The Phosphor Reveal is one of the coolest timepieces I’ve seen in a long time. This is an extremely simple digital watch with a surprising trick: it shows the time by “flipping” little jewels from dark to light. The face is actually covered in little crystal nubs but some of the nubs can retract into the body of the watch and, in essence, disappear.
The watch contains a few hundred Swarovski… → Read More
Short version: An original and eco-friendly case for using your iPad around the house, but if you need screen protection or plan to travel with it, the Kork isn’t the best choice. Note: this is for the iPad 1. The makers of Kork have told me they are planning an iPad 2 Kork for a month or two out, so hang tight! → Read More
“Wow, this packaging is really neat!” Is what I thought to myself opening up the Black Belt Spirit watch from… Black Belt watches – the brain-child of Yvan Arpa. The thick little box was filled with protective cloth that looks to be cut-up and re-purposed karate gi (karate outfit). There was a nice branded USB drive with the instructions and warranty info, and of course “the agreement.” Overall… → Read More
When Martin and Felix of Urwerk wanted to create something new – they had to sit down for a while and think about what they had done before, and what they could follow up with that was unique in the watch world. Doing that is really tough. Even the satellite time telling system that Urwerk is known for isn’t unique to them, originating a long time ago elsewhere. Urwerk just sort of adopted the… → Read More
Short version: Superior Drummer will save you a lot of money if you’re into music production. The steep learning curve is compensated with the depth of settings and options offered. → Read More
Short version: A good keyboard for macro and shortcut lovers, but lacks ports and originality, making it fall short of a recommendation. → Read More
As the official timer of the “Healey Challenge” race in the UK, Frederique Constant has been making Austin Healey themed timepieces for a little while now. I have always been fascinated with the collection given their solid good looks and classically sporty styles. If you recall, some versions of the watches comes with little model Austin Healey cars, while others came with the Frederique Constant… → Read More
While pretty awesome to behold (especially in size) and pretty in design, the Breguet Marine Royale Ref. 5847 watch for 2010 is an ergonomic mistake. It looks cool on the wrist – making you feel like some sort of well-to-do space pirate captain, but the legibility and use of the watch are pretty whacked. I’ve never much bought into the whole Breguet Marine line. Is it supposed to be a true diver? → Read More
Wenger showed me this pretty interesting gadget style watch that has an analog display, and a “stealth” LED display in the dial. It is their Nomad LED Compass watch, and has some interesting appeal. The basic watch without using the function is easy to read thanks to the large Arabic numerals and hands – both lume covered. The text around the dial might look a bit excessive, but makes it easy to… → Read More
So you’re a handsome devil. We all know it. But what do you need to frame your steel-cut jaw and straight-edge browline? A leather jacket, that’s what.
It’s hard to pull off the leather jacket look. Leather jackets have long been the realm of rock stars, fans of WII bombers, and people who ride mopeds. That’s why I was initially wary of the ScottEVest XAE Leather Jacket, a special 10th… → Read More
Last year at Baselworld I learned about this new brand called Ressence. It sort of slipped through the cracks of coverage, but then I was able to speak directly with the brand’s friendly Belgian founder Benoit Mintiens. In addition to explaining to me how Belgium is known for more than just waffles and how their chocolate is better than that of the Swiss, he walked me through his timepiece. To be… → Read More
Short Version: Here we go again: another impressive 7-inch Android tablet with a Gorilla Glass screen, 4G networking, and a suave interface. But is this thing more of the same or something new? The tried-and-true 7-inch tablet is, by now, old hat. In fact, little about the Dell Streak 7 is new except the clear emphasis on media playback and T-Mobile’s 4G wireless. On the aggregate, I’d… → Read More
Short version: The GoBiz i-Microphone is not a complete cure for your smartphone’s mic, but it’s a pretty cheap way to get better recordings. → Read More
This is a fun watch to wear. Well-made, functional, bold but not blingy, this is a good one for grab-and-go-out. The 48mm case wears comfortably, and the destro crown keeps it from digging into the wrist. Impeccable Swiss quartz timekeeping, high-contrast dial and aircraft dial cues give you details to appreciate. → Read More
Short version: A versatile and useful pocket cam for people who value the audio portion of their video, but its high price may make those on the fence opt for a cheaper, more rugged model. → Read More
The Sportourer Touch Beat is one of the most decent looking exercise watches I have ever seen. This is due not only to its slick styling that makes it look less plasticy, but also because of the cleverly designed combo digital/analog face, as well as the dual use heart rate monitor. → Read More
