I love buying new gadgets, but the plastic clamshells they've all been coming in lately are a giant pain in the ass. It's holding a new set of earbuds for crying out loud, not government secrets.

Scissors? They weren't designed to cut through the industrial strength polymers they're using. And there's always that point where you get about halfway up and you can't go any farther because you've lost leverage and the plastic starts cutting into your hand.

They call it "wrap rage", the uncontrollable urge to start stabbing the package with a knife in a fit of homicidal mania. And it can also strike when you're trying to tear the wrapping off a new CD or DVD.

Over at Zibra, a product development company, they've come up with a better way to deal with clamshell lockout. It's called Open It, and its sole purpose is to get you using your newly purchased items faster and injury-free.

Up front is a pair of heavy-duty alloy steel cutting blades, made to ...More

For most tailgates beer does just fine. A little vodka added to a water bottle filled with orange or cranberry juice works too. Maybe a little Captain in your Coke. But there are times when you need an expanded drink menu. Like when the girls come along. Having a blender to mix some margaritas would be a bonus. (Daiquiris would work too, but I think there are laws against having daiquiris at a tailgate. Girls or no girls.)

The Margarator is a portable drink mixer with an ice crushing motor that can make a gallon of blender drinks and plugs right into your car for power. Pour in some margarita mix, tequila and ice, hit the switch, and in seconds it's like Cinco De Mayo in the parking lot.

It works for pool parties, barbecues and camping trips, too. Any place you need an adult beverage-flavored slush.

$129.99
Available at Neiman Marcus, Sky-Mall and Costco.com

Forget about having trouble sleeping, you'll have trouble forcing yourself to get out of bed.

The Hollandia PLATINUM-LUXE™ Elite sleep system (when you pay more for a bed than most people spend on a car you get to call it a "sleep system"), looks like it was designed with input from Austin Powers. And I mean that in a good way. It's the ultimate swinging bachelor bed, baby.

Start with a mattress made from naturally ventilated, hypo-allergenic Vita Talalay latex covered in aloe vera fibers for extra softness. Add in individual 13-inch retractable back-sliding systems and telescopic head supports that silently adjust to the perfect reclining position at the push of a button. Push another button and the 32-inch flat-panel Sony HDTV slowly rises from the footboard, the brightness dynamically adjusting to the ambient light, to reduce eye strain.

It's also equipped with a Sony BRAVIA® Theater System with a five DVD/CD changer, a five speaker surround sound system, and a subwoofer beneath the bed so you feel every nuance of the audio. And of course there is an iPod docking station. Future models will connect the surround sound with a massage system that provides 12 individual massage programs, and the option of having the massage respond in sync with your music. ...More