09/ 26/ 2007
Disaster-Proof
Never be left in the dark again. Available in five colors, the FR350 self-powered, water-resistant AM/FM/shortwave radio from Etón has an LED flashlight and a flashing red light built in. Its cell phone charger and emergency siren make the FR350 a necessary addition to any disaster preparation kit. The rechargeable battery pack powers up in just minutes by a hand crank, or the device can operate on three AA batteries.
Cost: $60
Buy: www.etoncorp.com
Time Travel
Your wake-up call on wheels, the mischievous Clocky springs off your nightstand after you hit the snooze button—and runs away to hide. Able to jump from up to three feet, it beeps in random patterns and scurries around on both wood and carpet floors. You choose your snooze intervals (zero to nine minutes) and when to tell Clocky to leap into action. You can also disable its wheels when you're not up for an early morning chase.
Cost: $50
Buy: www.nandahome.com
Juice Up
This solar-powered bag from Voltaic is perfect for the business owner on the go—it charges your cell phone, camera, PDA, Mp3 player and most other small electronic devices wherever you are. The lightweight, waterproof solar panels generate up to four watts of power to charge your gadgets quickly and safely, and a Lithium-ion battery pack is included in case you need to power up at night. Bags are available in messenger and backpack styles and come with a set of 11 standard adapters.
Cost: From $199
Buy: www.voltaicsystems.com
Hotspot Hopping
Instead of turning on your laptop at every coffee shop you come upon to check for a Wi-Fi connection, let the Wi-Fi Finder guide you instead. Green lights illuminate to display the strength of an available signal, and a red light means you're out of luck. The Wi-Fi Finder can detect signals up to 500 feet away and hooks conveniently to your key ring for easy access.
Cost: $35
Buy: www.brookstone.com
