Celebrating Watchmakers: 1010 18k Gold Pen

The 1010 is a limited edition 18k gold pen from Swiss maker Caran d'Ache that's built to "cele-brate the special genius of watch-makers." Called 1010 because of the balanced look of a watch's hands at that time of day or night, this exquisite writing instrument has non-working gears mounted on a sleeve, nestled underneath the pen's transparent surface.

It's rife with design cues alluding to a fine timepiece, including its clip that looks like a watch hand, a decorative balance wheel mounted between two rubies under a sapphire dome, and tiny tick marks etched around its barrel. It even has a special ruby-encrusted piston pump to move the ink from its interior to its gear-festooned nib.

The pens sell for $19,000 (and up, depending on your choice of rhodium-coated silver or gold).

[DVICE]

Blurring the Lines: Photo Frame Clock

The Photo Frame Clock lets you replace the clock's number with a picture into each spot for the hour. I'm getting an odd flashback to the Brady Bunch.

Maybe the next version could use digital photo frames instead of actual prints, making it usable as a reminder as well as a clock.

[DVICE]

For the F1 Fan: Aigo Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Car PMP

Aigo launched the Aigo Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP5 player or the MP5-MK3510 on October 18. The device features a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 pixel screen, an e-Book reader, a photo viewer, and FM radio. Battery is estimated at 10 hours of audio and 4 hours of video.

It supports of up to 720P (1280 x 720) HD resolution. It plays RM, RMVB, AVI, FLV, DAT, MPG, MPEG and MP3, WMA,FLAC, APE with BBE, and SRS files.

[PMP Today]

Putting the iPod on the Wrist: iBangle MP3 Player Concept

The iBangle design concept by Gopinath Prasana puts your mp3 player right on your wrist instead of clipping to your belt. Don’t let the loose look fool you, the iBangle won’t easily slip off like other "clip-on" mp3 players. Apparently, that tiny blue button that you see in the illustration somehow fills the blue area with air, so it fits snugly on the wrist.

The audio sound is transmitted via wireless earbuds so no need for wires. How do you navigate through tracks, you may ask? Just use the multi-touch track pad.

[Coolest Gadgets]

Very 007-Like: Storm London MK V Watch

Storm London’s MK V watch is very 007 in style - but not because it doubles as a cell phone, or works as a super special gadget of some sort. Rather, what makes it so Bond-like is its shutter mechanism on the watch face that opens to reveal the time. That shutter is iconic to the branding of James Bond over the years. The MK V is available in slate, rose gold or black. Niiice.

[Chip Chick]

Thinking Outside the Box: Draught Watch

Inspired by HR Giger’s amorphous designs, the Draught Watch by Benjamin Wysk carries the idea of symbiosis by proposing the watch and the wearer are one. It kind of looks like a Disney watch, doesn't it?

[Yanko Design]

Predicting the Future: Oracle Watch

Based on the ancient Chinese I Ching philosophy, the Oracle Watch by Andy Kurovets helps you identify the order of chance events by way 64 digital hexagrams. Press the button 6 times to generate a hexagram correlating to your future.

"The I Ching has been used for more than 5000 years as an aid to making decisions, predicting the future, etc. The text of the I Ching is a set of predictions represented by a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called hexagrams. Each hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked from bottom to top there are 64 possible combinations, and thus 64 hexagrams represented. Each hexagram represents a description of a state or process."

[Yanko Design]

Swiss Army Knife of PMPs: MIU HDPC

The premise of the Hybrid Dual Portable Computer (HDPC) is simple: mobile operating system up front and Windows XP below. I've mentioned MIU's HDPC before. The most recent refresh of the device offers a cooler design, but MIU apparently isn't done, teasing another new version that looks far sleeker and packs an Intel Atom processor inside, though exactly which hasn't been revealed.

The MIU HDPC features a nav system, PMP, e-book reader, netbook, and even in-car rear-view camera monitor. It'll make phone calls too, and with GSM, GPRS, and CDMA connectivity, you'll to be able to check your mail anywhere.

[Engadget]

Uniquely Odd Clock: Kim the Robot Clock

Inspired by mid-20th century science fiction, Kim definitely has to be one of the weirdest, freakiest clocks ever. She is designed to hang on the wall and deliver the time in a classic robot voice when you press down on her nose. As she does this, her eyes flash a spooky red color. Not only that, when you set an alarm you will wake up to the sound of a rooster crowing. Pretty scary.

[Uncommon Goods via gizmodo]

At Last! Beatles Limited Edition iPod classic Set

The Limited Edition Ultimate Collector's Beatles iPod Set comes in a wooden box designed by Psycho Bunny, containing the 120GB Beatles iPod classic, 13 original Beatles albums in CD form, two masters, the Love CD, and one engraved guitar pick. Only 2,500 units are available at a cost of $795 each.

[gizmodo]

Objective Net: SFR Archos 5 3G+

Archos and SFR were to announce the SFR Archos 5 3G+ this week but Stuff magazine has jumped the gun. The November issue of the high tech magazine unveiled the device and revealed a cost of 279 euros with a 29,90 euros a month membership (surfing and unlimited mail). The SFR Archos 5 3G+ device features a black case with 30GB capacity and a personalized SFR interface. The 3G antenna is visible as the "bump" on the right.

In conjunction with the announcement, SFR will also release the SFR MI Pocket PC. This device features an Intel Atom processor with 128MB RAM, 30GB hard drive, a slider keyboard, and GPS. The proposed price is 349 euros with a 29,90 euro per month membership.