If it is fun and you play with, then it is a toy right? call the novel spinning turbine style disc in this watch what you like – but this is a man’s toy of the highest caliber. Does being akin to a toy degrade the feeling of luxury and high-end prestige that Perrelet is going for? No. At least I don’t think so. Wealthy guys who stand around with nice watches talking about cars and boats are often… → Read More
Short version: Here we have a pair of earbuds that lets you go under water and still listen to Waters of Nazareth by Justice. The sweat-proof and waterproof design make for a great pair of buds to take to the beach, wear during swim practice, or take anywhere you think may get a little wet. → Read More
The Digital Storm Black Ops Assassin is a beast of a machine — inside and out. Housed in the massive Silverstone FT02 chassis are the makings of a top-tier gaming computer: Core i7-950 and an Nvidia GTX 570. But since Digital Storm uses retail components, is this rig worth the added premium of going at it yourself? That’s the tough question here. → Read More
Short version: part useful application of new technology, part marketing gimmick, the HP eStation is a solid all-in-one printer that uses a wireless Android-powered touchscreen tablet as its primary interface. The printer is about what you’d expect from HP these days, while the tablet presents some interesting new usability options. You certainly shouldn’t buy the eStation just because… → Read More
I am here to answer the very important question of “can you even wear this watch?” I first wrote about the Zenith Christophe Colomb watch here. This question has salience because the movement in the Christophe Colomb watch requires that there be a large spheroid in the watch that makes it looks as though it has a tumor. This non-malignant growth is actually the “zero-gravity tourbillon.” An… → Read More
I know there is a lot of talk on the “manufacture” movement. In fact, a recent panel discussion I had with fellow watch expert journalists allowed me to realize that there is no strict definition of “watch manufacture” or “manufacture movement.” This definitional ambiguity hurts my ability to explain things properly, but let it be said that Montblanc makes the movement in each of the Nicolas… → Read More
Recently I was flipping through GQ magazine’s annual “Style Guide.” A special issue of their magazine dedicated to helping helpless male souls “dress better” (not that the advice is all bad, but it is extremely declarative and one-dimensional – though I do realize that assertive, aggressively consultative content does sell copies). Thankfully the issue had a section on watches, but as it turned… → Read More
Short Version: The Roland R-05 is a pocket recorder for professionals and semi-pros looking to record voice and/or music live. It’s a far sight better than any smartphone recorder and the feature set, including effects, speed changers, and rudimentary editing including song splitting, is strong for a small, compact, $299 recorder. → Read More
SteelSeries’ second go at creating such a mouse, the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm MMO Gaming Mouse (yes, it’s a mouthful) could make a fine gift this holiday season for the WoW player in your life. It certainly helps if said WoW player has hands the size of Andre the Giant’s. → Read More
Phosphor watches can be credited with a very special honor. That being of the brand the officially popularized and mainstreamed e-ink watches. While they didn’t invent the concept, they made them cool enough and affordable enough for mainstream adoption. With prices under $200, now everyone can have a neat looking, easy to read e-ink watch on their wrist. The newer World Time watch adds just that… → Read More
Short Version: It’s no secret that I love photography. I’m also very attached to my DSLR. I rarely leave the house without it and consider it to be an important part of my life. That being said, I’ve found something that makes me leave my DSLR at home. I’ve finally found a camera that’s small enough to slip into a pocket but still has the features and qualities that… → Read More
The second watch Vittorium announced is this piece called the Deep Diver. This is meant to be their truer dive watch – even though it does have some design features that would prevent it from being a true professional diving instrument. However, on that note, Vittorium will offer versions of the Deep Diver with much increased water resistance soon. This Deep Diver is 200 meters water resistant… → Read More
Short Version: Tracking your baby’s daily activities can be a time consuming process, but it yields some interesting and useful data to help you better understand everything that’s going on with your little one. The Onaroo Personal Baby Assistant is a stand-alone gadget to help you record the things your baby does: when and how much she eats, when and how long she naps, and what kind of dirty… → Read More
Short version: It’s the same thing I reviewed a few months ago, but with wi-fi and an on-device store. They work as well as can be expected on an e-ink device. → Read More
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