The Worst Products of CES 2010

loose electron submitted a (sigh) slideshow page documenting 10 of the worst products from CES this year. Includes a baseball hat with a TV in the brim, vibrating earbuds, an Android powered microwave, and what appears to be the next generation of Teddy Ruxpin.

Re:Krave

[Anonymous Coward]

may be ok as a quit smoking aid (just the nicotine with no tar etc...)

Re:Krave

[mother_reincarnated]

I know a number of long time smokers that have switched to the e-cigs. Hopefully nothing but nicotine (hey the juice comes from China- so who knows), no second hand issues, doesn't smell, can smoke in restaurants, on long flights, in the car, etc. The biggest problem is that people might not die as quickly AND stop paying the exorbitant sin taxes on tobacco.

I really don't understand what the 'Krave' was doing on that list...

Re:Dishwasher Safe Keyboards

[snowraver1]

I washed my mom's keyboard in the dishwasher. It was really gross, and was just a cheap MS one anyways. It worked like a charm. Next time I was at their house, it looked like a brand new keyboard. I don't know how wireless keyboards would fare... YMMV

Re:Krave

[chaodyn]

I use one. It takes a while to get used to, but you can flavor it any way you want and after using it consistently for a day "analog" cigs taste pretty bad. The main issue is keeping the atomizer clean (it gets build-up and starts tasting funny). Other than that, what you get is a device that gives you vaporized nicotine in a similar method as cigarettes, without tar or other chemicals. It's basically the same as an nebulizer with nicotine. You can vary the nicotine level, eventually moving down to zero. The only issue is, in my opinion, it's not really a stop smoking aid, it's really a smoking replacement. And you have to make sure you keep your batteries charged - a dead battery will lead right back to a cigarette.

As Seen On TV product synergy

[PhilHibbs]

That hat's great, but it really needs a Visorganizer [theonion.com] stuck on it.

Re:Krave

[anonymousbob22]

According to TFA, the keyboard only worked with the app provided by the manufacturer.

Also, the keyboard is very large and cumbersome, so any gain in portability by carrying an iPhone/iPod touch is lost because you still need to lug around the keyboard attachment in your backpack..

Re:Krave

[Housedog]

I know a number of long time smokers that have switched to the e-cigs. Hopefully nothing but nicotine (hey the juice comes from China- so who knows), no second hand issues, doesn't smell, can smoke in restaurants, on long flights, in the car, etc. The biggest problem is that people might not die as quickly AND stop paying the exorbitant sin taxes on tobacco.

I really don't understand what the 'Krave' was doing on that list...

Not all of the liquid comes from China any more, there has been a huge influx of 100% USA made liquid in to the market over the past few months, and the consumers are gladly paying the slightly higher prices for it (myself included). More people are also shelling out the money to have their liquid tested which is a big step forward, and there are groups of users coming together to fund actual research in to the safety of using these devices vs. smoking (something that's common sense to most of us, but tell that to the FDA)

Yes, most all of the hardware still comes from China, but that's even starting to change as the ex-smoker geeks start getting their hands on these things.. there are huge sections on some of the PV (personal vaporizer, a term a lot of us prefer over e-cigarette) forums dedicated to building your own custom battery box so you can go days without having to charge it (and get to solder! win/win!), even some people who have reverse-engineered the atomizers and now build their own, how to mix your own liquid with supplies from US-based labs, etc.

The only big problem (besides the FDA and anti-smoking groups trying to shut us down) is the people trying to make a quick buck off of these things - the fancy brands like Krave, the sales kiosk in the mall (not all of them, but the ones who are just run by a salesman and not someone who actually understands and cares about what he/she's doing), the ones making health claims without proof to back it up, trying to sell to minors, ripping people off.. it makes the rest of us look bad. Every news article I see about these things says that a starter kit is "about $100-$150", when in reality they're about $30 or $40. And we know they're not healthy, they're just better than what we were doing before. Personally I got all of the health benefits normally associated with quitting within about four days of switching to my PV - increased lung capacity, no coughing, increased stamina, no stink, etc. I can use the thing in my house, or at my desk at work, and nobody even knows I'm doing it as there's no smell, and the vapor dissipates within seconds.

