Yamaha Restio ISX-800: A hi-fi less ordinary

You pride yourself on breaking convention. You drive a Citroen GS and have a Symbian smartphone because you like that its roots can be traced to the EPOC OS of your old Psion organiser. You write in fountain pen, but not into a Moleskine notebook. In the bedroom of your converted prison block East London flat, you've cocked a snook at the traditional hi-fi and taken to this upstanding Yamaha, with its vertical-loading CD slot, iPod dock, DAB+ radio and USB connection, as well as an alarm that filters out the high frequencies in music until you're ready to handle them. It is, you think, highly unconventional.
£500, uk.yamaha.com

Read More

Jake Dyson CSYS Tall: Telling tall tales

    According to scientists from the University of Stuff the Daily Mail Immediately Reports as Irrefutable Fact, tall people live longer. And despite the hallowed university's excellent reputation, we disagree. One look at Jake Dyson's new floorstanding CSYS lamp, for example, reveals that although it is much taller and brighter than its desk-based brother, its LEDs have exactly the same lifespan. Although given that you get 160,000 hours (12 hours a day, for 37 years) before having to change the bulb — that's nothing to, er, feel low about.
Jakedyson.com

Read More

Klipsch Image S41 Rugged In-Ear Headphones: (Un)break(able)beats

    Oh, for goodness sake. You've only been out on your bike for a couple of hours and here you are, covered in blood, rain, sweat and spit. Again. Why must we live next to a quarry? And you've broken your headphones? Well, I don't think they're designed for that kind of abuse. Although, while you were attempting front loops off limestone blocks, I was reading that lovely Stuff mag and they said there were some new ruggedised in-ears - dust- and water-resistant, and with a larger remote for using with your bike gloves on. Go run yourself a bath while I order you some. I'll be up with the TCP in a mo.

Read More

Sonic Screwdriver Universal remote: TV Timelord

    You know how it is. You're sat watching TV with Amy Pond, Dr Who's flame-haired heroine, when suddenly the remote goes missing. Oh, very funny, Amy. No, we're not going to wrestle you for it. No, we're not going to chase you. Because, actually, we have a backup: a hand-finished metal sonic screwdriver that lets you control the TV hi-fi, Blu-ray player and more using gesture controls. So you'll just have to wrestle yourself, I'm afraid Amy.

Read More

Zippo 4-in-1 Woodsman: seeking a friend for the end of the wood

    The end is nigh, by some means or another. Whether it's atomic weapons, an accidental black hole at CERN or disgruntled Martians rudely awoken by the univited ramblings of NASA's Curiosity, we're all doomed. But should we find ourselves plonked into a situation more dystopian than apocalyptic, living off the land rather than lying under it, we'll be glad we invested in this Zippo axe-hammer-saw-peg-puller. Well, so long as it doesn't all kick off before spring next year.
£tba (due Spring 2013), zippooutdoor.com

Read More

Mercier Jones Hovercraft: pull the hover one

What is it?

It's freaking amazing, is what it is. It's a sports hovercraft — not like the hovercraft you take to the Isle of Wight, more like a two-seater sports car that has a cushion of air where Its wheels should be.

Will It work?

Do not question the sports hovercraft! Instead, run around with excitement, making whooshing noises and pretending you're in a sports hovercraft! By using hybrid drives and light materials, maker Mercier-Jones says it can produce one for under US$20,000.

Build it or bin it?

We used to believe fusion power would be the next big step in human civilisation, Now we realise: the sports hovercraft is more important.
mender-jones.com

Read More

Insteon LED bulb: dimmer than thou

    The light switch has been working perfectly since 1884, but we doubt it will be around for much longer. The reason? This network-connected LED bulb, which gets a 60W bulb's worth of brightness from 8W of power and doesn't need a switch — you brighten, dim and extinguish it with an app. Sadly, so far it's only available in the US, but it's definitely going to be so much more convenient than hitting a switch on the wall. Now if I can just find my phone... wait, I've put the PIN in wrong. Let's just sit in the dark instead.
US$30, smarthome.com

Read More

iRobot Roomba 790: carpet crawler

    Not so long ago, we'd spend every Saturday afternoon moving slowly across the living room floor, carefully licking up all the cat hair and crumbs In our path. But now, a robot can do it for us. This Roomba autonomously munches dust for hours, finding denser patches of filth with its optical and acoustic sensors, but if you're hankering for the old times, It also comes with a touchscreen controller that lets you assume direct control and drive it straight towards the nicest hair or tastiest crumbs.
£800, irobot.com

Read More