Today in Tech5 of fall’s most outrageous and actually useful gadgets
The web's on fire with weird gadgetry. iPod-charging toilet paper holders, martini-mixing robots, and dog poop vaporizers just to name a few. If you can imagine it, it's probably out there. And this fall brings yet more outlandish tech gizmos and thingamajigs to the Internet. We'll tell you which ones are the craziest of the crop. Dig in and get your wacky on below.
1. iTree iPhone dock by KMKG Studio
Price: $15,000
Buy it: iTree iPhone dock by KMKG Studio
Ever had the urge to stash your iPhone in a tree? Well, what are you waiting for? For a cool 15 grand, KMKG Studio will cut down and carve you your very own iPhone-charging iTree.
No, it's not pulp fiction; iTree is the real thing, turning any tree of your choice (cherry, poplar, or spruce, for example) into a one-of-a-kind audio art installation. In fact, if you want, you can even trek into the forest with KMKG's carpenters to hand-pick just the right one.
Once hollowed out and sanded, your fresh-cut iTree is trimmed with phone charging hardware and top-of-the-line speakers, hold the leaves. The final product is an acoustically awesome stump of functional art which you might even be tempted to hug.
iTree isn't the greenest or most practical charging choice, nor is it affordable. Still, its cool factor is undeniable. Got an iPad? There's an iTree for that, too.
2. ONEDOF Turntable
Price: $150,000
Buy it:ONEDOF Turntable
The ONEDOF, short for One Degree of Freedom, is more than a few degrees overpriced, but worth every penny. (That isn't a typo. It really costs $150,000!) If you're serious about your vinyl collection, and seriously loaded, this luxury precision turntable just might be music to your audiophile ears.
Gilded, gorgeous, and dreamed up by one very talented NASA aerospace engineer, the slick ONEDOF record spinner is certainly dreamy to look at. And it's even dreamier to listen to. It better be, right?
It's the first turntable in the history of the phonograph to feature a self-centering aluminum alloy platter with non-resonant liquid suspension. Translation: It wipes out virtually all acoustic distortion and makes vinyl records sound amazingly crisp and clear. Everything about this 50-pound musical heavyweight sounds (and looks) incredible to us, including the outrageous price tag.
3. Star Trek Enterprise Light-Up Feeding System
Price: $24.99
Buy it: Star Trek Enterprise Light Up Feeding System
Boldly go where no liquified carrot has gone before! Helping your new life form transition to solid food can feel like the final frontier...not to mention a very messy one that you and your wee geekling can traverse together with a little help from Star Trek Enterprise Light-Up Feeding System.
Dinnertime distraction be darned. If you've passed along your love of Star Trek like a good Trekkie, your baby won't be able to resist the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 replica spoon. Gently dock it in your babe's adorable face station and you'll successfully one-up the tired "open sesame" feeding trick.
The set's durable bib stands up to baby drool and flying food debris, but how are its flashy embedded LED flashing lights activated? By engaging the lightweight, dishwasher-safe spoon Enterprise spaceship, of course.
Resistance is futile. Your oatmeal will be assimilated.
4. Dr. Dre Beats Studio Headphones Swarovski Light Rose Limited Edition by Crystal Rocked
Price: approximately $882.00
Buy it: Dr. Dre Beats Studio Headphones Swarovski Light Rose Limited Edition
It's time once again for Dr. Dre to make his presence felt. Trust us, you've never been on a ride like this before. The West Coat rapper-producer's latest blinged-out Beats Studio headphones rock 43,000 precision-cut Swarovski crystals, and each and every one sparkles in all its pink lemonade-colored glory.
And they're just as fancy on this inside. They bring the noise with high-definition powered amplification and exterior noise cancellation. Fill your ears with the same caliber music The Doc himself demands, and wants you to hear it in. That is, if you're willing to shell out the big bucks. (If not, Dr. Dre's Diddybeats Monster Earbud Headphones should break you off for a lot less paper; they cost about $149 or so.)
Pink's not your color? No worries. These insane headphones come in white, black, and red Swarovski crystals, too. Plug the included 4-foot-long Monster Cable into your iPhone or BlackBerry (or dozens of other audio devices) and sit back, relax, and strap on your seat belt, just like the good Doc says.
5. Canon X Mark I Mouse Slim
Price: $59.99
Buy it:Canon X Mark I Mouse Slim
Canon's X Mark I Mouse Slim is a 3-in-1 overachiever with a beautiful identity crisis. It's a wireless mouse, a calculator, and keypad, all rolled into one hot mess. Sure, this featherweight (3.47-ounce) trybrid is innovative, but we can't imagine anyone lusting over one, except for laptop-toting traveling accountants and other professionals who regularly crunch numbers.
Warning: This nifty mouse-u-lator only gets along with laptops and computers tricked out with Bluetooth v2.0 technology, so be sure yours has the goods. The ambitious X Mark I Mouse Slim is available in black or white, and comes with a soft travel pouch.
Outrageous is the new black
What do you think? Would you open your wallet for any of these oddball, overachieving gizmos? We would definitely go for that geekalicious Star Trek bib and spoon duo, and some staffers miss having a discrete number pad when they're using a laptop, so the Canon X Mark I has some appeal.
And none of us can resist iTree... it's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
This article was written by Kim Lachance Shandrow and originally appeared on Tecca
More from Tecca:
Give your food a one-of-a-kind shine with edible spray paint
