20 Gadgets We Love

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















Share on Tumblr

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



1 2 3 4 5 Next »

1 Comments

Add Comment
View
  1. 1. rosmarinus 08:16 PM 12/4/07

    Some people have had too much free time and some people have too much money.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
Leave this field empty

Add a Comment

You must sign in or register as a ScientificAmerican.com member to submit a comment.
Click one of the buttons below to register using an existing Social Account.

More from Scientific American

See what we're tweeting about

Scientific American Editors

More »

Free Newsletters


Get the best from Scientific American in your inbox

Solve Innovation Challenges

Powered By: Innocentive

  SA Digital
  SA Digital

Email this Article

20 Gadgets We Love

X
Scientific American Magazine

Subscribe Today

Save 66% off the cover price and get a free gift!

Learn More >>

X

Please Log In

Forgot: Password

X

Account Linking

Welcome, . Do you have an existing ScientificAmerican.com account?

Yes, please link my existing account with for quick, secure access.



Forgot Password?

No, I would like to create a new account with my profile information.

Create Account
X

Report Abuse

Are you sure?

X

Institutional Access

It has been identified that the institution you are trying to access this article from has institutional site license access to Scientific American on nature.com. To access this article in its entirety through site license access, click below.

Site license access
X

Error

X

Share this Article

X