(Our Tech Blog) Get more than you bargained for with products that pack a few surprises.
By Crispin Boyer
Micro-Max
Swiss+Tech • $20
Fear not loose screws, frayed wires, or any of life’s other minor malfunctions with this in your pocket. The trusty palm-size key chain unfolds to reveal 19 tools wrought from sturdy stainless steel. The transforming toolbox boasts screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters and crimpers, a file, two rulers, hex wrenches, and—of course—a bottle opener, so it’s packed with enough functionality to refurbish a condemned cubicle and perhaps even defuse a bomb. Just remember to cut the yellow wire. Or is the blue one?
PicoHD5.1 media player
Crystal Acoustics • $83
No need to make room in your entertainment center for this media streamer. It’s so small that it’s dwarfed by its own remote control. Despite its petite size, it rivals larger, pricier streamers, supporting every video format out there, and it outputs up to 1080p video with 5.1 DTS/Dolby AC3 digital audio. Just load your movies—acquired via totally legal means, of course—onto an external hard drive, thumb drive, or smart card; connect it to the player; then hook it up to your TV via a variety of outputs. The straightforward interface will take care of the rest.
Evo 3D (Review)
HTC • $200 (estimated) with two-year contract
With its dazzling 4.3-inch display, this 4G cell is the bigscreen TV of smartphones—and that sizable screen just got an extra dimension. Dual cameras on the back take 3-D photos and movies, which you can view on the screen or stream via HDMI to a 3-D HDTV. The powerful dual-core Snapdragon processor was made for web browsing and media streaming off Sprint’s zippy 4G network, while the clever HTC Sense interface makes it easy to keep your favorite Android apps at your fingertips.
Synapse
Nixon • $200 to $250
Your phone, your tablet, and maybe even your bedside alarm clock can multitask, so why not your watch? This wears all its functions right on its ultramodern face. Time, alarm, stopwatch, countdown timer—modes relegated to separate screens on most digital watches—appear simultaneously on the Synapse’s tiered display. Touch-screen controls rather than bulky buttons let you futz with all the features. It’s sturdily built from mineral hardened stainless steel and waterproof to 300 feet, so it’s a stylish timepiece that’s also ready for the great outdoors.
Fairfax sunglasses
Factory 413 • $41
Modern-day daredevils go through sunglasses like they’re made out of cheap plastic—which most are. The lightweight Fairfax shades, however, are molded of an impact-resistant material that can withstand daily abuse from skaters, mountain bikers, and anyone else who prefers a rough-and-tumble lifestyle. With their classic frames (available in matte black or glossy black) and darksmoke lenses, these sturdy glasses are the most stylish safety goggles you can buy, ensuring you’ll always look cool during a hard bail.
Go Flex Satellite
Seagate • $200
External hard drives have become crucial gear for transporting media from points A to B, but this goes the extra mile when you’re on the road. It functions as a portable Wi-Fi network, broadcasting its contents up to 150 feet. Laptops, tablets, smartphones—any device with Wi-Fi connectivity and a web browser—can access the drive and stream its media. The 500-gigabyte drive holds about 300 high-def movies (the battery lasts up to five hours), vastly increasing the media-playing potential of the iPad and other devices that lean on onboard memory.
Automobili Lambor ghini VX7 laptop
ASUS • $2,299
You expect thoroughbred performance from any laptop geared toward gaming, but this 15.6-inch computer looks like it might actually fly off your lap and disappear in a cloud of vaporized rubber. The alumi num casing—available in black, carbon fiber, or see-it-fromspace orange—is modeled after a Lam bor ghini chassis, com plete with taillights, a rear-exhaust cooling system, leather palm rests, and a power button that’s shaped like an ignition key. The high revving second-generation Core i7 processor and three gig GeForce GTX 460M graphics card provide more horsepower than anything else in ASUS’s garage.
By Crispin Boyer
Micro-Max
Swiss+Tech • $20
Fear not loose screws, frayed wires, or any of life’s other minor malfunctions with this in your pocket. The trusty palm-size key chain unfolds to reveal 19 tools wrought from sturdy stainless steel. The transforming toolbox boasts screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters and crimpers, a file, two rulers, hex wrenches, and—of course—a bottle opener, so it’s packed with enough functionality to refurbish a condemned cubicle and perhaps even defuse a bomb. Just remember to cut the yellow wire. Or is the blue one?
PicoHD5.1 media player
Crystal Acoustics • $83
No need to make room in your entertainment center for this media streamer. It’s so small that it’s dwarfed by its own remote control. Despite its petite size, it rivals larger, pricier streamers, supporting every video format out there, and it outputs up to 1080p video with 5.1 DTS/Dolby AC3 digital audio. Just load your movies—acquired via totally legal means, of course—onto an external hard drive, thumb drive, or smart card; connect it to the player; then hook it up to your TV via a variety of outputs. The straightforward interface will take care of the rest.
Evo 3D (Review)
HTC • $200 (estimated) with two-year contract
With its dazzling 4.3-inch display, this 4G cell is the bigscreen TV of smartphones—and that sizable screen just got an extra dimension. Dual cameras on the back take 3-D photos and movies, which you can view on the screen or stream via HDMI to a 3-D HDTV. The powerful dual-core Snapdragon processor was made for web browsing and media streaming off Sprint’s zippy 4G network, while the clever HTC Sense interface makes it easy to keep your favorite Android apps at your fingertips.
Synapse
Nixon • $200 to $250
Your phone, your tablet, and maybe even your bedside alarm clock can multitask, so why not your watch? This wears all its functions right on its ultramodern face. Time, alarm, stopwatch, countdown timer—modes relegated to separate screens on most digital watches—appear simultaneously on the Synapse’s tiered display. Touch-screen controls rather than bulky buttons let you futz with all the features. It’s sturdily built from mineral hardened stainless steel and waterproof to 300 feet, so it’s a stylish timepiece that’s also ready for the great outdoors.
Fairfax sunglasses
Factory 413 • $41
Modern-day daredevils go through sunglasses like they’re made out of cheap plastic—which most are. The lightweight Fairfax shades, however, are molded of an impact-resistant material that can withstand daily abuse from skaters, mountain bikers, and anyone else who prefers a rough-and-tumble lifestyle. With their classic frames (available in matte black or glossy black) and darksmoke lenses, these sturdy glasses are the most stylish safety goggles you can buy, ensuring you’ll always look cool during a hard bail.
Go Flex Satellite
Seagate • $200
External hard drives have become crucial gear for transporting media from points A to B, but this goes the extra mile when you’re on the road. It functions as a portable Wi-Fi network, broadcasting its contents up to 150 feet. Laptops, tablets, smartphones—any device with Wi-Fi connectivity and a web browser—can access the drive and stream its media. The 500-gigabyte drive holds about 300 high-def movies (the battery lasts up to five hours), vastly increasing the media-playing potential of the iPad and other devices that lean on onboard memory.
Automobili Lambor ghini VX7 laptop
ASUS • $2,299
You expect thoroughbred performance from any laptop geared toward gaming, but this 15.6-inch computer looks like it might actually fly off your lap and disappear in a cloud of vaporized rubber. The alumi num casing—available in black, carbon fiber, or see-it-fromspace orange—is modeled after a Lam bor ghini chassis, com plete with taillights, a rear-exhaust cooling system, leather palm rests, and a power button that’s shaped like an ignition key. The high revving second-generation Core i7 processor and three gig GeForce GTX 460M graphics card provide more horsepower than anything else in ASUS’s garage.