Then again, that’s the point. Designer Ichiro Iwasaki, a one-time member of the Sony Design Center who spent many years studying design in Italy, designed the Lotta to be a no-frills phone that isn’t trying to win you over with amazing features, but rather with its strikingly minimalistic good looks. Even the more colorful versions of the two-tone Lotta don’t feel like they’re crowding the design. It’s fitting that Iwasaki designed his phone for iida, a Japanese company that focuses on cellphones that eschew loading up on features for basic functionality and a thoughtful design . Sadly, you’ll probably never see the Lotta here in the US, though you can ogle all you want in the gallery down below. Lotta , via Minimalissimo

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For a phone called ‘Lotta,’ this thing has little going on

Here’s a common dilemma: you want to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, but you’re all by yourself. What to do? Well, these handy gloves allow you to play the classic game of chance and, well, chance all by your lonesome. Simply make your move with the glove on and the built-in computer will tell you what move your “opponent” made and who won. It’s the perfect way to practice for the next time you need to decide who’s riding shotgun. Grathio via Make

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Finally, a way to practice Rock, Paper, Scissors alone

If you’re a drug dealer or just a fraidy-cat who is certain someone’s out to get you, you might be too stoned or distracted to set up a complicated security system . That’s why this Swann Digital Guardian ADW-400 night-vision camera and recorder could be just what you’re looking for. It’s so easy to set up, the hardest part is taking it out of its box and getting rid of its copious packing materials. Come along with us and see if it really is as plug-and-play as its manufacturer says.

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Plug-and-play camera/recorder displays burglars on your TV

Protecting yourself is important. And a great way to protect yourself is with this absolutely-insane cane, which features a hand grenade as a handle and a hidden dagger inside. Oh, and a compass, of course. Yes, for only $30 you, too can own the Hand Grenade Cane. I’d say it hides its true intentions well, but when the top of it is a hand grenade, I guess that’s not really true. King of Swords via The Awesomer and Nerd Approved

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Show your true intentions with the hand grenade cane

Aw, man. It seems like just yesterday when we first laid eyes on the crispy clear screen and excellent user interface of the Zune HD. Now the rumor mill churns, and out the other end comes this golden nugget: The Zune HD2 “will be similar to an iPod Touch,” and could ship as early as this year. In other words, it’ll presumably be a part of that “Windows Phone 7 Series platform” and run Windows Phone 7 apps. So the Zune HD will soon be obsolete? Damn. The rumormongers didn’t say when we might see the Zune HD2, so maybe this won’t be happening right away. We really like the Windows Phone 7 interface, but why can’t it work with the current Zune HD hardware? Looks to us like further evidence that this whole gadget racket thrives on planned obsolescence. Even if you are soon to be pass, Zune HD, we still love you . Via Gizmodo

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Zune HD2 on the way? Already?

Google just announced Apps Marketplace, igniting a torrent of applications that all work online. If you have one of Google’s free-for-the-taking hosted-domain apps accounts, once you log in, you’ll be able to access all of these additional tools. There are 50 of them so far — mostly for business use — and that number is certain to grow in number and scope. With your permission, the third-party applications can access any of the data in your Google Calendar, Gmail, documents, or contacts. See the video below for a more detailed explanation. But what about privacy issues, and the concern many businesses might have when their valuable data resides in the hands of someone else? Since we’re the business of encouraging people read our stuff online, understandably, many of us aren’t too concerned about keeping much of our data on a third-party server up in the cloud . How about you? If Google soon offers every imaginable application (some free, and some paid) and keeps your data on its servers in the cloud, are you too paranoid to take advantage of it?

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Google opens the floodgates to its Apps Marketplace

This is how you get geeks excited: you combine three of their great loves into one crazy object. This Lego Sequencer MR II uses Lego stacks to emulate a three-channel, eight-step sequencer, where each brick produces a different sound, creating the ability to build crazy combos by stacking them together. Add to that fact that the whole thing is made of the brass that is so popular with guys who wish they lived inside Final Fantasy VI and you’ve got a pure lust object. Yoshi Akai via Make

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Steampunk Lego sequencer hits all the nerd bases

As Google works to speed up our access to the Internet, Cisco is fighting a different war: improving the foundation of the Internet itself. In a statement on Tuesday, the networking-centric company announced its new CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (which is where the CRS comes from), which Cisco claims can handle “12 times the traffic capacity of the nearest competing system,” and triples the power of the 92 Tbps CRS-1, its predecessor. So just how fast is the CRS-3? According to Cisco, it can handle 322 Terabits per second, “which enables the entire printed collection of the Library of Congress to be downloaded in just over one second; every man, woman and child in China to make a video call, simultaneously; and every motion picture ever created to be streamed in less than four minutes.” That’s a lot of horsepower, and it’s the kind of muscle we need, according to Cisco, to lay the foundation for next-generation Internet, with an eye mostly on the increasing demands of streaming media and the like. Read the full release from Cisco here . Via Maximum PC

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Cisco starts laying ‘foundation for next-generation Internet’

At first we thought this was an early April Fool’s sight gag, but it’s not. It’s an actual product from Hammacher Schlemmer, and it’s named a word I’ve been looking for an excuse to use in print, and now here’s my chance: the Brobdingnagian Sports Chair. For those of us not familiar with the work of Jonathan Swift, that means humongous. Look and laugh at this 5.5-foot-tall chair, a $150 throne capable of embracing even the most gigantic butt with its 9-square-foot seat. And hey, did you eat dozens of hot dogs on that picnic? No worries, because it supports up to 400 pounds, enough for three or four of our attractive, slim readers. And no matter how thirsty you are, its six cupholders stand ready to accommodate all your beverage-guzzling needs. We can only sum it up thusly: Brobdingnagian makes you feel like a Lilliputian . Good lord, I love this job. Hammacher Schlemmer , via The Awesomer

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Feeling too small? Don’t sit in this chair

Here’s one way to sidestep climate change, where every low-lying area on the planet will be underwater: Just build underwater skyscrapers! Imagine the magnificent views of undersea flora and fauna from this floating city that’s completely self-sustaining. hO2+ scraper is a design concept entered into the eVoIo Skyscraper Competition, and we’re thinking it must of had a good chance of winning. We especially like those balancing tentacles that keep it from flipping over as they generate power. Sure seems like a lot less trouble than scuba diving. Sign us up. eVolo , via Gizmodo

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Gorgeous waterscrapers: habitat for the coming Waterworld