Spot Cool Stuff: Tech

The Magic Wheel

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:46:13 +0000

The lowly skateboard was in dire need for a technological upgrade. And it got it in the form of The Magic Wheel. This is not a sort of skateboard you’d want to jump off ramps or slide down banisters with. The Magic Wheel is more utilitarian than that, an excellent vehicle for making your way around urban areas (once you get the hang of how to use one). The Magic Wheel has the maneuverability of a skateboard. Like a skateboard, it is also near-instantaneous to get on and off. It also has some properties of a bicycle, allowing riders to move rather fast — up to 13 mph (20 kph). Check out the video, below.

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Navigon 2100 Max

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:27:16 +0000

Confession: We’ve never liked GPS road navigation devices. The in-dash variety built into many cars these days are fantastic. But the add-on GPS units are clunky, with difficult-to-see screens and annoying user interface. (With apologies to Garmin, the usability of their products is especially sub-optimal to us). So it is with great delight that there’s finally a road navigation system we can recommend: the Navigon 2100 Max. Its best feature, easily, is the clear 4.3 inch touchscreen. The text-to-speech driving directions also work remarkably well. And the sleek profile (.7 inches, 1.8cm) means this unit is anything but clunky. $299 list, but click here to check for a discounted price.

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Canon PIXMA iP100

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:44:27 +0000

Canon’s latest compact and mobile printer, the iP100, doesn’t look too impressive from the outside. And its “I P” name reminds us of a Bart Simpson prank phone call. Still, the technology here is undeniably impressive. This is the first portable printer capable of printing at a one picoliter droplet size. It prints at around 20 pages per minute, making it one of the fastest portable printers, and connects to your computer wirelessly or via Bluetooth. With the optional battery it can print 290 pages on the a three hour charge. When printing photographs the iP100 really shines — the printer can produce borderless photo-lab quality prints at 9600×2400dpi. The photo prints are so stunning in large part because of Canon’s Auto Image Fix feature, which analyzes and optimizes photographs base on type (portrait, scenery, etc). The Auto Image Fix is especially important when printing directly from your camera, camcorder or cell phone. $249.99

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C-Quester Personal Submersible

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:30:22 +0000

How much to we want one of these! Our inner Jacque Cousteau gawks at the C-Quester, the only (relatively) affordable submersible boat designed for recreational, as well as commercial, use. There are two models: the one-person CQ1 and a two-person version called, logically enough, the CQ2. Both are capable of surface and underwater speeds of about 3 knots, both can descend to a depth of 50 meters and have the operational capacity for a 2 1/2 hour dive, though as a safety feature both can provide up to 36 hours of life support. The CQ1 weighs around the same as a small subcompact car (2400 pounds, 1100 kilograms) meaning it can transported and launched without any special equipment. The design simplicity and boat-like qualities of the C-Questers mean that you don’t have to be a graduate of the Naval Acadamy to learn how to operate one. The manufacturer of the C-Questers, the Dutch company U-Boat Worx, runs a comprehensive four-to-six day training course. The course is also open to enthusiasts like us who have the $120,000 (80,000 euros) to buy a C-Quester . . . yet.

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LaCie 1 TB External Hard Disk

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:31:11 +0000

A 1 terabyte hard disk is just another 1 terabyte hard disk. Unless it is designed by Neil Poulton and possesses the technology of product leader LaCie. Then a 1 TB hard disk is a piece of art with a black mirror finish and ambient LED lighting. And then this 1 TB hard disk can near-silently transfer data at speeds up to 80MB/s. Compatible with both Mac and PC, this LaCie hard disk can interface through eSATA, FireWire 400 or Hi-Speed USB 2.0. An excellent deal at around $250, also available in 750 GB, 500 GB and 320 GB models.

