Sometimes I'm afraid that a famous person will ring my doorbell but, because I'm out, I'll miss meeting them and getting them to sign my favourite rubber pelvis-hammer. So this cellphone-doorbell is a godsend - I could be sat in a coffee shop, in an airport lounge, even making sushi with a top sushi chef, and if an Oscar-winning actor or actress comes calling I can let them in and encourage them to make themselves a hot beverage while I hail the nearest taxi and speed home.

With its own SIM card, this is pretty much a cellphone in an intercom box.  As standard it only allows you to communicate in one direction - I get to speak to the celebrity - but manufacturer Waleli will happily sell you the requisite bits to make that two-way.  Then all I need do is punch a code into my cellphone and let the person in.

Thing is, I have a 3G, video-capable phone... so why can't I see who’s visiting me through a built-in camera? A feature for v.2, perhaps? The GSM Doorbell costs $596, or $900 for the full-duplex kit.

Waleli [via The Red Ferret Journal]