British Satellites Will Beam Info Down From Space Using Android Smartphones

The communication components in smartphones and satellites aren't all that different, except that satellite guts are better rated for external factors like temperature and impact. But one British aerospace firm wants to see how well a smartphone fares in space.

Wired says that the University of Surrey and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited are working together to create a satellite, dubbed the STRAND-1, which uses the internals from a commercial Android smartphone to handle all the communication and control, transmitting photos of Earth while it's in orbit.

The researchers are excited by the possibility of using smartphone internals because they cost a fraction of what aerospace-grade components would cost. The satellite, which is 11.8 inches long and weighs under 10 pounds, will initially have an on-board computer that monitors the smartphone components and make sure everything is functioning as it should. If all goes to plan, the satellite will go into orbit sometime this year.

 

 

The Mako Bike Tool Will Fix Your Bike and Fit In Your Spandex Shorts

A Best in Show winner at this year's Outdoor Retailer show, the MAKO is a multitool designed specifically for bikes. Which is good! Because I've never been able to figure out what I'm supposed to fix with my regular multitool.

Made of aerospace titanium, the MAKO comes with four 1/4" driver bits, 5 metric box wrench sizes, 2 spoke wrench sizes, and a bottle opener. Because it's not a mulittool if it doesn't have a bottle opener.

 

 

Show How Electric Your Love Is With $200 Rings

The electricity that courses through your body whenever you're together. The way you fit perfectly in her arms, powering you up. The voltage you feel as the relationship sours, when you stick your ring into a wall-socket.

 

 

People Actually Get Married With Those Lego Rings

There are real humans who use these Lego rings to tie the knot, for real.

Attach Lego Bricks to This iPhone Case

iPhone cases are pretty damn boring, they're like a wasteland of silicone and plastic sameness. Not this one! This case is awesome. The SmallWorks BrickCase ditches those tired materials for Lego, turning your iPhone 4 into a playground for Lego bricks.

It's only $20 on Amazon and works great with any Lego bricks. Go wild, the whole back and top of the iPhone is open for your creative interpretation. This is one of the few times where I approve of adding bulk to your phone.

Japanese Toilets Have Crazy Video Games to Play While Peeing

Sega has installed toilet games in bars and arcades across Tokyo. It's called Toylet and games include measuring volume of urine, measuring power of stream, wiping a wall clean of graffiti and even controlling wind to lift a girl's skirt up.

It sounds insane but also potentially awesome, the games use a pressure sensor attached to an eye level LCD screen for gamers to watch. Those who can pee hard and long will separate themselves from the soft and short. Sega says the games would be available to play only until the end of the month. Take advantage!

 

 

The Endless Chocolate Bar Breaker Probably Won't Keep Me Slender

I love that crunch-clink sound a chocolate bar makes when I break it in two before stuffing both halves into my mouth. Thanks to this simulation keychain, I can have that sound without any of the calories. Or the oh-so-yummy-taste.

It's the whole "not real chocolate" part that's getting to me, even if the keychain comes inthree flavors—milk chocolate, high-milk chocolate and white chocolate—so I think I'll just get some real chocolate instead.

If you prefer to pretend breaking chocolate with this trinket though, it will be available in Japan for about $7 per bar. If your obsession runs more along the lines of soybeans or bubble wrap though then you don't even have to wait and can order something now.

 

 

Sneak this $10 Keychain Tool Onto a Flight for Mid-Air Screwdrivering

Let's face it—you're probably up to no good with this keychain tool, which conveniently disguises itself as a key. At about a third of the price of a Swiss Army knife, it has eight handy tools.

That's three different screwdrivers, a pair of tweezers, a wire-stripper, bottle-cap opener, nail file and nail cleaner. It comes with a fake key which the tool hides behind, and a stainless steel key-ring. Just in case the user can't distinguish between a screwdriver and a nail file, the various tools' names are even marked on the key.

 

 

What Are 25,000 Ping Pong Balls Doing in This Tiny Apartment?

Recently some guy decided that perfect way to decorate his 90 square foot apartment was by plastering its walls with 25,000 ping pong balls. For some reason I think he was on to something.

Sounds and looks crazy, but somehow that strange design makes the place feel like the ideal spot for a quick break from work.

 

 

Put Grip Tape on Your iPhone to Never Let It Slip Again

If you're annoyed of your iPhone slipping out of your hands, here's an idea: replace the glass back with skateboard grip tape. Sure it might char up your hands but it'll never ever slip again!

