Post Tagged with: "stuff"

Pack Your Bags

Whether you’re going by plane, train, or automobile, we’ve got the right stuff to help you gear up.
By Deirdre Goldbeck

Pack Your Bags
Orvis luggage tags
Orvis.com • Brass: Set of three $39; Leather: $49 each
Bags need tags if you ever want to see them again. If you go for hardware, Orvis’s set of three brass identification tags are just the ticket. There’s a limit of four lines per tag and 25 characters per line. Each tag measures 2.5 by 1.25 inches, and attaches easily with a spring-operated brass clip. If leather is more your thing, go for a single tag with up to three initials embossed on the outside. Your personal information is inside, revealed only when the tag is unbuckled. They measure 6.5 by 2.5 inches and come in black or orange.
Pack Your Bags
Samsonite Travel Sentry luggage strap
Samsonite.com • $18
There may not be a gorilla manhandling your bags behind the scenes, but why take chances? Zippers can break and seams can bust under stress, but this TSA-approved strap is tough enough to hold everything together, and to keep it locked down with a three-dial combination. The strap is made of sturdy polypropylene and adjusts to fit a bag up to 72 inches. It comes in a variety of colors, from discreet black to several easy-to-ID brights, like neon green.
Pack Your Bags
L.L. Bean travel scale and alarm
LLBean.com • $35
Anything that serves multiple purposes when you travel is a must. This digital scale will let you know if you’re over the airline’s weight limit, so you’ll avoid unpleasant surprises and extra fees at check-in. It displays poundage six seconds after lifting, and registers bag weight up to 88 pounds. Need a wake-up call? It also serves as a travel clock with both an alarm and a snooze option. What makes this item a triple threat is the built-in flashlight. It weighs just under nine ounces, and batteries are included.
Pack Your Bags
AViiQ slim travel adapter
AViiQ.com • $20
If you’re planning a trip across the pond, you won’t want to leave home with one of those bulky, space hogging adapters. AViiQ’s travel adapter is designed to fold flat when not in use, for easy packing. When you’re ready to charge or power up your devices, just flip the ends to release the prongs. It measures roughly 3.5 by 2 by .5 inches and has a 250-volt electrical rating. Everything you pack should be this compact and practical.
Pack Your Bags
VinniBag wine travel bag
VinniBag.com • $28
No matter how much newspaper you’ve used for padding, or how well you think you’ve nestled that bottle of bourbon between your dirty socks, accidents happen. But clumsy bag-handlers and pothole-riddled roads have nothing on this specially designed carrier. It inflates to cushion your hooch or other breakables against impact, and seals to prevent leaks during transit. Best of all, it’s TSA-friendly and reusable.
Pack Your Bags
Clever Travel Companion underwear
CleverTravelCompanion.com
Boxers: $30; T-shirts: $40 Would you hand over your cash and credit cards to a perfect stranger? Probably not. Keep your valuables safe with 100 percent pick pocket proof underwear. Briefs and boxers have two zippered pockets, are made of rayon and spandex, and come in sizes extra small to extra large. Choose black, navy, or dark gray. Cotton T-shirts have a single front pocket, are sized from small to extra large, and come in white or gray. Keep your friends close, and your valuables closer.
Pack Your Bags
Max Mirani MOVE Mobile Closet
MaxMirani.com • $450
If you hate unpacking and repacking for short overnight trips, this bag’s for you. Polycarbonate material makes the carry-on lightweight and durable, and four swivel wheels and a telescoping handle provide easy maneuvering through narrow aisles and crowded airports. Inside, suits fit flat behind the zip-out lining. The lining itself acts as your organizer and wardrobe, with cantilevered shelves for clothing, pockets for toiletries, and removable sections for shoes and laundry. Unpacking can’t get any easier.
Pack Your Bags
Eagle Creek Flashpoint luggage
EagleCreek.com • Conor backpack: $160; ORV Trunk 22 rolling duffle: $325
Let it rain, let it pour—you’ve got luggage that can take it. Durable Bi-Tech material and zippers make these travel pieces tough and weather resistant. The backpack, measuring 14 by 19.5 by 9.5 inches, has a check point friendly butter fly opening that can accommodate a 17-inch laptop, and secure interior pockets with two-way lockable zippers for small electronic devices. The shoulder straps are ergonomically contoured, and the rear slip panel is perfect for stacking the backpack on the Flashpoint ORV Trunk 22’s telescopic handle. This rolling duffle measures 14 by 22 by 9 inches, has an oversize front panel, and additional carry handles on the end, side, and center. Both pieces have reflective accents for visibility, and are backed by Eagle Creek’s “No Matter What” warranty. You just can’t beat that.

