I want…
Victorinox Swiss Army Classic XLS MT.
A reasonable price tag to the Aerospace, the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic XLS MT. I've not yet confirmed this, but I strongly suspect that it has the exact same movement as the Aerospace, the ETA 988.432, making it one heck of a deal. Specifications of the Victorinox are:
· Swiss made, Swiss quartz movement.
· Anti-reflective-coated sapphire crystal.
· Stainless steel case, PVD-coated 'gunmetal'.
· Luminous hands and hour markers.
· Crown guard.
· Countdown timer, alarm clock, stopwatch, dual time zone, multiple languages.
· Water resistant to 100m.
· 45mm by 12m, quite large.
OR
Tissot T-Touch
The Tissot T-Touch is the wilderness lover of the Tactile family which currently consists of the High-T, the Silen-T, and the newest member of the family, the Tissot Navigator 3000. You might not guess just from looking at it, but the Tissot T-Touch feels just as at home in the woods, in the mountains, or on long treks as it does in the office or at a cocktail party. The T-Touch combines good looks, rugged functionality, and impressive innovation in way you rarely see in the watch world.
Features of the Tissot T-Touch
· Touch crystal. Like the rest of the Tactile family, the T-Touch has a touch-sensitive sapphire crystal. Rather than jamming repeatedly on a mode button, simply activate the crystal with the right center button, then touch the crystal in one of seven different areas to change modes, or to return to the default time mode.
· Compass. The Tissot T-Touch's built-in compass can measure magnetic north as well as calculate geographic north.
· Thermometer. The range of the T-Touch's built-in thermometer is -10 C (15 F) and 60 C (140 F). (If you're in an environment which significantly exceeds that range, you should be more concerned about your life than your watch.) It is accurate to about 1 degree C (1.8 F), and the resolution is .4 C (.7 F).
· Barometer. The range of the built-in barometer is 300 hPa (hectoPascals), and it is accurate to + or - 3 hPa. The resolution is 1 hPa.
· Altimeter. Wherever you have a barometer, you usually have an altimeter, as well, since it is possible to calculate altitude by measuring atmospheric pressure. The range is -400 meters (-1300 feet) to 9000 meters (29,500 feet) with a resolution of 1 meter (3 feet).
· Chronograph. Resolution of 1/100 of a second, maximum time of 9:59':59". The T-Touch's stopwatch can record a single split time.
· Alarm.
· Analog and digital displays. The LCD can be configured to display the time or date, or data from one of the other many functions. The analog portion of the watch is even used to convey different types
of information depending on the mode. (More on the watch's hands below.)
· Dual time zone display.
· Bidirectional rotating bezel. The bezel contains the four compass points rather than numbers so it can
be used to orient a map.
· Semi-perpetual date.
· Metric and American units.
· Water resistant to 30 meters. (3 ATM, 3 BAR, or 100 feet).
iPhone 4
The iPhone 4 offers enhanced performance, a lovely new display, and an improved design. It also adds a ton of sorely needed features, both by itself and through the iOS 4 update.
With the iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it is a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, the call quality and reception vary if you don't use a case, and AT&T's network remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and generally agreeable performance make it the best
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Excellent performance and photo quality; good video capture capabilities and quality.
A great follow-up to the 5D and top-flight full-frame camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II delivers the fluid shooting experience and fine photos you expect from a professional model.
Alienware M11x Laptop
Solid gaming performance in a very compact form; improves on the original Core 2 Duo version; automatic Nvidia Optimus graphics switching; impressive built-in audio.
Equipped with Nvidia Optimus technology and new Core i5 and i7 processors, the updated 11.6-inch Alienware M11x has improved performance, but it takes a small step forward, not a quantum leap.
Review: One of 2010's laptop surprises, the Alienware M11x offered something new to challenge the divide between gaming PCs and regular computers. Pairing gaming graphics with a compact Netbook-size body for a starting price less than $1,000, and battery life that was actually good, this travel-friendly "gaming Netbook" redefined our expectations of what a portable computer could offer.
Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD Home-Theater Speaker
Six-piece home theater speaker package with slender towers; compact center and surround speakers; remote controlled subwoofer with adjustable equalization; gorgeous furniture grade real cherry wood or black gloss finishes; 10 year warranty; 30 day in-home trial; free shipping.
Anchored by its minitower speakers, the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD is an exceptional surround speaker system that ably combines good looks and superior sound.
Review:
We've reviewed a lot of speaker packages over the years, but fewer and fewer of them feature large full-size speakers. That's because the market has been migrating to ever-smaller designs. And while Aperion Audio still offers plenty of beefy, monolithic speakers, the company has a wide selection of smaller models that don't take up quite as much of your living room's real estate.
