*notcot - , 18:26 -

Uki International

uki.jpgUki International has some playfully modern hair styling tools ~ most noteworthy is this tiny “go on” 500 watt hair dryer that is a mere 9cm in length! and weighs in at only 110 grams. (see different angles of how adorable it is below) Also interesting is their Ionic 6000 that has apparently the “max ergonomics, allowed by double handle possibility” and is a powerful 1800/2000 watts and 21 cms in length. I also couldn’t resist sharing this technical coloration trolley, Moana, designed by Massimo Pizzoleo ~ which although it looks quite like a frog it is ready to go with two tinting brushes and a tin foil roll (see how it opens below).

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*notcot - 11.19.07 , 13:05 -

Oakley Norcal Shootout

oakleycar1.jpgOn bizarre ways to kick off Thanksgiving week ~ i’m trying that whole “live blogging” thing from the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay today where Oakley is holding their Oakley Norcal Shootout, and there are some serious golfers out here! But i’m hiding out in the library/high tea room at the moment… the parts you’ll probably most interested in are their road crew of two large trailers that roam the states from event to event - fondly known as the Rolling O Lab… consider it a mini of the intense testing and research lab in their Foothill Ranch HQ! Anyhow, more on the research one soon… but first things first, take a look at this HUGE slick black Oakley’d out Freightliner they have hauling the lounge around? And take a look at the interior of the lounge ~ huge flat screens inside and out, comfy couches, surfboard, skateboard, kitchen, and even Oakley Tap for the kegerator. Not a bad way to travel around the states? (These guys are on the road 300+ days a year.) Anyhow, more pics below to give you a feel… check their schedule to see where you can run into them next (next stop Tahoe tomorrow, then salt lake, then the UCLA/USC game!)… Oh, and being a golf tournament… naturally Caddy Shack is playing.

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*notcot - 11.18.07 , 22:07 -

Ultreo

ultreo.jpgLatest in toothbrush technology? Ultrasound. No, seriously… the Ultreo uses sonic vibrations plus ultrasound. And as much as initially i thought this might just be another crazy gimmick and I initially wanted to check it out b/c the packaging was interesting, and the new technology intriguing… I didn’t expect to actually be hooked on my teeth feeling this noticeably clean relative to the sonicare elite (i haven’t had a chance to compare this to that new sonicare flexcare, but its the same technology really, only less vibrations coming through and smaller?). Founded by Dr. Pierre Mourad (who has made his living finding novel applications for ultrasound and its ability to transform bubbles into miniature sources of mechanical energy) and Jack Gallagher (Ultreo’s CEO/President who was present of Phillips Oral Healthcare for a few years) and they brought on Dr. Christopher McInnes (Ultreo’s Principal Scientist who spent 12 years with Sonicare, and provided the fundamental science behind the Sonicare technology)… they have quite a team behind the Ultreo, which has just launched its first ultrasound toothbrush . Other than the incredible clean feeling (yes, i am running my tongue over my teeth in amazement still) ~ it’s impressive that it’s far less aggressive/harsh on your mouth, less vibrations, quieter and i was told the ultrasound technology creates tiny bubbles that blast away the plaque (see the comparison study images, more below)… and how does it work? It’s all about that orange transducer in the middle of the brush head. Really its hard to explain, and definitely worth trying to understand/feel for yourself…. images below of box scans, close ups of the charger, travel case, etc.

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*notcot - 11.16.07 , 20:08 -

Naked Nabzatags

nabza1.jpgNabzatag ~ the crazy wifi bunnies we’ve been seeing for a while… apparently in the goodies section of their site they are anti-naked bunnies! Anyhow, a little random, but cute that they have pdfs for everything from paper clothes (i guess you could make them with cloth too) to stickers to decorate them (from eyebrows to mustaches to logo shirts ~ give them some character!).

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*notcot - 11.14.07 , 14:40 -

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2

rabbids2launch.jpgRayman’s Raving Rabbids 2 is here! (like literally in my hand) Finally! Anyhow, i’ve been over worked and under slept all week, and its been sheer insanity, so i’m taking a breather to play this ridiculousness for now! See more silliness at their awesome blog.

*notcot - 11.13.07 , 01:21 -

Exploded iPod

explodipod.jpgI just got back from the most amazing event that i have a pile of posts to share with you…BUT, i just checked my email and Billy Chasen blew my mind… literally… with his “hey guys, i love your site. one of my daily stops. I just created an exploded ipod — it’s encased in resin and still works. tell me what you think :) -billy” email. Well… Billy? I think the proper response is - where can i buy one? Or at least play with one? Does it work with remote control?

It is quite possibly my favorite new view of the overexposed ever evolving design *classic*(?)… the ipod has become the kleenex of the mp3 players… its refreshing to see it so exposed - and encased in resin! See below for more images and read more on Billy’s site.

