Gizmodo Australia » scales

Finally, A Kitchen Scale iPod Dock

Mark Wilson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:40:00 +0000

How many times have I been weighing flour when all I wanted was to hear the soulful vocalings of Miley Cyrus?

Luckily, manufacturer Rihanna is working on this $US100 kitchen scale due out next year, complete with an iPod dock and 2W speaker (the speaker is hidden under the glass platform). Your iPod shows you the song while a black and white LCD displays the weights. I mean, does life get any better than this? [ADE via gizmag via UberGizmo]

Withings WiFi Body Scale Now Available In Australia

Nick Broughall — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:30:11 +0000

If you need high technology in every household appliance, you’ll be happy to know that the Withings WiFi Body Scale is now available in Australia, letting you track your weight over Wi-Fi.

The device can track up to eight different users, sending results to a password-protected website or iPhone app. It not only measures weight, but also calculates BMI and fat and lean masses. Plus, it automatically switches itself off.

The superfied set of scales will set you back $249, although it’s available for $225 until Xmas.

[Wifiscale]

BodyTrace Scale Offers Yet Another Way To Humiliate Yourself Online

Mark Wilson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

We thought the internet was a haven for fat dudes who liked to look at pretty girls without judgment or ridicule.

But now the BodyTrace scale, $US120 this November, wants to publish your weight (via Wi-Fi we assume) to their website. You share this very personal information, along with a daily food diary and interactive BMI chart, for “friends, family, or co-workers” to better “motivate” you—a public festival of humiliation that will only cost you $US20 every 3 months.

I don’t know about you, but I’m just gonna post a shots of my second chin and third testicle to get the punishment out of the way. At least that won’t cost me anything as my dignity has long been spent. [BodyTrace via CrunchGear]

Bathroom Pin Scale Makes Knowing Your Weight Twice as Painful

Sean Fallon — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:20:00 +0000

This bathroom scale by designer Jim Ruck takes a painful-looking approach to the simple act of weighing yourself in the morning. Instead of a platform, the users stands on thousands of pins.

Obviously, the tightly-packed pins mean that no real pain will be involved (outside of the trauma generated by the digital readout), but it would mean that your weight would be more evenly distributed across your feet. The concept is interesting, but it would be even better if it could mold to shapes like those desktop pin art gadgets from the 80’s. That is, until your wife catches you trying to leave a print by weighing your arse. [Jim Ruck via Coolbuzz]

Toilet Seat Scale Makes You Feel Two Kilos Lighter

Sean Fallon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:20:00 +0000

The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning before you eat and, preferably, after you have used the bathroom. That’s where the toilet seat scale comes in.

The best thing about it? It builds confidence:

“Whew, that was a fierce battle. I feel two kilos lighter. Saaay…I am two kilos lighter!”

Too bad it is only a concept, because the only way to get this kind of functionality is by dropping thousands on one of those fancy Japanese tech toilets. [Yanko]

Bun-In-The-Oven Scale Shows How Pregnant She Really Is

Gizmodo US Edition — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:54:13 +0000

As if her expanding belly—among two other bigger, more fantastic body parts—isn’t proof enough to show you how pregnant your baby mama is, the Bun-In-The-Oven Scale will remind your woman of her pregnancy journey, via expanding waistline images, every time she has gained another 20 pounds—that’s one ginormous baby! Oh, and did we mention that when you buy this $US95 scale, you also get a new bed? Yes, we’re talking about that dingy old couch in the living room with that really uncomfortable spring sticking out. [Uncommon Goods via Nerd Approved]

Wrist Watchscale, For When You Really Need to Weigh Small Stuff

Kit Eaton — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

The spoon-scales from a while back we called “perfect for dieters and dealers” because of the spoon part, but with this wristwatch scale… Well, it’s just convenient for when you really, really need to weigh small quantities of stuff right then and there. Makers Jennings call it “The first Pocket WatchScale ever” and it measures in grams, ounces, Troy ounces and pennyweights, to a max of 10.5-ounces with 0.001-ounce accuracy. Strangely the one thing it doesn’t seem to do is tell the time, but it’s out now, for about US$25. [Product page]

