HOME GADGETS

Eva Solo Magnetimer Kitchen Timer

I find this gadget strangely appealing, even though it's nothing more than a simple egg timer. It just looks so cool plus, it's magnetic!

Okay, lets get the obvious out of the way. The Magnetimer is a simple round timer. It's magnetized, so you can stick it to any metal surface. When it's time to time, just slap it to the stainless steel fronts of your fancy-schmancy high-end appliances, and you're ready to start the countdown.

The timer itself is made of stainless steel and silicone rubber, which provides a nice visual contrast. The rubber base also ensures that the Magnetimer won't scratch your fancy-scmancy stainless steel appliances, which is important.

All that said, there's really nothing fancy about this gizmo other than its looks and its stick-to-itiveness. Just twist the dial to set the timing interval, and it starts its countdown. It's charmingly old-school analog, so there aren't any buttons to push or switches to set. It's really just a big timer knob, not much bigger than the all the eggs you'll be boiling with it.

But it looks neat and it's magnetic!

Model: Magnetimer Manufacturer: Eva Solo (www.evasolo.com/products-minutur.html) Price: $35

Oregon Scientific AWS888 Weather Forecaster

I'm a fool for these weather station gizmos. The AWS888 from Oregon Scientific is especially neat in that it sports a 3.8'' full-color display which can show current conditions and forecasts with photo-image animations. Set up remote sensors outdoors to measure temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure; the time and forecasts come from a wireless connection to the U.S. atomic clock.

Model: AWS888 Manufacturer: Oregon Scientific (www.oregonscientific.com) Price: $249.95

VIOlight Toothbrush Sanitizer

Cleanliness is next to godliness, so who wants a heathen toothbrush? The VIOlight is a toothbrush sanitizing system that uses a germicidal UV light bulb to kill 99.9% of the nasty bacteria found between your bristles; the entire process takes less than ten minutes. It doubles as an ordinary mild-mannered toothbrush holder, so no extra counter space is necessary.

Model: VIOlight Manufacturer: VIOlight (www.violight.com) Price: $49.95

VoiSec Refrigerator Voice Recorder

Need to leave a message for your spouse or your kids or to yourself? Then check out the VoiSec digital voice recorder. It's a small button-shaped device that you can stick on the front of your refrigerator; press the button to record a message, or lift the lid for playback. This may be the most useful gadget in the entire book!

Model: VoiSec Manufacturer: VoiSec (www.voisec.se/pages/voisec.html) Dimensions: 1.6'' (diameter) x 0.71'' (h) Price: ~$40

Wallflower 2 Multimedia Picture Frame

Show off your digital photos with this digital picture frame. The Wallflower 2 connects to your PC via WiFi, downloads the pictures you've selected, then displays them in a rotating slideshow. The color screen is a big 14.1'', which makes the Wallflower 2 look like a traditional picture frame. You can store 30GB of photos, movies, or music files on the device's built-in hard disk.

Model: Wallflower 2 Standard Edition Manufacturer: Wallflower Systems (www.wallflower-systems.com) Dimensions: 18.5'' x 15.5'' x 3.5'' Price: $899