Comments on: Unitasker Wednesday: USB microwave

By: Emine

Emine — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:24:04 +0000

I actually had one (can’t remember if it was heinz though) but mine broke down pretty quick. I think the salespitch is horrible. I didn’t use it in the office, I used it when I was a student and lived in a 9m2 flat (true story!) which had space to fit a small stove but no microwave and since I love to snack this item in the end was quite useful. The power was quite weak (say you couldn’t cook an egg with it) but it was enough to heat up a few frozen items and melt ice cream when I was craving milk but my fridge was lacking it.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:40:08 +0000

To Anita,

Your rant on the differences between elecromagnetic radiation and RF were lengthy and impressive sounding. And while you like to think you are a know it all, you are in fact, partially wrong. Radio waves are a type of EMR, not something different. Just because a digital signal doesn’t modulate the same way as an analogue signal… or a shortwave radio operates on a different part of the radio spectrum than a microwave signal, doesn’t mean they aren’t generating EMR. So yes, the output power is varied and important to consider, but so is proximity to the source and concentration of the radiated signal.

Point is this, you are in fact not a know it all… so in fact the next time you want to act like one, don’t.

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:39:50 +0000

Sadly, I’m one for whom this would actually be practical in a crazy sort of way. I work in a very busy real estate office and many days have a hard time getting a real lunch in since we can’t eat at our desks anymore. I’d never buy the thing though.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:47:27 +0000

well let’s look at some power numbers, lets say a USB can power 5 watts, if this has rechargable batteries in it and the USB just recharges them, 5 watts for say 8 hours is 40 watt hours or 2400 watt minutes, so it could power a 1000 watt microwave for just over 2 minutes if everything was 100% effiecent. and you would need 20 1700mah AA batteries to power it. Can it be done yes, is it worth it no

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:28:15 +0000

@MJ Ray — Bwa ha ha!! Even better if it’s a misreporting!! Now it’s just cluttering up our website!! Ha!! Oh, how I love irony

By: MJ Ray

MJ Ray — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:08:52 +0000

Disappointed to see this misreport spread to Unclutterer. Did Erin stop thinking for a while? I expect better from this site!

“anyone who had even a passing technical familiarity with the systems involved should know it couldn’t be true” – See: Far too often, new media serves up popularity without accuracy, Seth Finkelstein, Wednesday 17 June 2009 19.30 BST http://www.guardian.co.uk/tech.....d-me-first

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:56:45 +0000

It is a grievous oversimplification to think that because cellphones, microwaves, and wireless operate at the same frequency that they will have similar effects. It’s like saying you are afraid of breathing in oxygen because it’s O2, and you know that CO4 is bad, which has even more O in it than O2.

@Anita – The WHO already did a factsheet on it, if you’re interested: http://www.who.int/mediacentre...../fs193/en/

By: Blue Gal (Fran)

Blue Gal (Fran) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:38:48 +0000

It’s just like the FunCooker in 30 Rock. Ha ha!

By: gypsy packer

gypsy packer — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:11:56 +0000

This has possibilities for the working homeless. They can run the solar battery charger to the 12 volt socket in the vehicle, hook up the inverter and plug in the laptop, plug the microwave into the computer, and have a partially- or fully-solar alternative to the fossil fuel Coleman stove. Faster and less polluting. For the recession-challenged people living in cars, it’s a definite alternative, if they could afford the freight from Britain, and even that may not be a problem if they can get it from eBay with free shipping.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:22:08 +0000

Erm, am I the only person who sees this as a kinda cool development? Not for heating beans, mind you, but the running from batteries option is a great idea! Campers, students, heck even aid relief could use something like this- a unitasker perhaps, but without the branding it’s an excellent invention.

By: David

David — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:11:45 +0000

Sheena, then you better turn off your computer.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:59:28 +0000

Thanks for thinking of us over here in the UK! I LOVE this idea personally, however, would I use it?!!? Yes probably!!

Keep up the good work!

By: Cliff

Cliff — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:40:35 +0000

What gets me is the idea that, as far as I can tell from the picture, you could pick this thing up and put your cubicle-mate’s right arm in it and nuke him.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:22:59 +0000

sadly, my husband could benefit from this. he often skips lunch due to time constraints.

By: Adam Snider

Adam Snider — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:20:38 +0000

What I find most hard to believe about this isn’t that it exists, but that a microwave is actually able to draw the amount of power it needs from a simple USB port.

By: Sheena

Sheena — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:41:07 +0000

Glad the popcorn thing was a hoax..but still not cool with some of our technology advancements.

By: AG

AG — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:24:15 +0000

That worker is virtually tethered to his desk. Poor soul.

Let us bow our heads and pray,

“Heavenly Father, we ask that you intercede . . . “

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:28:59 +0000

It would be a neat idea for camping, or for limited space apartments, but t USB interface seems kind of.. limited.

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:05:45 +0000

@Aitch — Now the text in the article reads “Brits” … we double checked though in editing, and it really did say “England”

By: Pantaz

Pantaz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:03:46 +0000

This will NOT WORK as described. There is simply not enough power available from the USB port. The maximum available power from a USB port* is 9 watts (considerably more than your cell phone) — not nearly enough to warm those beans.
Furthermore, use of the mobile phone frequency band for this purpose violates radio communications regulations.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power