Drinking

Hot water has a way of transforming things; coffee, tea, and soup would all be very different without it. Like any transformative technology, it all has to start somewhere. Sitting on the kitchen countertop, electric teakettles are convenient devices that heat water quickly and efficiently. No matter what they look like on the outside.

The Panasonic NC-ZK1V Kettle with High Quality Stainless Steel and Violet Finish ($179.95; also available in a cool smoke finish) can become part of a kitchen's routine without blending in. The distinctive appliance, Panasonic's Breakfast Collection, is one way to deck out your … Read more

They say we eat with our eyes first, yet that is only half the story. Clearly, whoever this "they" is either has a terrible sense of smell or a very bad cold. Eyes are great for getting a sneak peek of what's to come, but it is the nose that knows before all. Naturally, some edibles have more odiferous enticements than others with breakfast having a pretty big hold on olfactory actions. However, bacon and the scent of toasting bread are not the beginning of the story.

Wafting into the bedroom first thing in the morning, the … Read more

If sharing fluids strikes you as icky, Coca-Cola's shareable can may be just the thing. A simple twist and the 330-milliliter can splits in half, one for you and one for a friend. Ideally, you should only do this with one buddy, as the can doesn't multiply any further.

The idea of this shareable can originated with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, though the group that came up with the idea has since left the company. The concept was based on a Pepsi can that had been cut in half to be used as an ash tray. Passersby in Singapore recently could grab a shareable can from a "happiness truck," though we reckon it's unlikely the can will end up being made as a real product that's widely available. … Read more

There is something magical about going out to eat. Walk into a restaurant, sit down, and pick something to eat from a list that is presented to you. Not long after, your order arrives -- professionally made -- and when finished, the dishes disappear. How all this is able to happen not only involves a well-choreographed dance, but also skill and talent. But it's not all about the main course.

Just as with life in general, it's the little things that matter when going out to eat. Little things like dessert, milkshakes, and sometimes pie. The Waring Milk Shake & Drink Mixer ($169.95) … Read more

The kitchen countertop is valuable real estate. With available counter space always at a premium, gadgets and appliances that are contenders for acreage require something to help them stand out from the crowd. Sometimes it's a matter of versatility and other times it's convenience that determines what gets to stay and what has to go. And sometimes it's just the tasty stuff that gets to stay; but that doesn't have to mean unhealthy.

No longer relegated to the hard-to-reach corner of the countertop (or worse yet, stored underneath it), the Hurom Premium Slow Juicer & Smoothie Maker ($429.95) … Read more

Wine requires a commitment, but it is not pricey bottles or expensive wine cellars that comprise the whole equation. Luckily, the other side of the equation is the good side: actually drinking the wine. However, that brings up another consideration: which bottle to open and drink? Or one could take the safe route and cover all the bases by opening more than one.

The Dacor Discovery DYWS4 WineStation allows for opened bottles of wine to be stored and preserved for up to 60 days. The home wine-serving station uses argon gas to stop oxygenation and allow opened wine bottles to … Read more

Coffee might not be essential to life (although the jury is still out on that one), but it does show up every day of the week. The ubiquitous brown beverage that supplies a caffeinated jolt to imbibers can be enjoyed seemingly in a million different ways. However, before the cream and the sugar quandary comes up, how to brew it must first be addressed.

The Hamilton Beach (Model 49983) Two-Way Deluxe Coffeemaker ($99.99; available in August) is actually even more versatile than the name would imply. While true that the coffeemaker is designed to brew into either a travel … Read more

It won't console you as you drown your sorrows in alcohol, but MIT's Makr Shakr robotic bartender can make exactly the drink you're looking for before you've even arrived at the bar.

MIT's Senseable City Lab teamed up with Coca-Cola and Bacardi Rum to bring Makr Shakr to Google I/O, which starts Wednesday in San Francisco. The system allows barflies and frazzled developers alike to personalize their cocktail recipe of choice via a smartphone app, or to choose a libation created by another user, creating a crowdsourced drink menu.… Read more

Keep an eye on the sky the next time you're at a concert -- a cold beer might be coming your way. It's been announced that attendees of South Africa's OppiKoppi music festival will be able to order beer that comes delivered on an octocopter drone.

Called the OppiKoppi beer drone, the device is an 8-propeller helicopter that can be loaded with beer and flown over the festival, arriving at the GPS location of any person who orders a cold brew from a mobile app. Once the drone arrives at its location, it drops its cargo and a single beer attached to a parachute will make its way down to a designated campsite called District 9.

With beer intentionally flying in the air, there's some concern about a cold brew randomly hitting festival goers in the head. Darkwing Aerials, the South African company that's providing the beer drone for the festival, says it is taking safety precautions. … Read more