Fire safety products have never looked so good. Home Hero makes only 2 things: slick fire extinguisher and slick 2-in-1 smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. There’s no pricing on these babies yet as the products are still in test market but you can sign up to be notified when products become available. Read more about these as well as general home safety guides on their neat web site.  

 The actual idea has been around since, well, since napkins were created I guess. Everyone’s done it and some of the greatest creative ideas evolved from it. I’m fairly surprise I haven’t seen anyone market this as a spiffy clever product until now. Napkin Notebook is exactly what it is. No explanation necessary. (Site is cool too - props to Jesse)

The folks at Belkin really have the white-on-white apple sidekick market down to a science. This piece of gadgetry in particular is quite interesting. The mr. and I have long talked about putting a “master switch” button by our door to kill outlets that hooks up to appliances so we can conserve wasted energy readily. With the new Belkin Conserve surge protector, it looks like this can be done easier than ever. 2 of the 8 outlets are set to “always on” and 6 are set to switch on and off with the cute little switcher thinggy. Read more on NotCot. And it’s only $50!!

 This little toy speaks lovely words to my inner geekdom like nothing else. So sweet that I bought 2 of them! (yanno, one for the office, one for the road).. Actually they make dope gifts for your techie friends and significant others. Shipped straight from Japan, the thing is fully functional: plug it in, turn the key, flip the switches (in sequence please), and kill!!!! The USB hubs in the back are fully operational to give you some excuse of why you really, really need one. About $60 from Audio Cubes. (Pss.. awesome store! physical one recently opened in NYC on 8th street)

 Limited edition Mimobots USB Flash Drive. Best stocking stuffer for every geek in your household. $60 gets you a single drive 1GB/USB2.0. Available at Urban Outfitters (online only). Darth Vader is so cute!

 Unfortunately I can’t really read the details of this site, but hey.. a cool bag is a cool bag no matter where it comes from. This is Vax laptop bag from Barcelona. Shock-full of color and function that will keep your baby (that’d be the computer) protected in style. I love the bright combination of the hip tech color. Turns the inner-nerd on. (Thanks Xavier!)

 
Fanciest condom case on the market. Make that the only condom case on the market? Sure to surprise the design lovers all around. From Formstark (no price).

 Got a programmer friend? Need a gift? Click here ($33.78 for the set). (via notcot)

Having traveled somewhat extensively I thought it might be fun to gather up a few essentials that are equally good looking as they are functional.

1. Burton Wheelie Double Deck ($169.95) sets you apart from the sea of black bags in the luggage claim. I can’t tell you how handy this is, especially when you run into any luggage problems at the airport. Burton makes sick luggages - durable and practical.

2. Bree Toiletry Groombag ($65) - nicely sized for storing all your bathing necessities for longer trips. I, for one, cannot live beyond 3 days off zip-lock sized toiletries.

3. Travelon Compression Packing bag ($15) is a must. It not only de-puffs anything puffy (duh), but it also double-duty as the little bags that separate the clean and the dirty stuff during your stay.

4. Survive in-flight kit ($42). This is one of the most useful pre-packaged kit out there. You can also spend less and pack your own drugstore equivalent. The core of this kit addresses the 3 most important things that’s really annoying about being on the airplane - dry lips, dry eyes, and dry skin. Add a few items to address these problems to your carry-on list and you should be happier in no time.

5. Flyrite Anti-Jetlag Formula ($40). Now this one I’ve never tried myself but it caught my attention after seeing it pop up in a few articles. The whole song-dance around how much you should consume and when is a bit overwhelming to me, but if you are the jetsetter that needs to get off the ground running right away at your far-flung destination then I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try. At least you can rest assured that everything in the little mystery bottle is organic herbs.

6. Ahh.. the one thing I always forget to pack. Paper Laundry Detergent ($6 for 30 sheets) really does comes in handy everywhere you go in a light-weight carefree package. They also make paper soap and paper shaving cream too.

7. Bob Alarm Clock ($12.50). Bob is a cute little wobbly thing that not only tells time and wakes me up, but it also tells the temperature and date.

8. Zaum Biglietto TPass 16 ($38) stores all the papers you need to pass airport immigration/inspection in one place. This makes fetching task a breeze.

9. Cocoon Travel Pillow ($20) comes with a handy sack that makes it a bit “cleaner” to sleep on by the time you need it. Unlike your run-the-mill U shape neck rest, this pillow is down-filled and can support both your neck as well as lumbar.

10. Last but not least, the obvious portable entertainment king, iPod Video ($249++).

Too cute to not post. Keepon is a little robot created by some students at Carnegie Mellon (yay!! alumni pride!). Love the squish and the song. This is not your average dancer and certainly not your average robot. I want one. Too bad its not in retail production (yet). Another video here.

Edit 1: Saw a write up in Wired mag. Keepon’s eyes are made of camera and the nose is a microphone so it actually reacts to noise as well as movements. I want!

Edit 2: Keepon will be performing at Wired NExtFest in LA this year alongside Spoon. BOOO - I can’t go.