Motoman's Robobar

The next time you pour your sorrows across the counter to the bartender, it may just wink a few cheeky lights and whirl on its axle. Motorman's RoboBar is no lovable Sam Malone at Cheers (where everyone knows your name), but a robotic arm capable of whipping up draft beer, mixed drinks, soda and juices. Forget the loose change since this robotic barman uses a magnetic card scanner and touch screen to authorize a drink service, passed via an automatic turntable located at the side. Still, this makes for one cool party addition even if no bar-top dancing is allowed.

Price: Available for purchase or lease but doesn’t' say how much
Availability: US
Device: Robot barman
Basic specs: N.A.

Talking Street

One more good reason to get a triband phone. Talking Street isn't so much a product as a service you purchase over your cell phone. If you're solo and a stranger to New York or Boston, Talking Street works like an audio walking tour--only it's over your handset. And you determine your pace and destination by calling a number, picking a stop and listening in to the relevant audio segment. How cool is that?

Price: US$5.95 per audio tour, valid for a week
Availability: Talking Street
Device: Cell phone walking tour
Basic specs: Free previews, celebs narrate the audio segments with Sigourney Weaver on the Lower Manhattan & World Trade Center Site, Jerry Stiller on New York's Lower East Side, and Steve Tyler on Boston

Calory Answer Spectroscopic Calorimeter

This has got to be the world's most expensive calorie counter. At US$28,000, this Japanese brainchild uses near-infrared analysis to determine the calorific content in your food, which you feed into a microwave-looking machine looking right out of the movie prop set from Pleasantville. And what do you know, it runs on Windows. For US$28,000, we'll tell you how many grams of fat that Chicken Rice meal has.

Price: US$28,000
Availability: Joy World Pacific
Device: Calorie counter
Basic specs: N.A.

SonicImpact SoundPads

What a concept. A lesser-known company has literally thought out of the box here. Doing away with the box-like speaker cabinets, the SoundPads draw on the idea of sticking two tiny speakers onto any flat, thin-walled surface and using that surface to transmit. As the adhesives behind are pretty permanent, you may want to check out that surface for the best sound repro before slapping the SoundPads on for good. Those who've trialed this give a thumbs up for job done decently. Besides, for just US$19.99 for a set of two, who's complaining.

Price: US$19.99
Availability: Sonic Impact
Device: Stick-on speakers
Basic specs: 2 stick-on speakers, wire to almost any amplifier (speaker wire not included), 8 ohms impedance 10w-50w input, 6w each power rating, 57g each

Rockmelon breast-enhancing ringtone

Remember that kookie Japanese idea of a mammary-boosting ringtone? We're still not sure if this is the real McCoy or one great brainwashing game. In case you didn't know, creator Hideto Tomabechi hit the headlines in Japan 10 years back as one of the guys who deprogrammed members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult. Customer testimonials, however, seem to back up this tit, er, hit subliminal tune, with itty-bitty Japanese gals swearing augmented bust measurements after listening to it for a week. Next up from Tomabechi-san: Ringtones to improve memory, increase attractiveness for the opposite sex, make hair sprout and quit cigarettes.

Price: The ringtone or chakumero is downloaded as part of a package costing 300 yen (US$2.84) a month.
Availability: Japan
Device: Value-added ringtone
Basic specs: N.A.

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