Short Version: The Dirt Devil AccuCharge 15.6 Volt Stick Vac is a powerful, cordless, rechargeable vacuum cleaner that really, really sucks. It’s priced quite nicely at $65.99, too.

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Head over to your local drug store and, next to the other crap marked “As Seen on TV,” you’ll find these Push Up Pros – not to be confused with the Perfect Push-up which is essentially exactly the same device but with a padded hand-rest. But does it really work?

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NOTE: SmartParts is closing shop. Do not buy this product unless it is on sale.

Short Version: A built-in e-mail address for sending photos directly to the frame and a gorgeous 8-inch screen barely even out the shortcomings of the SmartParts SPX8WF digital photo frame.

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In lieu of a stand-alone review of all of the pod coffee makers I’ve been reviewing this year I’m going to offer a quick head to head of the two major competing systems in the U.S., Tassimo and Nespresso, and allow you, the reader, to make up your own mind. Coffee, in the end, is very subjective.

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Like my review of the Juiceman, Jr., the Black and Decker 10-speed Cyclone Blender caused me to move beyond my staple meals of ramen noodles, chicken wings, and beer.  I spent time in parts of the grocery store that I didn’t know existed.  As a bachelor, blending isn’t high on my list of food preparation activities, but for you, dear reader, I tied on my apron and blended a variety of things.

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Many of the gadgets mentioned on CrunchGear are geared for the living room or office.  There does exist, however, an entire range of under-represented gadgets designed for the kitchen.  For you, dear reader, I have explored all that the Juiceman, Jr. has to offer. (Note: that link will resize your browser window.  Bad Juiceman, Jr!)

The Juiceman, Jr. is an entry-level juicer, costing about $80.  It is assembled from a number of removable parts, each of which is easy to clean.  Assembly and dis-assembly is extremely straightforward.  The 1/4 horsepower motor offers two juicing speeds, though I never found the need to use the fastest setting.

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Sometimes, the simplest tools are the best: the wheel, the hammer, the chopstick. Today, we can add to that list the FURminator, the pet de-shedding tool. You might say “Oh, it’s just a pet brush.” Yes, it’s just a pet brush. It might be the best pet brush you’ll ever buy.

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If you’re anything like me, you have a slew of gadgets and a large electric bill. So when Black and Decker came out with their Power Monitor, I knew that this device was going to help raise awareness on how electricity was being used in my house. In order to use this, you will need access to your electric meter and a copy of your electric bill. You first mount the sensor around your electric meter and position the optical scanner correctly which can be difficult, especially with older meters. This took me a while, but I finally got it but it could prove to be your downfall if you have an incompatible meter.

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Since we started our Gift Guide I’ve been leaning towards ever more esoteric yet thoughtful gifts for the nerd in your life. That said, I present to you the Black & Decker Smart Driver, one of the coolest little drills you’ll ever own.

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Quick Version: The $99.99 Pure-Fi Anytime is a good choice as an alarm clock and single-room speaker system. If you’ve got your life on your iPhone, you’ll appreciate this gadget as it pulls double duty as a bedside phone charger and music player.

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While I often blame food on my morbid obesity, I can actually only blame myself. Food doesn’t jump into my mouth unbidden, correct? And sitting on the couch all night when I used to actually run at night when I felt I had too much energy is probably not helping? Right?

Well, now I can confirm that I’m an amorphous blob of flab thanks to the BC-573 InnerScan Scale. This thing tells you your weight, muscle mass, and body fat percentage along with the Visceral Fat – the fat that hangs out around your gut and makes you – me, actually – look like a turd.

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The G.E. Digital Speakerphone System offers two nifty features over your standard cordless phone package. First, it has a dedicated speakerphone unit. Second, it has a dedicated Goog-411 button. But wait! There’s more!
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This review might be cheating the CrunchGear 300 a little bit, since it’s covering three products in one post, but they’re all from the same manufacturer and all do pretty much the same thing, so it makes sense to review them together.  Read on for information about an LCD and two OLED digital picture frames from Digital Foci.

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Think back on the last party you attended. Perhaps you enjoy sitting around an impeccably decorated living room and sipping glasses of cold, frosty beer poured by a nattily attired waitress named Nicole hired for the night so the hostess could mingle with the glitterati in attendance. Or perhaps it was at your friend Terry’s house where you ended up puking all over his couch after trying, and failing, to put firecrackers on his cat. If you read CrunchGear, I’m suspecting it was the latter. That is why the Heineken Draught Keg is not for you.

Conceptually, this bucket of beer is solid. Who wouldn’t want a big keg of Heinie on the counter, ready for all comers? It’s like a party ball without the ball you can cut in half and put on your head later.
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I like Sonicare brushes. They don’t tear up your gums – too badly – and they make funny noises when you brush your teeth. Philips updated their Sonicare line with this interesting new system which is much more like traditional motorized toothbrushes although it does offer considerably more vibration and three buzz settings – regular, gentle, and the erotically-themed massage.

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You probably don’t need an entire review to help you decide whether or not you want a soda-making machine, but if you’re at all interested in making your own carbonated beverages then the Penguin Home Soda Maker is a good bet.

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Oh. My. Gawd. I love this Dyson vacuum. It works so damn well and looks great doing it. Some people aren’t going to like this analogy, but it reminds me of the first time I used my PowerMac G4: it simply works and feels like it’s going to last forever. I’m not the one that vacuums in my house so with the hope of not sounding misogynistic, I handed the Dyson over to my wife and later, mother-in-law, for a more in-depth analysis.  

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The promise of VoIP has a tendency to sometimes fall short when it comes to simplicity. After all, a VoIP solution is supposed to replace the standard landline telephone — one of the simplest communication devices of all time. Ever seen an old person work a landline? They rock those things, no sweat.

IPEVO’s ST4RT (pronounced “Start”) attempts to blend the simplicity of an old school telephone headset with the convenience of VoIP. Is the ST4RT an advanced, feature-packed, powerful handset? No. It’s a $15 piece of plastic with a volume knob that plugs into your headphone jack and your microphone jack. You hold it up to your face,  sound comes out near your ear, and you speak into a little mic located near your mouth – just like the telephones of old. Hallelujah. What a concept. When you’re all done, you can wrap the cords around the handset and be on your merry way.

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Rather than bore you with words, I chose to do a video review for the Smartparts digital frame mashup. It poops out 4×6 glossy photos and handles a variety of memory cards. The UI is simple to navigate and there isn’t a whole lot to it, so it’s perfect for anyone with any sort of tech knowledge. One ink cartridge is good for 36 prints and refills cost $20. Swapping ink cartridges was easy and took less than a minute. Photo quality is decent and the 800×600 LCD displays photos quite nicely. The only downside to these mashups is that it takes up a lot of space due to the printer and it weighs a ton. The SP8PRT retails for $279 and is available now. But I’d save your money.

Those of you over the age of 25 might remember something called “baseball” — I used to play baseball when I was a kid. In the days before everyone spent all of their time inside on the internet, children used to go to the “park” and play baseball for fun.

And as most of you know, some grown-ups play baseball for a job. And many other grown-ups (and kids too!) who don’t play baseball for a living like to either watch it on TV, listen to it on the radio, or maybe track it on their favorite sports website.

Enter the Liveboard — a dead-ass simple way to follow every baseball game in real-time. Think of it like a little Bluetooth-enabled scoreboard for your desk, constantly updating itself similar to how you’d follow a game on a sports website.

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