The USB-UIRT. So, plug this puppy into your desktop or laptop and turn an $x000 piece of hardware into the world’s largest and most expensive universal remote control. Or not. As you like. Anyhoo, yes it does look mind-numbingly boring, but it actually could be useful in a home automation, geek cred sort of way. It’s just a shame that it hasn’t got a go-faster red stripe and sunburst on the top, because that would *certainly* make it look more exciting. Oh…

The John Gordon Mini Kebab Grill. Tabletop sizzle, splatter and splash for all the family. Will roast a chicken, corn or any other rotisserie type fare as well. Carnivore’s delight. Yum, what fun. £49.95 ($89.91).  Put the Mini Kebab Grill in the center of the table either indoors or outdoors so everyone can natter away to their heart’s content while the meal is cooking fresh right in front of their eyes! This fantastic roasting grill is designed to cook donner…

The Cyclaire Hand Pump does away with convention and uses a clever push/pull system, like the hand crank of a lawn mower, to pump air. There’s a small cycle pump version and this one, which they say will inflate a full sized air bed in under a minute. Clever stuff, but do keep the defibrilator nearby just in case, won’t you? From £8.99.  Every time you pull Cyclaire’s handle, the pull-cord unwinds inside and drives a pulley mechanism. The pulley…

The Service Bell. Now let’s not get all sensitive or anything, but maybe this is not the best present to give the other half if you’re working your way through couples counselling or the like. Know what we mean? $4.95.  The base of the bell is 3-1/2″ in diameter and just like the bell on the counter of a hotel, you push down with your palm to make it ring. Why strain your voice with yelling or nagging when you can ring the bell as…

The Elecom Poi Mouse. Cute little beggar. Design can still attract the eye as well as the hand, eh? Comes in blue, gold and black too. Awww…

Earmuff Headphones. Comfort and practicality are clearly the order of the day here. No trendy white plastic and silver trim. If there’s a trend setting, hip-hop artist currently working in Alaska, this is probably what he’s wearing. Puff-jacket Daddy. $34.95.  This headset combines three layers of all-weather protection with a high-quality pair of mini-speakers, allowing you to enjoy your iPod or any other portable audio device without exposing your ears to the cold. Layers of lightweight polyester fleece, Thermolite, and…

The La Cie Huby. Props to the Frenchmen for bringing a genuine bit of style to a muchly boring genre. The result? A non geeky design triumph that wouldn’t look out of place in your trophy cabinet. The device incorporates 4 x USB 2.0 ports and 2 x Firewire ports and comes complete with a passel of cables and attachments. Neat. $79.99.  Experience the art of connectivity with this fun, stylish USB & FireWire combination hub for your PC or Mac. Designed…

The SpeakerCraft TIME Five Theater in Motion Speaker System. Embed these speakers in your ceiling and they’ll drop down on demand and point towards a pre-selected point in the room to give you that really immersive audio experience. Is it a gimmick? You betcha. Will they sell? Does a cat lick its paws? $749.99 each.  Unique in concept and revolutionary in design, the Theater In Motion Experience is the most dramatic advancement in custom audio since we invented the inwall…

The Mag-Lite UV LED Retro-fit Bulb. Convert your vanilla Mag-Lite flashlight into a fully fledged UV torch with this bulb kit. Why? Well then you can use it to check currency, credit cards, diamonds and…ahem…’Find urine stains (i.e. at the hotel before you hop in bed!)’. Right. Thanks for that. That’s really good to know. <shudder>  Convert your Mag-lite flashlight into a money-saving, super-depandable, solid state light source, it is manufactured using 32 high quality, state of the art UV LEDs,…

Kotoridayori. With the winter days drawing in, what you really need is a tiny solar powered friend to sit on your desk and keep you company. C’mon, admit it. And she tweets when you pick her up, which is more than you can say for the dinner lady. Yours for just $29.00.  Kotoridayori is a little bird that gathers energy from the sun. She tweets when picked up. (And sometimes, she just tweets because she’s in the mood.)

The Flying Alarm Clock is one of those impulse buys that ends up driving you batstick insane with bells on. The idea is that the clock sounds alarm, whirly thing flies off and you have to locate and replace it to switch alarm off. Yeah, sounds like fun on a chilly 6am morning in your basement flat, doesn’t it? Yeah. £19.95.  The catch is, the noisy alarm won’t turn off until you retrieve the propeller and replace it on the base. Which means you have to…

The Solait Solar Powered Milk Frother. The ultimate eco-utensil. Charge it up during the day and spend all night frothing, foaming and generally whipping up a storm [OK, you’ve milked it enough for now – Ed]. €29.90.  It is the kitchen utensil of the new generation. Charged up with sunlight, it can froth and mix all kinds of liquids within seconds: be it milk for the authentic Cappuccino, your vinaigrette dressing, or Martini cocktails – by stirring, not by shaking. The SoLait…

Gravity Defyer Shoes are straight off the ‘what the…?’ banana boat. I mean, c’mon. Shoes with a set of polymer shock absorbers in the heel? $129.95 a pair and please, don’t even think about putting a spring in your step, soldier.  Have a more active life style. The energy reciprocating shock of the Gravity Defyer Shoe will spring you forward in life. The shoe is so much fun that the energy reciprocating shock of the Gravity Defying Shoe will actually give you…

The Parrot Bluetooth Digital Photo Viewer. Beam photos from your mobile phone (or laptop) to this carefully designed range of wireless digital picture frames. Landscape or portrait mode and auto-switch off. More here. $274.80 (€229.00).  Featuring a high-resolution LCD screen with 320 x 234 pixels and 262 144 colours, the Parrot PHOTO VIEWER benefits from the TFT technology to guarantee you the highest level of rendering in terms of colours and sharp details…The internal memory can receive and store over…