Owner: Smart Stuff URL:http://www.smartstuff.se Join Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:30:12 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Ever growing archive of the world's smartest gadgets, inventions and ideas. Site statistics:Click here
Pocket sized soft miracle brush. 2007-01-23 14:04:04 Small micro fiber miracle
brushes are not exactly news, we have seen several versions of those. But we think this take on the subject is actually new. At least we have never seen any other products with this idea. The smart part is that the entire brush is textile, and thus soft and easy to keep in a pocket or purse. We first saw the idea at the Formex show a year ago, when inventor Wanja Bellander at Binnova had brought a first prototype to test reactions. Obviously Formex visitors were (as were we) interested enough for Binnova to start production. The Handy Dandy palm brush has micro fibers on one side and an elastic on the other. Put it over your hand and you have an instant clothes brush you can bring along wherever you go. Read more:Pocket
Reader contest! What is this? 2007-01-23 14:02:15 The picture above is... well, what is it? Is it plant, mineral or animal? Land living or sea dwelling? If you think you know what this is, you have the chance to win 4 sets of smart Button Clips (2 black and 2 white). More on Button Clips here. We will reward the four first to mail us the correct answer, so mail us your answer right away. Welcome, and good luck! Read more:Reader
Tourist map with a built-in compass. 2007-01-20 18:07:16 This is an invention we wish we had come up with ourselves. We bought this map at Borders in San Francisco a couple of years back, but it has been put away and forgotten in our California file since our return. Today, while looking for something else, we found it. The map is printed on heavy glossy paper, and besides the map and the smart compass it also offers a section on sights and interesting to-do's in SFCA. The Imap guides are available for a lot of different cities around the world for USD 6:95, although all may not have the clever compass.
Smart Stuff in fokus. 2007-01-20 18:06:36 Yesterday the story on smart inventions we had helped them put together appeared in Fokus, the Swedish weekly current affairs magazine. Fokus picked five of the smart products we've posted; the O'Tom tick twister, the smart ice bottle we bought at Mats Theselius' shop, the wine cooling rod from Leopold, Marie-Louise Janssons' safety handle for kid's bikes and the smart Coolskin oven glove. In the end, though, the Fokus people proved to be unexpectedly miserly on giving credit, so we're not too happy with them at this point. Read more:Smart
, fokus
Order the smart Coolskin oven gloves from us! 2007-01-20 18:05:53 The smart Nomex Coolskin oven glove is one of our favorites, and soon we'll be able to offer them for sale here on Smart Stuff. The first shipment will not be all that large, so if you want to be sure to get your hands on a pair, we recommend you to pre-order on this page. The page also offers a lot more information on the Coolskin gloves and instructions how to pick the right size. Since we don't yet know exacly how much we are going to have to charge for them after shipping, excise, VAT etc, (probably around SEK 250:-/USD 35:-/EUR 27:- a pair) we'll regard these early pre-orders not binding. Read more:Order
And the winner is... 2007-01-18 15:12:28 Thanks to all who have participated by voting in the Smart Stuff Readers Choice 2006. And congratulations to Inchworm whose expandable kid's shoes won the Award for 2006. Runner-up was the smart Japanese toilet with the integrated wash basin. And we must not forget the four readers who each have have won four sets of the smart Button Clips button savers. Congratulations also to Åsa O., Thomas C., Agne Z. and Gary C. All the winner
s have been notified via e-mail and as soon as we have their regular mail addresses we'll send their prizes!
Last chance to vote and win! 2007-01-15 20:54:43 Polls close at midnight our time (GMT +1). Have your say before it's too late! Read more:chance
Corner fridge offers loads of space with small footprint. 2007-01-15 20:53:08 We wish we had known of this fridge when we did the kitchen. That had saved us a lot of space problems. This corner fridge from Norcool (in English) will accommodate no less than 1,200 liters (about as much as 3 or 4 ordinary refrigerators) and only takes a little more floor space (Compare the outline of the corner fridge (black solid line) and an ordinary 60x60 cm fridge (red solid line). Placing the fridge in a corner gives lots of extra space and, as a bonus, plenty of room for the required ventilation. The only draw-back is that there is no version with a fridge/freezer combo. That would have been the optimal solution. Who's going to be the first with a combo like that?
