The best thing about this USB powered Star Trek communicator VOIP phone is that it has a velcro backing, allowing you to mount it prominently on most pieces of clothing (which is exactly what I plan on doing). Once the phone’s hooked up, you can use it to make VOIP calls over Skype and it works with XP, Vista, Tiger and Leopard.

Did I mention it comes with all the super-awesome communicator sound effects? The only downside to this is that I work from home, meaning no one will be able to see how truly awesome I am every time  I take a Skype call. I think a trip to the neighborhood wifi coffee shop will be in order.

The phone’s not released yet, but it’s due out in April through Dream Cheeky, a site known for its bizarre USB-powered gadgets.

You have until February 20th to vote for your favorite Greener Gadget before the Greener Gadgets Conference in NYC on Feb 27th. I’m leaning towards the RITI printer (uses tea or coffee dregs instead of traditional ink and is pictured below) because it seems to be the one thing I could actually buy and get that really nice “green” feeling every time I used it. I also have a*lot* of coffee dregs.

Of course, fuzzy green feelings aside, there are definitely some other products on the short list that could have a far further-reaching impact than a coffee-powered printer.

Like a power socket that offers 5V, 16V and standard 120V to cut down on the need for power transformers and the use of disposable batteries in our electronics. Or Blink, an affordable attachment that uses a photo-sensitive cell to turn off lights when they’re not needed.

I was also intrigued by Eco-Neighbuzz, an internal telecom system that lets residents of a housing development or building exchange messages quickly. What kind of messages? Well, ones about needing to borrow a tool, giving away something, wanting to share a ride, etc. At first I was blown away by this one, but then I remembered that I’ve been a member of my neighborhood email listserv for years and it serves the same purpose, but without the need for a dedicated communications device in every home.

You can’t buy the coffee-ink printer yet, but we’ll keep you posted on the status.

A few weeks ago I set out to buy a new external hard drive. Admittedly, I wasn’t looking for a blinged- out piece of golden desk candy (at first), but I found one and it was pretty hard to resist.

Definitely not your standard-issue black plastic, this hard drive is designed by Ito Morabito of Ora-Ito. You may remember him as the Parisian designer who created a series of Lego-block-shaped hard drives for LaCie back in 2005. Well, he’s back with another LaCie drive and this time it’s a 500GB, Hi-Speed, USB 2.0 beast that looks like a gold brick (click here for more specs).

The drive sells for $189 and it’s surprisingly functional for what seems like a novelty product. You’re only getting 500GB of storage, which for $200 isn’t the best. But, the drive is driver-free, plug-and-play and fanless. That means it’s quiet and easy to use. It also comes with a two-year warranty from LaCie, one of the better drive manufacturers.

The best part? LaCie describes it on their website as “500GB of capacity under a glitter wave.” Something definitely got lost in the translation there, but we’re loving it anyway. Of course, I chickened out in the end and opted for a more “practical” (read: boring) 1TB Western Digital My Book.

Granted, solar chargers are just about everywhere these days, but how about one that doesn’t cost upwards of $100 and can still jack in to all of your mobile goodies? Get excited for the FreeLoader Solar Charger, able to soak up the power of the sun and store it for up to 3 months in a pack small enough to fit in your pocket. Whether you’re off the grid completely or just absentminded and in need of a power kick, a solar charger is one step up from an emergency battery since you’ll still not need an outlet when even that winds down — just pray for clear skies.

The lightweight aluminum FreeLoader unfolds to reveal two solar panels and comes with a USB charging cable, plus eleven standard adapters for your major cell phone, digital camera, PDA, GPS, and MP3 gadgets — and if the standard set doesn’t fit your device, there are extra accessories available to fill out your set (like an iPod adapter — now you can take long roadtrips and not worry about running out of tunes after 8 hours). Available for $49.95 from firebox.com, the FreeLoader is a great add to your power arsenal without breaking the bank.

When your parents first taught you how to ride a bike, I bet they also showed you how to swing your arm out to indicate that you were about to make a turn, right? And even though there are actual laws on the books that require bike riders to make these moves while riding in traffic, I can’t tell you the last time I actually saw someone do it. Why? A) it’s kind of a pain in the ass, let’s be honest, and B) if you’re about to make a fast tight turn, do you really want to give up one of your arms and risk losing control of the bike? Heck no. So you keep zipping on and pray that nothing jumps out at you or a car suddenly decides to zig when you zag.

Easy fix: Bicygnals, detachable magnetic lights that fix to your handlebar and under your saddle that’ll tell everyone in traffic just where you’re headed. The signal switches are located right beside your handlebar shifters, so doing the right thing is as easy as pushing a button. Each set (front and back LED displays) require 4 AA batteries, with an option to use the front headlight and rear red indication in full beam or flashing mode. And when you’re not on the road, the kit comes with a compact carrying case so you can throw it in your bag and not worry about leaving the lights on your bike. All in all, this genius set is a must-have for any city or night riders, and is ready to order now for £39.95.

We’re SUPER distrustful of universal remotes that claim to be able to power everything. Why, you ask? Because over the course of ten years we’ve plunked down thousands of dollars on remote controls, from fancy schmancy touch-screen devices that promise to do everything but wash the dishes down to the cheapo versions that you can find hanging on an endcap at Best Buy, and invariably there’s always ONE component that won’t take orders from anyone but its original remote master, even when told to beam those controls via IR remote info-sex. Take a good hard look at your entertainment center: if you’re anything like us, there’s no less than 5 components from as many manufacturers all awaiting your command, and they’ve each got their own special little remote control language.