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*notcot - 11.07.07 , 13:30 -

Oakley Split Thump Review

newoakleymain.jpgOakley’s line of wearable tech has evolved once again… and its certainly improving! If you recall, i reviewed their O ROKR and Thump 2 almost exactly a year ago, and i was pleasantly surprised when a white boxed beta of the Split Thump showed up today. They’ve really cleaned up the design quite a bit, and it is now possible to be far more 007 like with these… removable t-rex arm ear buds (with an adorable little classic oakley pouch for them, even with a divider in the middle to keep them from destroying each other) and the external buttons have been incorporated into the logo (which has been enlarged and aesthetically looks far better on the glasses)… and they are sounding better as well. Bottom line? These glasses can actually look like normal sporty sunglasses when you aren’t listening to music, giving you the flexibility the others lacked. Anyhow, take a look below for the unboxing, close ups, and a some photo comparisons between the Thump 2 and the and the Split Thump.

Oh, and if any of you are thinking ~ but wait some of the big tech blogs hated it… i just reread all those posts, and they have been following their predecessors who all hated the concept to start with - and its so sad that some of those sounded like whiny poor techy ipod lovers who probably aren’t huge fans of outdoor sports. But anyhow, i might be in a ranty mood… these are definitely making my potential gift list… although it says “coming soon”, i’ve heard that these will definitely be shipping in time for xmas.

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*notcot - 11.04.07 , 19:25 -

WiredTree Hosting

wiredtreehost.jpgRemember those days when our site would flicker up and down or get super slow? Somewhere between our overloads of traffic, unstable servers, and some pretty shoddy tech support? It even got bad to the point that i ended up posting to see if anyone had any better solutions… to be completely honest it feels like years ago (post was dated April 07)… but thanks to the advice, horror stories, and hosts that everyone submitted ~ we decided to go with WiredTree which Jonah shared with us.

So, as promised, now that we’ve found a new host, and tried them out for a few months, and i’ve actually been sleeping better (it’s nice not having the 4am sms “OMG your sites are down! Again.”)

The first things that come to mind ~ incredible uptime that its only beat by their great customer service. I have never had service where we have a problem regardless of size (server crash, out of HD space, or just a silly email question) answered in about 5 minutes when it is 2am (which would be 4am for them in Chicago)… and even if they did just wake up, they manage to respond with friendly, professional, intelligent, patient, efficient responses. From a technical perspective, it is refreshing that they give you full access to your box, yet guarantee complete management: software + hardware + network, and they deliver on it, which is no easy feat considering what some of us may try to do with our servers (other than NOTCOT.com being on movable type all the other sites are built by us from scratch).

Anyhow, if you’re still looking for a host ~ check out what WiredTree has to offer, the pricing and server options were extremely competitive when we shopped around, even before realizing how smart the team supporting it is. And feel free to mention you found them through NOTCOT!

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*notcot - 11.01.07 , 16:37 -

Ergonomic Computing

ergo1.jpgFor those who noticed i’ve been really slow on posts and editing the other sites today, i guess i’ve kind of found myself with the one problem that i can “call in sick” about… my right fingers have been doing crazy cramping up, and my hand has been killing me a bit. I guess those 10+ years of not so ergo laptop-in-bed-and-on-lap are catching up to me as i near 25. Figures that it is right now that i decide to have all these ideas for redesigns i’m dying to sit and code… Anyhow, whining aside, this carpal tunnel scare convinced me to finally look a little more closely at the ergonomic options out there and i just ran out and grabbed this crazy split Gold Touch keyboard by KeyOvation that Dan recommended… and i’m considering forcing my mouse usage lefty and trying one of their crazy Evoluent vertical mice as well (not to mention trying to work at a desk properly).

Anyhow, i just wanted to tell you all to BE CAREFUL! And i was also wondering if you’d had any experience, advice, ideas on the subject… and why oh why are these things all so ugly?!?!?! One of these days we will have to get some designers and engineers together and help clean some of these designs up. Oh, and i might be a little extra quiet/slow for the next few days with this physically induced “break”… sorry.

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*notcot - , 03:31 -

Moon Jars & Gift Guides

moonjar.jpgWe’ve all seen and loved the Sun Jar by Tobias Wong for Suck UK ~ in fact its won quite a few gift of the year awards even! But somehow i failed to notice it is also available in BLUE, until i saw it over at ThinkGeek labeled a MOON JAR! So i’m quite excited and craving one of these tonight ~ more images below for anyone who wants to catch up on how the Sun Jar works…

More excitingly… i found this because i just shopping, designing, coding, and hunting through archives to get ready for the holiday season gift guide! I’ve never really done one before, but since i need to do it anyhow to figure out holiday and birthday gifts (SO many december babies! Myself included), figured this year no harm rounding it all up. In fact we’ve got some great sponsors lined up to help make it possible as well! (And if you’d like to join in and sponsor the gift guide as well please drop our advertising manager, Jared, a line - jared at notcot.com) Also, if you have any ideas for great products that shouldn’t be left out, or think you know what will be THE “it” product of the season, leave me a note!

OH ~ and for those who are starting pre-thanksgiving and need some help ~ in my hunting today i’ve added more stores to last years post filled with stores for great gifts.

