TIMEKEEPER FOR TECHIES TURNS 25 IN STYLE
Next to the plastic pocket protector, there is probably no better-known artifact of the nerd than the Casio G-Shock watch. But the chunky digital watch, created in 1983, has become a fashion item on the wrists of those who aren’t necessarily technologically inclined.
To celebrate the brand’s longevity, Casio has created a number of multifunction watches. They include the MTG-1000, a solar-powered, water-resistant stopwatch that tells time in 27 cities and features what Casio calls “multiband atomic timekeeping,” which uses a radio time signal to calibrate the watch. It is available from Casio at www.gshock.com.
Casio continues to engineer watches the way it has done for a quarter-century, adding features and rarely removing any. One thing remains constant, though: Programming the US$400 watch by pushing its four buttons in a precise order is the true test of whether you are smart enough to wear it. For those who give up, leave the watch on a windowsill anywhere in the US (or in Japan and most of Western Europe), and the next morning it will tell the correct time.
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A HOME THEATER SYSTEM TO ROCK YOUR WORLD
Sometimes true surround sound is overkill. While chair-bouncing sound pumping out of a phalanx of speakers intensifies movie viewing in the living room, it’s often easier just to set up a smaller home theater system — like the Sony DAV-F200 — and call it a day.
The two 450-watt speakers and a subwoofer simulate surround sound. A glassy black central control panel that plays DVDs and CDs can sit on a stand or even be mounted to a wall. It converts standard DVDs to the high-definition 1080p standard and sends them over an HDMI cable to a high-definition TV. The speakers have a “dialogue enhancer mode” that isolates and heightens spoken parts of a film so the actors’ words can be heard over soaring soundtracks or explosions.
The device can also extract audio from compatible MP3 players and thumb drives. (Fans of MP3s can turn on the portable audio enhancer to smooth out compressed music files.) With an optional adapter, music lovers can connect their iPods and Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and laptops to the home theater system.
The DAV-F200 will be available next month, but Sony hasn’t yet set a price.
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DJ GEAR FOR THE PC SIMULATES VINYL
Amateur deejaying on a PC can often sound, to use the vernacular, kind of whack. Hercules hopes to improve the chances of pumping out a great mix with the Mobile DJ MP3.
The device consists of a pair of dials — which simulate two simultaneously spinning records — and a cross-fader. To play music, you install the included software on a Windows PC or laptop and pick and choose tracks over a wireless USB connection.
The display shows the current song titles, and you can change pitch and volume for individual tracks on the fly. The audio plays through whatever speakers are attached to the computer. The unit, which comes in white or black, runs on two C batteries and is available for US$100 at DJDeals.com, MusiciansFriend.com and other online retailers.
While the Mobile DJ MP3 can’t quite match up to real wheels of steel, it might be enough of a simulacrum to make people think that Daft Punk is in fact playing at your house.
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FROM JAPAN, A TINY LAPTOP THAT STANDS OUT IN A CROWD
Fancy laptops are becoming fashion statements because of sleek models like the MacBook Air. But if you really wanted to stand out from the crowd, you could get the Vye Mini-v S41, a tiny laptop that is available only in Japan — or through Dynamism.com, which imports high-tech gadgets to the US from Asia.
The Vye Mini-v S41 weighs 1.2kg — less than the MacBook Air, which is a little over 1.3kg. Unlike the Air it has a built-in DVD reader and burner. The 7-inch touch screen twists and swivels, turning the laptop into a tablet PC, while the standard keyboard and trackpad make it a full-fledged Windows Vista computer.
Those with large hands may find it hard to get used to the tiny keyboard. The touch screen, however, makes it easy to tap and drag windows and icons.
Although this machine, which Dynamism sells for US$1,499, won’t beat bigger laptops in performance, it’s nice to know you can tuck it under your arm and be the undisputed champion of geek cred anywhere you go.
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THE ROBOTIC LAWN MOWER WILL TAKE YOUR CALL NOW
Using your cell phone ... to mow your lawn?
Owners of Kyodo America’s newest robotic lawn mower, the LawnBott LB3500, can program the little guy using a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone, telling the mower when to leave its docking station and run around your estate, happily chewing up the grass while you sip a mint julep.
The US$3,249 device can mow up to 0.4 hectares out of the box — and 0.8 hectares if you add two more lithium-ion batteries. A guy wire tacked around your property’s perimeter keeps the LawnBott from straying into your neighbor’s yard.
You can program the number of times per day and days per week that the LawnBott should mow, either by entering information on its screen or by using a Java program downloaded to your phone.
One glitch is that Kyodo America says that an incompatibility between Bluetooth technologies in Europe and the US means that it will be a few months before the phone features work in the US. Meanwhile, if you need to impress your friends, you can always accessorize the LawnBott with a US$79 pair of spiked wheels.
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