Gadgets Inspector | Hot Gadgets and Gizmos

In 1998, the “Today” show started sending co-host Matt Lauer to far off locations like Mt. Everest and Machu Picchu, for a feature on the show called Where in the World Is Matt Lauer? But this week, American broadcasting network NBC decided to send Matt Lauer somewhere he’d never been before… a microsite. In a clever mashup of entertainment and promotion, Matt Lauer now has his own interactive Flash gaming site (followmatt.com). I blog for a site called Brand Appeal and thought this Matt Lauer microsite deserved a closer look.

Using a fun object-based interface, the site encourages users to explore Matt’s possessions on his desk. You can watch clips on his video iPod, check out his car keys (sponsored by by Hyundai), download themed ringtones from his mobile phone, and see all of the places Matt has traveled to by opening up his passport. Visitors can even use his digital camera to upload a brief video clip explaining why they deserve a vacation. Apparently the best sob story wins a free vacation.

By far, the best part of the microsite is the “Where’s Matt?” game. It’s like an interactive version of the children’s book “Where’s Waldo?” Matt randomly gets inserted into different exotic locations and you have to find him. Do it fast enough and you’ll get your name listed in the top 10. When I last played the game someone named “Imus Sucks” was in 10th place. Obviously a reference to the radio host who recently made racist comments about the Reuters University women’s basketball team. Imus does suck by the way.

Overall, the online experience is great. However, the execution of this site’s design feels a little disjointed. Several components of the site launch in separate windows making the experience feel less contained. Even though I feel a more controlled experience for visitors is needed (like on my blog called Brand Appeal), the site really does a nice job of pushing Matt Lauer’s celebrity brand and attracting more interest in the Today show. Don’t give a crap about a free vacation or ring tones? Me either. But at the very least check out the “Where’s Matt?” game and try to get your name in the top 10. I did. Just once.

by CAM

BeSocial: digg story | vmix | brandappeal

This mirror (£300) doesn’t only have a visual advantage over the one in your bedroom, you can have the time and date showing, and you can even type up to 4000 characters as your personalized message.

Which is ultimately better? According to Philip McClure the answer depends on the purposes of use. He uses Photoshop during his work days and Gimp at nights.

Is the Gimp just as good as Photoshop?

Yes, for the average home user, the Gimp is just as good as Photoshop. The gimp has layers, alpha channels, a robust plugin architecture, I could go on but they have a pretty good overview of what the Gimp is capable of at Gimp.org.

Read [Gimp vs. Photoshop]

Let us be honest, you ain’t going to buy a Credit Card Underground Map (Ã?£8) and count on it to lead you through the streets of London or New York. With that said, it’s still a nice widget to have on you while on travel to one of these.

The famous London Underground diagram designed by Henry Beck in 1931 has become an internationally acknowledged masterpiece, emulated by many transport organisations throughout the world. This informative little sliver really is an indispensable item for anyone who takes the tube.

With more and more people looking to add ambiance into their bathrooms, for some known and some unknown reasons, this item might actually become a mainstream in a while.

This illuminated, self standing, polyethylene bathtub is sure to add drama to your bathroom. Available with internal multicolored, programmable LED light unit, or with a regular light fitting.

Product Homepage ($1,500)

A month ago we received a nice little mail pacakge from Inka Corp., it was the Inka Pen. Now surely if you were sent a pen for free you wouldn’t mind, but you must be asking why would someone review a pen? well we’ve been using the Inka Pen for over a month now, and we can say that the saying it’s not another pen is not a cliche.

Inka Pen is ideal for those of you who work in inconvenient workplaces, or just seem to stumble upon a nice idea or thought they’d like to take note of in the middle of nowhere. It’s light weight (20-30g) and small size makes it attachable to your keyring, backpack, or even your jeans pocket.

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Oasis is designed by a Sweden firm based in Stockholm and manufactured by Peter Pepper in California using partially recycled, vacuum-formed ABS plastic.

readyfordesign.com has some hip-looking laptop for sale, unfortunately they’re not priced yet, so we can’t asses if they’re worth the price, but we should know as December is approaching.

ReadyForDesign.com

This is another ambience item that you probably don’t need, but would like to get into your room if you’re a teen or just a young spirited person.

This cool bedroom accessory boasts 12 soothing shades, which includes all the colours of the rainbow and some extra funky shades thrown in for good measure. There are also three colour settings to choose from depending on your mood, so you can set the Rocket Aurora Clock to subtly change on the hour, scroll sequentially through all the colours, or have it off altogether.

Product Homepage (�£30)

Oh, you know how passionate we are about new design concepts..

This ring is made from three nickel-plated magnet arches which can be added or removed to fit a range of finger sizes. Four spacers of various shapes are also included to alter the ring’s design and adjust its size.

Product Homepage ($25)