Charger hider to fit under kitchen cabinet. 2007-01-11 12:44:09 There are many solutions to the problem of hiding all those chargers and cables we need to keep our digital lifestyle running, but here's one we have missed, though. It reminds us a bit of the Swedish Contactboxen, but instead of placing the box on a table or putting it on the wall, you attach it to the bottom of your kitchen cabinet. We think this invention could be extra useful in Sweden, since our kitchen cabinets almost always have one or more power outlets underneath. That way we would not even have to hide the power cable going into the box. Available from Improvements in white, blond wood finish or cherry finish at USD 55:-. Read more:Charger
Rocking chair for serious story reading. 2007-01-11 12:43:45 It would be great if the man in the picture was the real Hal Taylor and not a model. Hal Taylor is a master carpenter and specializes in rocking chairs. He created the stunning piece in the left picture. He made it because he wanted to read stories to all of his three small children while sitting in the same rocking chair. Truly stunning. Read more:serious
, story
New thermo glasses from Bodum. 2007-01-08 18:14:28 It's been a while since we posted on the first smart double walled thermo glasses from Bodum. The glasses must have been a success, since Bodum USA are introducing a new range of double walled thermo glasses. The new glasses are meant for drinks, champagne, beer and schnapps, and they are available from USD 9:95 for the cute schnapps glass (2:nd from the left) up to USD 24:95 for the tall beer glass.
Rotating adapter makes room for more transformers. 2007-01-08 18:13:40 After yesterday's post on the new wall socket, we happened to stumble upon this pretty clever device . It reminds us a bit of the very smart rotating wall sockets from 360° Electric, but probably easier to install. The adapter is simply a middle plug that goes between your wall socket and the transformer you want to plug in. It's USD 9:99 on Improvements, but there does not seem to be a EU version, alas. Read more:Rotating
, makes
Three-way flat wall socket. 2007-01-07 17:37:13 We are always on the lookout for new smarter electrical plugs and sockets. After all, we use so many electrically powered products and gizmos, that power supply for all our gear becomes crucial. During our first two years with Smart Stuff, we have found some that made us wish they were available in European standard. And som that are. The wall socket above is one of them. From electric supplier Gelia, it sports one grounded socket and two flat Europlug sockets. We found it at Fredells in Stockholm right after Christmas when we were shopping for something else. It was not exactly cheap at SEK 225:- (approx. USD 32:50), but we will nevertheless test it by replacing one of the wall sockets in First Daughters apartment. She really needs more power outlets. See the other smart plugs and socketswe have found after the jump... Read more:Three
Kids bicycle safety handle. 2007-01-02 22:19:28 After inventor-to-be Marie-Louse Jansson's son fell off his bike and had several of his ribs broken by his bicycle
's handlebars, Ms Jansson started thinking of ways to prevent such accidents. The results of her thinking is the bicycle safety handle above. The innovative handlebar ends expand and provide a cushioning effect should they impact the body of a small rider. The safety handles are sold in Swedish bike stores and also in several other European countries.
Smart Stuff two years. Thanks for your support! 2007-01-02 22:18:24 Welcome Smart
Stuff, the ever growing archive of the world's smartest gadgets, inventions and ideas. It's really exciting to start our third year with a growing number of readers and supporters. We are very grateful for all the e-mails we get, both with critique (yes, we are) and cheers almost daily. A very special thanks goes out to our tipsters, and in particular those that frequently come back (you know who you are) with new interesting stuff. During this our third year, we will also have a couple of new features on the site that we hope will prove useful. That's about it. We wish you a great new year 2007, and we hope you'll want to stick with us during year three. Thanks
for your support! And don't forget to vote for the smartest of 2006. Voting ends January 15 2007. Love/Ed.
