imagine. Everytime a ball flies toward you, your head will be shaking at every paddle hit. Throw in blinking lights, dizzying noises and flipper thuds, and you'll feel like Alice down the rabbit hole. Too bad this doesn't seem to have made it past the concept stage, being more than a few years old.

Watch the video here (Quicktime player needed)

Via Gearfuse

Price: N.A.
Availability: More information here
Device: Immersive gameplay
Specs: N.A.

X-mini Capsule Speaker

It's almost impossible not to be impressed by the pocket-size X-mini Capsule Speaker. Given that we've never successfully located good third-party USB speakers to hook up to our notebook, the X-mini comes as a very neat and portable solution. We were even more impressed when, in a demo, Singapore-based XM-I Company's Ryan Lee gave the device a sideways twist and the X-mini extended upwards, accordion-style. And it's this extendable vacuum that acts like a loudspeaker, allowing the mini device to boom out in a surprisingly loud, full-bodied volume. According to Lee, this uses a patented technology that mimics the resonance of a sub-woofer. An on-off switch also doubles as a two-step volume control. To keep the sound even and not drain the player's own batts, there're rechargeable batteries built-in, although we stumbled upon some very minor glitches during the charging process. Still, for a 50g David that can best the Goliath boomboxes out there, who's complaining?

See bigger image here

Price: S$49 (US$32)
Availability: Just launched in Singapore
Device: External speaker
Specs: Hooks up to any 3.5mm audio jack, built-in rechargeable batteries, retractable charging cable-USB plug, 50g, in black though a red version should be out soon

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