Brian G.Morrissey
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Gift Guide: Ambient Devices Baseball ScoreCaster
Baseball enthusiasts know the frustration of searching high and low to get the update on scores of their favorite teams. That's all changed with the Ambient Baseball ScoreCaster. Operating on the free InfoCast Wireless Network, the ScoreCaster needs no TV or Internet connection to give instant information on any team, like inning by inning updates, standings (wins, losses, trends) and even schedules for 5 games out. With a game in progress, the ScoreCaster's knob flashes green or red to instantly tell when a team is winning or losing. Final stats are available throughout the entire off- season and the action starts again with spring training. Following any team, any time, ScoreCaster tells all and stops the fan from having to ask, once again, "anyone here following the game?"
Gift Guide: HYmini Solar-Powered Charger
HYmini Green Charger (Earth Lover, Under $100)
Eco-conscious people, however dedicated to their ideals, enjoy the same fruits of modern technology -- smartphones, MP3 players, and digital cameras -- as the rest of us. One company has created a sustainable way to charge those gadgets using multiple renewable energy sources including wind, the sun, and even a handcrank. The HYMini Green Charger's internal 1200 mAh lithium ion battery can also be charged via wall outlet by connecting it via USB to a computer -- two not-so-green, yet effective, alternatives. It takes four hours in a wall to fully charge, but just 20 minutes in a 9mph wind is enough to take 20 digital pictures or power your iPhone for half an hour. Up to four mini solar panels can be added to catch the sun, and the pocket-sized turbine can be attached to a bicycle (or skateboard, car, etc.) to collect additional wind upwards of 40 mph. With HYmini, increased velocity equals increased power, allowing users to get outdoors and "recharge their batteries" in more ways than one.
Gift Guide: Booq Python Blur Bag
Booq Python Blur Backpack (Creative, Under $250)
Anyone attempting to travel with loads of multimedia equipment may be wondering if they don't also need a sherpa. Not with the Booq Python Blur Backpack. Polished and sleek enough to belie its function, the Python Blur is a full-featured audiovisual backpack with space for a laptop, camera, books and other accessories. Featuring a cutting edge interior layout, the Blur can be transformed in size and configuration to match individual storage needs. The camera compartment provides a scratch-free space to store a digital SLR (quickly accessed from the top), 2-3 lenses, and several filters, though it can easily be removed for other uses. Up to a 15.5-inch laptop (or 17-inch MacBook Pro) fits in the main pocket, while the side pockets can hold hard drives, batteries, filters, and binoculars. Use the front pocket for smaller items like business cards and cell phones. Airmesh back padding serves as a shock absorber and allows heat to escape, while a water-repellant, ballistic nylon exterior keeps gear safe and dry. It's not likely a sherpa can do all that.
Gift Guide: MSR Reactor Outdoor Stove
MSR Reactor Outdoor Stove (Earth Lover, Under $250)
Cooking outside can be challenging, no matter how seasoned the outdoorsman. The MSR Reactor stove will get it done, and will do it quickly. Burning a mixture of isobutane and propane, the windproof, hyper-efficient Reactor uses less than half the fuel of an average gas stove. The 1.7 liter pot is spacious enough to prepare high tea for three. Even with all tha troom, the unit weighs less than 19-ounces, making it much lighter than firewood. Most impressive, though, is the speed: a liter of water boils in just three minutes -- that's faster than fire, even, and less likely to conk out when it's cold, windy and wet.
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