1. Samsung Flexible Screen
While Nokia teased us this week
with a slightly flexible prototype device, Samsung steps up with an
even more flexible screen the company says will grace the front of a
smartphone or tablet by 2012. We saw one of these flexible AMOLED
screens from Samsung at CES 2011, but the big news is this has gone
beyond the prototype stage, where we'll allegedly be bending screens
every which way by next year. We'll believe it when we see it.
[via DVICE, photo by Evan Ackerman, used with permission]
2. Motorola Atrix 2
While I'm not a fan of the design of those hump-backed smartphones by HTC, this Motorola Atrix 2
is the most impressive Android phone I've seen yet. Its super-sharp
4.3-inch screen is noticeably bigger than its predecessor, and I
especially like its pebble-grained back, giving extra confidence against
droppage. Now if I could just get used to its Android 2.3 operating
system -- which is an acquired taste. But it's so customizable I'm bound
to find a commodious configuration. I'm using it all the time (and
liking it a lot) until they make me send it back in a week or two.
3. Mint iPad
Mint, Intuit's online financial software that I think is second to none, has finally released a Mint iPad app, and it turns out it was worth the wait. It's one of the best iPad apps ever created, better than all of Mint's
software for iPhone, Android and web put together. Gorgeous graphs,
drill-down capabilities through many levels, and a remarkably intuitive
interface make this free app the smooth operator of the year.
4. Working DSLR Costume
Halloween creativity reaches new heights this year with this working DSLR costume by Michigan photographer Tyler Card. It doesn't just look like a DSLR, it is
one, with a built-in LCD display, built-in "flash" and a working
shutter release button. If there's a more clever Halloween costume this
season, I haven't seen it yet.
5. BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9981
Who says the BlackBerry is dead? If you can afford to shell out $2,000, you can get one that's designed by Porsche,
complete with typefaces and icons that make the phone look like it
could accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. If you have the bucks, this stainless steel and leather masterpiece will be available before the end of this year.
6. iHome iW1 Speaker
We hear a lot of guff about wireless speakers, but this iHome iW1
doesn't even need a power cable to rock your Casbah. A stellar example
of clean and simple design, this $299.99 beauty connects to iOS devices
via Wi-Fi using AirPlay, or you can plug in your device via USB. And
when you want to take it from room to room, there's a handle on the back
that makes it easy to carry.
7. Air Propulsion Yacht (Design Concept)
At
first I thought this was some sort of futuristic aircraft, but this
speedy Air Propulsion Yacht flies on the water in grand style. This
luxury watercraft is a concept created by Aquila Design,
and it's built for both comfort and speed with a multi-level interior
that transforms into various configurations depending on what you have
planned for the day.
[via Yanko Design]
8. Westone 4 R-Series Quad-Driver Earphones
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? If it's anything like these Westone 4R Quad Driver Earphones,
the answer is four, because that's how many speakers are shoehorned
into these tiny cans. As with most high-end headphones costing around
$450, every detail has been attended to, including what the company
calls a "tight tolerance of ± 2 decibels between earpieces." Audiophiles
are going to love this.
[via Engadget]
9. Google TV with Android
Google says it has learned from its mistakes with the first outing of Google TV,
and now it's replacing that confusing interface with Android 3.1
(Honeycomb). Will it be any better? I'm thinking that depends on the
relationships Google forges with content creators such as TV networks
and film studios. It's all working toward an admirable goal: to be able
to find and display what's worth watching on TV (and the web) using
Google's search prowess. Can Android accomplish this feat on the Google
TV-packing Logitech Revue, Sony TVs and other forthcoming set tops and
devices? We'll get our hands on the upgrade soon after it's released
early next week and let you know.
10. Energizer iSurge
If you travel a lot, you've undoubtedly run into the dreaded outlet shortage problem. That issue is solved nicely by the Energizer iSurge,
giving you a trio of surge-protected outlets, a USB port on the side
(with enough power to charge an iPad) and a dock for your iOS device. I
tested this unit, and I like those features and another nice touch, a
little night light bar across the bottom that you can turn off if you
want to sleep in total darkness. If it were a slightly more compact, it
would be the perfect charging station for those who live on the road.
