Cool Hunting

Crucifix MP3 player
Perhaps taking a cue from the iBelieve (a lanyard that made the original iPod shuffles look like crosses), Chinese electronics wholesaler Chinavision recently came out with a crucifix-shaped MP3 player for devout music listeners. It's a rather unique way of marketing technology and we can't help but wonder what the J Man would think of such a device. The player offers 1GB of internal...

Pacemaker
When one of CH's designers tipped us to the Pacemaker, the world's first hand-held DJ system, (right after we also heard about it when in Europe recently), we knew it was worth checking out. Fortunately for us, we had the chance to experience it first hand when co-founder Ola Sars stopped by our offices earlier this week. In person, the "PSP of music's" look,...

Piezoelectric Concept Backpack
Capitalizing on the friction and heat created by walking, running and even just wearing jeans, engineers from Michigan Technological University, Arizona State University and NanoSonic Inc. devised a way to use this type of generated energy in a concept backpack that can charge portable electronic devices, like iPods and mobile phones. Shoulder straps made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a strong, flexible material that feels...

Ovi: Music, GPS and Games
By now, you've most likely heard all the Nokia buzz today—great new phones, the N95 is finally coming stateside and the gaming industry continues to go more mobile. We love the expanded 8G memory in the N81 and N95 which allows us to hold more music, photos, games etc. This brings me to what, in my opinion, is subtly some of the biggest news...

Pottery Barn Smart Technology Collection
Admittedly, we don't do a lot of shopping at Pottery Barn, but their new line of Smart Technology furniture caught our attention. It's worth noting not only for the way it integrates gadget clutter into homes but also for adding other functional and organization features. The pinboard and speaker combination ($259) combines a linen bulletin board and built-in stereo speakers with a plug for...

LED Calculator Watches: A Brief History
Before the Hamilton Pulsar (once thought to be the first calculator watch), a gift giving advertisement in the June 1975 issue of Playboy magazine included the Calcron LED Wrist Calculator (pictured left). One of the most collectible, only 50,000 of Hewlett Packard's 1977 HP-100 (pictured center) were made, of which about half were purchased by a Saudi prince. That same year, Sinclair introduced their...