Maybe it's just because we had a rough weekend, but we've yet to piece together what the purpose of this device is. Officially, it's a novelty cigarette pack-shaped earphone headset for Nokia / Samsung / Sony Ericsson mobiles. That's to say it enables you to just talk into the pack rather than into your phone. At just $6.79, we'd love to say this would at least make a good gag gift, but honestly, we can't figure out what's to "get." Hmmph.

[Via Gearfuse]

It turns out that cleaner air and healthier people aren't the only side effects of a "No Smoking" sign. A wide-reaching ban on smoking in enclosed places just went into effect on July 1st in the UK, and in the two weeks following, carrier Orange reported that 7.5 million more messages were sent on its network than in the two-week period the month prior. Analysts (who apparently are responsible for researching these sorts of trends) suggest a couple explanations: first, smokers freshly ousted outdoors to get their smoke on need something to do to pass the time -- out comes the phone, and, well, you know the rest. Secondly, smokers that are working on quitting as a result of the ban are turning to texting to give their fidgety, nerve-wracked fingers something to do and to seek support from friends. The behavior, which arguably didn't need a name, is being called "smexting." Looks like the money saved on cancer sticks is going straight to the carriers -- but hey, at least it's a little safer (or not).

[Via Techdirt]

We're not even gonna bother with full specs here -- the only three you need to know are "phone," "cigarettes," and "lighter." The Cigarette King 8383 gives an entirely new meaning to the term "all-in-one" by curiously combining all three products into a single package that takes its design cues from a local brand of smokes. Open up the flip top, and voilà, seven cancer sticks and fire at your disposal! You should be able to find this among countless other oddities in Hong Kong's Sin Tat Square, and word has it they even throw in real cigs with the purchase. If it scolded you mercilessly (or even better, blocked you from calling and texting for a while) every time you lit up, it could be a decent quitting tool, could it not?

[Thanks, Paul]