Jokes and scratchiness aside, I think it actually looks pretty awesome. It's clean but still full of character. The guy who made this actually made the grip tape iPhone out of necessity, as he dropped his iPhone, breaking its back. He tried other materials first (silicone, sandpaper, etc) but eventually settled on grip tape.

 

 

Pie Chart Plates Keep You Eating Right (Or Wrong)

Portion control is the most obvious means to eat better, but how much is too much? ThisWheel of Nutrition dinnerware makes it as simple as putting food on your plate.

In Diet, Extra Ordinary and Super Size configuration, disregarding your health is as simple as shattering the proper strategic place setting—unfortunately, it doesn't look like the design is actually for sale.

Extremely clever, but the fact that each portion is shaped like a pie/pizza/cheese wheel slice won't help dieters one bit. So we'd better start growing celery and grapefruit in wedge form, stat.

 

 

Mobiado Sticks With Rivet-Like Buttons For Classic 712ZAF Phone

At least Vertu can point at its concierge service as one of the reasons its phones are so damn pricey. Mobiado can't even claim its phones are stylish.

Still, the Classic 712ZAF candybar handset is made from aluminum, stainless steel, sapphire crystal and a ceramic coating, so at least it can withstand being dropped when you're pummeled for being such an expensive jerk.

Don't expect much more than a 2.2-inch QVGA screen, A-GPS, 5.0-megapixel camera with LED flash and noise cancellation via the two microphones. It comes in six different colors—namely, black, black satin, silver, grey, blue and red, with the price not yet known.

 

 

Bottle-Opening Remote Makes Sitting on the Couch Drinking Beer Even Less Labor Intensive

Screw combining a phone with an MP3 player, this is the sort of gadget convergence that makes a real difference in life.

This Eraser Can Save Your Memories

It looks and acts like an ordinary eraser until you open it and discover it is also a USB memory stick.

 

 

De-Smell Your Dell With A USB Scent Flower

Men! Do you smell so bad that even your laptop has started stinking? Desperate times call for desperate measures, which means you might just have to consider this USB scent flower.

As your lookey-holes can see, it's in the shape of a flower, but don't let that put you off. You can't put a price on a harmonious working environment, nor be too picky about aesthetics. Besides, each bouquet—which retails for $9.99—has three refill cartridges which last for months. The USB flowers come in different colors and scents, so every day can be an Ocean Breeze, Purple Lavender, Pink Jasmine or White Chamomile day. Shop.

DSLR Tiny Spy Camcorder

If you thought those micro four-thirds cameras were pricey for their size, get a load of this Japanese spy camera. Considering it costs $120 and weighs just 12g, it might just be the most expensive camera per millimeter ever.

The actual size is 2.5cm x 2.5cm x 2.6cm, and it shoots video at 640 x 480 resolution. Photos can be taken too, at 1600 x 1200 res, plus there's even a mono speaker within that tiny casing. It takes microSD cards for recording onto, and has a miniUSB port for transferring footage to PCs. You can find them here.

Steve Jobs Action Figure Now Equipped with Ninja Stars

The world may never know whether Steve Jobs actually packed ninja stars on that fateful flight to Japan, but in the (extremely likely) event that he didn't, you can recreate the fantasy on your own. In action figure form!

The newest model figurine some pretty intricate updates—a wedding band on Steve's hand, more durable glasses, and, of course, a handful of Ninjutsu weaponry. He's even got a mystical white iPhone 4, probably acquired with lightning ninja dexterity.You can find it here.

 

 

This Watch Could Star In Terminator 5

If you look very closely at the Urwerk UR-110 watch, you can just about make out a face. Not, like, a watch face. The face of an uncaring machine delivered to us with some nefarious intent.

The UR-110 has a confusing layout, but is actually quite practical; by placing the time on the watch's right edge, you can see be subtle when you're checking just how long that presentation's been droning on. And amongst all that raw titanium, there's still a touch of whimsy: a "Oil Change" indicator that alerts you if your watch needs service.

My favorite part? Urwerk hasn't decided on a price yet.

 

 

Charge All Your Gadgets Using This Multi-Charger

Most multi-chargers bore me to tears, but JoyFactory's Zip, Touch-n-go looks like it was designed by people who actually care what these things look like on your desk. It uses magnets to connect the gadgets' cables to the charging-pod.

It's not on sale yet, however JoyFactory claims it'll come in somewhere between $49 and $99. 

 

 

Turn Your Office Chair Into An Office Bed In Seconds

If every office chair converted into a narrow bed-like furniture item like this, I'd be in heaven—there'd finally be an excuse for all those accidental office naps.