Travel – Page 3 – LIVEdigitally

SeV Performance T-Shirt by Scottevest

Posted on June 29, 2006 by Guest Contributor

About a week ago I received the newly designed SeV Performance T-Shirt by Scottevest Incorporated. The shirt is part of their “Technology Enabled Clothing (TEC)” line. This t-shirt is for the avid technologist who is constantly on the go.

Fitting into the shirt and installing your portable devices is a bit tricky. Once I put the shirt on, it did not make it clear where exactly the wires and devices fit. It took more than a few minutes to “figure out” how exactly the devices fit.

When I first tried out the shirt, I could tell that it was light weight, but with an iPod and digital camera it made the shirt feel incredibly off-centered. When using the shirt on a hot day, the fabric did not “soak up” the sun; the shirt did not get that hot. After the first use, this shirt is not designed for the average iPodder.

The shirt is designed out of 100% Polyester 3M Quick Dry fabric – the same materials that athletic clothing is made out of. This type of Polyester is designed to repel moisture from your body, which in turn means the shirt dries faster and the user is not left with a “soaked” shirt after a good workout.

The shirt comes equipped with a patented Weight Management System; in essence, the shirt has extra fabric in the shoulders in which it evenly distributes the weight.

The shirt comes equipped with the patented “Personal Area Network” in which wires are run in the lining of the jacket. All of the pockets have a little hole in the pocket, in which it allows you to connect all of your devices. For example, if you wanted to connect your phone to your Pocket PC you could do this without having any wires showing. The shirt also has a hidden compartment to store a pair of ipod sized earbuds.

After having used the shirt off and on for a little over a week, it has proven to be a great shirt for the outdoor businessman. Having tested the shirt with a Motorola RAZR, Video iPod, and Digital Camera, the shirt held up to all of its claims. The Personal Area Network was very difficult to set up, and was not that much of a help.

Pro’s

Light weight
Comfortable fit
Cost efficient
Attractive Design

Cons

Difficult to install devices
A bit heavy when installing more than an iPod and phone
Lack of documentation or step by step set up guide.

I would recommend this product to those who are constantly on the go and care about having people see your “cords” or “earbuds.” For $34.99 (Plus Tax and S&H), it is a nice luxury, but certainly not a shirt you could wear everyday.

For more information and to purchase the product directly from the manufacturer, please visit Scottevest Online Store. The shirt comes in sizes Medium thru XX Large and is available in both short or long sleeve designs.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is a diagram of the various components of the shirt.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is an “inside out” view of the shirt.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is the shirt as it will first appear once you open the packaging.

For a video demonstration of the Personal Area Network feature see Personal Area Network (PAN)*

… and for the Weight Management System feature see Weight Management System Demo*

* Windows Media Player Required

An hour in Akihabara

Posted on June 10, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Akihabara is Tokyo’s “electronics town”. Prior to about 2001 or so it was about the coolest place in the world to go look at gadgets, as it was often the only place to find really interesting stuff. With today’s globalization, it’s definitely lost some of its allure, but is still a must-see spot in Tokyo. Heck, even my wife got a kick out of it! Here’s a fun assortment of photos I took in my extremely rapid stop at Akihabara last week…

In-store demos actually show the insides of these machines and how they work. Of course you can only wash one sock at a time.

Here I am at the Akihabara subway station

Remember Taito? Anyone? Cool 80s video games… Well, they seem to be alive and well in Akihabara!

More English here than anywhere I saw in Japan!

How can Sega even afford the lease anymore?
(also if you look in the background of the picture you’ll see a reflection of Ishimaru – I like the effect here)

Ishimaru is a “middle tier” store in Akihabara

These Panasonic headphones have replaceable ear buds and retractable cables – nice.

Despite the popularity of the iPod, Akihabara stores are full of tiny shiny mp3 players to choose from. After which, everyone inevitably picks the iPod…

One of the better in-store demos I’ve seen, both displays had the same DVD playing, with the obvious quality difference of the HD player. And with titles like “The Brothers Grimm” I’m sure people were rushing out to buy the players!

AirEdge is a company offering various 3G connectivity options

When the Japanese do mobile TV, they do it widescreen – check out these Aquos branded phones from Vodafone

I don’t think it’s perfectly clear from this picture, but this thing is bigger than the PPC6700. From AirEdge/Willcom, this is one big honking Windows Mobile PPC phone!

When the Japanese do mobile TV, they do it widescreen – check out these Aquos branded phones from Vodafone

Laox is the 2nd biggest store in Akihabara, behind Yodabashi. It has a bit of a K-Mart feel, but is a good stop.

I know it was big in Europe (it is huge in Belgium), and maybe Japan too, but at the end of the day, MD was lame, and good riddance. But, Laox still has a shelf full of the things…

While not commonly known, it’s actually illegal in Japan to run a store with no Hello Kitty products. This doll/gadget has built-in speakers (in the feet) and … uh.. hmm..

This portable media player is nicely sized, and plays all the ‘popular’ video formats, like xvid.

Oh, so shiny!

I think this one is pretty cool. Not sure if I’d pay $700ish for it, but it’s a cool idea.

Inside Laox Bose has their own store where they show their tiny speakers that sound awful or their really really big headphones that sound good but weigh 14 pounds

Panasonic brings you full 1080p vacuuming with their new HD unit

Love the concept, love the sign.

I really like the idea of video games that have exercise themes (note: I like the idea, but I don’t want one), Xavix has a full working in-store demo

Get your bronco workout in the convenience of your home… ?

