Gadgettes 142: What-a-concept episode

This week was FILLED with conceptual ideas that were sometimes pure genius, and sometimes pure WTH. Seriously, Pornisonic, we are talking to you! Natali Del Conte and Gknee join the party to make this extra-long episode 80 percent female, 20 percent male. Has this ever happened at CNET before?!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 142

Programmable doorbell blends soothing chimes with real wood craftsmanship

Panasonic’s limp remote concept is both cool and unsettling

Tennis star Maria Sharapova dons geeky light-up phone dress

B-Touch cell phone with Braille touch screen is an iPhone for the blind

Nested cellphones track techno-evolution

Power outlet wall solves your electrical needs

Apropos (of) nothing
TomTom lets you take directions from Homer Simpson

PRETTY
RedCanper’s laptop bag doubles up as vintage slideshow

It’s About Time (Concept Edition)
Clock with wireless headband serves as magical sleep coach

Tool Time (Dead to Me Edition)
The Man Wall

Ask a Gadgette
Dear Gadgettes,

Love the show! ^_^ I have a question for your “Ask a Gadgette” segment. I am sixteen years old and like most people my age I am addicted to my phone. However, I think I am addicted to it for all the wrong reasons. Yes I do love to text and my family says I’m talking to my boyfriend nonstop, but every morning when I wake up I grab my phone to check my Twitter before I even get out of bed. I am constantly refreshing the page to see when people say stuff. I’m starting to feel almost stalkerish. *said in a creepy voice* I’m following you too Molly and Jason. I was trying to favorite a tweet on my phone the other day and totally spazzed because it wouldn’t work even thoughh it wasn’t really that important. Do I have a problem? Do you have a solution?

Sincerely,
A Twitter addict

Maia

PS: I wrote and sent this e-mail from my phone. *thumbs now swollen* TT_TT

E-mail
Hey Gadgettes!

I have a question I'm hoping you can help me with. I'm pretty deep in the nerd lifestyle and I continually run across women who are sick to death of technology companies dumbing down and "glamourizing" their products in order to pander to the female demographic. I consider you guys to be some of those women.

But here's the problem. I'm 26 and I know a good cross section of women and the thing is... some of them really are that exact mold you guys seem to hate so much. I know MANY girls who have a complete aversion to what they see as being "boy stuff" and they will not participate in it unless someone has approved it for girls. They won't touch a gameboy unless it's pink. They won't lift a hammer unless it's pink. They want their whole life to be pink and cute and glamorized. If that's really what they want, is it wrong for companies to pander to those women?

Yes, some women have no problem with understanding ram, and over-clocking, and play world of warcraft all night long while drinking kegs of mountain dew... but those girls have no problem with the regular Dell site. Much the same way, if Dell made a "man-site" it would probably feature half naked women airbrushed on the cases of their units and it would probably do insane amounts of business for the thousands of "that-guys" it was created for but I would just stick to the regular Dell site because that's not at all my thing. That doesn't make Dell out of touch, though...
Brandon

Bonjour…

I am just listening to the podcast.

I want to say that we do not all taste in the same way. It is genetic. I
have heard about people called ‘Supertasters’. They do not like the way
a lot of food tastes. Apparently about 25% of the population are
Supertasters, although women are more likely to be supertasters. They
have more tastebuds than everyone else (or fungiform papillae). I heard
you can tell a supertaster by whether they like Broccoli or not. And
they may not much like coffee and chocolate too! I haven’t heard much
about people not liking Bell Peppers but maybe them too…

Another 25% are nontasters. With the rest of us being medium tasters.

Interesting hey?

But get this – you can now BUY a supertaster test kit…
… is it really that important to know?
Thank you for the podcasts.
Au revoir mon Gadgettes

Boreas Bouras

1- there’s ihatecilantro.com.
2- the tiny micro is doomed to fail. Just like the Fun Cooker did on
30 Rock.
3- how can you not mention food issues such as my favorite. People who
don’t like food to touch. Seriously this runs in my family. I like my
food not to mix. Salads, smores or recipes that are designed mixed are
fine, but don’t be getting that gravy all over everything else! Ickk!

Sheala

Gadgettes,

OMG! I have the singing baseball chip bowl. My mom gave us this gift from HELL because my son plays little league baseball, and she thought it would be cute. It is not! This thing is super loud and annoying!!!
I HATE it! I have hidden it in the house. Hopefully my husband and son have forgotten of its existence.

Love your show. Takes me back to living in the bay.

Mechelle