Best idea ever? Thermal-vision microwave displays exactly how hot your food is
Former NASA engineer and serial inventor Mark Rober has developed a new kind of microwave that essentially has thermal vision and can display the temperature of the grub you're nuking in real-time.
Why eat chocolate when you can snort it? A Belgian chocolatier invented a way
Chocolate is so tasty, but one chocolatier thinks you can get just as good of a choco-buzz from snorting the stuff in cocoa-powder form. Sound a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs? Check out the video.
Take a look in this book, and it turns into a stool
The problem with keeping a few folding chairs around for random guests is that they take up a lot of space. Bookniture is a stool or table that folds up into a book but is still sturdy enough to support hundreds of pounds.
Obliterate houseflies like a boss with the new and improved Bug-A-Salt gun
The Camofly is a sort of modified squirt gun that sprays houseflies with salt, killing them and their incessant buzzing. It looks fun, but potentially bad news in the hands of a vicious older brother.
A karaoke shower and microwave that freezes food win the Odd Invention Challenge
It all started with a dream and a prayer, but the inventor of a microwave that quickly freezes food and drinks won the Odd Invention Challenge. She won £5,001, so don't expect it to go into production any time soon.
UviCube sanitizes your germy phone by blasting it with ultraviolet light
Instead of using heat or liquid antibacterial agent, UviCube blasts your stuff with high-intensity ultraviolet light, killing 99.9 percent of all germs without damaging any sensitive electronic components.
Paragon is a portable, affordable induction cooktop
You don't need to install FirstBuild's Paragon. It's an induction cooktop you plug in, then you can use it to sous vide, poach, braise ... basically it does lots of fancy cooking techniques.
This polite, drink-fetching robot may one day be a grandparent’s best friend
In an effort to help senior citizens be able to stay in their own homes, British and European researchers created the Care-O-bot 3, a robot that helps around the house and acts as a companion.
Disaster strikes when woman falls asleep on the floor near her robot vacuum
Danger, Will Robinson! A woman's robot vacuum sucked up her hair and was such an ordeal, she ended up calling the fire department. To be fair, if we were being attacked by a robot, we'd do the same thing.
Kickstarter backers beware: This high tech laundry ball smells like a scam
There's a new smart home gizmo on the loose that's making quite a splash on Kickstarter, but you might want to take a closer look before you whip out your wallet for Crystal Wash 2.0. Something smells fishy about this project.
SmartThings joins Z-Wave Alliance’s board of directors, so what does that mean?
Samsung acquired smart-home-kit maker SmartThings recently, and now the company is joining the Z-Wave Alliance board of directors. Don't worry; we'll explain what that means.
How funky is your chicken? This device detects if your meat is decaying
Ever been to the store and been dubious of their "fresh" fish? Foodsniffer is a device that promises to analyze the air around meat and let you know if it's spoiled or not.
Do you want vegan meals home delivered? What if they’re from Beyoncé?
If you want to eat better, there's good news: Beyoncé wants to help. She and her trainer started 22 Days Nutrition, a vegan meal home delivery service. Be warned: It costs more than our monthly food budget for 22 days of food.
Cover your stuff in Pixie Points for a digital map of everything you love to lose
It's 8:00 a.m. Do you know where your keys are? If you have a Pixie Point attached, you can pull out your smartphone and find them, even if they're in another room or you left them in the car.
LIFX tries to outshine Philips with update that makes its smart bulbs better
Australian startup LIFX has recently released a major firmware update for its eponymous smart bulb and ushered in some new features that should make Philips, the maker of Hue, sweat a little bit.
Quip: The last electric toothbrush you’ll ever need
NYC-based startup Quip wants to alleviate the arduous task of remembering to replace your toothbrush every three months. How? With an affordable brush and a simple subscription-based business model.
Scrub up like a Mars-bound astronaut with this water-recycling shower
It's been a drought-heavy year for a sizable portion of the U.S. If your long showers are weighing on your conscience, you might want to check out the Shower of the Future, which uses 90 percent less water than a standard system.
A competitor found a permanent way to brew off-brand K-cups in Keurig 2.0 machines
One of Keurig's competitors is distributing a device called the Freedom Clip, a retrofittable clip that snaps onto Keurig 2.0 machines and permanently disables Green Mountain's DRM technology, letting you brew any kind of K-cup you want.
