Lifestyle

Recent products from Japan's NTT DoCoMo continue to reflect that country's aging population, as we saw the other day with a phone created for the elderly or others hard of hearing. Its latest offering is aimed at seniors who might not be able to use a handset at all.

DoCoMo's new video phone device stays connected to NTT's broadband cellular network for health care and emergency situations, according to Electronista. Homebound patients, for example, can contact their doctors and show them their conditions on the device's 7-inch display, which also serves as a touch screen … Read more

It's one thing to have LEDs around the house or even on the head, but in your mouth? Um, no.

The "Ionic Teeth Whitener" promises to keep your pearly whites sparkling with a special blue LED that that "activates silver ions" in its accompanying toothpaste, according to Red Ferret. For $30, it promises to "remove stains from coffee, soda, wine, smoking and more."

More? If you've got more issues than these, you probably need more than a dental cleaner in your life.

I wish I could tell you this was a joke.

It isn't. I'm sorry.

Though it looks like it could be a great MIT prank, this is actually a project run by the U.S. Postal Service. They're commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope by putting mailboxes decorated to look like R2-D2 into post offices, accompanied by the not-yet-functional Web address "uspsjedimaster.com". Dude, I think Star Wars is great and all, but I really hope none of my tax dollars went into this...endeavor.

$5 says we'… Read more

LEDs continue to pop up everywhere, from music players to your head, and one company from Japan is taking them to new frontiers in the great outdoors.

Like all LEDs, Iwasaki Electric's "Bouhantou" is remarkably efficient--it can last for 40,000 and requires far less energy to operate than standard bulbs. But Gizmowatch notes that it has one important distinction: The Bouhantou doesn't emit ultraviolet light, which means it won't attract insects.

And that, in our entomophobic opinion, is the best thing about it.

Much of the clothing that's appeared on Crave has focused on technologies like music or communications gear sewn into the fabric. (Except for those dorky ties that Caroline McCarthy is so fond of.)

But if you're looking for a truly urban outfit, this may be for you: the bulletproof raincoat, which Spycatcher claims will resist everything from a pocket knife to "9mm Full Metal Jacket Round Nose projectiles." But Gizmodo notes that the $2,000 garment still leaves your neck exposed, so don't expect it to be of much help against vampires.

If you're … Read more

This is how I know I've gone off the deep end. It's not enough that my apartment is cluttered with all kinds of knob-covered music devices. Now I'm actually considering buying little miniature versions to populate my cubicle at work. What is broken in my brain that makes me want to drop $20 on a small paper version of a vintage Arp 2600 modular synthesizer? And that's the budget version! Those of you for whom money is no object can commission Dan McPharlin to create your own Lilliputian fantasy recording studio. Now I just need to … Read more

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are hesitant to go camping these days because of their overwhelming dependence on gadgets: digital cameras, iPods, BlackBerrys, cell phones, and the like. Spending several days without the ability to charge said gadgets would be, well, torture on the level of being forced to listen to that Darwin audiobook. But now there's a solution: the Eureka N!ergy tent, which comes with a "power pack" to keep your electronic gizmos juiced up. It'll set you back $300. (Pocket change!)

The catch is that the Eureka … Read more

Office food thieves, beware. Your illicit supply is about to run dry.

That's because co-workers no longer need to keep their food in the communal fridge for microwaving at lunchtime. Instead, they can just keep it at their desk and microwave it inside the lunchbox itself. The "WaveBox," combined with its "CoolWave" liner, is an all-in-one food receptacle and cooking appliance. The latter keeps the contents fresh until you're ready to eat, when you can then flip a switch and microwave your grub right inside the WaveBox, according to Popgadget.

Billed as the "… Read more

It's karma: As the ravages of age befall us, products for the elderly that we used to mock suddenly don't seem so funny anymore. (It starts with bifocals.)

Nowhere is that truer than in Japan, where the aging population has become a source of national concern. So it's appropriate that NTT DoCoMo has developed the "Raku-Raku," a mobile phone designed specifically for people with impaired eyesight and hearing. The phone can slow down the words of an incoming call, read text and numbers aloud, and adjust ringtones and volume according to external noise, according to … Read more