Power Balance: Silly Bands for Adults

It's understandable why kids are fascinated by Silly Bandz, those still-popular brightly-colored silicon bracelets that form fun shapes, look cute stacked up and can be swapped with friends.

Adults are joining the fun, swayed by celebrity devotees such as Shaquille O'Neal to don the Power Balance wristband, a silicon bracelet that comes in somber colors, is worn one at a time, and isn't designed to be shared or traded. (Boo!)

Instead, it offers magical qualities and not one but two holograms, making claims that most Silly Bandz collectors would raise an eyebrow at.

The pitch: "Power Balance is Performance Technology designed to work with your body’s natural energy field. Founded by athletes, Power Balance is a favorite among elite athletes for whom balance, strength and flexibility are important."

It's all to do with those holograms, apparently: "Power Balance is based on the idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow, similar to concepts behind many Eastern philosophies. The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body."

Shaq isn't the only celeb to join the Power Bandwagon. As spotted by the UK's Daily Mail, other VIP-wearers include David Beckham, actors Gerard Butler and Robert De Niro and a potential future Queen of England, Kate Middleton. It's also been getting a lot of press, and has more than 16,000 Facebook fans.

The wristband only costs $30, so it's not the price that irks as much as the makers' holographic magic claims. If, however, they're proven by scientists to offer more than a placebo effect, we'll, er, tweet our words.