Products & Gadgets

Weighing in online

In the age of Twitter and Facebook, here comes another way to tell your secrets online. Body Trace Inc will allow you to post your weight on the Internet.

The company's Body Trace eScale is an electronic bathroom scale that measures your weight to chart your progress if you're on a diet.

The scale is programmed to sync wirelessly with the Internet to post your weight online.

Via the company's website, you will be able to keep track of your progress (or lack of it) while sharing information about diets and recipes.

You can also upload photographs to show off your progress.

This stylish scale is expected to be available in September for $120 with a free three-month subscription to the website. After the initial website membership, the subscription is $20 for each three-month period.

The weight monitoring system also features BMI charts, a food intake calculator and food diary.

Anti-germ wand

UV-C light -- the ultraviolet light in the "C" band -- reportedly kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses.

That's the science behind the new Verilux UVC Sanitizing Wand.

Capable of sanitizing targeted surfaces and eliminating spores and mold, this product is designed to keep your household hygienic and also eliminate allergens.

Using what the company calls "clean wave, light wave" technology, any surface can be safely treated by the Verilux Sanitizing Wand, including footwear.

Hold the wand a specified number of millimeters above the targeted area and expose the area to the light for 10 to 20 seconds.

Fruits and vegetables can be sanitized, too, by exposing them to the light wand.

The life expectancy of the product's six-watt fluorescent UV-C bulb is seven years with normal use.

The product also includes a safety shut-off feature to prevent exposure to your skin and eyes.

Outdoor showers

Fishing and camping fans can take a solar shower outdoors with the Guide Gear Pop-Up Shelter.

This ecologically friendly shower in a bag includes a fold-up fiberglass pole frame and a shower made of durable materials.

The product is made to hold enough water for a fast shower, and the stakes that are included can be used to set up your outside shower next to a tree.

You can also use the lightweight Guide Gear Pop-Up Shelter as a private outdoor changing room.

Monitoring baby

If you're a parent who begins to worry the minute you shut the door to your child's bedroom, here's a gadget for you.

The Philips Avent Digital Screen Baby Monitor comes equipped with DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) technology.

This gizmo boasts a clear sound transmission, and features a temperature and humidity monitor to ensure your infant's comfort.

It's a portable parental unit with a range of 304 meters. It comes with a belt clip and neck strap for easy carrying.

The sleek unit includes a night-light, and can play a few lullabies, too, to help lull your child to sleep.

The baby-monitoring unit uses rechargeable batteries and sells for about $150.

(China Daily 07/13/2009 page6)