But whatever, let’s pretend that 2008 is the year of renewed optimism and faith — yes, dear advertiser, we will eat up every promise you throw at us and swallow with a smile because it’s 2008 and we really want to believe! So Logitech, here’s your shot, make us proud: hot off the PR wires, take in the Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote. It’s black, it doesn’t have a zillion buttons, it’s got its own full color touch screen, it’s ergonomic… it’s… it’s even ever expanding. With the self proclaimed “World’s Largest A/V Control Database”, the remote is ready to support more than 225,000 devices from more than 5,000 brands, with new items being added to the list every day. Could this really be the end of multi-remote woes? For $249.99, here’s to hoping.

Thanks to the guys over at hField Tecnology we had an engaging new gadget to play with over our holiday vacation. The Wi-Fire is a USB device that extends wireless access connections from up to 1,000 feet away which is three times further than a traditional internal wireless adapter.

The Wi-Fire uses a powerful directional antenna, highly sensitive receiver and proprietary software (which is included) to find and enhance normal Wi-Fi signals. Now we are not saying that just because you will be able to find and connect to a range of wireless connections that you should do so willy nilly but, with this product and an open network or with the help of the guys over at Whisher you will be equipped to do so.

Right out of the box the Wi-Fire delivered. We installed the simple to use software, plugged in the directional antenna, and instantly we were able to see 6 new connections that were previously undetectable with our regular Linksys USB adapters. In addition to our new found networks our own network signal went from 85% to a full 100% once we properly aligned the antenna.

If you live in an area with a lot of open Wi-Fi networks or have a large area to cover with your own network the guys over at hField are definitely on to something with the Wi-Fire. With an MSRP of just $79 you should seriously consider the Wi-Fire the next time you are in the market for a new wireless adapter.

Maybe somewhere during the holiday crunch last week you paused for a moment and realized just how much nonsense we lug around with us for the sake of technology — between the power cords, adapters and carefully wrapped electronic goodies, most luggage cases end up looking like the waystation for tech support. It’s this waste of space that’s edging out more important travel packages, like presents and clean underwear, so here are a few products we’ve been using to maintain our connectedness while keeping the packing light.

Universal A/C Travel Adapter
Forget all of those travel adapters you’ve bought to meet each region you visit, or carrying around multiple adapters for country-hopping. The Universal A/C Travel Adapter is a mildly-priced must-have for power anywhere — covering more than 150 countries, the adapter adapts to each region’s plug system with collapsible plugs and prongs making it a perfect fit no matter where you’re at (there are even handy clues on the backside marked “USA, Japan, Europe, China, Australia, and Thai” if you find yourself trying to force a connection that won’t seem to work). The Adapter also features a power indicator, safety shutter and surge protector so you’re properly protected. For $10.99, don’t leave the country without it!

USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter

…and let’s not forget the need to charge up all of your goodies while you’re on the go, too. The USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter is a two-set package: you get one retractable USB cable (30″ fully extended) that connects the wheel to your computer, and the wheel itself that’s ready to hook up to your USB Mini 5 pin, USB Mini, USB Mini B, USB B, and USB Mini 4 pin plugs. Buyer beware, though — this is for charging only, the wheel does not let you sync your devices, so don’t get frustrated when you can’t pull your pictures off of your camera. But for power on the fly (maybe you’re only traveling for a couple of days and want to be sure you don’t run out of juice), the 5-in-1 is a great tool for keeping your cameras, phones, mp3 players and PDAs charged. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector

Lastly but certainly not least, there’s the 5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector. Similar to the wheel, the USB Cable is built to charge your electronic gaming devices, plus it goes one better than the wheel and actually lets you sync up your iPod so you can charge and change your playlists while traveling (it’s the little things, right?). Though the USB Cable is a little more bulky with its white bound-together cables vs. retractable zip line, it’s got all of your major entertainment electronic needs covered — with USB-iPod, USB-PSP, USB-NDS Lite, USB-NDS, USB-SP and Mini USB 5 pin connections you’re ready to charge up all of your travel entertainment electronics (if the port names didn’t give it away, this includes your PSP, NDS Lite, iPod, NS and SP). Word to the wise, though — don’t try charging more than one device at a time, it just doesn’t work. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

HP’s calling it revolutionary, but we’ll just call it easier. Sometimes correcting and printing your pictures can be a real timesink — between uploading from your camera, going into Photoshop to correct problem areas and then resizing for printing, you can spend hours going through your vacation shots just to get a satisfying stack of photos in your hands. If you’re a big fan of simplifying, the HP Photosmart A826 Home Phone Center may be the printer for you.

Sporting a 7″ touch screen, you can manage and print your images straight from memory cards for a final print without borders to trim in multiple sizes (4×6, 5×7, wallet, and panorama). The printer acts as a digital photo frame — as images appear, you can select them to print or edit with the touch of the stylus/your finger and even work some photo wizardry. HP’s a big fan of photo features and they’ve pulled no punches with Photosmart; built in tools let you add captions, design greeting cards, add borders, graphics, frames and effects, even remove red eye and — no joke — “slim” your subjects (if the camera adds ten pounds, HP can remove twenty). When your images are ready to go, the unit is able to print without smudging or smearing with lab-quality printing that resists fading; it can even print wirelessly from Bluetooth-enabled devices if you want a more permanent version of your cell phone pics. At $249.99 it’s not the cheapest printer on the block, but it’s definitely easy enough for your mom to figure out — and she’ll get a lot more scrapbooking done because of it.

What could be cooler than a flexible waterproof keyboard? One that lights up to boot! This new roll-up keyboard from Brando is made of high quality silicone making it not only waterproof but damn near indestructible. Whether you are looking for a conversation piece or a compact yet full size keyboard to use on the go this gadget is a bargain at only $27.