Gadgets

The folks at Gigazine spotted this 2010 Google calendar. As in a calendar calendar, made of paper and all. The analog calendar lists events in the same style as the app, and it even has links, buttons and tabs on top. It can also be accessed offline. In fact it can only be accessed offline.

It’s from Google Japan though, so the events and the Google logos for each month refer to Japanese events/themes/culture. I’m trying to look for a Weird Gadget Day in the calendar, but I guess the Japanese celebrate that everyday.

Remind yourself to check out Gigazine for pics of the Google logos for each month. I’d rather have a real Google Earth. No wait, that would just be a globe. Google Docs? A pad of paper. Gmail! Meh, mailbox. Dammit they’re all boring.

[via Inventor Spot]

If you liked Marc Ecko’s line of Star Wars hoodies then you should prepare your wallet for another deluge of Star Wars-themed gear, although this time it’s from Adidas, so most of them are shoes, and unlike the detailed Ecko hoodies, some of them are just classic designs slapped with a Star Wars name and a palette swap. Most of the items in the series won’t be available until next month, while some, like this Superskate Mid Stormtrooper shoe, is already available at Adidas’ online shop for 0 (USD).

The Darth Vader track top is also available now at Adidas’ online shop, also for 0. It’s one of the few “literal” Star Wars themed item in the line. I guess Adidas just couldn’t resist the dark side of merchandising.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about: what seems to be a Stan Smith greased up and slapped with a picture of the Millenium Falcon on the tongue. Although I must admit this one’s kinda awesome.

That one’s not yet in stock; check out Adidas’ online shop for those that are already available. There’s also a microsite for the whole line, with a cool intro involving Vader, the Death Star and a city in your country.

[via electrobeans]

Super Mario fans – looking for a sugar fix? These delicious sweet and sour candies are the perfect treat for anyone who spends at least a few hours a week bouncing around the Mushroom Kingdom.

There are 5 different candy designs, including green apple sour 1-up mushrooms, blue raspberry mini mushrooms, cherry red cherry power-up mushrooms, sugary yellow star candies, and strawberry-flavored coin candies.

The guys at BigBadToyStore are taking pre-orders for the Question Mark Block candies now. You can get the Mushroom Sours and the Super Star candies over at Birthday Express. All of the candies sell for .99 (USD) a tin.

I always figured the gold coins were filled with chocolate, not strawberry.

[via The Design Town]

This is actually serious. This is a teeny, tiny, flying robot that looks like a hummingbird. It naturally comes from Japan and wants to save your life, and a whole other bunch of stuff as well.

Did I mention that this tiny thing cost .1 million dollars? This ‘bot can flap its wings 30 times per second, just like a real hummingbird. It’s supposed to save lives by searching for survivors in accident sites and other dangerous spots that are usually not accessible by humans.

The .1M cost is actually associated with all of the the robot’s development, so I guess that’s not as bad as it sounds. Japanese researchers at Chiba University near Tokyo want to create a sort of robot that will hover, just like this bird. It’s controlled by infrared sensors. The researchers mentioned that if they are able to fit a tiny camera on the robot, it could be used to “help rescue people trapped in destroyed buildings, search for criminals or even operate as a probe vehicle on Mars.”

That sounds pretty amazing to me. The robot weighs less than an ounce. For now, its flight movements are limited, but hovering is supposed to be possible in 2011, and they hope to put a miniature camera in by then too.

[via Engadget]

This has got to be one of the ultimate car simulators out there. Naturally, all this awesomeness doesn’t come cheap, but hey, it’s the best!

You’ll spend 1,000 (USD) on this device, which is more than quite a few supercars. It’s called the Cruden Hexatech simulator and it kind of reminds me of those Battletech simulators that were all of the rage years ago. I always wanted to play in them, but never did.

This thing is completely suspended on a hydraulic tripod and allows you to simulate F1, NASCAR, WRC, as well as various 24-hour races like Le Mans. The rig allows you to receive feedback from the chassis, track, tire and suspension settings, drive trains, aero load, aero draft, steering, brakes, and various driver aids.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It comes with three 42-inch screens, but you can go bonkers and project images onto the walls of a specially built room. Sounds completely insane to me. If I had 1,000 to spare, I’d rather buy a real race car!

[via DVice, photo credit: Benimoto]

Pop-Up Christmas Photo Album

Merry Christmas, Craziest Gadgets readers. Be sure to take lots of pictures today and then you can display them later in a Pop-Up Christmas Photo Album. This album can hold 38 4×6 photos in a unique holiday themed album. Each photo you see displayed above actually lifts up to reveal another photo right underneath it. Comes in an attractive snowflake themed protective case too.

The Star Trek Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney with Care

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nerdolous soon would be there. It’s a very nerdy Christmas with these homemade Star Trek uniform stockings which boldly go where no stockings have gone before.

Heated USB No Finger Santa Gloves

Sure these USB Santa heated no finger gloves kind of look like something a (very nerdy) stripper would wear but if you want to know what Santa’s helpers at the North Pole wear to stay warm at their cubicles, this is it. I visited last year, and yes they’ve upgraded from pen and paper to computers to keep track of all the outgoing gifts as well as the naughty and nice lists. Word on the street is that presents were delivered this year, so it looks like the computers held up, no unfortunately timed blue screen of death. Maybe Santa’s on a Mac.

The Flexy is an Eco-Friendly Cardboard Slinky

Tired of feeling like you need to purchase carbon offsets to make up for your Slinky’s environmental cost of production? Yeah me too. Finally there’s a product that will make you feel good about the earth and walk down stairs like an elongated spring- it’s Flexy, a cardboard Slinky. Made of recycled, biodegradable materials, the Flexy can do all of the exciting things a Slinky can do like fling, sunrise, high fall, big dipper, rainbow, rippling rainbow, hand walk / stair walk and sculpture. If you know what all of those moves are, you’re complete Slinky nerd. for this cardboard toy, fun Slinky theme song not included.

Rambler Socket Has a Built In Extension Cord

The Rambler is a very solid electrical outlet concept that completely eliminates the need for extension cords. The Rambler is just like a normal socket but pinch the outside to release it and hidden behind the plug is a 5 foot long spool of wire. The spring loaded spool retracts back with a simple pull. Designed by Meysam Movahedi, the idea is great, as long as you have the space within your wall to hold all that wire. It would be ideal for vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and anything else that only requires an extension cord for a brief period of time. I like this design concept- could be a winner.

via yanko