• Kripsy Kreme: Buy a dozen donuts, get a dozen free
• Woot: Refurbished HP Pavilion Elite m9040n Desktop Computer for $649.99
• Sam's Club: April 18-20, no 10% surcharge for non-members

Highlights From Dealhack

• Brooks Brothers: Golden Fleece Charity Sale: up to 25% off Clothing
• Musician's Friend: Rogue Grand Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar $130 Shipped
• Philips Outlet: Philips DVD Micro Theater System only $50 with Coupon

Highlights From Dealhack

• Amazon: Vudu Box $295
• Banana Republic: Up to $50 off purchases coupon
• Pet Food Direct: 20% off purchases coupon

Filed under: Portable Audio

Color us completely unsurprised, but it's being reported that a number of state politicians are looking at the possibility of imposing new laws to levy taxes on digital downloads as a method of taping up shattered budgets. Yep, anything from music to videos to books are at risk, as a growing number of lawmakers are looking to start collecting taxes from each iTunes track and Kindle eBook you purchase. Of course, this idea is far from new, and a number of US states already impose such taxes, but it seems that the ever-growing amount of content purchased online has caught the eye of those looking for new streams of tax revenue. Needless to say, the issue as a whole is about as far from black and white as you can get, but we're not asking you to take our word for it -- tap the read link to get a good feel of just how sticky the situation really is.

[Image courtesy of Izzy]

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I have a soft spot for Ron Arad. His Bookworm bookshelf was the first piece of designer furniture I craved (admittedly, this might have been due to the fact that it was up on the wall in the apartment of a boy I craved.) He has me confused now, though, with his this design for a bathtub-shower-thingie that ever-so-slightly reminds me of this crazy wall sculpture from last year. Called Rotator, it transforms from shower to bath and back again,. There's something about a continuous trickle of water that makes me want to... hang on, back in a bit.
galleryPost('rotator', 4, 'Rotator');

Ah, that's better. The Rotator is made of some kind of substance called duralight® (important enough for a "registered" symbol, but not important enough for capitals, that's, like, profound.) It's on show at this week's Salone di Mobile in Milan, or the Furniture Fair if you're a pleb like me who can't speak Italian, and, aspazzarently, it is "a new enjoyable experience in which a continuous and unexpected flow of water becomes the protagonist." Is anyone else finding it hard to get a handle on its proportions? It looks Lilliputian in size to me. Ah well, file alongside the self-stirring cuppa, I think. [Dezeen]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

We won't have to wait long to find out Universal's plans for Blu-ray, Reuters just noted that later today the studio will announce plans to release about 40 movies on the format in the second half of the year, including Doomsday. The only studio to support solely HD DVD from the beginning will come out with all three of its Mummy films: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King (sounds like someone's bitter about HD DVD and taking it out on Blu-ray owners to us), with catalog releases jumping over from red like Miami Vice, Knocked Up, American Gangster and others before the year is out. Keep an eye out for specifics later on, like whether those U-Control and community features from the HD DVD versions will make the jump intact.

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Here's a product for those of you whose desk-bound working life puts a strain on your posterior: massage pants. Ohoho yes. They've got seven massage units arranged in a "a scientific and rational allocation" to best soothe your (ahem) parts, a number of different vibration modes and an exciting-sounding 20-minute automatic mode for handsfreeness. I'll say it again: ohoho yes. There's also a ring of infrared heaters with auto temp control to keep your tush toasty, and it's all powered by a rechargeable battery pack. Interested? Well, you'd have to be very interested: Wenzhou Wonderful Massage Equipment Co., Ltd sadly only takes orders of 500 units. [Product via Gadget lab]

In GizmodoWorld, no one loves a cuppa quite like I do—although the amount of times I go to the kettle each day is giving me RSI. Anyways, two French guys have designed a cup of tea that stirs itself. Simple in its design, all you need do for it to work is channel your inner Cognac-drinker, swilling the liquid around the cup until the sugar has disolved. More info, including a How-To cartoon is after the jump.

The cup, called Ceramic For Mix, has a protruding base that bulges out—imagine a boa constrictor after an all-you-can-eat sheep buffet—and a ceramic ball that goes in the bottom. Pour in the PG Tips, add the milk, spoon in the sugar (if that is how you take your tea) and then swill the cup. Gravity ensures the ceramic ball doesn't bop you on the nose when you drink, apparently.

One of the designers, Florian Dussopt is expecting to sell his invention to cafes and bars, eliminating the need for a spoon (unless your sugar comes in a bowl, in which case you'll have to use your hands to shovel the sugar into your cup.) Should this be seen as spoonicide? "The aim is not to kill the spoon but to suggest an alternative for a special occasion," he says. So that's alright, then. [Daily Mail]

Filed under: Displays

Zalman may be far from being a household name, but a stranger to 3D displays it isn't. The company's latest 22-incher not only packs a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution panel and a bundled set of glasses, but it features the ability to render graphics in 3D. The eager critics over at Trusted Reviews had a nice sit with the device, and when all was said and done, the ZM-M2020W was seen more as a building block for revision two than a runaway winner as it was. On the upside, it did manage to render some pretty phenomenal scenes in 3D -- and even managed to change the reviewer's perception of the technology -- but the overly glossy screen and steep price tag kept it from being recommended without hesitation. Still, if you're willing to pay the premium to fit into the niche, by all means, give the full review a once over in the read link below.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

That Samsung / Armani tie-up continues to grow closer, following the cellphones is a new premium HDTV unveiled on the opening day of the Milan International Furniture Fair. The 46- and 52-inch 1080p LCDs include Samsung's 100Hz display technology, wrapped in a design inspired by Giorgio Armani's '08/'09 Armani/Casa home furnishings collection -- inspired by Eileen Gray and reminiscent of Hollywood's Golden Age -- built to incorporate the TV as a design element of the room rather than hide it. Expect the 42-inch model, with stylish backlit remote control (a smaller, pebble shaped remote is also included for your less stylish friends) and specially designed front-mounted power switch to launch in Europe, Korea and Russia mid-summer, followed by the 52-inch in late summer.

Read - Samsung & Armani unveil new premium LCD TV at Milan furniture fair
Read - Armani turns back to 1930s for home collection

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

That Samsung / Armani tie-up continues to grow closer, following the cellphones is a new premium HDTV unveiled on the opening day of the Milan International Furniture Fair. The 46- and 52-inch 1080p LCDs include Samsung's 100Hz display technology, wrapped in a design inspired by Giorgio Armani's '08/'09 Armani/Casa home furnishings collection -- inspired by Eileen Gray and reminiscent of Hollywood's Golden Age -- built to incorporate the TV as a design element of the room rather than hide it. Expect the 42-inch model, with stylish backlit remote control (a smaller, pebble shaped remote is also included for your less stylish friends) and specially designed front-mounted power switch to launch in Europe, Korea and Russia mid-summer, followed by the 52-inch in late summer.

Read - Samsung & Armani unveil new premium LCD TV at Milan furniture fair
Read - Armani turns back to 1930s for home collection

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Although it's no Hands Free 3D, the recently unveiled (and unboxed) 3DConnexion SpaceNavigator has now been optimized to provide a more realistic experience in Second Life. The 3D mouse enables users to move their avatar, pan around, build more naturally and extract way more enjoyment from the game than goofing off with just a mouse / keyboard combo. We don't have to warn you, but trust us when we say that four tutorial videos (they're in the read link) of using this thing in Second Life should only be endured by the hardest of hardcore.

[Thanks, Drake]

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