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Thanks to smartphones, tablets, and Windows 8, touching and swiping are commonplace ways to interact with TVs, computers, and mobile devices. But what if you want to do the same without touching the screen at all?

That's exactly the experience EyeSight Technologies, an Israel-based company that focuses on digital interaction, announced today that it's found a way to provide with its new fingertip tracking technology. The company calls this the "world's first commercial gesture technology to allow users to control digital devices with a fingertip" -- remotely, that is.… Read more

British tech firm Dyson is best known for its high-end vacuum cleaners, bladeless fans, and Airblade hand dryers, that last having become a staple of airport, restaurant, and hotel bathrooms. That's not enough for Sir James Dyson and pals, however, who have introduced a brand-new invention: a bathroom tap that dries your hands.

At first glance, the Airblade Tap looks like a regular faucet that's collided with a set of handlebars. A central stainless-steel cylinder dispenses water when you wave your hands under it, then you move your paws under the two side bars, which blast the water … Read more

My handwriting these days is atrocious thanks to all the hours I spend with a keyboard instead of pen and paper. I look at my grocery list when I'm out shopping and think, "Huh? What did I write there?" Perhaps I should invest in a Lernstift pen when it hits the market.

In case you couldn't tell by the name, the Lernstift is the creation of a German entrepreneur. Falk Wolsky's young son was learning how to write and making mistakes in the process. His wife Mandy suggested the idea of a pen that warns when you make a mistake. And so an invention was born.

The Lernstift will follow along as you write and vibrate when it detects spelling or grammatical errors. In calligraphy mode, it will vibrate if a letter is written wrong or illegibly. That's the mode I need to make my grocery lists readable.… Read more

Dyson, eh? The company is best known for making weird-looking vacuum cleaners and high-velocity hand dryers. So what's the British firm's next invention? Well, to paraphrase the great Admiral Ackbar, it's a tap!

Yes indeed, we've gone hands-on (or should that be under?) with Dyson's Airblade Tap -- a ludicrously pricey new piece of bathroom furniture. Click play on the video below to see what it looks like in reality. … Read more

The day of the single-purpose gadget is rapidly fading. You can't just have a phone that you use to talk to other people. It has to do 50 other things. You can't just have a desk lamp that lights up your desk. You have to have one that charges your phone and gives you mood lighting, too.

The Satechi Smart LED Desk Lamp tries to fit as much functionality in as it can. It charges smartphones and has a built-in timer to power it off. It's also very touchy-feely. It's controlled through a touch panel and has different lighting modes to fit your mood.… Read more

Apologies for being a little tardy on updating our long-running list of must-have Blu-ray movies, but here it is, refreshed for 2013. This month's updates entries include "Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection," "The Avengers," "Finding Nemo," "Jaws," "Lawrence of Arabia," and "Titanic."

Though my face is at the top of the column, the list was compiled with input from editors John Falcone, Matthew Moskovciak, and David Katzmaier, who look at a lot of video content in their day-to-day testing of products. We also keep an eye on AVS Forum's Blu-ray picture-quality and audio-quality threads, and have always appreciated the site's tiered rating system.

This list is not set in stone, and we'll be adding and removing discs as new ones come out. As always, feel free to make comments and suggest your own personal favorites. They may get added to the list in the future. … Read more

The soap market has traditionally been geared toward women buyers. That focus may be shifting with a line of Man Soaps from ManHands. Available scents include bacon, baseball glove, brewed coffee, muscle rub, fresh-cut grass, and top soil. Democrat and Republican scents are also on offer.

The soaps all have enticing descriptions designed to beguile men into making a purchase. Here's the description for beer soap: "There is perhaps no manlier smell than the scent of a cold pint of beer. Why wait until the drunk guy dumps it over you in the packed bar?" Unfortunately, it doesn't specify which beer it smells like. I'm guessing it's more Budweiser than Stone IPA.… Read more

It's a new era for lightbulbs. Incandescents are well on their way to being obsolete. Compact fluorescents are reigning champs, but LEDs are rising through the ranks, looking to challenge CFLs with advancing technology and falling prices. As fast as the tech changes, we're still pretty hooked on the old-school incandescent shape. We still want our bulbs.

The NanoLight Kickstarter project wants to give us LEDs without sacrificing the traditional bulb shape and ability to shine light in all directions. The result is a bulb that looks like it was designed by a Cubist painter. The makers claim it is the most energy-efficient light bulb in the world.… Read more

Normally, you spend dinner over a hot bowl of instant ramen, silently weeping and watching your salty tears mix with the steaming broth. Banish that loneliness by sharing your meal with a companion that won't give you a hard time or ask when you're getting married. The anti-loneliness ramen bowl will hold your smartphone at the ready so you'll never eat alone again.

The bowl is the creation of design firm MisoSoupDesign. The bowl itself is very sculptural, but the highlight is the smartphone holder that keeps your favorite tech buddy at the ready while you're chowing down.… Read more