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It’s summertime. It’s hot and sticky. People all around you can really get on your nerves.

At any time. Any place. And for any reason.

It’s a perfect time to get revenge.

Actually, it’s the perfect time to get someone a gift from the “Revenge” online store. The site, located in Germany, calls itself “Europe’s Funniest Online Shop”.

Among the categories you can choose from on the site: Gifts for Women, Gifts for Men, Divorce Gifts, Summer Gifts, Party Games, Gifts From The Heart and something called Bad Taste Bears.

As you might imagine, some of the items are cute – and others are anything but.

Take, for instance, one gift idea that has received a recent online mention. It’s a Water Soluble Bikini.

According to the product description the bikini “seems to be a normal swmsuit but after 3 minutes of contact with water – it will fall to pieces!”

(You may insert your own punchline here!)

It’s constructed of “80% Polyamid and 20% Elasthan” (sounds fishy to me) and sells for 10 euros (plus shipping). For the record, size 34 suits come with a string top. All other sizes look like normal swimsuits.

Who knows? Giving one of these as a gag gift could be grounds for a lawsuit.

At lot safer gift idea is the new Frosted Pop Tart iPhone Sleeve from a Website called Barry’s Farm located in Champaign, Illinois.

This $20 case really does look like a frosted Pop Tart in the picture – complete with multi-colored sprinkles.

Almost good enough to eat! Almost.

There are also other adorable iPhone and laptop sleeves, pencil cases, totes and card wallets. Prices range from $5 to $50.

Leica claims their new S2 ultra-super-luxury, autofocus, digital SLR camera is in a class by itself. I just checked it out for myself. They’re right.

We’re talking about a feature-filled device housed inside a physically large camera body (think in terms of a full-figured, medium-format film camera). It’s a mind-warping, 37.5-megapixel monster with a giant 30 by 45 mm light sensor (more than 50% larger than one you would find in a full-sized 35mm camera).

Also think in terms of shelling out more than $26,000 for just the camera body. Famous Leica Summarit and Elmar S-lenses range from $5000 to more than $8,000.

Lucikly, I’m happy to tell you that accessories are somewhat less expensive. It’s reported that a spare battery charger will set you back $425.

Leica provides a simple explanation for the new design:

“With the S2, Leica has created an entirely new class of camera – technically innovative but incredibly flexible thanks to a wide selection of accessories.

The Leica S System is specifically designed with the needs of professional photographers in mind. This embraces not only a camera concept that fits seamlessly into the professional digital workflow, but also applies to a range of exclusive services that concentrates on the support of professional photographers.”

And for super-professionals there’s an even more exclusive model, the S2-P, which comes with a 3-inch, sapphire glass screen and what Leica calls their “Platinum Service” (which includes loaner cameras when yours need tweaking). Add an extra $5K or so for the “P”.

The S2 system will be available starting in October.

It should make a lovely holiday gift. I wouldn’t refuse one.

Have you noticed that your iPhone has gotten sluggish recently? Data moves like a thick shake passing through a narrow straw? Calls being affected too? Non-iPhones being affected as well?

You are not alone.

According to “people who know” service provider AT&T has been experiencing problems recently.

It seems there have been some AT&T wireless network “issues” along the US East Coast – from the Carolinas up to the Metro NYC area.

The latest word is that they’ve found the source of the problem and service should soon be back to normal by now – or if not, then very, very soon.

A network problem like this is bad for any cellular provider – worse for AT&T – when you take into account the great outage of 2008.

Less than a year ago, September 3rd to be exact, AT&T’s data network experienced major problems. Customers from Boston down to Washington and as far west as Chicago and St. Louis were unable to access their wireless data service for hours.

Back then, AT&T said the problem was “a routing issue affecting some wireless data use in the Northeast region. AT&T technicians determined the cause and restored service at 11:56 a.m. EDT. Voice calling, text messaging and BlackBerry email were unaffected”.

This is not a healthy track record for AT&T. With Verizon Wireless putting huge amounts of pressure on Apple to get a CDMA/EV-DO version of the iPhone. Recently announced dwindling profits means Verizon needs to boost their bottom line – with a proven winner like the iPhone.

AT&T really can’t afford to give Apple any additional reasons to comply with Verizon’s requests.

I’ve been researching mono for months. Not mono the disease but mono as in hi-fi. One speaker – reproducing music. Before there was stereo, or surround sound there was mono.

Over the years, I had noticed that many serious audiophiles with expensive and elaborate music systems also had a monophonic system tucked away in a corner.

I wanted to hear a mono system in my home too. I gathered a classic Fisher mono receiver (amplifier and tuner in one box), a Denon 102 monophonic phono cartridge and a brand new, 2009 vintage Klipschorn.

Actually, I asked Klipsch for one of their smaller “Heritage” speakers. But they said that I should hear what a classic K-horn could do. I figured that if they want to make me one of their 175-pound, $4,000, floorstanding flagship speakers to test I wasn’t going to turn them down. I’m glad I accepted their offer.

