gadgets

Dieting is hard enough if you're a reality show contestant with a personal chef and a trainer at your beck and call. For those of us left to our own devices in ordinary kitchens, we've got to remove every possible obstacle if we're going to meet our goals. That's where products like the Measure Up Bowls come in. These microwave- and dishwasher-safe porcelain portion bowls keep you on track by letting you serve proper portions right in the bowl you're eating from. Nothing extra to wash, and you can simply eat--and enjoy.

The bowls come … Read more

Summer is almost here, and if you're not quite swimsuit-ready, these utensils might just help you out. The Knife and Fork Lift each weigh in at a pound and a half to remind you that every bite you put in your mouth has to be exercised off eventually. If you're trying to be more conscious of what you put in your body, this silverware will definitely do the trick.

Although the site claims that the knife and fork would make a great gift for someone starting a diet or having trouble sticking to one, I'm fairly certain … Read more

A computer can be a truly useful kitchen gadget. Don't believe me? Just point your browser to Steep.it and behold! It is a handy chart of tea-steeping times and temperatures, with a timer functionality that works with visual and aural cues, and the flexibility to work it any way you want. You can type various commands right in your browser's address bar: steep.it/2minutes30seconds or steep.it/herbal, for example.

The timer counts down with a color-changing screen effect and dings (and displays a pop-up) when your tea is ready. You can even navigate away from … Read more

We need to talk.

Some of you have obviously been a little restless lately. You've been leaving comments that betray your irritability. You've been lobbing misspelled accusations about my sexuality that might affect my ability to be nominated for the Supreme Court.

So I'd like you to consider whether this fractiousness might just be the fault of your new iPad. It seems that the revolution that's only just begun might one of the culprits behind something of a REMolution that appears to be preventing so many from enjoying a good night's sleep.

According to CNN, … Read more

Here in Houston, summer lasts 10 months--and then there's July and August. In other words, it's hot here most of the time, and the thought of heating up the house does not exactly, shall we say, warm my heart. But I do want to serve dinner each night, so I need some way to cook.

The Nesco Jet Stream oven lets you fry, broil, bake, steam, roast, and grill--up to 3 times faster than a conventional oven and twice as fast as a convection oven. Cook pizza, bake bread, brown and cook your meat, all without heating up … Read more

Sometime early next week when you walk into the electronics section of your local Wal-Mart, you're likely to notice some changes.

More big name brands of TVs, Blu-ray players, smartphones, and other gadgets will begin to populate the store shelves as the retailing giant tries to expand its reach and customer base even further. The new products will include the latest in TV technology, meaning displays with LED backlighting and Internet connections, Web-connected Blu-ray players, and home networking equipment. There's also going to be more emphasis on getting the trendiest smartphones from carriers on the first day they're available elsewhere, and more accessible mobile broadband plans.

Wal-Mart isn't an underdog in many categories, but in electronics, it's far from being the category leader. Best Buy, whose revenues in 2009 totaled $45 billion, is the largest seller of consumer electronics. Wal-Mart beefing up its gadget offerings is likely part of an effort to play a little catch-up with Best Buy. In 2009, Wal-Mart's electronics sales were $33 billion, or 13 percent of its $258 billion overall revenue.

Wal-Mart, of course, has plenty of things going for it that Best Buy doesn't. Its reach is extensive, and when the recession hit, Wal-Mart was able to take advantage of many people's freshly discovered frugality. Another thing that happened is technology has become essential to a lot of daily activities. As things like computers and TVs become must-haves for all demographics and not just the geeky early-adopter set, Wal-Mart is well-positioned to make even more sales of gadgets. … Read more

So, you have a corner cabinet in your kitchen. And you have items you'd like to store there, but you'd also like to be able to reach them when you need them. You need the KorderKing Cabinet Module, which combines a drawer and a lazy Susan in a single unit.

Store frequently used items in the drawer to access your things easily. Spin the entire unit to take advantage of all the space offered in deeper cabinets to store--and reach--even more. Retrofitting an existing cabinet is straightforward, and there are plenty of how-to videos right on the site. … Read more

As the weather turns warmer, the joyful sound of the ice cream truck driving around the neighborhood becomes more common. And since I have no intention of paying $4 for a Sponge Bob-shaped treat with gumball eyes, I've stocked my freezer with less expensive, if more boring, boxes of chocolate and vanilla goodness.

Whenever my parents serve ice cream, they first microwave the container for about 30 seconds. I prefer my ice cream cold, so I usually just leave it out on the counter for a few minutes to soften enough for easier scooping. But apparently, so many people … Read more