January 5th - 2006

What will they think of next?

Technological inventors had a busy year in 2005 coming up with several practical and not-so-practical gadgets.

Technological inventors had a busy year in 2005 coming up with several practical and not-so-practical gadgets. Some of these gadgets are so new that they are not even available to buy yet. But if you’re someone who likes to be “first on your block,” you can keep an eye open for new items like these.

eNook
If you have a lot of electronic gadgetry, you will appreciate the eNook, a very multi-purpose workspace. eNook charges, stores and fits where you don’t have a lot of room. It has channels for you to plug in and charge all of your electronic gadgetry, like your laptop, cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. Flip it up to store your laptop and lock it out of sight. Or flip it down and you have a handy desk. eNook’s fabric covered back panel even serves as a bulletin board. It costs around $400 U.S. and you can choose from different color and fabric combinations to match any decor. For more information visit www.anthro.com and click on the Specialty Products tab.

Scratch-Less Disc
One major problem with regular CDs and DVDs is that they get scratched very easily. Once they do get scratched, they skip, stutter and even stop working all together. A Scratch-Less Disc is touted as "The World's Safest Optical Disc" (CD DVD etc.) offering more reliability and damage protection than any other disc being made or sold. Each disc has 20 small bumps on the bottom surface which raise it off the tabletop or any hard storage surface. The disc surface is also coated with a scratch resistant polymer to help with scratch prevention. For more information visit www.scratchlessdisc.com.

Loc8tor
Are you absent minded? Do you forget easily where you have kept your car keys or your wallet? Loc8tor may be a device made just for you. Loc8tor helps you to locate your lost belongings by getting you to tag items like your wallet or keys etc. Then it uses its radar to locate your belongings. Loc8tor is not available yet, but you can register at their website www.loc8tor.com to be notified as soon as they hit the market.

Butter Wizard
Ever looked for an unusual item to add to a gift basket to a new homeowner? This last item could be billed as the greatest invention since sliced bread! The Butter Wizard is a fully portable temperature controlled butter dish, which both heats and cools regardless of ambient temperature, ensuring your butter stays at the perfect temperature for spreading. So forget fridge-hard and summer soft, the Butter Wizard puts you in control of your butter’s spreadability. Its precision control allows you to adjust the temperature for any bread texture, be it super soft squidgy bread, crusty toast or delicate biscuits. Currently only available in the U.K., the Butter Wizard website www.butterwizard.com states international customers can email them at info@butterwizard.com for more information.

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