[Le Journal du Geek]

Counterfeit Proof: Vacheron Constantin Quai de L'Ile Watch

In New York City you can find plenty of places in Midtown or down around Canal Street, where you can get a "Rotex" that looks kind of like the real thing as long as you don't get too close. For those willing to spend a little more for their phony bling, you can even get replicas that require an expert's eye to reveal their deception.

To separate these fakes from the genuine article, top Swiss luxury watch maker Vacheron Constantin has created the supposedly counterfeit proof Quai de L'Ile watch. Using security features borrowed from the printers of Swiss currency and passports, the Quai de L'Ile has secret markings using high security polymer papers and inks, and special hidden images that can been seen only by using a UV lamp. In the picture you can see a tiny UV sensitive sun image between the 1 and 2 on the dial.

[DVICE]

Scope the Target: Scope 2 RGB LED Watch

The Scope 2 RGB LED watch features red or green horizontal lines which depict the hours, and a contrasting color targeting box displays the current five minute interval. Dot clusters on the side and lower segment display the individual minutes. Quite the learning curve on this one.

[ubergizmo]

For Dr. Who Fans: Dalek Illuminating Wall Clock

Dr. Who fans will be excited to see this latest bit of Dr. Who inspired gadgetry. The Dalek wall clock not only tells the time, but it also shines brightly through the night. It is sculpted so it sits away from the wall giving it a more realistic look. And, when they aren’t looking to dominate the universe, Dalek would never give you bad information on the actual time.

[Coolest Gadgets]

All in One: BenQ S6 MID and PMP

The BenQ S6 which, apart from looking positively stunning, not only serves as a highly "pocketable" 3.5G touchscreen MID (Mobile Internet Device) but is also a fully fledged PMP (Portable Media Player). The BenQ features 4.8-inch 800×480 pixel touchscreen, an 800MHz Intel Atom CPU, integrated G-Sensor motion sensing allowing users to scroll through web pages and transition between landscape and portrait modes by merely titling the device, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM, built in 2GB SSD storage, integrated microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.0, +EDR and USB connectivity, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, UMTS/HSDPA (Band: 2100), GSM/GPRS/EDGE (Band: 900/1800/1900), WLAN.

The device supports WAV, OGG, MP3 and Midi audio; OGG, MPEG1, H.264, MPEG2, MPEG4, DivX 5/6, VC1, WMV9 video; and JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and TIFF images.

[TFTS]

Award for Outstanding Innovation & Technology Products Finalist: Shiro SQ-S PMP

The Shiro SQ-S pmp is a finalist of the HKEIA Award for Outstanding Innovation & Technology Products. The device features a 1.8-inch LCD, an FM tuner, voice recorder, and has 16GB of memory. It supports MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, APE and OGG audio.

What makes it special is that it features a solar battery that's capable of fully recharging in only 4 hours. Battery life is estimated at 35 hours for audio and 7 hours of video.

It'll come in silver, red, and blue.

[Le Journal du Geek]

Here Come the Clones: iPod nano 4G Clone

There are a good selection of iPod Nano 4G clones out there but this one boasts a 4 megapixel camera on the specs. Other features include a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 pixel TFT screen, max 2GB built-in memory, and a miniSD slot for extending capacity. It's strictly wholesale for now.

[PMP Today]

Color My World: Aurora Color Changing Clock

Ever looked up to see the time only to realize that the clock is facing the other way? It appears that Aurora has figured out a solution to this time-telling dilemma by creating a clock that changes color every hour. It has twelve colors that represent the hours of the day. So, the color won’t tell you the time to the exact minute, but it will give you a broad sense of what time it is. It's not clear if the colors gradually change, or if they abruptly change like a traffic light on the hour. The LCD display is backlit by whatever display color is on the exterior.

The Aurora Color Changing Clock has a translucent rubber housing, which allows the lights to go on and off with a tap. The alarm clock will flash when it is time to get up.

[Coolest Gadgets]

Calling All Geeks: TOKYObay's Robot Alarm Clocks

All geeks know from a young age that robots are cool. Yes on occasion we worry about them taking over the world. But if you’re looking for a cute robot, these alarm clocks should work just fine. The robots come in a few different shapes and styles, the best of course being the Tank robot. As it turns out, Tank loves cupcakes and demolition derbies.

Tokibot has a love for platform shoes, and rivet loves dancing and basketball. Making them all very well rounded robots. They come in several nice colors, green, red, black, blue.

[TOKYObay via Coolest Gadgets]

For "Iron Man" Movie Release: Casio EQW-500DBE-1AVER Watch

To coincide with the October 27th release of the "Iron Man" DVD movie, Casio is releasing the Casio EQW-500DBE-1AVER watch.

The "Iron Man" watch features two separate stopwatches, a countdown timer, an LED light, automatic adjustment thanks to radio transmitters, an alarm, world time for 29 cities and a stainless steel casing and wristband. It's water-resistant up to 10 bar.

[Tech Digest]

Rumor? New DS2 with Digital Camera and Audio Player

Rumor is that Nintendo are working on developing a new, updated version of their ever popular Nintendo DS handheld gaming system, according to Nikkei Business Daily. The new device will not only sport updated styling but will also feature an integrated camera and DAP (Digital Audio Player) functionality. This new device would be in direct competition with handheld devices such as those offered by Apple, Sony Ericsson and Nokia.

Nintendo have refused to confirm that a new, revamped DS is indeed in the pipeline. They did not deny it however – preferring merely to resort to offering no comment.

If the Nikkei Business Daily’s article is to be believed, the new DS, which is said to also feature advanced wireless communication capabilities, could surface before the end of the year with unit pricing in the region of approximately $189 at the time of writing.

Makes sense to me. It would be the next logical evolution of the DS and one that would be most welcome.

[TFTS]