But this is a dual massager we’re talking about here, so there’s a specially contoured man unit too. Both units store in a handy carrying case, although said case’s lack of an automated cleaning solution—or at the very least some free Purell samples—is disconcerting, to say the least.

Weird aside on my part: Are those bondage straps next to the Philips model in that picture or what?

Another aside: Attend IFA next year. [Philips via CrunchGear]

While many TV makers are using polarized glasses in their 3D concepts, Sony’s plans involve high-definition active shutter glasses that alternate the image for the left and right eye. Hopefully they won’t make me cross-eyed like my old 3DFX Voodoo shutters did. [Sony]

Here’s how Flatpanelshd says it will work:

The upcoming Samsung 400 Hz (or 480 Hz in the US.) utilizes the so-called BFI/DFI principle. BFI/DFI stands for (Black/Dark Frame Insertion), and means that the TV inserts very short black frames between the original picture frames.The method utilizes the principle that the human eye does not “forget” light instantly.

I have to say, as someone who knows next to nothing about the human ocular system, this sounds entirely plausible! Look at all the acronyms!

If this does come to pass, it’s worth noting that it wouldn’t display a true 480Hz (or 400Hz outside the US), since it’s not really refreshing the source material on the screen 480 times a second—it’ll just simulate that effect by inserting black frames in between actual content. The story is made doubly weird by the fact that, hey, a lot of people kind of hate the artificially high-Hz sets. Like me! At any rate, IFA starts in less than two weeks, so I’ll abstain from biased ranting until they actually materialise.

[Flatpanelshd via Pocket Lint]

This year, Sharp kept the same size, but made their bags inflatable. The result is that you had the same morons colliding with you everywhere, but at least it didn’t hurt your legs, arms, or body. And with that, I really mean crotch.

Plus, as a bonus, I was able to use them to lie down, take a siesta, and tan in the Berlin Messe gardens. Thank you Addy, you make the world go ’round. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Sony’s Motionflow wall which was in the process of being powered up had a 240Hz set like the 200Hz Bravia we saw at IFA (240Hz NTSC = 200Hz PAL), which indicates Sony is bringing some or all of its Euro IFA goods (including, hopefully, the super-thin ZX1) stateside. We also spied a Sharp X-Series Aquos all fired up in their booth (shown in the image above), which very well may be the WHDI wireless set announced in Asia a few months back, which indicates Sharp is pushing their thin LCDs even harder, and in larger sizes. We also learned that it must really suck to have to vacuum tradeshow floors after setup. Hit the gallery for more shots of the majors’ booths.

Like someone pointed out before, the life of a fridge is very long, so the iPod dock would probably become obsolete down the line. I also don’t see the point of having your fridge acting as your amplifier: as you can see in the video, you can connect extra speakers to it. The Wi-Fi connection and iGorenje program makes a lot more sense, as it can be expanded in the future to accommodate new appliances and functionality. Plus, it is device independent. Although you can use any device, however, the interface has clearly been optimised for the iPod touch and the iPhone, which is the handheld they were using for their demos. According to them, they have some kind of collaboration contract with Apple, so Steve or someone else in Cupertino must be a fan of the brand.

The iGorenje system works quite well. It uses the Wi-Fi network in your home to connect your web-browsing device to your oven and washing machine, and when it’s released later this year you will be able to control all Gorenje appliances.

iGorenje’s interface is very easy to work out. Just touch the function, select the options you want and click Start. The appliance will get the parameters, start working and give you feedback in realtime, back to your iPod. For the oven, you can start from a recipe, a wizard that allows you to set the oven according to the kind of food and weight, and a custom program, which can be easily created in iGorenje and then stored. The process is fully automatic, so if you have something that needs to be cooked first slowly, then a really high heat in the last minutes, it will handle it for you.

For the washing machine, it’s exactly the same thing. This time you have different programs according to the clothes you put in, making it very easy to operate.

But while the whole thing seems polished and works well, do we really need this kind of sophistication in our kitchens? I may be too old school, but I like to cook in the kitchen, not by remote control. I like the idea of programming the oven in an easy way, although I will still be controlling it myself. What do you think? Is this the kind of evolution everyday home tasks need? [More IFA 2008 Coverage]