Ingenious ancient Irish camping kettle. 2006-12-27 22:02:04 Smart Stuff reader and tipster Austin L. writes to let us know of this smart almost 100 years old design for an outdoor kettle. The Kelly Kettle is manufactured by Patrick & Seamus Kelly in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, the fourth generation of the Kelly family associated with the Kelly Kettle. The kettle, sometimes also called the volcano kettle, uses a double walled metal flask that is heated via the internal chimney. This provides fast boiling, safe and weather protected handling (no open fire) and virtually no fuel costs, since the kettle is promised to burn almost anything from newspapers, tinders and small twigs to dried camel dung. The kettles are available in two sizes; 1 pt. for EUR 55:- (USD 66:50) and 2.5 pt. for EUR 62:50 (or USD 75:50) from the Kelly Kettle webstore. Thanks, Austin, for the tip!/Ed. Read more:Ingenious
, Irish
Swift answer from the Microplane rep. 2006-12-27 20:05:56 Laila J. at Hamonoya ApS in Denmark (the company representing Microplane over here) writes to tell us that the mysterious breaking of our grater is the first such break she has ever heard of, and that she will send us a new grater free of charge. She also says the Microplane engineers will be all over the broken grater as soon as we can get it to them, to make sure this stays the only time such a mishap has ever happened. What can we say? This must be an exemplary way of handling a complaint like ours, and we will all be better at our business if we learn from it. We'll also be asking the Microplane people to let us know what caused the break if they can find out, 'cause we are very curious to know. Read more:answer
...and something on the lighter side. 2006-12-26 13:50:22 We got this little tool when we bought some paint a while back. It is a pretty smart tool for opening tin paint cans without ruining the edge of the lid. Something that happens to us a lot when we try to pry them open with a knife or screwdriver. The extra feature of a beer bottle opener was not lost on us, and we hope you will appreciate it, too. We know that US beer bottles have twist-off caps, but ours do not, so fur us it is a pretty handy tool. Read more:something
, lighter
Some sad news... 2006-12-26 13:49:40 One of our favorite kitchen tools has left us. It is one of the super sharp Microplane graters that inexplicably split just where the handle is fastened to the grater. We were grating some cheese for an omelet when the grater broke, and we promise we were not using any excessive force. As you might see from the close-ups it is the clear acrylic(?) plastic that has split. The reason for this is anyone's guess, but there might have been a tiny crack in the plastic. We will get in touch with the Microplane representative to see what they have to say in the matter...
Merry Christmas everybody! 2006-12-24 13:17:49 We're taking the day off to get all the Christmas
stuff in order. We'll be back in a couple of days with some more stuff. If you have the time, check out the cool Charlie Brown Pathetic Christmas Tree we just posted on Cool Finds. To all of you who don't do Christmas, we wish you a happy holiday. See you soon! Read more:Merry
, Merry Christmas
Anesthesia mask with integrated pacifier. 2006-12-23 16:11:53 Small children sometimes need surgery, too. And sometimes they need anesthesia. But, as nurse Monica Dahlstrand experienced when assisting during an operation, ordinary masks do not work very well with small children. She started thinking of a better way. Babies find comfort when breast fed and they also find comfort with pacifiers. When brought in for surgery, babies, like adults, have not eaten for some time. But unlike adults, babies have very little impulse control, making it difficult to put them under and keep them there for the duration of the surgery. But, by combining a baby sized anesthesia mask with a pacifier, Monica Dahlstrand made the whole process of performing surgery on babies much easier. She has won several inventor's prizes and the pacifier mask is protected by a world patent. More on the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology website (Swedish only).
Avalanche airbag. 2006-12-19 10:28:10 This idea is a bachelor's degree work at the University College of Design in Umeå by Daniel Nadjalin. The thought is that the inflatable collar would protect the head from all sorts of debris floating around inside the avalanche and that the inflated airbag will help lift the wearer up through the avalanche much the same way a life jacket lifts you in water. Read more:Avalanche
The mobile phone winter handset. 2006-12-18 12:57:52 It is not impossible (maybe even probable) that we will see this idea in production one of these days. The integrated glove and handset is meant for situations when it is too difficult or too dangerous to handle the actual phone
or an ordinary headset. The glove communicates with the phone in one's pocket via wireless connection (Bluetooth?). The glove is called Wanted and it has been developed by Lena Berglin at Textilhögskolan (University College) in Borås, Sweden. Read more:winter
Finally. A brick floor only 0.6 inches thick. 2006-12-13 11:44:26 We've always admired brick floors. They have an air of age, warmth and general quality about them. Our brick floor plans have never gotten off the ground, however, since we've never had a place where we could get away with a floor that's four inches
thick. Now, we discover, there actually exists a new kind of brick floor that can be put into ordinary rooms wherever you can put in tiles. Enter the thin brick floor, only 15 mm (0,6 inches) thick. It is the company Isholtsten in Laholm, Sweden, who has developed a method to make floor bricks suitably thin. The clay comes from Hedemora, Sweden. The prick tiles are set in fix rather than ordinary mortar, and the bricks are finally treated with linseed oil. The floor is SEK 950:- per square meter (that's about USD 140:-) or USD 13:- per square foot if we have not miscalculated. One of these days... Read more:Finally
Nipple-adapter for ordinary PET bottles. 2006-12-11 08:50:34 One could be inclined to agree with the statement that it is amazing that no-one has thought of this before. Even the inventor himself, Johnny Habeeb, was surprised there was no such product in the market already. It is after all embarrassingly simple. A special adaptor and a nipple makes almost every PET bottle into a baby bottle. Baby gets a drink and parents know the water is fresh. For sale in American 7-Eleven and Circle-K stores for USD 1:95. More on BabySport. Via Strange New Products.
