A pair of gadgets for the ironing bored
Whistling while you work may be passe, but iPods and iPod accessories are all
the rage. Thus it should come as no surprise that inventive minds have come up
with ideas to temper the work of ironing with the musical tempos of the iPod.
Most intriguing of the accessories is an iPod dock combined with an iron and
dubbed, of course, the iRon.
“Simply unfold the iRon, fill with water, dock your iPod and steam your tunes,” says a blurb promoting the iRon.
The iRon, it says, features something called SteamTempo technology, which lets
steam come from the iron in time with the beats of the music that is playing.
Fast, bass-heavy music produces more steam while softer music provides less.
The iRon was first offered on the website of UK technology gadget retailer
Gear4. But before you log on to order iRons for the pressing department, be
advised that Tom Dudderidge, Gear4
’s managing director, seems to have his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
“I’ve never been a big fan of ironing, but now, the iRon has made ironing fun,” Dudderidge said. “I turn to my iRon and get down to some serious pressing. The whole ‘spray and play’ idea is very exciting. I find that most Snoop Doggy Dog tracks on the iRon will
transform even the most wrinkled garment in minutes, whereas Barbara Streisand
or Barry Manilow is perfect for less resistant clothes and Bach is just great
for silks and other delicate fabrics.
”
The iRon, it is claimed, uses the iPod’s battery for power. And if that’s not enough to convince you that the iRon has never really developed beyond the
concept stage, note that its release in retail stores is scheduled for April 1.
Another iron-iPod accessory appears to be quite serious, although the selection
of colors for the iron iPod speaker
— pink, lime and orange — might raise questions. The iron-shaped iPod speaker, which includes an FM radio
and an alarm clock (why not?), was being offered by a Hong Kong retailer on
eBay for $10.
One web site suggested that it would make the perfect gift for the drycleaner in
one
’s life. Now that’s something we hope nobody took seriously!
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