Last week’s coolest gadget was a close one and for a change it was won by relatively cheap and what could be called “sensible” gadget, the stash reef sandals. Submitted by S2999, these sandals are ideal for hiding valuables, that is until everybody knows about them.

The idea is brilliant: they have a little “drawer” inside the sole where money, credit cards or keys can be stashed. I’ve never ever heard of shoes being stolen from the beach, so your valuables would be much safer than anywhere else. High quality footwear that’s more than just a pair of flip-flops? Win.

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I’m a big fan of the robotic vacuum cleaning Roomba, but he doesn’t help with all the crumbs and keyboard fluff on my desk which is where the new (and unrelated) Robo Vacuum come to the rescue, a robotic cleaner for your desk.

Picking up life’s little messes is easy with the Robo Vacum™! This tiny desktop robot is a perfect for sucking up those kitchen crumbs and desktop debris. It’s easy to use and easy to clean! Simply push top button to activate the vacuum and slide over dry crumbs and other debris. No vacuum bags required! It hold all of the debris in it’s crumb compartment. Just pop open the top and empty it out!

Robo Vacuum is available now from WowZzers for $18.99.

Yeah, that right, dustpan, your day is done. I’m sick of bending over and hurting my back to get the dust fly with that broom. And I’m also sick of that stupid little line of just that I can’t get in the pan to save my life.

That’s right, I’m throwing you away with the trash, dustpan. The Eye-Vac Pro Electric Dustpan is the one for me. It’s nothing personal, dustpan, but this dustpan is so easy to use as I sweep it there, and an infrared sensors reads my dirt and sucks it up automatically.

Not only that, it can clean the air with some HEPA filtration, and it tells me when it is full. Best of all, it is out of the way, just stashed in a corner there, yet always when I need it. It even has a manual on and off switch for me, and it turns off automatically when it’s job is done.

If you know somebody who has just moved into a new home I’me sure they’ll appreciate one of these gift ideas, geez even if they’ve lived there a few years they could still work.

Papier Noir - Black Bog Paper

Imagine the surprise when someone opens this on Christmas day, Papier Noir

This über-chic toilet tissue is set to take the botty-wiping world by storm because it’s completely jet black - right down to the cardboard roll. Yes, we know you can buy loo roll in baby blue, pink and peach, but style-savvy toilet-goers wouldn’t dream of sullying their designer loos with anything so naff.

Cost : £9.95 (~$20)

Touch Free Soap Dispenser

Prvent the spread of germs the gadget way, with
Touch Free Soap Dispenser.

This soap dispenser allows you to apply liquid soap to your hands without having to touch a pump or handle, preventing cross-contamination during food preparation. An infrared sensor detects the proximity of your hands, and it has a built-in 20-second timer that illuminates the durable acrylic reservoir to remind you how long to wash your hands.

Cost : $39.95

LED Invaders Door Mat

How do you tell if you’re at the home of a geek or gamer, you wipe your feet on one of these, the LED Invaders Door Mat, cool!

• Stylish door mat features glowing animated space invader display
• Motion sensor detects when humans are nearby and the invaders begin to dance
• Recommended for indoor use

Cost : $49.99 reduced from $110

Following the success of the Roomba robotic vaccum and the Scooba robotic floor cleaner, iRobot announced two new roboGadgets at this year’s Digital Life convention. One can be considered a Godsend for dads who are mired in the fall ritual of cleaning out the drain gutters on the roof, while the second is an ideal option for those who find themselves traveling a lot on business and want to check in at home.

While not quite the fully automatic action of the Roomba, this new Hoover vacuum has an interesting quality: it doesn’t use wheels — it floats on a cushion of air. It’s the kind of retro-futuristic vacuum I’d expect to see on the Jetsons.

It just seemed a given that with the Roomba, the Scooba, and the Dirt Dog, iRobot would eventually come out with a robotic lawn mower. And they still might, but they won’t be first.

That singular distinction goes to the Husqvarna Automower which can mow in a random patter and is corralled by a perimeter wire to keep it mowing your lawn and not your neighbor’s. Capable of mowing up to half an acre at a stretch, it’s large wheels allow the Automower to run on uneven lawns and handle inclines of up to approximately 35%. Built in bump sensors also allow it to move around trees, rose bushes, and anything else cluttering up the yard. What’s cool is that the clippings are mulched and reintroduced into the lawn to help keep it healthy.

Is a cycling computer just that - a plain, old, cycling computer? I guess not at the rate technology moves. Garmin has just announced a couple of new devices in the form of the Edge 705 and Edge 605 which comes with virtually everything except the kitchen sink. The top of the line Edge 705 is an integrated personal training system, complete with a 2.2″ color display, mapping capabilities, street navigation, and the ability to track vertical profiles, climb and descent, altitude, speed, distance, time, cadence, and heart rate. Sounds like a whole bunch, and the next thing you know they’ll probably throw in a blood pressure monitor or some sort of ability to clean your house by outperforming the iRoomba. But I digress - the 705 also sports the ability to monitor power output on the same display and share information such as courses, waypoints, and workouts with other Edge 705 users via ANT+Sport wireless technology.