Re:Krave

[Arthur Grumbine]

The only issue is, in my opinion, it's not really a stop smoking aid, it's really a smoking replacement. And you have to make sure you keep your batteries charged - a dead battery will lead right back to a cigarette.

I also switched to electronic cigarette only, from a 11-year pack+/day habit, and haven't had an analog cigarette to date (over 8 months). I definitely agree with the idea that it's a smoking replacement instead of stop smoking aid, but until there's evidence of long-term risk I'll treat my nicotine habit like my caffeine habit - sure, it'd be better not to be addicted, but I'm not really all that woorried about it.

I found the battery issue frustrating, and so ended up finding a cheap source directly from China for additional batteries (thus avoiding the insane U.S. distributor/retailer markup). A couple months ago, though, I bought a couple of the USB pass-through devices (that pull power directly from a USB port - no battery). Since I'm sitting at a computer the majority of the day I found this much more convenient (after I got used to have a cord coming off the end of my cigarette) now that I never have to worry about constantly recharging/replacing batteries.

I still have a handful of batteries that use for when I'm away from a computer (out at bars/parties/shopping/etc), but the pass-through device has definitely simplified my nicotine habit. And for the model I use (with a disposable cartridge/atomizer) is only about $20.

Re:Krave

[Housedog]

I realized I should have put this kind of stuff in my original post.

The FDA seized imports from two companies (Smoking Everywhere and NJOY, two of the aforementioned overpriced ones) who in turn sued the FDA. That case is still pending, but no shipments are currently being held up and every vendor I deal with has no problems getting shipments in other than normal customs delays.

First off, a couple of forums, in order of preference (and sorry if I fail at linking, but this is probably my second comment on /. ever and I don't feel like taking the time to figure out how to link properly here right now)

www.vapersforum.com
www.vaportalk.com
www.nu-vapor.com
www.e-cigarette-forum.com

Now there are generally three parts to these devices - batteries (power), atomizers (heating coil), and cartridge (liquid). In some cases the atomizer and cartridge are combined in to one disposable piece (aka a cartomizer).

But without going in to too much detail, most of the US-made devices are for the battery housings, most of which are some sort of tube designed to hold li-ion 3.7V batteries like you'd find in cameras, lanterns, etc. Many people also make 5V and 6V devices but that's another whole story, you can find plenty of information on those types of devices on the forums.

All atomizers for sale still come from China, with the exception of a few people who have made their own, but the only one I know of for sale is in a unit called the Juice Box (www.avejuice.com) and currently has a waiting list of over a month and growing.

That's just to point out that people are figuring it out, and I expect more people to start tackling that end of it in the coming months and start mass-producing them, and put an end to the dependence on imports for these for good. A lot of people are wary of investing in the tech because they're scared of the things getting banned.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, here are some battery mods designed and/or manufactured in the US:

www.altsmoke.com (The Silver Bullet, The BB)
www.vaprlife.com (The VP1, The VP2, The VP-PT USB Passthrough)
www.nhaler.com (The XHaler)
www.puresmoker.com (The Prodigy, The Protege)
www.atmosusa.biz (The Copper)
www.supertmanufacturing.com (The Super Six)
www.mcdonaldwebb.com (The Sparkplug)

And there are tons of hobbyists who make custom units for people, for not a lot of money. For example I bought this one for 50 bucks including batteries, and has a built-in USB charging board:

eboxmods.blogspot.com (The Bartleby)

A few USA-made Liquids:

www.tastyvapor.us (Tasty Vapor)
www.cigtechs.com (Rath Juice)
www.electronicstix.com (Rath Juice)
www.eliquidplanet.com (Essence)

Hope that helps.

Re:how about

[Mephistro]

WARNING: There is a nice & healthy virus in the above link. Don't open unless your box is well protected. No, the computer's metal casing doesn't count as protection.