As a guy, you can never have too many power tools. Unfortunately explaining that to your significant other isn’t always the easiest of tasks. (If it is an easy task, remember that you’re a very lucky guy.) This means that sometimes you have to get creative with your purchases. If you’re in need of a small cordless screwdriver, this might be a good way to sneak one in under the radar.
The Bosch IXO Vino is a cordless screwdriver with a very special attachment. Specifically, a corkscrew that allows you to open wine bottles. That’s right, you can pass this puppy off as a fancy wine opener. Otherwise, it’s a pretty nice little screwdriver with a lithium-ion battery for cordless operation. Unfortunately the $63 price tag seems a bit salty for what it does.
In my wildest fantasies I one day envision a world where people won’t have to carry wallets. At the most a single piece of plastic will take care of all our spending/identification needs, and maybe even that’s over thinking it. But there’s no point in getting caught up in dreams when we’re stuck living in this rip-off version of 2010 where ‘the man’ forces us to carry stacks of plastic cards wherever we go. But I rebel whenever I can, and to this day I’ve spent most of my free time on the hunt for the perfect minimalist wallet. And I think I may have found it.
The Mojito is from a Georgia-based company called Malcolm Fontier, and while I don’t remember where I first stumbled across it, I do know it instantly struck me as being a candidate for ‘Andrew’s perfect wallet.’ You’d think that since my only criteria is ‘slim & minimal’ finding an adequate solution would be an easy task, but over the years everything from clips to business card holders have failed me time and time again. But I think the Mojito has the potential to go the distance! And to make things even better it turns out that Malcolm Fontier makes an iPhone case embracing the same minimalist aesthetic, and I had a chance to check them both out. More after the jump.
Were we in the market for a pocket-sized projector we’d probably be eyeing the AAXA L1 Laser Pico Projector we reviewed back in the Summer. But admittedly it’s lacking a couple of cool features that this LED-based compact projector has. Like Wifi and that snazzy little wireless keyboard. Powered by a Linux-based custom OS the projector doesn’t really have a full-fledged desktop UI, but it does allow you to access online photo galleries and videos from sources like YouTube, in addition to offline content from an SD card or a USB flash drive.
Chinavasion is currently selling it for just north of $200, which isn’t that expensive. Just keep in mind you’ll have to settle for 640×480 VGA resolution, a limited 10 lumens of brightness and a maximum of 2 hours of battery life, presumably when using it as sparingly as possible. In terms of file format support it’s pretty robust, happily playing MPEG1, 2 & 4 files, VOBs and DIVX/XVID clips, and the included remote makes entering a wifi password far easier than with with the projector’s limited buttons. Oh and that fancy mini tripod is included too, which from my experience will come in really handy.
Hey look! It’s another bird-themed alarm clock! From one side it looks like a grade school shop class project that taught you how to safely use the band saw without losing a finger. And on the other you’ve got everything you’d expect to find on a regular alarm clock like buttons, switches and a monochrome LCD display. Created by &Design in collaboration with IDEA International, it also lets you wake up to the sound of birds chirping in lieu of the traditional electronic beeping. $40 from the A+R Store available in blue, pink and tan.
I’m no expert on gadget nomenclature but it still seems to me that the alphabet-soup approach is getting a little tired. But what do I know? And whether or not that unsolicited opinion will matter to you is of no consequence today as the point of this article (and of the inevitable segue) is to talk about the HP G62x, a 15.6-in 2.4GHz Core i3 laptop and its substantial 17% price drop (that’s $100 of the $599 price). For $499 you get
FREE 2-day shipping and $295 in savings – free 5000GB 500GB Hard Drive upgrade, FREE 4GB DDR3 memory upgrade, up to 30% off Care Packs with laptop purchase and save up to 57% on Wireless HP printer.
The G62x also features streamlined full-size keyboard, integrated card reader, HDMI, 6-cell battery, Altec Lansing speakers, Wireless-N and more.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG. All opinions are 100% mine.
By David Ponce
There’s been a lot of talk lately about Windows Phone 7, though we haven’t ourselves really pointed out any one handset in particular. It’s time we did, and the LG Optimus 7 is a prime example. In this short article we’re going to go over a few of the salient features and specs on this phone, mindful that it’s running the newest kid on the block operating system, Windows Phone 7.
The LG Optimus 7 has some impressive hardware. Aside from its 720p video recording, it boasts a 5MP digital camera with “Intelligent Shot, which lets users take the perfect photo without having to adjust camera settings, and Panoramic Mode for stitching together a full 360-degree landscape scene.” There’s 16GB internal memory, along with a generous 1500mAh battery and a 3.8inch WVGA LCD display with an 800X480 pixel resolution.
But hardware isn’t everything. On the software front, you have to remember that if Microsoft does everything right, it will be able to integrate its many services and create a seamless experience. This means Xbox Live and Zune integration. As the press release says: “Consumers will have direct access to their favorite games and music, bringing all entertainment devices together for more convenient enjoyment.”
We could go on for a bit about the LG Optimus 7, but we’ll stop here. Suffice it to say, the new kid on the block comes with lots of shining features and LG does a great job of taking advantage of everything available. Whether this will translate into solid sales and catch up to Android, Blackberry and iOS remains to be seen, and here’s hoping we don’t see another “Kin” story…
Most car stereos that feature iPhone connectivity usually just have you attach a cable to the dock connector and then stash it away in your glove box. But Oxygen Audio’s O’Car stereo puts the iPhone 3G, 3GS & 4 up front and center where you can access all of your applications, whether you want to play or stream music, or make or answer a call.
The special articulated, pop-out cradle lets the iPhone be used in a landscape or portrait orientation, and a ball joint makes it easy to angle towards you if you want to use the touchscreen while driving. The stereo features a built-in radio tuner as well, and I’m assuming you can download an app which provides a UI for tuning stations and storing presets. It’s set to be unveiled at CES 2011 in January so there’s no pricing info just yet, but we’ll try to follow up with them at the show for more details.
Last weekend I spent more time than I would have liked trying to get an AirPort Express to play nicely with my parent’s non-Apple wireless network. I concluded that they would not be enjoying the benefits of AirPlay anytime soon, and if you find yourself in the same boat, here’s an alternative.
The uPlay Puck from QED connects to your home stereo system and streams music from a Bluetooth equipped source like your iPhone or other smartphone. It uses the apt-X audio codec which is supposed to sound as good as CDs, and you can pair up to 4 different BT devices to the uPlay at one time, though I’m not sure how it decides which one has playback priority. It’s available now for ~$102(£64.95) but since it’s a UK-based company and product you’ll need to pick up a power adapter to use it elsewhere.
Even though the snowy weather didn’t make for the most memorable of photo ops, yesterday Motor Trend’s 2011 Car of the Year, the Chevy Volt, left General Motor’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant destined for dealerships in the vehicle’s initial launch markets. About 350 Volts will be shipped out this week, marking the end of what’s been a highly publicized development for the vehicle.
To say a lot of stuff has happened since the original Volt concept was unveiled a few years ago is an understatement, and while many believe that General Motors is till standing today because of the Volt, there’s no question the company has invested a lot of time and money into developing the ideal transition vehicle as we move from fossil-fueled powered to all-electric automobiles. So congratulations are in order I guess!
Related Tags: Kitchen Gadget, Tools
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