While we might not know exactly what seven functions the sleek Gerber Shard ($8) will provide, we know enough to know we'll be on the pre-order list as soon as it's available. The lightweight, airline-safe keychain tool offers at the minimum a bottle opener, screwdriver, and nail puller, with a titanium nitride coating for corrosion resistance.
Terrorism. Murder. Blood. Bullets. Darkness. This is the G.I. Joe cartoon you've been waiting 25 years for. G.I. Joe: Resolute ($14) is a new animated mini-series featuring classic Joes and Cobra operatives that's sure to make the live action movie look even more like a turd. Aimed at older viewers, and garnering standing ovations at JoeCon Comic-Con, Resolute consists of 11 episodes (ten 5-minute episodes and one 10-minute finale) totaling 60 minutes. We won't tell you the plot, but let's just say Cobra Commander goes totally apocalyptic on Moscow. In the first four minutes. Can someone please start a petition to turn this into a regular weekly series? Oh, and don't forget the toys.
Leave it to the air maestros at Dyson to create a fan with no blades. The Dyson Air Multiplier ($300-$330) uses a fairly ingenious design to suck air into the base, accelerating it through an small aperture in the device's ring and then over a ramp to channel its direction. As it happens, this also causes the air behind and around the machine to be drawn into the airflow, creating a smooth stream of air amplified 15 times, without the unpleasant buffeting caused by the blades of a traditional fan chopping the air. The only downside? It's a $300 fan.
What good is a portable hard drive if you're afraid to take it anywhere? With the Hitachi SimpleTough Hard Drive ($100-$135), you simply grab your data and go. Featuring a rugged body with grippy rubber sides and a smooth rubber body, the SimpleTough can withstand drops of up to 7 feet and also offers underside lighting and an integrated USB cable, giving you one less thing to remember when packing for your next spy mission.
Sponsored Product
PS3®120GB System
Powerful graphics? Check. Blu-ray™? Check. Wi-Fi™? Check. Downloadable games and movies? Check. 120GB hard drive? Check. Multiplayer online gaming? Check. The new PlayStation®3 120GB system does it all using 34 percent less power and taking up 32 percent less space.
Tackle the great outdoors -- or just yard work -- in the coldest of weather in the Timberland Utility Jacket ($150). With straightforward looks, it's not exactly a flashy piece of outerwear, but it does the job, with a rugged cotton twill outer, nylon polin and polyester fleece lining, a front zipper with button flap cover for added wind protection, dual snap-close side pockets and two cargo-style chest pockets, slightly distressed details for a worn-in look, and stitched down shoulder epaulettes.
Known primarily for its sporty pro outerwear, the new line of Arc'teryx Veilance ($175-$1,000) tops, coats, and pants combines tough, outdoor-ready fabrics like Gore-Tex and Paclite with more traditional cuts and syling, letting you dress your best no matter what the weather's like outside. And no, we don't know how you're supposed to say "Arc'teryx."
Think you've seen or read all the great books and films there are to digest? Think again. City Secrets Books & Movies ($14 each) are your guide to gems of cinema and literature that are mostly overlooked, compiled from recommendations given by some of the world's most well-respected minds on either subject, including Alec Wilkinson, Kenneth Turan, Marty Scorsese, and Sidney Lumet. Good luck finding copies of — and time to watch and read — all of them.
Who needs buttons? Apple's Magic Mouse ($69) eschews mechanical buttons and scroll wheels, letting you navigate using the same Multi-Touch technology used on the iPhone and MacBook trackpads. The sexy, seamless, touch-sensitive device works as a single or multi-button mouse with advanced gesture support, allowing you to scroll, pan, or swipe with ninja-finger skill. Works for you freakish lefties too.
Looking for a way to monitor your energy usage and cut down on power bills during the economic crunch? Check out the Black & Decker Power Monitor ($100). This easy-to-use device provides real-time electricity use, cost, and outdoor temperature readings, thanks to a wireless sensor that attaches to your electricity meter. Offering an Appliance Mode that isolates the cost of individual appliances or gadgets, it could save you up to 20% each month on your power bill — meaning it should pay for itself in no time.
What would you pay to be Don Draper or Roger Sterling? How about to look like them? The Brooks Brothers Mad Men Edition Suit ($1,000; October 19) pays homage to AMC's hit show with a medium gray sharkskin suit designed by Janie Bryant, the Emmy-nominated costume designer for the show, and is modeled after Draper's and Sterling's wardrobes. Features include a noticeably slim cut, diagonal pockets, narrower notch lapels, and side vents. Limited to just 250, the suit is made in a Brooks-owned factory in Massachusetts, and while it might be more classically stylish than your current attire, don't expect it to magically turn you into Jon Hamm.
Just in time for undeadliest of holidays comes The Horde T-Shirt ($18). This black American Apparel tee sports a terrific print of a single character wielding multiple weapons on the roof of a car as a horde (get it?) of zombies surround him. While it won't pass as a costume per se, it's certainly festive, and if you happen to harbor a secret zombie obsession, you'll no doubt find yourself wearing it all year long.
Dating back to the 1930's, Warrior Footwear ($45-$60) are neither flashy nor ultra-exclusive, but like Chuck Taylor's, they have a classic, iconic feel despite their ubiquity. Originally conceived as an affordable athletics shoe for the Chinese market, dominating the industry in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, Warriors come in several plain yet endearing styles, including Team Basketball, Street Kung Fu, Lane Badminton, and our favorite, the World Tour Tennis.
LUM-TEC's C Series Watches ($565-$595) give you insane brightness with a great fit. Coming in at a 38mm size, the watches were made for the small-to-average sized wrist, but still offer LUM-TEC's tactical style and GX MDV lume. Four models are being sold, with a bushed silver finish or a bead blasted hard PVD finish, and use fully restored vintage twin barrel automatic movements. Each model is available in a limited numbered series of 100 units.
Simplify the process of installing the apps you want on your Windows machine with Ninite. This awesome free service lets you choose from a range of applications, plug-ins, utilities, and other goodies that might normally take hours to download separately, with a "Get Installer" button at the bottom that will do all the heavy lifting for you, creating a simple, one-step app that will install all of the software you chose in one fell swoop. Good for Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
If you happen to be searching for timepiece perfection and have a load of money to spend, look no further than the Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Limited Edition ($TBA). Based on 2004's Monaco V4 Concept Watch and coming just in time for the venerable Swiss watchmaker's 150th anniversary, this twice-patented technological beast features a new belt-driven transmission that replaces the traditional pinion and wheel mechanical movement, a linear mass to replace the normal oscillating mass, a platinum case, a beveled and arched sapphire crystal that curves down to join the sides of the case, and an alligator strap with titanium insert. Limited to just 150 units, each Monaco V4 is hand-assembled by watch master Denis Badin. Steve McQueen would approve.