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*notcot - 10.31.07 , 13:08 -

Rabbids are Coming

newrabbid1.jpgThe Rabbids have returned! Almost… Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 coming in Nov! They are back and better than ever for wii ~ more mini games ~ and you can even customize not only rayman but the rabbids too with over 110 items! And the theme is world travel (makes sense since they’ve been launching all of the “around the world” videos on their blog)… also noteworthy and silly exciting thing for this strangely dreary halloween day ~ seeing my Rabbid toy on their faux desktop. And as always their desktops, screensavers, videos, and graphic design are top notch ~ so see below for screenshots, etc.

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*notcot - 10.27.07 , 19:14 -

Blackberry + Island

bbislandmain.jpgMy blackberry pearl just had a hardware failure last night. The volume increase button is broken… and i lasted a few hours before i had to go into the store and have it dealt with (don’t even talk to me about calling in… ugh. i tried.)… so a replacement is on its way… in a few DAYS. While further phone hunting (naturally in my frustration i turn to distracting myself with new options) ~ i discovered that you get a free personal ISLAND with the Blackberry 8830 over at Sprint.

Ok ok, so after you delve into all the small print, its just a crazy over exaggerated campaign microsite (privateislandoffer.com) ~ that reminds me quite a bit of the Nokia ones (Remember Great Pockets that was on .org?). So it turns out if you want to buy the $10.5 million phone with free island, you are actually paying the $199.99 and then $10,500,000.00 for the “exotic island with amenities” according to the fake checkout… since as soon as i tried to buy it ~ it pops up “Are you sure you’re a billionaire? There is no way we would sell a commodity as precious as an island on a site that just anyone could access. If you are in fact a billionaire and you’re still interested in purchasing an island, our broker would be happy to help you find one…”

Anyhow, the intro clip is cute ~ and their spammy sounding domain is amusing… privateislandoffer.com. Screenshots below as well.

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*notcot - 10.26.07 , 02:07 -

Keyport Production

keyportpro1.jpgWow. The Keyport sure is growing up quickly. Remember the Keyport renders i showed you back in April? Well time flies, and now you’re looking at actual images of real Limited Edition Keyports (granted they reserve the right to make some slight mods in the next week or so)… For those that need a refresher ~ the Keyport Slide is the “world’s first universal keyfob”… basically they are saying that you can have all your keys in one… from your house, car, office, locks, and even RFIDs. This first set is Limited Edition, and only 5000 will be made worldwide - available in silver, black, pink, and blue. It goes on sale early next week exclusively from the ‘reserve list.’ They will be sending out 1000 emails per hour to everyone in the world that has reserved the product on key-port.com since April.

So how is this all going to work? After ordering, you receive a Kit which includes a box for 6 keys. You send the 6 keys you want in the unit in the FedEx envelope provided and they do the rest. Scared? Well they have apparently worked out a “guaranteed secure delivery method with FedEx” so your keys and address are never on/in the same package. You can even opt to pick up the final order at your local FedEx depot to further ensure your security.

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*notcot - 10.25.07 , 14:03 -

Vers 2x Review

versunbox3.jpgReady to get up close and personal with the Vers 2x wood ipod speaker system i wrote about earlier? Well they sent a sample over, and i had the pleasure of playing with it, and as a product i’m smitten with their attention to details… things you don’t see in their product shots? The gorgeous circular designs on the speaker cover ~ the way they run their wires under the unit ~ just how beautiful it really is to have a nice woody speaker amongst all the plastic and metal tech that surrounds us… It’s currently on sale at places like Target and Amazon for $179. Anyhow take a look below for a slew of close ups.

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*notcot - 10.24.07 , 19:21 -

Working Class Heroes

wchmain.jpgWorking Class Heroes ~ this Viennese duo, Monie & James ~ have me giddy over their gorgeously functional grey felt and brown leather combinations… from laptop wallets to passport cases, moleskine pouches to glasses cases. I mentioned these in a roundup where i had mentioned finding these on .org and ordering two laptop wallets! Well they arrived in LA while i’ve been in SF the last few weeks… and they were the first thing i headed for when i got home. First impression? Beautiful presentation, all hand tied with red/white ribbon, and the products are even nicer in person than online ~ and they were even nice enough to add one of their keyholders as well.

I purchased their Girls Only Laptop Wallet as well as the Laptop Wallet Tidy ~ and actually i ordered two simply because i couldn’t decide if i wanted it to horizontal or vertical, and at such a reasonable 49$ pricetag ~ no reason not to get both for use in various bags. The three things about these that impress me most are… 1. no zippers! (i’m extremely particular about avoiding zippers in my laptop cases, because i had some macbooks get very sliced up on the sides from quick ins and outs… and also no velcro! so its silent) 2. the simplicity of the styles using a nice heavy “3mm grey german felt” combined with adorable graphic branding imprinted leather accents ~ as well nice cotton herringbone reinforcements 3. the genius of having laptop sleeves where you can easily PUSH the laptop out. Honestly, i’ve gone through MANY laptops, laptop sleeves, and laptop bags ~ and its been a long time since i’ve gotten excited about one… but these have surpassed my expectations in both form and function.

MANY pictures below, both from their site of their line, as well as some quick snapshots of mine when i just got home. Having these to play with may actually get me off my laptop a bit more since i need to close it to slip it into the laptop wallets!

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