In the late 1940’s, engineer Paul Klipsch created a speaker that could create the full range of sounds , and volumes, coming from a symphony orchestra. His loudspeaker had a horn tweeter (efficiently handling the treble) and a big woofer for bass. The large enclosure was designed to fit into the corner of a room to enhance the deep bass.

The rest is history. The speaker was so popular that it’s still in production more than 60 years later.

Back then, people happily used one speaker to reproduce music. By the late 1950’s mono was pushed out of the way for a newer “special effects” technology – stereophonic sound. Audio component manufacturers loved stereo because they got to sell two of everything.

But, mono never really died (think clock radios, small iPod docks, TVs, etc.) And, I’ve found that a mono hi-fi is a lot of fun to listen to. I do most of my listening when I’m working from home. I’m on one end of the room and the music comes from the other. At most times the stereo effect is lost on me. I just listen to enjoy the music.

And boy does the Klipschorn make music. With a minimum of amplifier wattage a Klipschorn can provide enough sound to fill any room in your house. Or your neighbor’s house. You get the idea.

The best thing about K-horns is that they not only go loud but they make music along with deep, deep bass and smooth highs. This big box sounded amazingly good powered by everything from the classic Fisher tube receiver to a Dynaco ST-35 (also tubes), a Bedini 25/25 – a NuForce Icon and a wonderful Altmann BYOB. It doesn’t sound “dated” or old-fashioned. Just musical.

But, it’s now time to say goodbye to the Klipschorn. We’re firming-up plans for its repacking and shipping back to the factory. I’ll miss it a lot (my neighbors probably won’t).

But what the experience proved to me was you don’t need a gazillion dollars of modern equipment or place a multitudes speakers around your room to recreate the sound – and especially the dynamics – of an orchestra in your home. One of everything is extremely satisfying. If you do your research mono could turn out to be cheaper too.

I guess they really knew what they were doing back then.

If you haven’t been following the discussion (of sorts) between NY Times columnist David Pogue and Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell C. McAdam you’ve been missing a doozy.

Last week, Mr. Pogue wrote about US cellular carriers and the recent Senate hearings on cell phone exclusivity. David wanted to know why the number one cellular provider, Verizon Wireless doesn’t have a version of his favorite iPhone. David went on (and rightly so) to complain about the current US mobile phone/service pricing system.

Mr. McAdam took offense to the column. But instead of answering Mr. Pogue directly he sent his response to NY Times Chairman/Publisher Arthur Sulzberger. Aside from the implied threat (Verizon Wireless does advertise in the paper) McAdam escalated the situation to an unnecessary level.

David tried tackling problems some of the problems that US consumers have to face – including two different, non-compatible cellular systems (AT&T/T-Mobile use one technology while Verizon/Sprint use another), text messaging fees, calling charges and somewhat confusing low phone selling prices.

Mr. McAdam sent a response to the NY Times article but failed to answer many of David’s concerns. He told NYT’s publisher that his industry is one of this country’s financial successes during this economic downturn, said that Al Gore believes the industry is competitive and that 84-percent of Americans are satisfied with their current wireless service.

I spend a lot of time travelling overseas and I gotta tell you phone service there is 1000% better than in this country. Cell phones work on trains, subways, buses, elevators and basements. They work in big cities, small cities and rural towns. Everywhere. Other countries use just one cellular standard.

Overseas you pay only for the calls you make and messages you send (just like our old, home landline service). In the U.S. you pay for each and every call and message you send AND you receive. They call that “air time.”

And in other countries you buy the phone and the service separately. Phones there aren’t subsidized by fees in a monthly service charge. You can change your phone whenever you like – and own two, three or more phones. Your account is controlled by a tiny SIM card which is easily moved from one phone to another.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of walking past a cell phone store in London, Paris, Barcelona or any foreign city you wouldn’t believe the selection of handsets in the window. In comparison, our selection here is pitiful. There are some cell phones that never get picked-up by US carriers that are really terrific. US consumers are the ones who suffer.

There is no easy answer. The cell phone industry is now “maturing”. That means there are fewer first-time buyers and more repeat customers who expect some sort of incentive to re-sign. That means those carriers have to look for other ways to keep profits high: like charging more for text messaging, audio/video files, services and accessories.

On the other hand, with faster 4G data services on the way, US carriers have to find a way to pay for the rollout of all new equipment. Someone has to help pick-up the tab.

No one will win this battle. But you, the consumer will surely lose. As we progress to 4G (and beyond) the system could change to better serve consumers and carriers alike. Maybe not.

Bloggers have been speculating about something like this for months. But, when a prestigious institution like the Financial Times says it’s going to happen – then you take notice.

FT is reporting that Apple is rushing to release a portable, tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season. According to the report, the touch-sensitive computer will have up to a 10 inches (diagonally-measured) screen. Some bloggers are guessing 9.5-inches or so. Think in terms of a device somewhere in between a large iPod Touch and a MacBook notebook.

And FT says the he device is expected to be launched alongside a slew of new content deals. They report that Apple has been working with the four largest record labels (Sony, EMI, Universal and Warner) to stimulate digital album sales.

They say Apple intends to offer added value by including a new interactive booklet, “liner” notes and other interactive features with music downloads. Both sides believe features like this will change buying trends from buyers selecting one or two songs at a time (spending $1-$2) to buying one or two albums at a time (spending $10-$20).

