Ever feel like you need a quick nap during work or school?  The Ostrich Pillow from Kawamura Ganjavian architecure and design studio lets you nap in peace. Put your head in the “sand” and ignore that fast paced world around you.  Discrete it’s not however and breathing might be a problem

“OSTRICH offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates our head and hands (mind, senses and body) for a few minutes, without needing to leave our desk.”

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: comfort pillow, Pillow

Ostrich Pillow – Had enough? Hide your head in the… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2011 at 9:00 am.

I’ve seen pillows used as iPhone stands before. like the Movie Wedge reviewed by Andy Chen.  Until now, I’d never seen a pillow that looked like an iPhone.  iCushions.net offers reproductions of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G in pillow form.  The pillows have a polyester/spandex fabric covering and polystyrene bead filling.  The pillows measure about 9.8″ X 7.9″ X 5″.  The iPhone 3G pillow is available for $24.95; the iPhone 4 is $29.95.  Shipping is free world-wide.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Pillow, Spotlight Gadgets

iCushions – A Pillow for the True iPhone Fan originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 16, 2011 at 8:00 am.

I’m not a big fan of falling asleep with the television on.  I do it a lot, but sometime around…say 2 am, I am awakened by loud screaming from whatever cheesy slasher movie is on or the rattling sounds of war from whatever action film is on or worse yet…the sound of some loud-mouth pitchman trying to sell me overpriced kitchen tools, exercise equipment or herbal supplements for conditions best not mentioned here.

I don’t know what my problem is, but it’s been hard for me, since I started living on my own, to fall asleep without the tv or radio on.  Now that I am married, my husband says he doesn’t mind me falling asleep with the tv on, but he also keeps a second remote on his side of the bed to turn the thing off.

The Ellery Homestyles Sound Asleep Comfort Pillow is the answer to several problems for several people.   It’s a nice, comfy, squooshy pillow with almost imperceptible built in speakers and a plug in for an Mp3 player, CD player, SmartPhone, televisions or radio.  Best of all…no batteries necessary.

It’s almost impossible to hear the media coming from the speakers unless you place your head on the pillow.  It’s great.  Great sound, quiet for everyone else and you can fall asleep, relax, meditate, whatever just by laying your head down on the pillow and you don’t have to worry about bothering anyone else.

When my Comfort Pillow arrived, I immediately put it into a comfy sham and then proceeded to download a couple of hours of classical harp music onto my Zune Mp3 player.   I laid down on the couch, my Corgi, Gracie (who LOVES nap-time with Mommy) curled up next to me.  I plugged in the Zune to the pillow, tucked it and the cords into the sham and pretty much don’t remember anything after that.

Time To Snooze...This is the bare bones pillow pre-pillow sham connected to my Zune Mp3 player. It's just that simple.

The Comfort pillow is your standard 20″ x26″, white cover, hypoallergenic polyfill pillow with white plug in cord.  You don’t need batteries, and it attaches to pretty much almost any media device that you would plug a set of ear buds into.

I love it.  I honestly have nothing bad to say about it.  At $29.99, it’s a little bit pricey but seriously… I’ve seen more expensive pillows that did less.

Like the Sound Asleep Comfort Pillow on Facebook.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Home Tech, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: MP3 player, Pillow

Ellery Homestyles Sound Asleep Comfort Pillow with Built In Speakers Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 23, 2010 at 9:00 pm.

Besides daydreaming about taking a nap while you’re at work, have you given much thought about pillows lately? Yeah, me neither. There really hasn’t been a lot of technological breakthroughs in pillow construction since… umm… they were originally invented. That is until now. The Side Solution Pillow from AbsolutelyNew is a new design for an ordinary bed pillow. Gone is the old style of head cushion that can cause many people to have neck and shoulder pain. In its place is a pillow for the 21st century. Let’s see if it is a winner, or just a pain in the neck.

Product Specs

• 260-Thread-Count
• Outer Cover: 100% Cotton
• Polyfiber Filled for Comfort and Support
• White
• Removable Cover for Easy Cleaning, Hidden Zipper Closure

Is it just me, or does this pillow look like an albino goldfish cracker? The Side Solution Pillow is approximately 19 inches wide x 17 inches tall and 7 inches thick. It is available in a Standard and Deluxe version. I was sent the Standard version.

This new pillow shape has been created specifically for people like myself who primarily sleep on their side.

Orthopedically designed by a physical therapist, the notches in the sides take the strain off your neck and shoulders. They also help to keep your spine properly aligned to make sleeping on your side more comfortable.

Sleeping with the pillow turned so that the notches are perpendicular to your face is supposed to help reduce symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring by providing better ventilation.

Once I learned what this pillow was supposed to do for me, it was time to try it out to see if  it delivered on being more comfortable for my shoulder and neck. I guess in all fairness I should start by saying that I don’t have any troubles with my shoulder and neck to begin with. A couple of years ago when I had a frozen shoulder, this product would have gotten a much better test. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with my Left shoulder hurting so badly that it would bring tears to my eyes. But that problem resolved itself in time and it’s now rare for me to wake up with a stiff neck, sore shoulder, arm, etc. That said,  I have been testing this pillow for almost two weeks now and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not for me. Although I like the idea of the design, I’m used to a softer (medium) and flatter foam pillow. The Side Solution Pillow feels much higher and definitely more firm than what I am used to. It was difficult for me to adjust to it. In all honesty, this pillow felt most comfortable to me when I used it while laying on my back. In that orientation, my head/neck was cradled in the notch and didn’t fall over to one side while sleeping. Sort of like the neck pillows that you’ll see people using on airplanes.

I also noticed that when I had the pillow turned like the picture above, that my nose did not line up with the notch on the side – so I was not able to benefit from better ventilation. I guess my neck is just too short or something

I can see how this pillow has the potential offer additional comfort to people that sleep on their sides, but it just didn’t do anything for me.  Maybe the deluxe version would feel more comfy as it is dualsided with 75% Polyfiber fill and 25% Memory Foam. It has a $79.99 suggested retail price, but I’ve not seen it listed for sale on any sites though. I’m sticking with my old fashioned pillow

Do you use this product or one that is similar? If so, what are your thoughts?

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Pillow

Side Solution Pillow Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2009 at 12:38 pm.