Gadgets to keep tea warm: USB can and Joulies

Need some gadgets to keep your tea warm, or cool? Here are some a couple of nifty new options.

First, for you computer geeks, how about a USB-powered mini-fridge? This gizmo is shaped like a soda can and perfectly fits a soda can (or, perhaps, a can of Pokka tea). It plugs into a laptop's USB port for power, and depending on which way you throw the switch it'll keep your beverage warm or cool. Hmmmm.

I guess it beats those sad little plug-in hot plates I remember in offices in the ’80s and ’90s, which never really worked and somehow seemed like fire dangers.

Secondly, here's something I've read about before. They're called Coffee Joulies, though they work in tea or anything. A "special material" encased in stainless steel beans, the Joulies absorb heat in a cup of coffee or tea and bring the temperature down to 140 F — then they release the heat slowly, keeping the liquid at that temperature for a long time.

So say the inventors, anyway, two guys who sought funding for the manufacture of their creation through Kickstarter. The funding solicitation ends today, actually. They asked for donations to raise $9,500 — nearly $250,000 has been pledged. Here's to good ol' American innovation. Now let's see these things take off!

The creators explain the Joulies ...