Kids just want to brush their teeth for 5 seconds and then they are done. But that doesn’t get rid of all of the germs. The Wash and Brush timer from TrendyKid can help you make them brush longer. The idea is that you put the timer in the bathroom and teach your kids how it works.

The hand or tooth icons select the timing mode and the light will flash green, telling you to go or continue brushing. As you get closer to the end of the countdown, it flashes faster and turns red when it’s okay to stop. The Wash and Brush timer uses 3 AAA batteries and costs about $8.

It happens to the best of us. There’s always something in the back of the fridge that should have been eaten a long time ago. But now, whatever it used to be, is furry, moldy and putrid. That’s an easy call. Just toss it out. But what about something you are unsure of. It might be safe, might not be.

Designer Yeom Ha-na has come up with the Foodmer, which is basically a custom programmed expiration date reminder for all your fresh food. Not many details about how it works, but apparently you can program each strip with a freshness duration, and the red line will slowly get longer until its throw away time.

Has anyone noticed the somewhat hidden countdown timer on Google’s main page? You don’t see it until you hit the “I’m feeling lucky” button without anything to search for. Then it mysteriously shows up.

In US time, the timer ends at the New Year, but obviously that isn’t it. What else is going on with Google that they might want to announce? The launch of the Google Nexus One perhaps? That’s what our money is on.

We love our gadgets, but they are like vampires, sucking energy even when “off”. That’s why the Belkin Conserve Surge puts their energy sucking on a timer. Otherwise it’s a pretty normal surge protector. The device automatically cuts the power to connected devices after 11 hours of use.

Don’t worry, you won’t end up losing work before you can save, because the Conserve Surge features two always-on outlets alongside the six timed outlets. And there’s also an LED warning light when the electricity is about to turn off. Still, some other timing options would be nice.

Boiling an egg doesn’t take any special skills. It’s a pretty mundane task. That must be why this BeepEgg device wants to entertain you while it boils eggs. In a cold and callus way I might add. It plays a few selected songs that will alert you to the egg’s hardness. Songs like “Killing Me Softly”. Poor eggs never get any respect. Everyone’s always making yolks.

That’s the song for soft boiled, a few others denote medium and hard. If you need to shut the thing up, just drop it into some cold water. If torturing eggs is your thing, the BeepEgg will cost you £15.

Not sure how your party is going? Maybe you are too drunk to notice. Just consult with the Party Timer to figure out what type of party it is! When you’re going about your daily activities, it acts like a regular clock. When the tunes start pumping that changes, as it goes into party mode.

Based on noise levels, it will classify your party as a Romantic Party, Talking Party, Lite Party, Music Party, Dance Party, Club Party, Mega Party and if you can hear yourself above the noise, you’ll want to announce an Atomic Party, when the noise levels are dangerously above 161db. Dude, this party is atomic!

If you have a problem with your cat being out all night catting around the local alleys and doing God knows what, this is the gadget for you. Maybe he or she is bringing home other furballs and you don’t like it. The Pet Mate Elite is ready to help.

It’s essentially a high-tech Flap/door that lets you control which animals come in to your home, and when they enter. It uses RFID technology and the device supports up to 8 chips, each attached to different pets. It has a handy timer function so you can keep your cats in at night. The Pet Mate Elite retails for £99.95.