EYE-VAC Professional Vacuum by Crowley-Jones

Handy for pet owners, salon proprietors, or the adult, video game addicted version of Charlie Brown's friend, Pig Pen.

I am not a hair dresser (in fact, I myself am practically bald), but I wish I were because of how much fun Eye Vac is to use.

The unit is a small tower that houses a strong vacuum at its base, a storage bin for hair and debris, and a HEPA filter so that micro dust doesn’t waft back into the surrounding air.

I unpacked the Eye Vac sent to me by its developer, Crowley-Jones, and it took only minutes to set it up. Everything is included and installed right out of the box. It’s entirely plug and play.

I have pets, so rest assured I have pet hair around the manse.

My first test was to place the Eye Vac on Auto setting, then sweep the pet hair, dust, dirt, and even some desiccated chunks of cat food (that had been residing in underutilized corners of the kitchen floor) toward the base of the machine. As the pile approached, the vacuum activated and sucked the debris inside. Voila! Sacre bleu!! The machine’s invisible pull was even strong enough to capture some dust bunnies hanging out on the periphery.

Good on ye, Eye Vac!

Now, if this vacuum cleaner was on all the time, I might complain of its noise level but it is only vacuuming when you “tell” it too. And the “suckage,” “sucktitude,” “suck-reh-bleu” (innovate on your own for a few moments) only lasts about five seconds per suck.

Hey, that’s more than doable.

The real test is going to come when my wife returns from an East Coast trip. She is a fabulous potter (www.scotpot1.com) and I am going to take Eye Vac down to her studio. Have at you, Eye Vac! If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!!

The CUBE LED Light by Enevu

When I began to reactivate the “What Tom Gets” blog, I wanted right away to feature a selection of cool tech gizmos. Naturally, that should have meant sexy iPhone and iPad peripherals (think Mayhem UK or Naztech), amazing solar recharging stations (think Solpro), fabulous wearable gadgets (think Fitbit and Misfit) and, of course, what do I lead off with …?

… a 2.5 inch battery operated light that that serves as a nightlight or a disco party ball … er, cube.

The CUBE personal light by Enevu.

Am I distraught about this? Hell no!!

I actually think everyone should have one.

Designed and developed by two entrepreneurs (one design, the other $$), the Enevu CUBE LED light is amazingly simple and dramatically effective. Activate the on-board batteries by pulling out the protective strip thingee (that's the technical term ... look it up) and you’re on your way to having fun with light. 

Me? 

I deploy it on multicolor mode in my office when I am contemplating my navel (which doesn’t happen as often as it should), and also on low as a gentle night light. I’m also anticipating the time this summer when sweltering So. Cal. temperatures cause localized brown- and blackouts. I’ll pop the switch on my CUBE and whatever board/card/shadow puppet (insert drop down menu here) game I’m playing won’t miss a beat.

The CUBE personal light:

• uses 3 AG13 button cell batteries (included and replaceable)
• is white with a light setting so it gradually changes colors (lock on a color with another button press)
• appoximately 2.5x2.5x2.5 inches
• on/off/action mode switch on cube’s base

Purchase the CUBE personal light at the Enevu corporate Web site, www.enevu.com, or simply Google the name.

XY Findit - Wearable Tech That Solves a Simple Problem

This is a beacon, the heart of the tech developed by San Diego-based XY findit.

A most amazing gadget recently fell on my door, so to speak. It didn't start out amazing, but it got better quickly.

I was given an sample of the XY Findit beacon at a party recently and try as I did I couldn't make it work. Turned on, yes, after taking the little tab from in front of the battery, but after that ... nada. So I contacted the San Diego-based company and they sent out a couple of replacements. Talk about an instant about face. The new units did everything as advertised. I activated one beacon, synched it to my iPhone 5s, attached it to my key chain and keys, took a picture (so I would know intuitively what the unit was set to find when I accessed it via the free XY findit app) and the rest has been a very pleasant slice of history. Now I would recommend XY Findit to anyone who routinely loses their keys (or some similar object) because they really, really work, and, in fact, I have already recommended it several times to friends and people I brush shoulders with on a daily basis!

'Nuff said.