1. Xbox 720 in 2013?
Insiders are saying they're working on Microsoft's next-generation gaming console, and it's said to be called the Xbox 720,
perhaps unveiling at E3 in 2013. Although the box's processors and
graphics chips are allegedly well underway and in the hands of multiple
developers, the outside of the Xbox 720 is not quite so well-defined.
Take a look at this design concept of the industrial design of the box
-- we're wondering if it wasn't left on our planet by visiting aliens.
2. Ice Cream Sandwich
Android 4.0 is now official. Affectionately known as Ice Cream Sandwich,
Google's revamped its entire smartphone operating system, making it
more customizable, its widgets resizable, improved its texting error
correction and finally given it the ability to easily grab a screenshot
by holding down the power and volume buttons. The first device to have
the new operating system loaded will be the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy Nexus (pictured here), available in November.
3. Canon EOS 1D X
Look
out, pro photographers, here comes the Canon 1D X, a digital SLR that
points to the future of photography. Besides its $6,800 price tag, it
brings along astonishing numbers, such as its ability to take
18-megapixel pics at 14 frames per second, and its mind-boggling
low-light shooting capability (for you photography experts, its standard
ISO range is 100 - 51,200, expanded to 204,800). It ships in March.
[via Gizmodo]
4. DeLorean Returning in 2013 as an Electric Car
The gull-winged DeLorean
is on its way back to the future -- 2013, that is. That's when you'll
be able to buy one of the newest versions of DMC's gleaming classic
conveyance, and this time it'll be all-electric. Details are scant so
far, but it'll certainly travel faster than 88 miles an hour, with its
260hp electro-power plant blasting it to a top speed of 125mph. Its
price will hover around $100,000, Mr. Fusion not included.
5. Motorola Droid Razr
Could smartphones get any thinner? That's going to be a challenge for competitors, because this Motorola Droid Razr
is just 7.1mm thick. The $299.99 handset has a 1.2GHz dual-core
processor, an 8-megapixel camera and a sharp 4.3-inch super AMOLED
screen. Too bad it won't be sporting the new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system until "early 2012."
6. XtremeMac InCharge USB Wall Charger
If you're fed up with those clunky chargers Apple provides for iPhones, iPods and iPads, the XtremeMac InCharge USB Wall Charger
is about as thin as an iPhone 4S, and its retractable plug makes it
perfect for heavily-laden travelers. As you might've expected, design
like this doesn't come cheap -- it's overpriced at an Apple-esque
$29.99.
7. Aeroshots for a Caffeine Fix
Okay coffee lovers, if you're hoping to buy some of these shotgun-shell-like Aeroshots,
that might be the first step to admitting you have a problem. These new
caffeine delivery devices are not as serious as they look, though --
each cartridge delivers 100mg of caffeine in the form of 6 to 8 puffs of
a fine powder. That's not that much, considering that a 16-ounce cup of
Starbucks Pike Place coffee contains 330mg of caffeine. Weird.
8. Lytro Light Field Camera
We put this remarkable Lytro camera through its paces
this week, and found it to be well-designed and fully capable of
capturing pictures that let you shoot first and ask questions about
focusing later. That viewscreen opposite its f/2 lens is tiny -- a mere
1.46 inches -- but imagine how small it would be if the camera itself
were smaller? Now available for pre-order, Lytro hits the streets in early 2012 at prices starting at $399.
9. Pioneer Dance Crew Boom Boxes
This
is not your daddy's boombox. These are aimed at dancers, but those
hoofers had better be well-heeled because it'll cost them $229 for the Solo, $349 for the Duo and $499 for the Crew,
with each containing progressively higher quality and bigger speakers.
These fancy boomboxes let you adjust the tempo of a song without
affecting its pitch, and they're smart enough to cue up similar songs to
the one you're currently playing by analyzing your playlist.
10. Motorola MotoACTV
Motorola's latest entry in the fitness game is the MotoACTV,
an Android-based fitness device it calls "the ultimate fusion of
fitness and music." It'll track your running with GPS, account for your
time, distance, speed and calories burned and play your favorite songs
all the while. It can even answer your phone and receive text messages.
Rolling out Nov. 6, it'll sell for $249 for an 8GB model and $299 for
16GB.
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