More affordable lighted bike pedal. 2006-12-11 08:47:58 Regular readers may remember our post on the amazing lighted battery-free lighted bike pedal from Pedalite. The Pedalite pedal had no other drawbacks than being rather expensive. It was about USD 98:- at the time (now on sale for GBP 39:95 (about USD 78:-) a pair on Pedalite's own web shop. The drop in price is perhaps due to the fact that there is a competitor on the market. A similar LED lighted battery free bike pedal is available from Bikemania and it is a little cheaper at USD 29:99 a piece which makes it USD 60:- for two. Via Book of Joe.
Rubber horse shoe. 2006-12-06 01:59:20 The rubber horse shoes were invented by Lone Pedersen in the small community of Öllöv in the Swedish province of Halland. Lone thought traditional iron horse shoes must be both uncomfortable and dangerous for horses, even though they have been used for hundreds of years. She started experimenting with horse shoes made from old tractor tyres, and in 1993 she got a patent for steel horse shoes with a rubber coating. The Halmstad Rubber
Factory bought her invention, developed the shoes further, and are now selling them under the brand Alive Original. The rubber coated shoe is claimed to improve the horses traction, and be very useful in cities and on paved roads. The Thai Army, the Prague Mounted Police and the Russian President are said to be among the customers. Available from, among other places, Lycke Equestrian Center for SEK 59:- (approx. USD 8:79 a piece.
Emergency battery for your mobile. 2006-12-04 17:45:29 We have previously posted on the Charge2Go, a device that can suck the power out of an ordinary AA battery
to inject it into your starving cellphone. We've also posted on the hand cranked chargers from Dino and the one from Freeplay. Not to mention the Cellboost, that looks like a small extra battery. Now here's another take on the emergency power issue. The Reload bag of cellphone juice for emergencies when your phone is dying and you have an important call to make. It comes with adapters for a bunch of models from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericson, LG, and Siemens. Available from Infoferenda for SEK 49:- (approx USD 7:-) and from Elkparts (with a SAAB logo) for GBP 9:99 (approx. USD 20:-) or USD 17:25. That is one expensive SAAB logo... Read more:Emergency
Time to think of presents? 2006-12-04 17:44:44 Lately we have not updated Smart Stuff as often as we used to, and we hope you'll forgive us. There has been a lot of other stuff these past few weeks. Now that we have entered the Christmas month, we will try to be more frequent; a lot of people are surely out looking for presents for their loved ones. And what would be more fitting than a really smart present this year. Like the serrated super peeler from Messermeister, a super sharp grater from Microplane, the smart pepper mill from Chef'n or one of all the other smart products we have put together in our small shop on Amazon. And if you do actually buy something, we will get a small fee from Amazon. This contribution helps us keep Smart Stuff running, so we thank you in advance for your kind support! Read more:think
Smart Stuff Readers Choice 2006. Vote and win! 2006-12-04 17:43:59 Last year we did a reader poll to find the smartest gadget, invention or idea on the site for 2005. The Swedish firm Brighthandle won the poll and is now the owners of the Smart
Stuff Readers Choice
Award for 2005. Now we're ready to go again. Which of all the gadgets and inventions we have posted during 2006 (and december of 2005) do you think is the smartest? Who will win the Smart Stuff Readers Choice Award for 2006? That's in your hands, now. Yours and all other readers of Smart Stuff. So take your time and browse through our pages for 2006 and cast your vote for the smartest of them all. Mail us with your vote here, no later than December 31, 2006. We will announce the winner in January 2007 and if you vote you have the chance to be one of two winners of a very nice prize indeed! Remember you're only allowed to vote once.
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