Lifestyle

Enough already. Why is it that some people insist on "sharing" their music with the rest of world--whether we like it or not--when today's headphones offer a far superior listening experience? We've seen everything from messenger bags to bowling bags with built-in speakers, and now we have a new backpack that will surely contribute its share of noise pollution.

Scullcandy's "Link" backpack has speakers embedded in its straps for music or--worse, as OhGizmo notes correctly--a cell phone conversation. We've got to get started building that bunker.

What does it say about society when combo consumer gadgets are made out of weapons? That's what aptly named Street Wise has done with its "Lightning Rod," a 6-inch cylinder that SlashGear says can send an 800,000-volt Valentine to an assailant. The combo part is a built-in LED flashlight, so you can make sure you're not zapping a friend or family member by mistake in the dark. Just remember, if you decide to use it for ordinary flashlight duties such as changing your oil, be sure to keep the safety lock on.

It's usually a sign that we need to visit the gym when we start noticing items about odd and over-the-top fitness equipment. And, in this case, both categories apply.

The "Kinesis Personal," according to Cool Hunting, is a "soft gymnastics" apparatus that touts a "tri-dimensional movement system" and claims to make 200 exercise positions possible. (That's about 196 more than we need.) But we're most amused by its description as "blending seamlessly into homes," as well as offices or hotel rooms. We'd love to meet their interior designers.… Read more

It's touted as a disco enhancement, but it looks a lot more like raver chic to us. Whatever it is, Hammacher Schlemmer's "Dancing Light MP3 Synchronizer" will funkify your party with 33 multicolored LEDs bouncing off a concave mirror to the beat of whatever tunes you choose. It can even be set to four programs, "Andante, Moderato, Allegro and Presto." But if we were going to take this route, we'd just as soon go for the full retro effect with a home laser show. And remember, don't bogart that Nano.

Zen, Zune, Zeno. The last one may resemble an MP3 player but isn't one. It does, however, involve another "Z" word: zits. The "Zeno" supposedly zaps acne by stimulating "heat-shock proteins" that in turn cause pimples to self-destruct, according to a description on Coolest-Gadgets. We definitely would have given this a try in our teenage years but, at our advanced age, the idea of using a device designed to burn things off one's face doesn't seem quite worth it for some reason.

We'll confess: When we heard CompUSA was keeping its stores open until 2 a.m. for the Vista launch this morning, we scoffed. Sure, we reasoned, people will show up at the locations where they're giving away free gadgets and food, and a visit from a pro football player will certainly draw more than your typical techie crowd. But we were convinced that every other store would be filled with the sounds of crickets chirping, accompanied by bored employees drumming their fingers on idle cash registers.

But when we pulled up to the CompUSA in Culver City (Los … Read more

Who says geeks don't like football? This Superbowl Sunday you can do your part to shatter that age-old stereotype with these laptop and iPod skins from SkinIt. Even if you're not a Colts or Bears fan, you can show your team spirit with any of the other NFL teams, and Gearlog says the skins will be available for cell phones too. But if you're a 49er fan like us, you may want to keep these under a plain brown wrapper for another season or three.

Now this is a USB drive that comes preloaded with something we might actually use, as opposed to others we've seen recently. Tech Digest says Disgo is offering a 2GB storage key that carries the "Concise Oxford English Dictionary" so you'll never have an excuse for any typos. This could be invaluable for those of us who have become dependent on Web dictionaries but occasionally find ourselves without a Wi-Fi connection. (We don't trust automated spell checkers either.) It even has games designed to improve spelling skills, but we wouldn't recommend this as a … Read more

This is either an ingenious invention or a sad testament to the hopeless laziness of modern society--or, in our opinion, both. The "SmartShopper" is a voice-activated shopping list designed to put an end to the illegible Post-its you leave all over the kitchen.

Just tell the device what items you need as you think of them and print out the list before leaving for the grocery. Gadgetell says it even has 2,500 items already programmed in its memory.

The downside: You no longer have any excuses for not picking up any embarrassing hygiene items requested by other … Read more