Cut down your monthly water bill with these handy tips
Bills are a pain, so why not try to save a little cash by tightening up water usage around the house? Here's a list of easy ways to reduce your water bill
This faucet that makes water look like latticework has ruined us for other sinks
Don't get too attached to this gorgeous faucet; it's just a concept design. Still, we're going to picture every sink we see with water flowing in intricate patterns from now on.
Awesome tech you can’t buy yet, for the week of February 1, 2015
Check out our roundup of the coolest crowdfunding projects and product announcements that hit the Web this week. You can't buy this stuff yet, but it sure is fun to gawk!
Yikes, people are charging a lot for Super Bowl home rentals
Hotel prices are soaring for rooms in Phoenix this weekend, so lots of people are turning to Airbnb to find a place. So how much does it cost to rent a place during Super Bowl weekend?
How do you brew? Brew-Boss automates the beer-making process so anyone can do it
Home brew is often disgusting, but it doesn't have to be. Brew-Boss takes the guesswork out of the process by automating everything for you, but you can still be creative if you want to be.
What’s the story, Wishbone? This smart thermometer takes temperatures touchlessly
Got a finicky baby? The Wishbone smart thermometer lets you take the child's temperature without touching. It only takes two seconds and works on other objects, so you can make sure the bathwater isn't too hot.
Spend the night dangling at 9,000 feet in this gondola turned Airbnb chalet
Anyone scared of heights will not be excited about Airbnb's new contest for a night in a cable car suspended 9,000 feet above the French Alps. Everyone else? Get those applications in!
With floodlights, speakers, and charging ports, Coolbox puts your toolbox to shame
The Coolbox is a toolbox with a built-in rechargeable battery, a pair of Bluetooth speakers, and a slew of different outlets and ports for you to charge gadgets and tools, as well as few other additions that make it even more useful.
The FTC warns how companies could use your data collected from smart devices
As devices become more connected, it leaves us more vulnerable to hacks and privacy concerns. The FTC issues a report stating it won't regulate the Internet of Things yet but companies need to better protect consumers.
Meet smart mattress pad Luna: It knows when you’re sleeping and awake
Tired of wearing your sleep tracker to bed? Luna is a smart mattress pad that tracks your sleep. It's thin and washable and syncs with your smart devices to lock up your house and dim the lights.
Preparing your home for winter storm Juno
The East Coast hunkered down overnight, preparing for more from a massive winter storm known as Juno. There are some things you can do before the worst of the snow hits to help make sure you stay safe and warm.
This tiny remote control will control your smartphone and your smart home
The Qmote is a water resistant, metal-bodied remote control for your smartphone, which can be customized to activate various features, and even linked with IFTTT to control your smart home.
10 SkyMall Products We Wouldn’t Mind Having in the house
SkyMall filed for bankruptcy, which prompted a flood of articles making fun of some its more ridiculous products. But the in-flight magazine had some things we'd totally have bought. Maybe.
Like it or not, you’re going to have a smarter home in the next couple of years
Not everyone is excited about the idea of a smart, connected home. But analysts are forecasting that by 2019, almost 70 percent of people will have a smart thermostat. So what's going to turn the tide?
Got Nest? Some insurance companies reward smart-home device owners
Some insurance companies want to know if you use a smart thermostat to regulate your home's temperature and have a sensor that alerts when there's a water leak; in fact, they want to reward you for these smart home devices.
Keep your air clean with FilterEasy’s subscription-based HVAC filter replacements
It's sort of like a Dollar Shave Club for air filters. For a small subscription fee, FilterEasy will send you replacement HVAC filters on a recurring schedule, so you never have to think about it again.
Will Panasonic corner the market with its triangular robot vac?
Unlike the Roomba, which is round, Panasonic's new MC-RS1 Rulo is a triangular robot vacuum. According to the company, this means it won't skimp on cleaning the corners when it runs up against two walls.
Whip up a baby bottle in 15 seconds with this smart machine
Midnight feedings drain new parents, leaving them bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived. A new smart baby bottle appliance aims to make the routine a little easier, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection. Brew up a bottle from bed!
Selling your home? See if it’s in one of 2015’s hottest neighborhoods
Think your neighborhood is a hidden gem? Watch out! It may be on Redfin's list of 2015’s 10 hottest neighborhoods. Don't blame them, though. It means the secret's out, and everyone wants to live there.
The world’s smartest desk is now more affordable but still pricey
Stir unveiled a new version of its Kinetic smart desk, the Kinetic M1, which boasts many of the same features and functionality as the original, but at a significantly lower price point.