When is a Rubik’s Cube Not a Cube? When It’s a Fruit

The original Rubik’s Cube is one of the most iconic and popular toys of all time. From its deceptively simple design to its frustrating complexity for noobs, to the amazing way that some people can solve them in seconds, they’re a mechanical masterpiece of puzzle goodness.

The original 3x3x3 puzzle has inspired many variants, including much more complicated versions, and shapes like pyramids and dodecahedrons. Now, you can buy some Rubik’s inspired puzzles that look good enough to eat.

These Fruit Series “cube” puzzles are anything but cube-shaped, but they work in a similar way to the original Rubik’s Cube, with a multi-axis pivoting mechanism to scramble then arrange their parts out. The puzzles come in five tasty and nutritious versions, including orange, banana, pear, lemon, and apple. Okay, plastic isn’t actually nutritious.

At first glance, these things look like they’d be more challenging to sort out than a piece of fruit that you already took a bite out of, but apparently, they’re not that hard. Despite the temptation, don’t try and chomp down on one of these, or you’ll certainly chip a tooth.

All of these fruity puzzles are available individually from Hong Kong novelty shop Brando, where they sell for $16 each. The SpeedCubeShop sells a set of three that includes the orange, apple, and banana for just $17.95. I also found a set of four on Amazon for $19.99.

 

This Colorful LED Rounded-key Keyboard Looks Sweet

I’ve seen keyboards with colorful LED backlighting, and keyboards with cool retro-style round keys. But this is the first time I’ve come across a single keyboard which combines the two ideas into one.

This colorful and distinctive keyboard from Ajazz features bright LED backlighting, which provides a brilliant backdrop to its rounded keys. The RGB backlit version can be programmed to display just about any color, along with some vibrant animations as shown in the video below, including some cool ones that follow the position of your keypresses:

In addition to the RGB version, there’s a blue backlit version if you don’t care for the disco lightshow of the full color version. Prices range from $79 for 87-key with blue lighting to $99 for the 104-key, RGB version. They’re available now from Brando.

Literal Cigarette Lighter: Ready, Aim, Fire!

I don’t smoke, nor do I advocate filling your lungs with tar and nicotine. But if you must reach for a cigarette, let it be this one. This whimsical lighter is designed to look just like a cigarette, but you can use it to do healthier things like lighting candles, or starting a campfire.

It’s refillable with butane, and designed to fit into most cigarette packs too. I suppose you could fill your entire carton with these, and you won’t have to worry about contracting lung cancer anymore. Just don’t try and take a puff on one unless you want to burn your lips off.

So flick your Bic on over to Brando, where you can grab a literal cigarette lighter for just $15(USD).

Captain America Shield USB Mini-Fan Won’t Protect You from Bullets

This summer has been way too hot. If only you had a cool personal sized fan to help cool you down. Well, lucky for you, the First Avenger is also the coolest Avenger, thanks to this Captain America 3 USB Fan.

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It looks like Captain America’s shield – especially when the blade is spinning. It’s a geeky and good looking fan that will help you beat the heat. Perfect for your cubicle or your desk at home.

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Measuring in at just 3.9″ diameter, it isn’t going to cool you down like an air conditioner, but every little bit helps in this heat. Plus, it just looks awesome on your desk. It’s available from Brando for $66(USD).

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[via Cool Things]

Condom Flash Drive Protects Your Data

Flash drives are a dime a dozen these days. In fact, I get so many of them handed to me at media events, that I could probably build a 10 terabyte array out of the ones I have stashed in my desk drawers. Despite their ubiquity, I still like to hang onto the more unusual drives. Take, for instance, these flash drives that look like condom wrappers.
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Just tear open the wrapper and gently slide the connector into your computer’s USB port. Your data is now protected from all manner of computer transmitted diseases. Okay, it really won’t be any more secure than any other flash drive, but that just sounded good. But I definitely can guarantee your computer won’t get pregnant.

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They’re available from the wacky minds at Brando, who have previously brought us such wonders as the giant mouse, bomb-shaped MP3 player, and the world’s most uncomfortable game controller.