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Logitech Z Cinéma Advanced Surround Sound System

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:37:08 +0000

If you are like us your computer doubles as your stereo. And perhaps also as your television, your video game system, your telephone and your escape from reality. Good computer speakers are essential. Logitech’s Z Cinéma Advanced Surround Sound System provide EXCELLENT computer speakers. A sub woofer supplies a massive base. Two tiny satellite speakers pull off a ventriloquist act by creating a 360 degree surround sound superior to the vast majority of 4- and 8-speaker systems we’ve heard. A full-featured remote controls it all. Unlike most computer speakers, the Z Cinema connects through your computer’s USB port, which transports both data and true 24-bit digital audio. No sound card is required though, very sadly, the Logitech Z Cinéma’s USB-based interface is not compatible with Macs.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:17:53 +0000

The battle for the best compact smartphone is going to be well joined by Sony in the autumn of 2008. That’s when the Xperia X1 will be available to the general public. Compared to the iPhone, the Xperia X1 is 10 grams heavier, a little smaller in terms of height and width but not nearly as thin. The Xperia has a touch screen and internet surfing as the iPhone does. Unlike the iPhone, the Xperia includes a full QUERTY keyboard, which we prefer to the an onscreen touch keyboard. And speaking of screens, the Xperia’s is outstanding — clear and vibrant. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, aGPS and quad band reception.

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Canon PowerShot SD890 IS / IXUS 970

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:19:15 +0000

The Canon PowerShot series is Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite line of ultra compact digital cameras. For reasons beyond our understanding, not every new model has been better than the last. In fact, by our measure the several-years-old SD700 IS has been the best PowerShot . . . until now. The brand-new SD890 IS (IXUS 970 in Europe and Asia) is the new king of the PowerShot hill. It is not the only 10 megapixel digital camera but it is perhaps the only ulta compact with the processing power capable of fully rendering such a large image. The two other features that really sets the SD890 apart: the 37mm wide angle (18mm ) and the 5x optical zoom. Highly recomended!

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Kindle Reading Device

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:01:48 +0000

We’ve been waiting for years

One is that the display is not like a normal computer display - it is using epaper, and as such uses passive screen refresh. This means that instead continually updating the screen, it only updates the screen when you change from one page to another. The advantage is a very long battery life. You can read about 40,000 pages before the batteries needs to be recharged.

The downside is that this device is not yet capable of rapid changes - like with video. And it is, for now, only capable of black and white (it is said that epaper will be capable of color display within the next 2-3 years).

The other great feature is that you don’t need a computer - at all. Kindle works via high-speed data network (like your mobile phone), and connects directly to Amazon’s “kindle shop”. Forget about synching, and managing your library on your computer.

Have you seen the new Kindle from Amazon.com? It’s a new reading device that allows you to instantly and wirelessly download books, newspapers, magazines, Wikipedia, and blogs to this paperback-sized device. Unlike your laptop, Kindle is easy to read outside in bright sunlight and weighs only 10.3 ounces. You can also easily adjust your font size and bookmark your location in your book. The price? $399. This new “toy” has been so popular that it is temporarily unavailable and Amazon does not expect to resume shipment until Christmas Eve, but hey, shipping’s free! Want to see a video demonstration of Kindle? Click here. Here’s what you get for your money:

Enjoy a revolutionary electronic-paper display providing a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Thrill to ease of use with no computer, cables, or syncing.
Wrap yourself in the luxury of wireless connectivity that enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or lounging in bed.
Purchase a book and have it auto-delivered wirelessly in under one minute.
Revel in the 88,000 available books, including 100 of the 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
Order New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases for just $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Delight to top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Expand your horizons with top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Get your mitts on more than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
Stay skinny with its teensy size: lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighing only 10.3 ounces.
Hold over 200 of your favorite titles.
Celebrate its long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Outdo WiFi, because Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
Luxuriate in no monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—Amazon takes care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Frolic over your free wireless access to Wikipedia.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

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MacBook Air

Spot Cool Tech Stuff — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:07:47 +0000

Apples touts the latest addition to its MacBook series by claiming it’s “unlike anything else.” But what’s amazing about the MacBook Air is that it looks exactly like a regular MacBook when viewed from above — both have nearly identical bright glossy screens and comfortable keyboards. When you look at the MacBook Air from the side, that’s when you say WOW. Then you find out that the MacBook Air sports multi-touch mouse pad, 13.3 inch screen, built-in camera, wireless connectivity (to optical drives as well as to the internet) and a standard 1.6Ghz processor. And then you say WOW again. The one drawback we were initially skeptical about was the durability of the thin casing. After a few weeks of testing we are no longer skeptical about the rugged MacBook Air.

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