Case in point is the Intimus 4T Hybrid SD. In addition to offering Aperion's smallest ever center (the 4C) and satellite surround speakers (4B), the package includes the unique 4T tower speakers for the front left and right channels. However, "tower" is something of a misnomer here: the 34-inch tall 4Ts are a mere 5 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep (sitting on bases, for better stability, that are a bit larger: 8.25 by 10). They don't have the imposing bulk we associate with most floor-standing speakers--and they obviate the need for stands or finding dedicated shelf space. Rounding out the system is the 8-inch Bravus subwoofer (which has received some design improvements since we've seen it last). The system costs $1,569 at Aperion Audio's Web site.
The speakers
All of the Intimus 4T Hybrid SD's speakers share the same 4-inch woven fiberglass woofer and 1-inch silk dome tweeter. The 4T tower and 4C center speaker feature a pair of the 4-inch woofers while the 4B satellite has just one. We noted that when setting up the entire Intimus 4T Hybrid SD system the five speakers' tonal matching was exceptionally good. That manifests itself with superior surround imaging. Likewise, the advantage of the towers' dual woofer design was far from subtle. The speakers' all-metal binding posts provide a secure connection with bare wire, spades, or banana plugs.
The 4C center speaker is just 5.33 inches tall by 12.8 inches wide by 5.5 inches deep, and the 4B is even more compact--it's 8.75 inches tall by 5.33 inches wide by 5.5 inches deep. The solid feel and build quality of the cabinets is extremely impressive. Aperion's real cherry wood veneers and high gloss black finishes are on par with high-end speakers costing more than double than Aperion's prices. All of the speakers have removable black cloth grilles. Floor stands as well as wall and ceiling mounts are available for all Aperion satellite and center speakers.
The Bravus 8D subwoofer
The Bravus 8D subwoofer has an 8-inch aluminum woofer on each side of its cabinet (both covered with removable black grilles) and a built-in 150-watt amplifier. The 33-pound sub comes with four metal "spike" feet and a set of pointy rubber cones. The subwoofer is 13 inches tall by 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep.
The cabinet is constructed of 0.75-inch thick high density fiberboard, cross-braced for additional rigidity. Connectivity options include stereo and LFE line-level inputs, plus speaker-level inputs. The sophisticated subwoofer has Music, Movie, and Game modes, each of which can be customized beyond the factory defaults via a small LCD screen built into its front panel. Adjustments can be made via a directional pad next to the screen or the included credit card-size remote control. Having a remote control for your subwoofer is a great convenience because we often like to adjust the sub's volume for different sources, but it's a pain getting off the couch to do so.
The Bravus 8D subwoofer has a couple of design improvements since the last time we saw it.
The menu lets you tweak parametric equalization to help deal with difficult room acoustic problems. That's nice, but unlike other subs with auto EQ, the Bravus' EQ is completely manual. You really have to know what you're doing and use a SPL meter (such as Radio Shack's 33-4050) and a CD or DVD with test tones to get anywhere with the sub's room tuning potential. On the bright side, Aperion fixed two annoyances we saw in an earlier version of the Bravus 8D: the LCD screen is now far more legible, and the built-in directional pad is far more responsive.
Panasonic's flagship TC-PVT20/25 series plasma TV HDTV
Superior black-level performance and excellent shadow detail; accurate primary colors in THX mode; great color saturation; effective antireflective screen; reproduces 1080p/24 cadence properly; VieraCast provides access to select Internet services and improved customization; solid 3D picture quality; includes 3D glasses.
With both 2D and 3D sources, Panasonic's flagship TC-PVT20/25 series plasma TV delivers outstanding overall picture quality.
Audi S4 CAR
The 2010 Audi S4 doesn't compromise between good performance and fuel economy, offering both in the same package. The optional Drive Select package delivers spectacular handling, and Audi offers a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Maps show detailed 3D information and the driver can control most functions with voice command or the steering-wheel buttons.
A smooth driver for a commute and an exciting ride for fun, the 2010 Audi S4 offers refined cabin tech and good fuel economy. It comes close to being a perfect tech car.
Audi's newest S4 proves that power and fuel economy are not mutually exclusive. Pushed by upcoming European and U.S. regulations covering CO2 emissions and fuel economy, the company created a 2010 Audi S4 that delivers exciting performance, everything you would expect from an Audi S, and very reasonable fuel economy.
The new S4 gets rid of the previous version's 4.2-liter V-8 in favor of a supercharged 3-liter direct-injection V-6, giving it much better fuel economy with no real loss of power. The new S4 also benefits from Audi's improvements to its Quattro all-wheel-drive system, its Nvidia-powered 3D navigation system, and Bang & Olufsen audio quality, along with other features making it a créme de la créme tech car.
