It has been about five weeks now since Amazon.com launched their wearable technology store. Smartwatches, activity trackers, body-mountable cameras, connected eyeglasses — wearable tech encompasses pretty much any item that 1) includes a microprocessor and 2) is meant to be worn. Go figure.

Many prognosticators believe “wearable” will be the next Big Thing in technology. (Spot Cool Stuff believes so too, though we see it taking off later than most experts and view 3D printing as being the bigger next Big Thing). At the moment, though, Amazon’s new wearable tech store has rather slim pickings.

Slim. But not entirely devoid of cool products. Here are our five favorites:

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In a previous post we reviewed the Spot (no relation to Spot Cool Stuff), a portable GPS tracker and SOS satellite messenger. In addition to keeping a catrographical record of your travels, the Spot let you send out SOS messages to emergency responders.

Send out—but not receive. And even then you could only send one of three messages: OK, Help and 911.

The upcoming DeLorme inReach is a satellite messenger that not only let’s you send customized SOS text messages but receive them too.

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Finding your way by car can sometimes feel like a galactic struggle. And with a TomTom automobile GPS unit it can also sound galactic.

Users of these popular portable navigators can now have the voice of a Star War character guide them to their destination.

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The S5 is the smallest consumer device capable of running a full version of Windows

In our holiday review of 10 Superb Travel Gifts we suggested a cool MID (Mobile Internet Device) with built in wi-fi, GPS and HD 720p video playback functionality, a 4.8-inch screen and a long battery life:

The Viliv S5.

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In tough economic times there’s a special need for gifts that come at a cheap price but that feel expensive. So here are 10 items with a low cost and high WOW factor. As with our other gift guides, friends and family of Spot Cool Stuff are advised to read no further lest you ruin the surprise of your gift this holiday season. The rest of you, carry on . . .

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Spot Cool Stuff has spotted The Spot. The Spot Satellite Messenger, that is. This rugged cell-phone sized device allows your friends and family to pinpoint your exact location while you are out on an adventure and allows you to signal for help should need it.

Here’s how it works:

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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.

BUY

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