This Backpack Is Also a Chair

So you’re out hiking and your legs are tired from all the exercise. You could go look for the nearest rock to sit on, or you could sit on your backpack. Thanks to Brando, the latter can now be done without worrying about crushing all the stuff in your bag.

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This special backpack has a fold-out stool built into it. Simply set it on the ground, pop open the seat, and you’ll have an impromptu piece of furniture anywhere. The part that usually cushions your back cleverly transforms to cushion your backside. The chair is supposed to hold up to 100kg (~220lb), so it’s apparently quite sturdy.

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While the styling of the bag with that big “I AM PLAY_KING” logo on the back isn’t my favorite, the utility and convenience of this thing can’t be denied.

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You can find the foldable chair backpack for just $75 from Brando. It’s available in either blue or black.

Marlon Brando’s Documentary Shows Never-Before-Heard Side of the Actor


Marlon Brando was unarguably one of the most charismatic, stylish and influential actors in the history of film. His performances in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, “Julius Caeser”, “On the Waterfront”...

Iron Man Magnetic Charging Station: Attractor Technology

Charge your legion of mobile devices the Tony Brando Stark way with the Iron Man 3 Maghub Charging Station. Its cables work like Apple’s MagSafe cables. If you pick up your device while it’s connected to the charging station, the cable will safely snap off from the hub’s magnetic connectors. Either that or you’ll send the whole thing flying.

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Brando is selling the Iron Man 3 Maghub Charging Station for $59 (USD). It’s available with a US, UK, Europe or Australia type plug.

Iron Man Life-size Mk. XLIII Helmet Bluetooth Speaker: Headphone

Brando must be losing its touch. Now it’s selling products that I actually want to buy, like this 1:1 scale model of Iron Man’s Mk. XLIII helmet that’s also a Bluetooth speaker. What’s happening Brando? Did you replace your dart boards and bingo machines with actual merchandisers? I am disappoint.

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The 3.5lb. helmet has two 40mm 3W midrange drivers and an 82mm 15W woofer. Aside from streaming music via Bluetooth, you can also connect your device via USB or through a 3.5mm cable. You can also make the helmet’s eyes light up. And that’s about it.

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You can pre-order the speaker from Brando for $449 (USD). I hope it works only if you wear it.

Portable Telescope Adds 80X Optical Zoom to Your iPhone 6

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Ever wanted to get into astrophotography, but couldn’t find the perfect smartphone camera for that? Well, that’s maybe because smartphones aren’t really made for that, at least not without an add-on such as this portable telescope.

In the past few years, smartphone cameras have seen a lot of accessories for macro photography and fish-eye lens effects, but no one has ever considered making a telescope that attaches to iPhones for on-the-go telephoto shots. Brando’s Super Spy telescope lens is an iPhone 6 camera accessory that’ll help people take photos at up to 80x optical zoom.

As its name suggests, this lens is not meant entirely for astrophotography, but rather for spying on neighbors, military bases and such. In case it wasn’t obvious enough, the Super Spy telescope lens works out of the box and is a plug-and-play (of sorts) device, being ready to use right after installation.

The Super Spy telescope lens measures 395mm in length when extended, and 88mm in diameter, at its thickest point, but the manufacturer doesn’t disclose the weight of this camera accessory. It can be used without a stand, but I imagine that it is quite hefty and doing so would make your hands tire after a while, so employing the included tripod might be better.

The kit also includes a black case for the iPhone that enables 360-degree shifting, and a velvet pocket, to make sure that the lens is protected from dust. Not sure how it would withstand physical damage, as a velvet pocket couldn’t possibly protect it against that.

All in all, the telescope lens could prove useful for animal observation and traveling, but I can’t possibly imagine anyone using something like this at a concert. The manufacturer, on the other hand, lists this as one of the possible applications of the telescope lens.

This particular model is compatible with the iPhone 6 exclusively, but Brando also makes other models that play nicely with Samsung’s Galaxy line. The telescope lens is available on the Brando’s website for $220, which is quite a steep price for a camera accessory. The manufacturer seems to have taken advantage from this point of view, as the Super Spy telescope lens currently has no competition.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Peek-i, an accessory that turns the iPhone into a spy camera, or the 3RDi kit that turns iPhones into pro cameras.