Hanspree HANNStime.square

We’ve all been there: you’re watching Iron Chef America on your portable television, when all of sudden you realize you have no idea how humid it is. You have to look all over for a hygrometer, meanwhile missing Chef Morimoto prepare his vodka citrus spinach casserole. Maybe while you’re looking, the humidity even changes, so you really have no idea how humid it was when you first wondered.

Well, maybe we haven’t all been there. But that hasn’t stopped goofball TV manufacturer Hannspree from inventing a handy solution to the scenario.

The Hanspree HANNStime.square is a portable television with an integrated hygrometer, thermometer, and analog clock. All this instrumentation is mounted on the back of hinged speakers that fold over the TV screen when it’s not in use.

The dials open like shutters so you can watch television

The inspiration for this puzzling combination of features was apparently a sports watch. Considering Hannspree’s other televisions, which are shaped like everything from basketballs to fire trucks, a watch-inspired TV should really come as no surprise. You might even call it one of the most utilitarian TVs in the company’s line.

Short of its unusual accoutrements, the HANNStime.square is a pretty normal television. It has a 12-inch screen, two fold-out speakers, and a remote control. You can hook it up to an antenna to watch broadcast TV, a cable connection, or conventional video devices like camcorders and DVD players. Hannspree uses a proprietary four-into-one video connector to make some input connections through a Medusa-like cable. One end fits into an S-video port on the TV, while the other splits into four color-coded composite connectors, eliminating the space they would take up on the bottom of the TV.

The set stays propped up with a faux watchband coming out the back. You won’t be going far with it, though: There’s no battery to speak of, so you’ll have to stick around outlets. It may be inspired by a sports watch, but it’s not going to the top of any mountains.

If buying a TV is as much about style as it is about the image on the screen for you, or if you just fancy yourself a temperature enthusiast, the Hannspree may be right up your alley. You canpick one up off of Hannspree’s US site for $429.99, or head to Amazon.com and snag one from a smaller seller for a much saner price.