savers

It appears we're not the only ones who looked at the new Goatee Saver and pictured a creepily masked Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.

The wearer bites down on the plastic mouthpiece, using adjustable turnbuckles to control the gizmo's measurements in three areas--top, middle, and bottom. Shaving around the gadget is supposed to provide a neat and symmetrical shave (think of it as a stencil for the face).

A couple of my male colleagues here at CNET did crawl under their desks and assume the fetal position upon seeing this thing. But even they'd probably … Read more

You know the old trick of leaving yourself a voice-mail reminder? Jott does that idea one better, turning your message into text that's delivered via e-mail. All you do is call Jott from your cell phone, then say your piece. The service transcribes your message and sends it to your inbox.

But that's just the tip of the Jott iceberg. By setting up an address book on the Jott site, you can also have messages delivered (via e-mail and/or text message) to friends, family members, co-workers, etc. You can "Jott" a new entry to your … Read more

In this age of green, companies are experimenting with all manner of household devices designed to keep utility bills under control. They run the gamut, from gadgets that simply monitor consumption to those that shut off appliances automatically when no one's around.

Many of these products involve power strips and wall-mounted units, which aren't always in the most convenient places or out of mind and sight. So what's a sure-fire way to constantly remind us to conserve? The ubiquitous remote, of course.

The Energy Saver Remote offers a one-stop place to shut off all appliances rather than … Read more

I was surfing the Web flipping through my bookmarks Sunday afternoon when I found a great screensaver for both Windows and Mac. SurveillanceSaver cycles through more than 400 surveillance cameras from around the world. Before you begin fashioning a hat from tinfoil and closing all your blinds, I should note these cameras are mostly wide-sweeping live shots from various countries.

SurveillanceSaver cycles randomly through each camera giving you about 2 minutes to take in the surroundings before switching to a new camera. You'll get live streams of a blizzard in Helsingborg, Sweden, followed by a shot of a lonely … Read more

The nation's governors are jumping on the bandwagon of energy efficiency in computing.

The governors of Minnesota and Kansas on Wednesday committed to buying energy-efficient PCs, part of a partnership between the National Governors Assocation and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Launched earlier this year, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a group formed by Intel and Google to promote use of energy-efficient power supplies for PCs.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas said that new PC purchases for their states will meet the EnergyStar 4.0 rating, which could result in a 50 … Read more

Whether you want to use Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system or not, you're almost certainly going to get it if you buy a new Windows laptop. While reviews of Vista have been mixed, one thing is certain: some of Vista's features, such as the Aero interface and Windows Sidebar, can suck the life out of a laptop battery in no time. In particular, the Aero Glass interface has shown to be a major energy drain.

Luckily for new Vista laptop users, open-source software from Tamir Khason can help considerably. Titled Vista Battery Saver, the little 900K … Read more

There is such a thing as too much "time-saving." I worry that our 24/7 culture is creating instant-gratification expectations for even low-tech experiences.

I was worried that our 7-year old was getting hooked on high-tech immediacy, but even she realized that the TV ad for "Roll 'N Grow," the "miracle garden in a box" was pretty ridiculous. Talk about inventing a problem that isn't a problem. The pitchman blared in an alarmed tone, "You hoe and your rake, you shovel and you ache, and for what? Flowers that might not grow? Forget all that work.....Cut & place or just roll and grow!"… Read more

Yes, to many of you this will look stupid. But if you're an urban apartment-dweller like me, there's a good chance that you saw this gadget and immediately said "OMIGOD, I NEED THAT." Our suburban brethren often don't realize that many apartments in New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, etc. don't have dishwashers due to space constraints. As a result, we've become very well acquainted with every brand of dish soap on the market (hello, Method Home!), the merits of relying on take-out Chinese food, as well as the deep drama involved in … Read more

Yup, just in time for summer. It's all of 12 degrees Fahrenheit here in Manhattan, which is a big improvement over the 8-degree temperatures this morning, but still not warm enough to be thinking about outdoor barbecues. Nevertheless, this contraption on ProductDose is worth a nod, in my opinion: it's a balcony barbecue that allows you to fix a mini charcoal grill onto the edge of a balcony and use it to prepare burgers, fish, steaks, shish kebabs, or what-have-you. It looks as though it was somewhat inspired by flower boxes: there's a lower space to hold … Read more