A gadget that gives a whole new meaning to "writer's block".

From Quirky, it’s thePen Zen, a gadget invented by an average person like you. Pen Zen is a cleverly designed storage unit for pens, pencils, highlighters, and other office supplies. Pen Zen’ssleek form and functional supply holders make it easy to master the art of organization. You can position your Pen Zen horizontally with the items extending out of the top, or stand it upright with the items extending out of the ends. Choose the arrangement that suits you best! But wait, there’s more! Hidden magnets below the bamboo surface hold paper clips and other small magnetic items. How clever is that? The thing I like about the Pen Zen are the rubber extrusions inside that act as magic fingers to hold your items in place. They don’t fall over, fall out, or bunch up. The bamboo exterior makes for an appealing addition to your desktop décor, instead of looking like something from the supply closet. And as the folks at Quirky say: With Pen Zen, your desk clutter can finally find inner peace. Dimensions:

7.25in x 2.5in x 2.0in. $19.99.

http://www.quirky.com/products/27

If you think you have an idea for a good invention, or think you can improve someone else’s invention Quirky is a great place to start. Read all the ways to get involved at www.quirky.com

A scale that's as thin as a rail.

A scale that's lost a lot of weight.

The Portable Body Scale is designed to save space! The ultra compact design means you can fit it anywhere in your bathroom or take it on the road when you travel. (It's also handy for weighing your suitcase before you go to the airport!) Made of toughened glass, this scale is seriously strong and will hold up to 330 pounds. Since the platform you stand on is smaller than a normal scale, you weigh yourself in a slightly different way. You step on the Portable Body Scale without looking down to read the LED’s. After you hear a beep you step off the scale and the red LEDs will light up to give you a steady and clear reading. You can select pounds or kilograms with the flick of a switch. There’s no on/off switch. It goes on when you step on it, and automatically shuts-off to conserve battery after about 8 seconds of non-use. Made of super tough glass, which the company reminds you can be slippery when wet. Minimum Weight is 11 lb / 5 kg, so this is not a good postage scale! Maximum Weight: 330 lb / 150 kg. It’s powered by 2 AAA (not included). The Portable Body Scale is small enough for backpack, travel bag, etc. Dimensions: approx. 8.27" x 4.33" x 0.79". Unit weight: 15.6 oz  $29.99

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ee1c/?srp=2

Now you can have an energy (or other kind) drink, even in a business meeting.

From Shawn and Tom, the guys who brought you Pillow Tie, the tie with an inflatable bladder so you can blow it up and then comfortably sleep through meetings, comes Flask Tie. Here’s what they say about their latest creation:

FlaskTie. Nobody Needs To Know Why You Started Wearing A Necktie. FlaskTie, The biggest thing to happen to the necktie since the PillowTie. The FlaskTie is a fashion statement of thirst quenching proportions. Have you ever been parched while in a hurry to get to your next meeting and don’t have time to grab a drink? With FlaskTie you can quench your thirst while on-the-go, arriving at your meeting hydrated and ready to nail that presentation. Each FlaskTie comes equipped with a TieBladder holding approximately 6 ounces of fluid for your drinking pleasure. Located at the end of the back slip is our TieBite Valve mouthpiece offering Hands-Free Hydration with ease of use, simply bite and sip! Self-seals after each drink to eliminate annoying drips. With various designs to choose from the FlaskTie is your chose for both fashion and hydration.  – And now back to me. To use the Flask Tie, remove the bladder and fill it with what you wish to drink. I just filled it with water for a test. Screw the bladder back into the tie. To drink, bite the value that’s in the smaller part of the tie and suck the liquid in. I found the drinking works better when the bladder is full of liquid. You can make the liquid flow easier by pressing in slightly on the tie as you drink, or you can just hold the bladder section of the tie in the air which really gets the liquid moving!  This is probably something you don’t want to do everyday, but it does work. And it sure makes an interesting, fun-to-tell-friends-about gift. Availiable to start in ten color cominbations, many of them school colors. But remember "Don't Drink & Learn". $24.95.

www.flasktie.com

Now you can have big screen TV when you're away from your big screen TV.

3M, famous for it’s mobile projection devices, and Roku – the folks who can stream content to your TV, have partnered to create a unique entertainment device. It’s the first of its kind, the 3M Streaming Projector. It allows users to have wide screen entertainment away from their living room big-screen TV. Anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection; you can use the 3M Streaming Projector to create an instant big-screen viewing experience. Even though this new innovative device is small enough to fit in your hand, 3M says it can project an image up to 120 inches. That makes it perfect for family movie nights while on trips, sleepovers and or for evening backyard parties. The 3M Streaming Projector can project almost anywhere – on a basement wall, a bedroom ceiling or even a backyard fence. (Obviously, the darker the room, or area, and the lighter the surface you project on, the better it is.) But wait, there’s more! The 3M Streaming Projector is equipped with a built-in Roku Streaming Stick! That means, via WiFi, the projector has access to over 600 channels; some you pay for like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video, and free channels like Crackle, so there is content for everyone. Battery life rated at 2 hours, 45 minutes in energy saving mode; while normal run-time is 1 hour, 35 minutes. So if you’re planning on a long movie night, AC power is the way to go. Here are the tech specs from 3M: Brightness up to 60 lumens, with 3 LED (RGB) bulbs with a life of 20,000 hours. Built-in speaker and audio out for external speakers or headphones, Dimensions: 4.3” x 4.2” x 2.0”, Projected image size: 6”–120” diagonal. It ships with a US & International Plug and the Roku Stick, which you can also use in your own HDTV assuming it has an available HDMI input. The 3M Streaming Projector is now available at Amazon.com for $299.

There’s more info at 3M website: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ConsumerProjectors/Home/Product/StreamingProjector/#misdTechnicalSpecifications

Scott Wilkinson fills in for Leo Laporte on this week's Tech Guy.

Since Scott is such an expert on home theatre, I want to find a more sane gadget to talk about. At a Pepcom event, two days before this week's Tech Guy show, I found one. One that not even Scott had seen, because it was premiered at the Pepcom event. Vizio introduced their biggest LCD TV ever! It’s the 70” 701i Smart TV. With built-in WiFi, VIZIO Internet Apps like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, Facebook and Twitter, you can instantly enjoy online movies, TV shows, music, and more. My own personal opinion is that tweeting on a 70” screen will remove a bit of the coziness of Twitter and Facebook. Vizio says their new E-Series units, are the first of many large-size models to offer more screen space with a narrower border around the picture. The frame is little less than 1" thick and the entire TV is less than 2" thick. The unit comes with a two-sided smart remote. One side has the smart TV controls and the other side features a full QWERTY keyboard. The 701i offer 1080p Full HD resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Like it’s smaller brother, the 60", 601i model, the 70" unit auto-adjusts the picture to room lighting and features SRS StudioSound HD. The E-Series 701i 70" model retails for $1,999.99. If you can live with the slightly smaller 601i 60” TV, the MSRP drops in half, to $999.99. 

http://store.vizio.com/e701ia3.html