There’s little consensus about the price of the new Apple tablet. Best guess is that it will retail somewhere in the neighborhood of $800.

No one has been able to make tablet computers super-popular. Ask Microsoft. But, if anyone can, it’s Apple.

We’ll find out soon enough. Apple is planning their next “announcement” event in September.

Betcha it’s nowhere near this size!

This morning, Western Digital announced the first one terabyte mobile hard drive. The new WD Scorpio Blue SATA hard drives is the industry’s highest-capacity 2.5-inch drive available.

According to their early morning press release, the “industry-leading 333 GB-per-platter technology enables the new drive to offer mobile storage device and notebook users an enormous 1 TB capacity”.

Think you don’t need that much laptop storage? Well then, a there’s also a new 750 GB Scorpio Blue drive.

Here is the technical stuff:
The new internal drives have a 12.5 mm form factor and are ideally suited for use in “portable storage solutions”, anything and everything from notebooks and small form factor desktop PCs, to gaming consoles and portable music devices. Both Scorpio Blue drives are said to deliver a 3 gigabits per second transfer rate.

In case you don’t want to crack open your computer to install a bigger drive Western Digital has also announced two new external, plug-in devices utilizing these larger drives. My Passport Essential SE Portable USB Drives will also come in the new 1 TB and 750 GB formats. They are USB-powered and they come in a variety of colors!

As for prices, WD’s My Passport Essential SE portable drives are available now at “select retail stores” and from WD’s online store. MSRP for the 1 TB portable drive is $299.99 and is $199.99 for the 750 GB model.

If you’re interested in the just hard drives, take $50 off each of the above prices. One warning though: for now, the 1TB drive is available only bundled in the My Passport Essential SE USB enclosure.

You can store a whole ot of stuff in drives this size. More importantly, maybe it will spur consumers and online services to demand better resolution (and larger) music and video files. As larger (and cheaper) portable storage drives become available there will be less and less excuse.

If I tried to make this stuff up no one would believe me.

Hey, I’ve seen their Website and I still don’t believe it.

This is supposedly a product called Handerpants. You can create your own punch line now.

The guys marketing these things want you to think of their breakthrough effort as, what they term, “underpants for your hands.”

I’m not kidding! But I think they are, sorta.

Handerpants allegedly:
•Fit most hands
•Are made (mostly) of breathable cotton
•Are form fitting
•Prevents chafing
•Absorbs sweat
•Distracts enemies
•Are non-toxic
•Great for jazz hands

Personally, I love the way they look. I probably would fall on the floor laughing if I saw someone actually wearing a pair. Then again, I felt the same way about Snuggies and look how incredibly popular they became!

In case you really want to buy some Handerpants for friends and family (and a pair or two for yourself, of course) they’re selling for $11.95, plus shipping, via a link on the Handerpants site to Archie McPhee.com.

If you’ve never checked out the products sold on the Archie McPhee Website, and in their printed catalog, you’ve missed out on some of the greatest novelty items on the planet! Just reading their descriptions are a blast.

There’s also a video pitch you can watch below. You’ll see that everyone seems to be having lots of fun with this. In a nice touch, they dedicate the video to the late, great infomercial giant, Billy Mays:

One of the most endearing features on the new Palm Pre was that fact that it was able to sync with all your music stored on iTunes.

Apple didn’t think that was so neat, so they updated iTunes a few days ago to close the door on Palm Pre owners.

Tonight, round three.

Palm has just release a big webOS update for the Pre.

OS software version 1.1.0 adds a bunch of new features including a NFL Mobile Live (audio and video) application, tweaks to the calendar, camera, clock, contacts, email, messaging, system software, Web browser and YouTube application.

Oh, yes – they also reinstated synching with iTunes.

On the official Palm Support Software Update Information Website they put it this way:
“…Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1).”

Isn’t this stuff fun?

Let’s see how long it takes Apple to counter Palm’s counter move.

As for the actual update, webOS 1.1.0 downloaded and installed easily and perfectly over my Wi-Fi connection. (Take that, Apple!) The whole proceedure took a total of 10 minutes.

“See Me. Feel Me. Touch Me. Solve Me.” No offense intended to Tommy or The Who.

This is actually the advertising slogan attached to the new, all electric version of the decades-old mind bending game, Rubik’s Cube.

The new version comes from the people at Techno Source USA is officially called Rubik’s TouchCube.

In case you forgot, missed or ignored the craze the first few times around here are some wonderful Rubik’s Cube facts to consider:

The Rubik’s Cube was created in 1974 by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik as the first manipulative puzzle that stayed in one integrated piece. It made its international debut at the toy fairs of London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York in 1980.

350 million cubes have been sold worldwide since 1980.

As for this nifty, new electric version there is one more fact you need to know

If you just can’t wait to buy your TouchCube you’ll be happy to know that pre-sales begin this weekend exclusively on cable retailer QVC. They’ll take your orders now but expect delivery to begin in the fall. The price is TBA.

PS: If you keep your eyes on the cube in the video below you just might figure out how to solve the puzzle.