Homer will protect your food from you

Those on a diet but who can't resist the temptations lurking in the refrigerator will appreciate the Homer Simpson Talking Fridge Guard. Meant to sit on one of your fridge shelves, Homer will recite one of his six canned phrases every time you open the door. Aside from giving guests a good laugh, this will shame you when trying to reach for that soda or bag of chips while trying to lose weight. There's nothing quite like the world's most famous slob to remind you to stay disciplined.

Quite a few gadget sites based in the UK list it as being out of stock, but with a bit of searching we're sure you will be able find an online store with a ready unit for sale. It retails for about US$29.

Via bookofjoe

iWood 3B leads charge in smartphone devolution

Forget what I told you before about disguising your iPhone; there are alternatives to feeling embarrassed by your mobile phone. Why not buy one that you can be proud of, maybe even one forged from the ashes of Miss Mother Nature herself? Set yourself up with an iWood 3B smartphone and you'll never again miss "all the times you wood rather stab someone in the eye than talk about 3G anything".

The iWood 3B is the perfect complement for the on-the-go professional who knows when it's time to work, when it's time to play, and when it's time to tap on a 3-inch by 4-1/2 half inch piece of Bamboo Plywood. Amazingly, the entire device is crafted from a single block of wood, and it's contoured at a precise 90-degree angle to fit ergonomically in your hand.

Like its current competition, it has all the internal components you now expect out of a full-time device: Accelerometer, proximity/light/infrared sensor, and even its own sensor for sensing sensors around your sector. Best of all, the iWood 3B draws all of its power from a rechargeable gyroscopic battery that should last for approximately infinity hours with just one twitch.
Read more »

Pleo faces extinction, fate unknown in Asia

We may not be sure if meteors killed off the dinosaurs, but it sure seems like the lack of money did this particular one in. At least, that's apparently what Ugobe, maker of animatronic dino robot Pleo, is facing right now. The privately held company based in Eagle, Idaho, has recently filed for bankruptcy and dismissed its workers, according to news site Idaho Statesman. We couldn't reach Ugobe for comments, although the firm's online portal for Southeast Asia is still up and running at the time of writing. We'll update this space as we get more details, but meanwhile, rest in peace, Pleo, we miss you already.

Via Engadget

External multitouch trackpad for the PC

The problem with Apple's multitouch trackpads is that they are only found on the company's MacBook range. A Japanese company, Filco, has announced a trackpad that brings that feature to the PC.

The SmartTrack Neo plugs into any USB port on any PC running on Microsoft Windows XP or Vista. Despite its USB 1.1 spec, I want one on my table.

This USB gadget will go on sale in Japan on April 25 for 4,980 yen (about US$51)

More information can be found here.

Via Akihabara News

Kelvin Low is CNET Asia's very own go-to intern for Music & Play. When he's not fiddling with gadgets or setting up new PC rigs, he can be found hitting the dirt tracks on his mountain bike. Kelvin is currently studying mass communications at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. Email Kelvin.

Wedding Robot to liven up parties

This has shades of Cabbage Patch and Chucky going for it. Not one of Japan's kawaii robots to emerge since the lovable-looking Asimov delighted audiences with its programmed antics, LittleIsland's Wedding Robot (198,000 yen, US$2,500) just gives me the spooks since the choice of a bridal costume calls to mind the jilted and tragic Miss Haversham in Charles Dicken's Great Expectations.

Nor do you need a scorned bride to spill secrets. This one will apparently respond to voices and, according to the site literature, freely share secrets of the groom to liven up the party. And don't think because it's in Japanese, you're safe. LittleIsland states it's developing an English database for its bot in white. Pray this bride doesn't start doing karaoke in its next iteration.

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