Weighing Seat: A Chair That Weighs Fatties, Farts

Sean Fallon — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:30:00 +0000

As if you didn’t already feel fat enough, how does sitting on a chair that doubles as a scale sound? Indeed, the Weighing Seat concept from the design team at Atypyk reminds you of how fat you are getting every time you sit down to eat. It could very well be the most effective diet you have ever been on. Either that, or it will force you to start eating your meals standing up. But look on the bright side, you can finally start weighing your farts. Ever been curious about that? What, just Jason and I? Come on guys, admit it. [Atypyk via Likecool]

Apples or Oranges? This Smart Scale Can Tell the Difference

Jack Loftus — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:00:00 +0000

I happen to love the automated check out lines at the supermarket, but I hate the five or six seconds of my day that are wasted there when I have to manually input the name of the produce I’m weighing on the scale. Lucky for me, and for other lazy people who absolutely have to have those five seconds back, there’s a new development in automated check out scales that could revolutionise the supermarket industry. Here’s a hint: It’s like facial recognition, but for fruit!

The scale, developed by the German Fraunhofer Institute, works by snapping an image of the fruit or vegetable in question and comparing it to a produce database. If you’re one of the earth-hating people who needs their fruit wrapped in plastic bags, don’t worry, because the scale’s image processing can see through them. It can even differentiate between various pieces of fruit that are at different stages of ripeness (yellow versus green bananas, for example).

The 300 or so scales in the field now are being tested in Europe, with US plans taking shape for the near future. [I4U via OhGizmo]

CNet Scoring System Analysed; 70% of all gadgets between 6.0 and 7.9

Brian Lam — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:01:10 +0000

I’ve always teased friends at CNet about their rating system, which appears to always rate products between 7 and 8, meaning everything is more or less “very good” in score. Ecoustics has done the job of analysing 1,325 reviews from 2007 (all of them?) and figured out the exact math: 96% of all ratings from last year fell between 5.0 and 8.9; about 70% fall between 6 and 7.9. Maybe CNet should make anything a “CNet 6 or below” a “1″, and anything that scores a “CNet 10″ a “5″. After all, anything below a 6 means DO NOT BUY to me.

Other interesting points:

8.0 to 8.9 Excellent A product that receives a rating in this range is superior in so many ways that its relatively few drawbacks are not very important. 18.6%
7.0 to 7.9 Very good While the strengths of a product scoring in this range certainly outweigh its weaknesses, it has some minor faults that certain users should be aware of. 41.8%

6.0 to 6.9 Good This range represents a product that is above average. Its strengths slightly outweigh its weaknesses, making it good for most uses but not a standout. 27.8%

So most products rate as very good. One might argue that “Very good” means average, and if 40% of all gadgets are rated so, they should be called that. (”Average” is a 5.0-5.9 on the CNet scale.)

It is, of course, complicated. Average implies, at the bottom line, that you probably won’t be thrilled to own a device with such a CNet score. While “Very Good” implies you will be. Regular people will be happy with a lot of this gear, while the best gets an “Editor’s Choice.”

It is interesting that the video game reviews, which are much more subjective, made up the head and tails of the reviews.

The highest and lowest rated products both happened to be video games:

* 9.5 – The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PlayStation 3)
* 1.7 – Pimp My Ride (PSP)

CNet’s reviews strive to be objective and reasonable, and in this, they’ve succeeded across the board. But I do wonder if a tighter review scale might serve the public better, along with more opinionated takes on what the best piece of gear in every category is. I mean, how often do your friends ask you what the second best set is on the market?

On top of telling them what I think is the best deal or best overall, I’ve long made a habit of recommending brands to friends, instead of particular models, so it’s also interesting to see that ecoustics did a rundown of which brands did best, with Casio scoring lowest on average and RIM being highest (yes, over Apple.)

So, check out the article. I still use CNet for research and buying advice, and I’m sure many of you do, too, so it’s good to understand that rating system. [ecoustics]