Some of us can't eat gluten, while others need to stay away from certain fats. Mealtime can be incredibly stressful for people with dietary restrictions -- especially when dining out -- since manufacturers aren't always required to report all ingredients, specifically when dealing with trace amounts. With frequent inaccuracies, counting calories is a whole 'nother ball game. A pocketable device called TellSpec may be an affordable solution for breaking down the ingredients in our meals consistently, and wherever we eat.

The device is essentially a miniature spectrometer -- a device that can analyze materials (ingredients, in this case) by measuring properties of light. The gadget sends a list of ingredients and nutrition info to a companion smartphone app, making it easy to evaluate food quickly and efficiently. If you live to eat, you might not want TellSpec complicating the experience, but if you eat to live, this gadget seems like a fit. It's set to ship next August, with pre-orders at Indiegogo available for $150 beginning today.