Heat therapy from the USB port?

The makers of the massage mouse and the MP3 player that does facials have got some competition for the USB port. Another so-called pain reliever that attaches to the computer comes from USB Fever, this one offering to soothe sore muscles with an infrared heat pad.

Although Everything USB says it's light enough that "you should barely know you are using it", we think it looks like a giant suction pad--a large version of the kind they stick to your chest for electrocardiograms. And that may be no idle coincidence: It comes with a disclaimer suggesting that a doctor be consulted before using it. Don't expect this to be covered by insurance.

Via Crave CNET

A modern rickshaw for the lazy blader

Imagine an unmanned version of a rickshaw designed to pull along a roller-blader who didn't want to roller-blade. That pretty much describes the "Electric Cruiser" by Mademoto.

This weird contraption is powered by an electric motor that can reach a top speed of just under 19 miles per hour, which is easily fast enough to cause major injury. But that assumes one will be actually pulled in a straight line, rather than using it as a partner for a pairs skating demonstration as it appears in this picture seen on 7Gadgets.

Via Crave CNET

A slob's dream: The ironing clothes dryer

This sounds too good to be true, but we're putting our faith in it anyway because we love the idea so much.

Electrolux, which has already invented the washing machine from the future (ultraviolet light), has outdone itself with the ultimate in next-generation dryers: one that helps with the ironing. The "Iron Aid" steam dryer doesn't exactly iron the clothes, according to Appliancist, but it does have "dewrinkling" feature that adds a steam phase at the end of the regular drying cycle. The 20-minute shvitz is enough to treat five shirts.

The UK-made device is definitely on the pricey side for a dryer, weighing in around US$1,145. But if you detest ironing as much as we do, it may well be worth the money.

Via Crave CNET

Hot deal: Amazing floating house for US$4 mil to US$5 mil

With housing prices what they are in the San Francisco Bay Area, many of our readers may be looking for other options. Don't move out of town--stay in the bay...literally...in this awesome floating house.

Underwater Vehicles, maker of commercial subs, portable decompression chambers, and the like, has a series of beautiful, highly impractical, semi-submarine dwellings by Italian naval architect Giancarlo Zema. They all feature space-age design and submerged underwater viewing platforms. The Trilobis floating home, in particular, is also geared for greenness, with hydrogen fuels, solar panels, and photovoltaic windows to keep down fuel costs. Your new abode can reach 7 knots of speed. It's not suitable for ocean crossings but is instead intended for exploring coves and inlets. This whimsical/practical lodging solution seems particularly well-suited for luxury seaside tourist destinations, marine scientists, and fans of The Life Aquatic.

What: Trilobis 65 Habitat
How much: US$4 million to US$5 million
Shipping: Unknown
Where: Sub-find

Via Crave CNET

Sony Ericsson to launch W890i, W380i and K660i?

If the rumors on the Web are true, we should be looking at new mobile phones from Sony Ericsson some time this week. According to reports, there will be three handsets introduced, among them two Walkman phones and one Cyber-shot offering.

The most feature-packed model of the handset trio has to be the W890i which was first mentioned back in September. Based on supposedly "leaked" images of the phone, the W890i will feature a metallic exterior and is expected to succeed the current W880i. It will also be equipped with a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera, a 2-inch QVGA display, HSDPA as well as a new Walkman application.

The second Walkman model, the W380i, is rumored to be a clamshell handset that will replace the W300i. One of its unique features is a new gesture control mechanism for music playback but it is unknown how this works. What is said about the phone though is that it will come with either a VGA or 1.3-megapixel camera and is unlikely to support 3G or HSDPA.

A lot of information has been circulating about the Cyber-shot K660i phone. Features such as a 2-megapixel camera, quadband GSM with HSDPA, FM radio, 262K-color QVGA display and M2 card expansion slot have been reported by most of the gadget sites and blogs. However, one feature that stands out from the rest is the screen orientation toggle function which, according to reports, allows for better view of Web pages in the landscape mode.

Do note that the above information on the three new Sony Ericsson phones is based purely on writeups gathered from the Web.

Via electronista and Mobile Magazine
Picture credit: electronista

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