Hammacher Schlemmer is well known for having a catalog chocked full of cool gadgets and gear. The catch is that the prices in the catalog are often very high. The company has unveiled a new device called the Programmable Gaming Robot that reminds me a bit of the Rovio from Wowee.

The robot has two wheels and comes with accessories allowing it to play seven different games that are included. The games are interactive environments that are composed of a base station, energy port, special effects hub, and three gaming pads.

Imagine having a dog that can sniff out your gadgets and also be able to identify and react to anything that’s appropriately labeled with an RFID tag. It does this because each tag triggers a specific response. Sniff vibrates and make noises to respond to various objects.

Sniff was created by Sara Johansson, Timo Arnall and Einar Sneve Martinussen; students at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. They wanted a concept for a stuffed animal that would be perfect for kids with impaired vision. This one certainly fits the bill and has a lot of promise.

We’ve seen many a clock around here, many are pretty sophisticated or feature clever design. But sometimes you just need a big ass bell to wake you from dreamland. No fancy design, no clever features. Just a big and loud bell.

That’s what the Bell Alarm Clock from designer Sam Hecht is all about. It’s a combination of a modern clock, with an old fashioned bell that will yank you awake and ring your bell first thing everyday. And you can pay $65 for the privilege. The Bell Alarm Clock is available in red, black and white.

Remember that cool Pyramid PC we showed you in March? Well, here’s a new version, which is much cooler. It was created my Modder Gup, who has a great eye for ancient detail.

If you see some Stargate in it you are absolutely right. Gup’s Pyramid HTPC casemod was inspired by Stargate and features a moving side panel and built in lights which can all be operated by remote control. Inside the Pyramid you won’t find mummies, but you will find an Intel T7200 Core 2 Duo processor, Mini-Itx Crommel LV-677 motherboard, 2GB of DDR2 Ram and a 160GB hard drive, plus a Gforce 9400GT graphics card. Check out a video below.

I never understood the appeal of snow globes, myself. Why must you relive snow in miniature globe form? But I know that many people collect them and just can’t get enough, having to buy one after another like good little tourists. Well, the Really Snowing picture frame should replace the snowglobe once and for all.

Now you can put your family and anyone else into a snowy scene. Plus there’s no need to shake it. The snow is automatic thanks to a battery powered pump.

Universal remotes are nothing new. You can find them everywhere and they’re usually overpriced and boring. Why not leave the clunky oversized remotes to the muggles. Remotes should practice magic, not tech science.

Like a magic wand that will change your channels. Like the Kymera Magic Wand. It can be flicked up or down to change the channel, or turned in a clockwise motion for volume up or down. It features a total of 13 “magical functions” on your TV in all. The wand is battery powered and they even throw in the batteries.

Have a hankering to play with Legos and walky talkies at the same time? We have you covered. Sure, they are slightly ugly, but they are for the serious Lego addict who doesn’t mind. It’s just the latest in a continuing series of Lego gadgets that have been assaulting us over the last few months.

These sport a 3000 foot range, volume control and push to talk features, while completely lacking style. There’s a clip on the back so you can attach it to your pants. It works on 2 AAA batteries and retails for $28.

Solar power has come a long way. They used to be something you only saw on hippie communes and Sci-fi movies. Solar panels are on everything now, especially our charging gadgets. The latest to sport a solar panel is the Surge iPod Touch charger, which allows you to recharge your iPod Touch anywhere, as long as you have sunlight.

The case features a 3.7 V lithium-ion battery that can be charged via the sun or by USB should it be cloudy. It comes in a bunch of colors. We aren’t sure if they have chargers for the other iPods, but at least your Touch is covered.

The HitchSafe Key Vault Hitch Safe lets you store valuables in your Trailer Hitch, where no one will expect valuables. Basically, it puts a combination locked safe into your car or truck’s trailer hitch. Maybe you want to keep a spare set of keys in there, or some candy, or whatever.

It’s easy to install and made of sturdy solid heavy-gauge metal with a heavy duty rubber dust cover. It’s secure thanks to a four digit combination lock and you can set it to your own combination. The HitchSafe is large enough to store up to 9 spare keys even credit cards and your driver’s license if you like.

The Mac Vs. PC war shows no signs of slowing down. No matter which side you are on, chances are you have a friend on the opposing team. What better way to wage this war than with a friendly game of chess? Hey, if you lose, you can always take a sledgehammer to your buddies Zune/ipod.

Designer Adam Frederick created this chessboard design. Which side do you think would win? No offense to Adam, but I think the pieces need a little more thought put into them. The PC side isn’t nearly clunky enough and if you buy this set, the Mac side should cost you a fortune before you can even play.

As far as USB gadgets go, nothing beats a little peeing man. I mean it’s a little man that pees. Your other gadgets don’t pee. It’s probably supposed to be used as a fountain or something, but really it’s completely useless. Thanko simply knows that if they build it, you will buy it…if it pees.

The joke is on you when this mini peeing dude gets water all over your computer and electrocutes you, making you pee your pants. You won’t know if its art imitating life or life imitating art and you won’t care. You’ll just be one shivering electrocuted mess curled up into a fetal position with the smell of burnt ozone around you as that little man continues to just pee away…

Tech21 is a case manufacturer offering a product that is best described as a state-changing material that can handle impacts the way Silly Putty does. If it hits a hard surface it becomes more solid, takes the impact, then releases it, all without damaging your device which is safely inside.

According to the company, the molecules at rest move freely in a gel that’s soft and flexible, but upon impact, the molecules “lock together to spread and absorb the force,”. This increases protection up to 134% compared to other cases. That means that your device can have a longer life.

They may have taken the first steps in Frustration-Free Packaging last November, but now Amazon is ready for the next phase. I think we can all appreciate this one. Most of us are tired of struggling with the packaging that our gadgets come enshrined in.

Amazon is making good on their promise to kill clamshell plastic cases and other annoyances. With partners like Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend, Amazon has now announced that Kingston is also getting behind the initiative. David Sun, co-founder and chief operating officer of Kingston is also pointing out the eco-friendly benefits of the decision. Awesome news.

We love Steampunk around here. We’ve certainly featured our share of steampunk gadgets. And this USB drive is another pretty nice example of the art form, but it’s insanely priced at $3000. I would pay maybe $100 for this flash drive. Maybe $300 if I had some disposable money.

It has some great detail work and looks pretty awesome, so it’s a shame that it’s priced so high that no one will own it. Could be a typo, but somehow I doubt it. Now the Steampunk phone from Russia. That I could pay handsomely for.

Everyone knows that despite being slow, turtles are master masseuses. You just have to book your appointment in advance since they take their time. Brando’s USB Tortoise Massager sure looks like it would be relaxing. He’s basically a vibrating turtle with a USB connection that should sooth your tense muscles with his legs.

It’s powered by a pair of AA batteries, not by USB. God forbid he put some power into the massage. How much money would you expect to “shell” out for such a massager? Well thankfully the price matches this little guys power at only $10.