lights

You know, I kind of like lava lamps. Unlike the whole ambient orb craze, lava lamps aren't just background decoration--they're fun to stare at. They also have legit retro appeal, which is pretty cool when it seems like just about every gadget is trying to look as futuristic as possible. Now, crazy-gadget hub ThinkGeek is selling a $10 lava lamp night light that Gizmodo alerted us to today. You can get 'em in red or yellow (though on the product page, the yellow looks more like neon green), and they plug right into any electric socket. Then it … Read more

There was a time when technological "convergence" in the home was defined by a combo device that merged television with computing. Now, it can be anything from a table-refrigerator to a smart coffee maker.

And the pace of innovation is furious. Just a few days after posting an item on a combo speaker lamp, we discovered that it's already been trumped by a combination lamp, speaker and air purifier, according to Chip Chick. The tower-shaped "Rigel," by Italy's Artemide, has a mirrored finish that gives way to colored lights when in use. But at … Read more

The "Havaleena" cordless LED lights from Tayo Design Studio are marketed as a kind of quirky-cool lighting for outdoor parties, but personally, I think they look like sleeker versions of the glow sticks that are frequently associated with the raver scene. They're not cheap--$59 bucks a pop, or $149 for a set of three that you can arrange into a "bouquet"--but they look pretty darn awesome, and you can customize the colors by switching around a variety of vellum filters. Additionally, the filters can have a short line of text printed on them. … Read more

You know, we track some wacky trends here on Crave. There are the Color-Changey Things, and the Stupid USB Devices, and of course Anthropomorphic Audio. And recently I've been spotting another one: things shaped like UFOs. There's that bug-killing gadget that flies, and a cute little saucer to manage hands-free electronic activity in cars. The latest in this emerging trend is the Neues Licht UFO Light, a German lighting concept that is shaped like something that might have appeared in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The Neues Licht UFO is made mostly out of glass fibers, … Read more

Whenever we'd stuck around long enough to see a movie's credits in the past, we always wondered what a "gaffer" was. Finally, thanks to research for Crave (and Wikipedia), we know now that the term refers to the lighting guru on the set.

The "Gaffer's Bounce Lamp," according to Hammacher Schlemmer, was designed by gaffer extraordinaire Edward Cohen, whose works include Spider-Man 2 and A Beautiful Mind. It apparently owes its name to the process of bouncing a 20-watt floodlight onto a "flexible, sanded polycarbonate reflector that directs a soft, diffuse light.&… Read more

What is it that makes accessory manufacturers think that media players need flashing lights? Griffin recently came out with its "Disko" case in all its blinking glory, much to the dismay of some true Apple loyalists. But at least that product had some practical protective use.

The "Lumi Flasher" by Japan's Trinity, on the other hand, is simply lights for the sake of lights, with one white and four red LEDs that plug into the iPod's dock connector. It does include a "flashlight mode," according to Newlaunches, but we're not sure … Read more

Few categories have been so overdone than iPod speakers. After posting our last item on a pair of these ubiquitous products, we imposed an unofficial moratorium on them. It lasted a lot longer than expected: a whole six days. We figure we missed 40 or 50 speaker announcements in that time.

So why are we breaking the fast now? Just look at the picture, Sparky. It's a speaker shaped like an iron. And a pink one at that, though it also comes in orange and lime green. Even Chip Chick was moved to declare it "the oddest iPod … Read more

We're not fond of cliches here at Crave, but this really is one idea that's so crazy it just might work. Making it even more interesting, the product is made in China and distributed by company based in Chile (definitely un-cliche).

It's a lighted toothbrush. Don't laugh. We're not talking about just any blinking gizmo toy, but a toothbrush with a "high-intensity LED white light" and a built-in mirror on the back of the bristles that distributor Ribalderrama says can make brushing and oral self-examination much easier.

The Chilean company isn't stopping … Read more

Her penguin fixation aside, we have to agree with Craving colleague Caroline McCarthy in her stand against the "color-changey phenomenon." In fact, the issue has become increasingly dire ever since.

Readers of this space will note that we have been warning of egg-based subversion for some time, usually under the guise of audio devices. Then this week, what began as a misguided psychedelic revival crossed into the sinister realm of the Ovo Underground with these color-morphing eggs from HouseOfRave.com. The "Oggz," as they are known, are supposedly harmless accent lights that "change color like … Read more