George Barris, the custom car designer who created the Batmobile  and other famous Hollywood cars, recently turned his attention to the Smart Car.  The result is Batsmart, a one-of-a-kind Smart Car with red pinstriping, a jet blast nozzle, bat wings and a $39,500 price tag.  He also created a Smart Woodie.  For more information, see this article in USA Today.

See George Barris and the original Batmobile in this YouTube video

As the demand for e-readers continues to expand, Sharper Image has decided to jump into the fray. The company is best known for its store and catalog that sell high tech gifts and gadgets. Now Sharper Image has decided to complete with Sony, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, who are emerging as the leaders in the e-reader gadget category. Already, early competitors in the field like Plastic Logic have dropped out of the reace.

The Sharper Image e-reader is named “Literati” and will retail for about $160. It features a color screen and will be powered by the Kobo e-book store. The device has wi-fi connectivity and supports wireless downloads, plus free reading apps are promised for the Literati. Sharper Image plans on selling its e-reader in its own stores and in other stores including Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Macy’s, JC Penney and Best Buy.

When you live in a small space like a dorm room, you have to take advantage of every space-saving device possible. Here’s a handy gadget that combines all the appliances you need for a nice hot breakfast – coffeemaker, frying pan and toaster oven. The Supentown 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker combines stainless steel and heat-resistant glass into the ultimate multitasking breakfast machine. While your coffee brews, crack an egg into the frying pan and pop a piece of toast into the toaster oven. By the time you’re done checking your email breakfast will be waiting!

The 3-in-1 Breakfast maser is available for just $45 at Target. Since the start school year will be upon us soon, check out some other great dorm gadgets here.

Digital media such as CDs can be ripped, copied and backed up, but did you ever think you could backup vinyl records?  Now Mike Nese’s DO IT website has instructions for making a silicon copy of a vinyl record.  Mike is the co-host of Punkin’ Chunkin’ and Catch It Keep It on the Science channel, so he seems to know what he’s talking about.  He’s also a contributor to Wired and ReadyMade magazines.  On his website he also explains how vinyl records are made, which is a fascinating topic in itself.  Visit the DO IT website to and see if you think you’d like to try to copy a record.