Extra Trunk Space or Bike Carrier – Westfalia Portilo

A bike carrier is commonplace nowadays, and so is the car rooftop box. But what if your needs vary and you don’t have a station wagon that can easily accommodate your rooftop box? The Portilo from Westfalia is an original new approach that can be either bike carrier or extra trunk space, depending on the needs of the moment.

Thermapak Cooling Pad Keeps Your Legs Cool Without Draining Your Laptop’s Battery

Everyone who owns a laptop knows the unpleasant sensation of having your legs fried when working with the computer on your lap for an extended period. I’ve been considering several cooling devices to place between my lap and the laptop, but I’ve always considered it to be a disadvantage that they need batteries or the use of a USB port to power their fans, thereby seriously reducing your working time. They’re also not very portable – you’d dread taking them with you on a flight. The ThermaPAK HeatShift Laptop Cooling Pad deals with these issues, using physics instead of electricity to keep your lap cool.

Care Plus Click-Away – Stop Mosquito Bites From Itching

Everyone has his or her own – usually ineffective – household remedy to ease the itching from mosquito bites. Among the things that do work are cortisone-based creams. They’re very effective, though they can be greasy and stain your clothes. But the Click-Away from Care Plus is incredibly compact and light, doesn’t need batteries and does what it’s supposed to do: stop the itching.

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.

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.

Solar-Powered Bluetooth Headset – Infinite Standby Time

What’s the advantage of Bluetooth headsets anyway? Admittedly, you don’t have a wire dangling around, but on the downside it’s yet another device that you need to charge. And now you have two batteries that can run out in the middle of a phone call and two chargers to plug in. Here's an excellent solution to that problem.

Doc XL Convertible Sofa from Bonbon Converts into Bunk Bed

Convertible sofas are typically used, for instance, in rental holiday homes where space is limited and the number of sleepers can vary. Another useful application is for people who invite friends over regularly but who don’t have the space for one or more guestrooms. So far so good – but what if your guests aren’t a couple and don’t fancy sleeping in the same bed? This Doc XL bunk bed solution from Bonbon is very original and, as far as I know, unique.

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Review – Link Your Notes With Your Audio Recording

- A six month test.

The Livescribe Pulse smartpen is one of the most innovative products I’ve seen in years. The pen allows you to write on paper, but when you dock it into its USB charger, your notes are automatically transferred to your PC/Mac. But the best part is that it also records the audio during your meetings or classes. You would imagine that you could then also play back the audio on your PC – and indeed you can. But even better, when you tap your handwritten notes with the smartpen itself, it even plays back exactly that part of the meeting through the built-in speaker! It’s a great invention for college students and professionals alike for note taking and to record meetings, classes and courses.

Breastlight Helps You with Your Breast Examination Routine

All the Breast Cancer Awareness programs advise women to self-examine their breast on a regular basis, for instance once a month. However, it’s not always easy to do – not everyone knows exactly how to do it or can interpret what they feel. And some women simply have difficult breasts to examine by hand. The Breastlight is a new device that you can use at home to examine your breasts with your eyes rather than with your fingers.

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.