If you plan to go skydiving in a cold-weather location from a dusty airplane into a body of water Canon makes a perfect ultra compact Canon camera to bring along with you: the PowerShot D10.

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A few months ago Spot Cool Stuff reviewed the Kindle, Amazon’s perpetually sold out e-book reader. Given the demand for the Kindle you’d think Amazon would have increased its production. Instead, Amazon came up with another way of meeting the demand. They introduced product that people would want even more: the Kindle 2.

How is the Kindle 2 different from its predecessor? And does the Kindle 2 address the shortcomings of the Kindle 1? We find out:

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You’ve recorded the big game on your digital video recorder at home. But you are stuck in an airport lounge half a world away. If you have a broadband internet connection where you are, and either a computer (Mac or PC) or a mobile phone (running Windows mobile), you needn’t wait until you get home to watch your recording.

With a Slingbox console anything you can watch on your home television you can watch on your laptop via the internet or on your cell phone via a 3G network. That includes live TV. How cool is that!

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When we were seven years old, Spot Cool Stuff explored a natural history museum with one of those personal audio tour devices our parents were kind enough to rent for us. The way it worked was: Each exhibit in the museum let out a low level radio transmission. Stand facing, say, the museum’s skeleton of dinosaur bones and the audio tour device would tell you about them. Of course, our seven year old self did not understand the technology of it. We thought the audio tour device was some sort of magic creation that could give you a little insight into any object on earth.

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On a recent trip to Asia, Spot Cool Stuff met a fellow traveler who took “audio photographs” instead of your typical visuals ones. She took snippets of sound — bicycles bells chiming in Dhaka, birds chirping in a Thai rain forest, street vendors hawking their wares in Calcutta — as reminders of where she’d been. The sound quality of her recordings was stunning. And being the gadget-heads we are we had to know how she achieved such a professional sound while also traveling light. Her answer:

The H2 portable stereo recorder from Zoom.

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The new iPod Nanos are out! The first iPod came out in 2001 and still Spot Cool Stuff gets a bit of a tingle every time an upgraded version is introduced. What’s new about the latest Nano incarnation?

• The choice of nine colors is the most visible change. You can now rock out to pink, green and purple among other color selections.
• Automatically generated play lists, based on your musical tastes, through a new feature on the upcoming iTunes 8 called Genius.
• Much improved screen from the last version of the Nano. This one is clearer, and two inches wide.
• Motion-sensing technology, with a screen image that adjusts appropriately when the device is held sideways or vertically.
• Longer battery life. The new iPod Nano can play songs for 24 straight hours, video for 4 hours.
• Perhaps coolest of all: Some controls are now possible simply by moving the iPod in certain ways, without touching any buttons. With a flick of the wrist you can now flip through photos or album covers. Shake the new iPod Nano while playing a song and a new random song will come on. (Don’t worry, this feature can be turned off so your iPod isn’t constantly skipping to new songs while you are jogging or, say, being shaken up by some one trying to steal your new iPod Nano).

The new iPod Nano comes in an 8GB version for $149 but we suggest spending an extra $50 on the 16GB model.

BUY |  iTUNES |   BEST ALBUMS YOU’VE (PROBABLY) NEVER HEARD |  

Spot Cool Stuff loves multipurpose gadgets. And LG has come up with an awesome one. First, it’s a portable DVD player with a 3 1/2 hour battery life and a clear 8″ screen. As well as playing all DVD formats (DVD±R/DVD±RW) the LG DP889 will play MP3s and all manner of audio CDs. Second, it’s a snazzy-looking digital photo frame capable of holding hold up to 250 photos loaded via a USB cord or SD card. The DP889 comes with a built-in stand to prop it up on your shelf and multiple settings for displaying photos.

So, use this device to watch a movie on your next long plane ride. Or, to display photos of your family back home. Or, to display photos of your family on your next long plane ride. Priced around $200.

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Note: This product has been upgraded. Read our review of the Kindle 2.

We are big readers. So before Spot Cool Stuff headed for a month-long stay with the family on the coast we picked up a the new version of Amazon’s Kindle electronic reading device. And then instead of packing a small library of bulky novels (and one travel guidebook) we loaded our Kindle with all our literature. The Kindle, we soon found, was also able to replace our need to buy paper newspapers.

As we write this review it is a month later and we find ourselves on an airplane headed home. What we learned about the Kindle during that time was this: It is really cool. (Hence the review here and not on Spot Mediocre Stuff). In fact, the Kindle has reach that highest Parthenon of devices we consider a must-have. But before you shell out $350 on your own Kindle you should know that it does comes with a few downsides along with its superlatives. Read on for the pros and cons of owning your own Kindle . . .

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