November 20, 2006 | 1 comments

20 Gadgets We Love

Objects of desire for folks who appreciate the application of science to the problem of cool

By Christopher Mims   

 
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This year's gadget guide is a doozy. Forged for the first time ever by an alliance of our readers and editors, it is the latest expression of our ongoing experiment in letting the audience join us in the wheelhouse. The result is quirky, fun and speaks for itself, so we'll quit while we're ahead and go straight to the goodies we're hoping to find under this year's Chrismakwanzukkah bush.


Woofer
These stylishly headless pooches are sure to make you the talk of the town, but only if your tasteful Skandinavian furniture hasn't already. They're no good at playing fetch, but they're perfectly suited to assaulting your guests with 180 watts of throbbing bass. Who let the dogs out, indeed.

$770
Woofer

Optimus Mini Three Keyboard
As anyone who has ever tasted the ambrosia of a second monitor can tell you, extra displays, especially touch-sensitive ones, can provide you with the at-a-glance information that your continuous partial attention lifestyle demands. Bonus: when you're done checking stocks while watching your incoming e-mail and tracking the progress of your downloads, this keyboard / monitor's three panes can transform into Vegas-style slots.

$160
Optimus Mini Three

Chronotronix V400 Nixie Tube Clock
Unless you're a baby boomer, you probably don't remember vacuum tubes. That's because they went out right about the time that Scientific American ceased to be typeset by a hardworking group of Old World immigrants whose ink-blackened hands and ties to the motherland were marks of pride. So here's one for those of you who just can't get enough vintage electronic goodness: a clock whose display would have been familiar to your Depression-era forebears.

$375
Nixie Clock

Fishloft
Fish ponds are cool, but fish ponds that exploit tricks of atmospheric pressure to get your fish swimming up into a big Plexiglass tube so that they're at eye level are way, way cooler. Bad news: to get a Fishloft, you're going to have to be able to understand German, because its makers have yet to translate their site into English. Good news: that should keep the Joneses off your back for a while.

(price unavailable)
Fishloft



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