Hysteria

Hysteria
Hysteria
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Rupert Everett, Jonathan Pryce

No matter what their malady—major or minor—Victorian-era women frequently received a medical diagnosis of “hysterical” (usually followed by a curt wave out the door). We’re not betting that you’ll find this period comedy even close to that, but it does concern a real-life breakthrough of no small interest: the invention of the vibrator. Everett and Dancy perfect their device, designed to treat the aforementioned diagnosis, behind discreet curtains while patients Felicity Jones and Gyllenhaal enjoy the cure. But don’t go in expecting hard-core action—unless you’re a time traveler from the Victorian era.

Spyware

Seven sexy gadgets that provide a secret service.
By Crispin Boyer

Spyware
Omni 27
HP • $1,200
The Windows-based alternative to Apple’s 27-inch iMac, HP’s Omni 27, is a multimedia PC disguised as a 27-inch HDTV. The baseline model comes with respectable specifications, including the latest Core i5 processor, eight gigabytes of RAM, a DVD/Blu-ray combo drive, and a massive one-terabyte hard drive for media storage. Although it’s powerful enough for productivity and light gaming, it’s really designed as an all-in-one entertainment center for small apartments, dens, or dorms. The 27-inch edge-to-edge display, despite being a smidge less sharp than Apple’s iMac, is more than adequate for streaming flicks or plugging in your Xbox 360.
Spyware
PenCam 4GB
Swann • $50
You could concoct all sorts of legit-sounding excuses to own a video-camera pen (record the boss’s Power-Point presentations, snap photos of your receipts for accurate expense reports). Whatever your real reason for office surveillance, the PenCam will do the job with out raising suspicions. The camera surreptitiously captures 640 by 480 AVI video and photos at 1,280 by 1,024 resolution. The four gigabytes of internal memory hold two hours of video and 18,000 photos, which you transfer to your computer via USB. Just be careful what you upload to YouTube—unless you want to explain yourself to HR.
Spyware
USB cuff links
Ravi Ratan • $250
James Bond might have a car that turns into a submarine and a watch that deflects bullets, but so far he’s been shit out of luck when it comes to ferrying gigabytes of data or shar ing Wi-Fi between gad gets. That’s where this practical gizmo for the black-tie IT guy comes in. The polished-silver set offers a double whammy of data-sharing, with one serving as a two-gigabyte USB drive and the other interfacing with your Windows laptop to create a Wi-Fi hot spot. This high-tech executive bling is avail able from CuffLinks.com, which also offers USB-only versions in a variety of finishes.
Spyware
Coolpix P510
Nikon • $430
This is essential equipment for outdoor surveillance missions, aka ogling babes at the beach. Its wide-angle lens is capable of an astounding 42x optical zoom, while image-stabilization technology locks down every intimate detail on faraway subjects. Lightning-quick autofocus lets you get fast on the trigger, snapping up to five full-resolution shots per second. The P510’s 16.1-megapixel CMOS sensor allows for detailed pics in any lighting condition, and the same goes for recording 1080p movies (complete with stereo sound). A host of automatic features helps newbies make the most of this serious shooter.
Spyware
Freedom Bluetooth wireless headphones
JayBird • $99
Jogging while wearing traditional earbuds is doable but difficult: The wires snag on clothing and slap at your chest, while all that salty sweat eats away at audio components. These sweat-proof headphones are designed specifically for music-motivated fitness freaks. They sync to your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth. Multiple earbuds and adjustable cushions ensure a snug fit, keeping the earphones locked to your noggin during mad dashes or bumpy bike rides. The right earpiece has a built-in mike—plus volume and playback controls—so you won’t need to fumble for your device to change tracks or take calls.
Spyware
Sportiiiis heads-up display
4iiii • $199
If you can look past its cheesy name (pronounced “sport eyes”), this is actually a handy training tool that just might save cyclists from becoming roadkill. Using a universal mount, the device connects to a pair of sunglasses and links wirelessly to any ANT+ sensors for monitoring heart rate, bike speed, etc. (Eyewear and sensors are sold separately.) A series of lights projected beneath your right eye—along with optional audio cues—help you stay in your target training zone without taking your eyes off the road. You can even program custom training routines with the included smartphone app and PC/Mac software.
Spyware
Smuggler golfbag beer cooler
Bracketron • $25
Despite Rodney Danger field’s beer on-tap example in Caddy shack more than 30 years ago, country clubs still haven’t wised up to the fact that golf is better with a PBR. Fairway lushes will have to rely on the Smuggler, a soft-sided beverage cooler that tucks into a golf bag without leaving telltale beer-can bumps. It’s equipped with a reusable freezable gel pack, and will keep a six-pack of your favorite suds frosty from tee to sweltering tee on hot afternoons. Of course, the Smuggler also chills nonalcoholic canned beverages if you’re not the type to break the rules—or throw off your handicap with beer goggles.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
UBISOFT (XBOX 360, PS3, PC)

