USBCell from Moixa – Rechargeables that Plug Into any USB Port

We just discussed the Rezap Battery Doctor, which recharges even alkaline batteries – a solution that I favor for most purposes. But it still requires you to take yet another charger with you on your travels, which is not ideal for vacations or business trips. Recently, however, I stumbled upon these USBCell rechargeable batteries from Moixa, which have the charger integrated in the battery itself! A very clever design, with a few minor drawbacks – but lots of advantages.

Steam Cookers or Simpler, Cheaper, Less-Bulky Alternatives such as the Sleekstor™ VeggiSteam™?

Steam cookers – do we need them? Of course we don’t: Mankind has been cooking vegetables in water for thousands of years. But, honestly, once you’ve tasted broccoli or green beans cooked in a steam cooker, there’s no going back. The vegetables are simply much more tasty – and healthier as well. But it’s yet another appliance, and most electric steam cookers take up considerable space in your kitchen cabinet. Steam baskets basically perform the same task, but they have a more compact design. There are already many varieties, and now there’s yet a new and versatile one, and it carries the name of SleekStor™ VeggiSteam™.

Handpresso Wild Portable Espresso Maker for Travel, Camping and Picnic

If you’re the kind of person for whom a coffee is okay as long as it looks like coffee – even if it doesn’t necessarily taste like coffee – then you don’t need to read any further. For you the product that follows probably is a gadget. But if you’re a coffee lover for whom instant coffee is an inconvenience too far, even while on vacation, the Handpresso Portable Espresso Maker might be your savior. Personally, I can’t stand instant coffee. I’d rather have no coffee at all, even if my blood caffeine levels do get dangerously low as a result during our camping vacation.

Cable Capture Organizes Your Cable Clutter

Cables are always too long and too short at the same time. Too short when you need that few inches of extra reach, and too long for the rest of the time, when they’re just lying in your way. Several elegant solutions exist, such as the SimpleToo or the Cord-It, that enable you to roll cables up until they’re the exact length you need. These are very elegant when you just need to get one cable under control, but if you’re fighting real cable clutter such as in your home office, the Cable Capture cable organizer looks more promising.

Kenmore Pizza Maker & Microwave Combo

I suppose that nowadays nobody can do without a microwave oven anymore – I certainly can't. On the other hand, when baking or warming a pizza, or food such as cookies, a microwave doesn't give you the crispy result you would like. Ideally, you need to own a microwave and a traditional oven. For those who are living in a small apartment or student accommodation, thus far the solution would be to buy a combo oven. But this lets you use either the oven or the microwave – not both at the same time. The Kenmore Combo is a new space-saving idea offering simultaneous use of microwave and oven in a compact design.

Bexy iMirror - Marantz IS301 - Philips SJM3151 iPod Dock - CD Carrousels Compared

Most iPod docking solutions connect your iPod to your stereo, but you still need to get up to view the little screen if you want to select another artist or album. We've reviewed various solutions that take the concept a step further and allow you to do this from the comfort of your couch.

We let the Bexy iMirror, the Philips SHM3151 and the Marantz IS301 contend and compare both to carrousel solutions.

            

Caroma Water & Space-Saving Toilet with Integrated Hand Basin

When I first saw this toilet by Caroma, with its integrated hand basin, I was astonished by the simplicity of the idea. Why did it take more than a century to come up with something like this? I still can't decide if I find it brilliant or silly, but it's certainly original. What's also certain is that it saves you both water and space.

Skype Mouse Combines Mouse and Phone – Unclutter your Desk

Since the arrival of Skype and other internet telephony services, many of us are saving a great deal on our phone bills. Since the arrival of Skype, though, yet another device – a phone handset – has to be connected to the PC with yet another cable, anything but decreasing the clutter on our work desks. The USB Skype Mouse takes care of the second problem for you.

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Matroshka – Extremely Compact Furniture for Compact Living

Living in a tight single, student or commuter apartment? Always confronted with furniture dilemmas such as: "I can place this or that here…but not both"? Want to invite some people over instead of spending money in a restaurant or pub (it is a recession, you know), but don't have room for all the chairs you'll need? Well, it's not only IKEA that has creative solutions – here's a preview of the ingenious, space-saving Matroshka furniture concept.

Multi-Chargers for Electronic Devices Compared

We've discussed in a few other articles several multi-chargers for electronic devices. Two of them charge a lot of devices simultaneously. Another one adapts to almost any outlet and is most suitable for travel. All of them have the benefit of only using one power outlet in your home to charge different devices and to reduce cable clutter on your desk. The following table compares the different options. If you know another one that stands out of the crowd, you can let us know.

Click on the names in the table heading to read about the individual solutions.