At first glance I rolled my eyes at the iProp, thinking it was kind of overkill when it came to iPad stands. But as I perused the photos of it in use on their website, I thought of a lot of places where I’d actually find it quite useful. I particularly like the alarm clock idea, or for use in bed in general when my laziness is cranked to 11 (or should that be -1?) but even while crashed on the couch or working at my desk, being able to swing it around or easily re-position would be extremely convenient.
A ball and socket joint which connects the iPad holder to the rest of the stand means you can rotate it 360° or angle it however you want, and a generous 2 feet of articulated goose neck makes it easy to finesse its position. And while the forked base looks like it might be easy to tip over, it weighs in at 3lb. 13 oz. which should be more than enough to counterbalance the attached iPad. When it’s officially available sometime in the Spring of next year the iProp will sell for $79.95, but if you pre-order now you’ll get free shipping as an incentive.
Nothing cuts costs this time of year like shutting off the heat in your office, but dealing with your employees’ moaning and complaining about the cold, turn-of-the-century working conditions almost negates all those savings. So to shut them up might we recommend these warming mice from Thanko that basically gives every employee their own personal heater for ~$35(¥2,900) a head. I’d like to see Google or Microsoft’s recruiting departments make that claim! Each mouse includes an inline remote providing 2 different heating settings, and since they draw power from the USB port there’s no need for batteries or anything like that. And if $35 per employee isn’t in the budget, just make it a required part of the uniform they have to purchase when they start.
We looked at a dual-screen laptop at CES 2010, but it wasn’t from Lenovo, it was from Onkyo. Which doesn’t really matter, but I had to say it anyway. There is something oddly satisfying about a laptop that doesn’t absolutely need two screens, but does have them. It’s like cupholders, or burgers: one is good, two is better. The ThinkPad W701ds is a dual-screened, rather expensive $3,719 laptop that mercifully is getting a massive price cut today. Lenovo is cutting $420, and you can apply a chunky $1,000 coupon to bring the damage down to $2,299. It’s still a lot of money, but remember: two screens.
And not only that. You get a free upgrade to 4GB DDR3 memory & 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive. Other specs as follows:
It is equipped with Quad Core i7 processor, 17″ WUXGA RGB-LED display + 10.6″ WXGA LED backlit retractable screen to add 39% more viewing area. It also comes with Nvidia Quadro FX 2800M 96-core 1GB graphics, Fingerprint reader, Ultranav + Number pad.
To start off the week, we’re looking at a really impressive 44% price drop. It’s on the 55UL605 55-inch 120Hz LED HDTV from Toshiba, which usually retails for $2,199 but is currently on special at $1,369. Add to that another $130 coupon and the set can be yours for $1,239 plus free shipping. They’ll even throw in a wall mount and HDMI cable for free.
The 55UL605 “features 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 4 HDMI inputs, Hi Res PC Input, Net TV, Wi-Fi adapter.”
Now that GT5 has finally been released I’m sure a lot of you are seriously considering upgrading your PS3 controller to an actual driving wheel. But it’s a slippery slope. Once you’ve got the wheel you need the pedals, and once you’ve got the pedals you’ll find it’s too awkward to sit on the couch and drive. Eventually you’ll find your entire living room ends up looking like a race simulator, and believe it or not some people feel that’s a bad thing. Weird, I know. But the Germans at RACE-STAR have created a nice compromise.
Their ConverTTable, as awkward as that is to pronounce, is a modern looking coffee table with a race-inspired design that opens up to reveal a full driving cockpit tucked away inside. It includes a wheel with shifter, a contoured racing seat and a full set of pedals, and everything is adjustable to accommodate tall or short wanna-be Schumachers. Besides the design which probably won’t fit into a lot of contemporary decors, I can’t see any reason why every GT5 owner shouldn’t have one in their living room. Trust me, you’ll be glad you dropped $6,600+(€4,999) on it!
If my home office wasn’t already bed adjacent, I’d totally be adding this lay-flat office chair to my Christmas list this year. In upright mode it looks like you regular old leather-finished office chair, but not only does it recline back to a nearly perfectly horizontal position if you feel yourself drifting off at work, but there’s also a folding footrest allowing you to completely stretch out for an office power nap. It’s available from Thanko not surprisingly, since the Japanese don’t frown on the occasional nap at work, for ~$600. (¥49,800)
Stuart Hughes’ latest luxury abomination creation is the iPhone 4 HISTORY Edition pictured above. What sets it apart from the iPhone 4 you walk out of the Apple Store with is that it’s been bedazzled with 8.5ct internally flawless diamonds around the bezel, as well as covering the Apple logo on the back. But the reason it will appeal to history buffs with more money than taste is that the back also features a finish made from a meteor AND a T-Rex tooth. Not even Romain Jerome has managed to create a luxury watch with both prehistoric and intergalactic materials. Only 10 of the special edition iPhones are being created, with a price tag of ~$62,700(£39,995) each.
By Chris Scott Barr
You know what’s missing from most DSLRs? Robots. That’s right, I said robots. Granted, I say that about pretty much everything, so it’s safe to say that I’m a little biased. Thankfully someone over at Pentax is running on the same wavelength, because they’re releasing a special edition K-r DSLR that is robot-themed.
Sadly, this is not what I expected from a robot DSLR. I get the color scheme, as it’s taken from a rather famous ‘bot over in Japan. What I really don’t get is why the face and details are drawn on with a marker. I mean, if I’m going to shell out $1,200 for one of these, I’d like someone to take the time to draw some straight lines.
The month of giving is already upon us, so we figured it was time for another giveaway. This time around we’ve got something that will particularly appeal to those of us who grew up in the 80′s, when pirating sharing music meant hooking up a couple of cassette players together for an hour or so. But that doesn’t mean this EOS Mixtape watch won’t appeal to those of you who missed the 80′s, not at all. It’s got a distinct retro charm that will appeal to even those of you who were forced to share their music via cold, heartless digital methods.
We first brought you the EOS Mixtape watch back in June when scrambling around for Christmas presents was probably the least of your worries. But now, thanks to our friends at Shop Adorn, we’ve not only had a chance to spend a little time with the watch, but we’re also giving one away which could mean one less person to buy for on your Christmas shopping list. (Or keep it for yourself!) The full contest details including how to enter are available after the jump, but first let’s take a closer look at the watch…
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