Not long after the first iMac first came out, tons of appliance makers rushed to update the styling of their mundane household devices with bulbous curves and milky panels of bondi blue. These redesigns were mostly cosmetic, but the Game Boy controlled Singer IZEK released in 2000 set out to genuinely "think different".

Underneath this radical new look is a sophisticated sewing machine, with lots of features usually reserved for pricier models. IZEK becomes even more special when you connect the included Game Boy & special cart. Not only can you select from dozens of stitch patterns and fonts, you can use the Game Boy's controls to create and save new stitch designs.

In the past, the family's sewing machine paid for itself after making a few outfits at home. Today clothes are so cheap that it's hard to justify the high price of a sewing machine and cloth. Singer saw IZEK as a way to attract new sewers, and through the familiar interface of the Game Boy a child can easily achieve impressive results.

This is a great use of a Game Boy for something other than games - after all it's just enough computer and has just enough display to be ideal for a lot of sophisticated tasks. I'd also like to add (for our longtime readers) that the IZEK doesn't fall under my "Convergence" banner. My jibes at "Convergence" come when multiple devices join awkwardly to make something that's allegedly better. This is actually an efficient adaptation of Game Boy technology, so no beef here.

So should I make a Mario or Zelda golf shirt first?

Overview from a gamer's site

Dealer that seems to stock IZEK

Gobsmacked Slashdotters discuss