If you're a Trekkie, or maybe know someone who is, there's a good chance this replica tricorder will perk your Vulcan ears up. It's based upon the Star Trek original series, and as such, features a classic 23rd century design. It's powered by some very old fashioned normal, Earth-style AA batteries to produce the various bleeps and bloops you'll instantly recognize as ST:TOS.

The replica tricorder is $40 or so and if you really want to geek-out, you can grab a matching Star Trek phaser and communicator set. Just don't let the jocks see you or you might get beat up!

Made from a special polymer, SnoWOW is a white powder that you simply add water to and it puffs-up into a dry, fluffy pile which looks amazingly like real snow. You can use the fake snow to make Christmas decorations, as one of my friends is, or you could go really wild and cover your entire front yard in the stuff and see what the neighbors think (especially if you live in a hot climate!) It also has uses in dioramas, crafts, special effects and all kinds of other stuff.

Be sure to check-out the video showing what it looks like when you make SnoWOW. A large bucket, which makes 7 gallons of "snow" is $13, so you'll have plenty left-over for presents!

Thanks to some not-so-great choices, almost every electronic device in our lives today has its own unique charger. Even with my limited number of portable electronic goodies, I have a good sized pile of wall-warts and charging cables which are only used periodically. As such, I hate unbundling the cords because it creates quite a tangled mess.

However, most homes have the electrical outlets placed a couple feet up from the floor. So, when you want to plug your cellphone in to charge the batteries, you must either lay the phone on the floor by the outlet or unbundle the eight foot charging cable and run the wire to a table.

Enter these ultra-simple little charging holders. You simply plug your device's charger into the household outlet through the holder and suddenly you have a small shelf to rest your phone, iPod, or whatever on while it's charging! No more resting the phone on the floor or fighting with a rats-nest of tangled cords. Not bad for a piece of bent plastic!

Get the Driinn mobile charging shelf for $10 in any of three available colors.

[Thanks popgadget]

When you think of geeks, there are certain common traits that all share. Two of those traits are an unhealthy interest with Star Wars, preferably the original three, and building things with Legos. Both of these interests are often something you can't take with you on your travels - at least until now.

Some evil geek genius had the idea to build a Star Wars wristwatch from Lego style pieces. You can choose from several variations of these fine chick magnets including Darth Vader, R2D2, Luke Skywalker, and a Storm Trooper. All are water resistant up to 50 meters and feature your standard quartz movement for accurate timekeeping.

Get your Star Wars Lego wristwatches for $20 each -- but you know you'll want the whole set for some Ebay goodness 20 years from now...

[Thanks Gearfuse and Big Al]

Here's a gizmo that's nothing but fun: a T-Rex sculpture that looks like those trophy mounts you'd find at a hunting lodge. Yeah, it's kinda campy and it's definitely not something you'll find in Beverly Hills, but it is something that those with a bit of character will see the enjoyment in. Don't forget that it can scare the neighborhood kids out of your backyard too!

The T-Rex head is cast from sculptor's resin and is very detailed with hand-painted coloring. You can get your very own T-Rex trophy sculpture for $90 and discounts are available on multiples.

[Thanks]

I've got to admit that I'd love to have a "USB" format 5 volt power supply available in the plugs in my house to charge the various electronic gizmos I own. It would save me from keeping track of the dozen various AC adapters that all just output a standard 5 volts.

Well, here is such a device: the USB superboster wall plate. It's an in-wall AC adapter that installs in a standard wall box, just like any other outlet. It provides a USB type plug and the requisite 5v and 500ma of power. The problem? Well, the $130 pricetag is pretty significant! If they could build something like this into a standard dual-gang outlet for a couple bucks more than normal, I'd be game, but no way I'm paying $130 for an adapter!

[Thanks]

Product designers are finally getting smart these days and utilizing the USB interface to provide battery charging power, thus allowing you to avoid hauling several custom wall-wart power adapters with you. Examples include the ever-popular iPod, other mp3 players, and many cell phones.

Leveraging that common method of charging allows something like this solar charger to be useful. The charger flips open to reveal a couple of photovoltaic solar cells which convert solar energy into electrical power. There are some internal batteries which collect the power for later use should your devices not need charging while the sun is out.

The power is delivered via a standard USB plug, allowing you to plug-in any USB-charging device which needs a bit more juice. There are two ports so you can charge a couple of devices at once. Oh, and don't forget the LED flashlight to help you find your devices in the dark. Sounds like the designers actually thought this thing out and it would be useful!

Get your very own Solar USB Charger for $60 straight from the Hong Kong source.

With a few simple swipes across your desk, you can locate your keys, or any other metallic objects, which may be hidden underneath all the paper and junk. I suppose you could use it to ensure your co-workers aren't carrying any knives or other things, but finding buried treasure on your desk is more fun!

The sensitivity of the metal detector circuit is adjustable and allows you to locate items as small as a pin. It runs off of batteries so you can take it anywhere you might need to find metallic objects but don't want to be seen waving a full-sized detector around.

The hand-held metal detector is on clearance for only $15.

Working somewhat like a multi-box voicemail system, this magnetic gizmo sticks to your fridge and lets you leave separate messages for the various members of your family. Each member gets their own button, which are clearly labeled with words like Mom, Dad, Son, and Daughter. it looks like you might be able to change the text just in case you don't have the standard distribution of sexes in your family.

Anyway, you just press and hold the appropriate person's button to record a message and then they just tap the button to hear it. It's perfect for assigning after-school chores or letting others know where you've gone.

The Message Magnet Set includes two message gizmos, batteries and other accessories for only $19.

So, you've got one of the new R2D2 post-office boxes out front of your house. Your spare bedroom looks like a Star Wars convention sales floor full of collectibles, beeping toys, and other nerdy tributes to the empire that Lucas built. But something has been bothering you... you use a normal umbrella when it rains. How lame...

Well, not any more! Now, thanks to the money-grubbing licensing deals between big companies who want every dollar from your wallet, you can now buy a real Darth Vader Limited Edition Lightsaber umbrella. Yes, you read that correctly. A lightsaber umbrella.

For only $100, the Darth Vader Limited Edition Lightsaber Umbrella will protect you from that nasty thing called nature and its awful rain while you run from LAN party to LAN party. Of course, that's assuming that you can violate the #1 rule of Star Wars collecting: never remove the item from the box. Maybe you should buy two -- one to collect and one to use!

[Thanks to Sci-Fi blog]