Most Useful Product Designs of 2010

Throughout the spring and summer I have been finding fun and interesting products. Below are my top picks for the best 2010 summer products for their design, creativity and usefulness.

Easy Bloom Garden Sensor

The Easy Bloom is the best thing that ever happened to the brown thumb individual. Its a cleverly designed garden sensor, in the shape of a flower, that you push into the ground to inform you about the soil conditions in your yard. Once the Easy Bloom is planted it starts collecting useful data, such as sun exposure, moisture, fertilizer and temperature. And if you think that's cool, all that information can be translated for you. The Easy Bloom just gets plugged into your USB port, connects you to their website and instantly recommends what plants, trees, vegetables, etc can successfully grow in that spot. This definitely takes the guesswork out of gardening, and for $50 it can save to hundreds.

Folding Portable Notebook BBQ Grill

The Folding Portable Notebook BBQ Grill by Fire Sense is perfect grill  if you like to walk along the beach, hike in the woods, or just move around a lot and can't take the grill with you. Its the finest in British design, at a little under 2" long and about 18" wide (about 14 high when standing) it weighs only 8.32 lbs, this grill really is as easy to carry as a notebook computer. Its a charcoal grill that folds down to 1 inch flat and even comes with its own carrying bag. Don't worry its painted steel construction is durable and heat resistant. For around $50 this is a handy cooker.

3890 Taylor Measuring Cup and Scale

Is your cupboard filled with odd sized measuring cups and spoons for dry and wet measurements, and then you have a scale to measure everything else? Well, there is a solvent for that. Taylor has designed a Multi-use measuring cup that not only measures the cup but will also measure the weight of what you put into it. The Taylor Measuring cup and scale automatically converts 5 preset ingredients - flour, sugar, milk, water and oil - from ounces (weight) to cups (volume). General foods and ingredients are also measured in ounces/pounds or grams. And to take less out of your worries it has a low battery warning, and auto shut off. Price ranges around $25-$35.

ZOMM, comes in white and black

Do you often loose your keys? Well then ZOMM ,the world's first wireless leash, is the product for you. It's a small device that can hang on your key chain and communicates with your cell phone via Bluetooth. Say your at a restaurant and you accidentally leave your phone on the table as you start walking towards the door, ZOMM will start crying out by setting off an alarm, flashing, and/or vibrating. This crybaby also works as a speaker phone and as a emergency call assistant. By pushing the Z-button down you can answer your call, hold the button down for a full 9 seconds it will sound a loud panic alarm and if you continue holding the Z- button for an additional 5 seconds it will call for emergency assistance. ZOMM retails for around $80 and charges via USB cord.

Horizon fuel cell system, Hydrofill, the Hydrogen battery AC / solar /wind compatible

Coming late 2010 is Horizon's Hydrofill fuel cell system, it is a system that extracts hydrogen from water to be later used as energy for electrical devices. This energy can be transported and stored in a battery shaped HydroSTIK cartridge. The HydroSTIK is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and will be priced well as its release later 2010. Horizon says, "Each HydroSTIK can store 15Wh of energy, enough for 1-2 charges of a 3G smartphone, or 2-3 charges for average cellphones, which is more than what present primary and rechargeable batteries are able to offer at equivalent cost".