If the nonstop firefights of Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 have left you with post-traumatic stress disorder, consider this latest Tom Clancy–stamped shooter a sort of smart-weapon therapy. The war zones here—scattered from South America to the Middle East—are no less treacherous, but victory depends on more than having the reflexes of a 12-year-old smart-ass assassin. You’ll need to master strategic leadership of your four-man squad and careful use of tomorrow’s weapons.

Future Soldier’s developers recruited the help of Navy SEALs to arm the game with gadgets fit for duty in the next few years. Your arsenal includes remote-control surveillance drones, targeting grenades that mark enemies on your map, and optical camouflage that cloaks your body armor in a see-through shimmer (like the dreadlocked alien from the movie Predator). Commanding your three squad mates is a simple matter of pointing and clicking. (Real-life players assume their roles in cooperative multiplayer missions.) You can order them to scout ahead, concentrate their shots on a single enemy, or target multiple enemies for one synchronized surgical strike when you pull the trigger. Real-time satellite surveillance provides the lay of the land before you dash into the next area.

Most firefights here are fought from behind cover. You lead your guys from obstacle to obstacle, automatically crouching behind cars and flattening against buildings at the touch of a button. Of course, you can just ignore
all these tactical advantages and send in your squad with guns set to full-auto, but that seems like an oldfashioned
way to play a game called Future Soldier.

The Dictator

The Dictator
The Dictator
Sacha Baron Cohen, Megan Fox, Anna Faris

Has Baron Cohen’s shtick jumped the shark? His latest “outrageous” character looks, at first glance, like his weakest: a decades-in-power Arab despot with a skanky beard who rules with an iron fist. This minor-league Hussein comes to America, parades down Fifth Avenue, and antagonizes New Yorkers—expect many terrorism jokes, possibly of the boundary-pushing variety. We have doubts about the comic potential here, but very few misgivings about the supporting cast: The sultry Fox plays a high-priced hooker, and the underrated Faris has a sizable role, too. Crucially, Baron Cohen isn’t duping unwitting civilians into fake interviews this time out. Can he make a scripted story fly?

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