flower

With Mother's Day still several months away, we were caught somewhat off guard by this new media player from Hong Kong-based Sysbay. The reason: We're not used to seeing gadgets adorned with flowery patterns until that time of year.

But we can't blame the company for trying--after all, if people are willing to buy anything with Hello Kitty's mouthless face on it, there are bound to be fans of the foliage depicted around the PF500's 7-inch screen, as Engadget says. And that would be welcome news, because it's about the only thing that differentiates … Read more

As spy gadgetry is concerned, this one isn't exactly 007 smooth. It's quite the opposite, actually, in that talk-into-my-carnation kind of way.

Although this product is presumably meant for covert activities--it's being sold on Spycatcher, after all--these "Spy Sunglasses" are basically a pair of shades with a camera stuck on the side, about as camouflaged as a snowman in a coal mine. It would go perfectly with the Discovery wrist cam in the Department of Glaringly Obvious.

Besides, now that we can sneak a video feed with a pinhole camera built into a tie, who … Read more

Those of us who talk to our plants are used to one-way conversations. Now, thanks to the Communication Flower from Japan's E-Revolution, the human-horticulture rapport is about to get more reciprocal.

The gizmo is a small box with a speaker and 200 words and phrases in its memory. Touch the flora and a little guy sitting atop the cube spouts the preprogrammed sentiments randomly. We're having a little trouble extracting the nature of the phrases from translated Japanese promotional materials, but one blurb explains that you can expect to hear "the word which gives vigor to you, … Read more