Wait, what? Check out these weird gadgets
Tablets? Yawn. Televisions? Ho-hum. Smartphones? Meh.
Rather than picking up an ordinary tech toy for yourself or a loved one, consider a more unique — nay, quirky — gadget this time around.
In other words, trade the predictable and practical for kitschy and cool.
If you're up for some ideas, the following is a look at some strange-yet-smart tech you can buy now or within a couple of months.
Baidu 'smart' chopsticks
Not sure how fresh your food is? Chinese search giant Baidu (pronounced By-doo) says it can tell you with its upcoming "smart chopsticks." Called Baidu Kuaisou, this 21st-century eating utensil can detect oils that might contain unsanitary levels of contamination — and then send info on its quality to a mobile or computer app. A recently posted video by the company shows the chopsticks swirling around a bowl of fresh olive oil, with the accompanying app displaying "Good," while recycled cooking oil registered a "Bad" reading. Perhaps this isn't such a bad idea given China has seen its share of recent scandals tied to tainted food and toxic milk.
Bluetooth Handset Gloves
You know that international sign for "Call me!," where you stick your forefinger in your ear and you extend your pinky to your mouth? Well, now there are Bluetooth-enabled Handset Gloves ($59.99) from Think Geek that lets you take a call like this — so you can keep your phone tucked away in your pocket or purse. In the left glove's thumb is a tiny speaker, and in the pinky is a small microphone. Extend them both and you can chat for up to 20 hours on a charge. Warning: You might garner a few strange looks while walking the dog and chatting with a friend at home.
Flower Power H2O
What do you do for an encore after shipping the Parrot Flower Power Wireless Plant Sensor ($49.99), a wireless-enabled gardening gadget that can give you real-time info about your plants and soil? The answer is Flower Power H2O, a smart sensor that waters your plants when you're away. Unveiled at the 2105 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), this doohickey has a built-in irrigation system that can turn just about any screw-top bottle — from 0.5- to 2.0 liters — into a water reservoir that can provide up to three weeks of autonomous irrigation, even if you're out of town. As with its predecessor, Flower Power H2O can also wirelessly communicate info to an app with a database of more than 8,000 plants. No price or launch date has been announced.
Vessyl
When is a mug more than a mug? When it can also analyze what you're drinking, its dietary contents and synchronize the information with an app on your smartphone or tablet. Called Vessyl ($119 preordered; available fall 2015), this 13-ounce (385-milliliter) mug has these kinds of smarts under the hood, first identifying what you're drinking on its small screen (e.g. coffee, tea, water, cola) as well as provide info on its content (sugar, calories, fat, caffeine, protein, etc.). Via Bluetooth, all this data is shared to a nearby iOS or Android device. An accompanying charging coaster "juices" up the cup for one week of use.
Mimo Baby
If you thought your baby monitor was high-tech, try this one on for size. The Mimo Baby ($199.99) is a small, turtle-shaped gadget you connect to your baby's onesie and it sends information to a parent's (or babysitter's) phone or tablet: if the baby is asleep or awake; the position he or she is lying (on its back or tummy); how well he or she is breathing; body temperature; and more. Press play on the Mimo app to hear live audio in the crib. A partnership between Intel and Edison, Mimo Baby might give parents the peace of mind they want — while others might understandably think it's a case of TMI.
Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at techcomments@usatoday.com.