I think this is where Tom and Katie picked theirs up

Shows you which floor on Laox to find your rodeo machine

Right across from Laox is a store with all sorts of wires and cables, they’ll even make your own custom cable there!

Another view of the buildings in Akihabara

A recent addition to Akihabara is this giant-sized Yodabashi store

Aww, so cuuuute

Someone’s still trying to push keyboards in the living room… ugh.

Seems similar to the new EVDO units we have in the US

I guess a lot of people are buying these things here…

If you haven’t found a way to thoroughly embarrass and spoil your pet yet, well, here’s the answer. Print your own design then clothe your lap-dog with this kit!

Yep, all mice.

I hadn’t heard of marimekko before, but I thought these were a little distinctive…

My wife thought this Disney-themed mouse was the ‘pick of the litter’ (so-to-speak)

Fans, lights, vacuums, cup warmers – if you have USB, you can do just about anything now!

Yodabashi sells generic power supplies for virtually any laptop

Lots of routers and ADSL modems on display in Yodabashi

Yep, we’ve seen em before, but the display was nice. I especially like the touch of putting them under glass

This kids camera allows you to take pictures and instantly print them on customized little papers, some with different designs too.

Need a telescope? Binocular? Yodabashi’s got it!

Last I checked the local Best Buy has about 3 different varieties… Yodabashi has… more.

I like Canon cameras. That’s it.

8-in-1? got it. 11-in-1? got it. 13-in-1? got it.

Just follow the simple chart and display

Not sure why, but I’ve enjoyed taking escalator pictures recently.

This is the best way to train your children how to use a remote control, a skill they will need much later in life.

They sure do look nice

When you get to Yodabashi, just go to the 7th floor and take the escalators down from there.

In a rare sunny moment, here I am outside of Yodabashi

Small cubes and other tiny non-competition for Apple

Sigh, couldn’t Walt have inspired more in his team?

Never heard of it, but it’s iPod-white, so it must be good.

See, it’s red! Sharp’s iPod non-knockoff

I like the form factor AND the blue, but I’m sure Panasonic has otherwise messed up this small mp3 player

Yodabashi has about 400 different MP3 players to try out. And then you go buy an iPod (you know, to stand out from everyone else)

For all those times you’ve dropped your TV in the bathtub, fret no longer, thanks to this portable Casio unit

Yodabashi has all your stereo and home theater needs

Yes, that’s right, it says Rodeo Boy. How do you get to the Alamo? Practice, practice, practice.

The Japanese sure love their toilet seats. At $900, this Passo unit even has a built-in iPod dock! (just kidding, but it IS $900!)

Yes, the title is accurate, these are demos of high-tech toilet seats in Yodabashi. I wonder if anyone else has used “toilet seat” as a Flickr tag before?

Perfect fun for all the kids. My favorite part is the screen shot of the ‘fun’ game (red circle added for effect)

This is somewhat neat, this little kit has your favorite Peanuts characters playing along with your music. Not sure what you need it for, but, hey, there’s Linus!

Another kit to play along with your music, just in case you are bored of a peaceful looking mantle.

In the Tokyo metro system, just 15 minutes away from Akihabara!

Tokyu Hands: Crafts, Gizmos, and Toys, oh my!

Posted on June 4, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Imagine taking the coolest aspects of Toys R Us, Best Buy, Target, and hmm.. Home Depot(?), throw em together, and weed out anything really mundane. Now have lots of interactive displays, spread everything out onto 7 floors (each with its own checkout line unfortunately), and turn it Japanese. Next, put the store in downtown Tokyo (right by the Shinjuku station), and you have my favorite store in all of Tokyo.

Tokyu Hands: Creative Life Store.

My friend Yuichiro (we call him Woody, don’t ask) took me here about 4 or 5 years ago, and I’ve been craving it (and Ippudo ramen) ever since. Its a very fun place, with lots of different types of appeal.

On the first floor I really liked the Let’s Play TV demonstrations, featuring 80s classic arcade hits like Xevious and Mappy (ok, so the premise and storylines weren’t as polished as today’s games, but you could pick up a controller and play the damn thing without learning the 14-button sequence to get your guy to jump!). In the US we have some retro TV-based gaming systems, but these seemed like a bit more fun, I think because they were just less polished-looking.

Also featured on the first floor was a huge section devoted to customizing your cell phone, with stickers, studs, jewels, beads, and I think even raw fish. There were also a few interesting carrying cases for iPod nanos in the mix.

Other highlights in the ‘bizarre gizmo’ section included: ifish and idog (some type of music-reactive iPod accessory), about a dozen different digital Sudoku games, and something called Cube World, which really just seemed like a collosal waste of money for the pure sake of LCD screens… ifish was my favorite piece of silliness.

On the remaining floors were other treasures, ranging from blocks of wood for your carving needs, small furniture, cooking supplies, and just about any type of gadget or gizmo related to any hobby or pastime you may have. I spent some time looking through travel gadgetry, but unfortunately didn’t find anything particularly new to waste money on.

Got a few days in Tokyo? Sure, go to Akihabara and Yodabashi, but you pretty much know what you are going to see there. Head to Tokyu Hands for a lot more fun. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get to comparison shop electronic toothbrushes?

He is the Guru of Seat

Posted on May 20, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Seat Guru logo It’s mid-May, and I’ve flown roughly 75,000 miles this year, on track to hit 100K by late June. This is a lot by my standards, more than I’ve flown in any other given year (other than once). Virtually every trip I seek out a few little tricks to make my travel a little easier. I found my favorite neckrest at SFO in the “oh crap I forgot to buy someone a gift so I’ll pick up a cool San Francisco t-shirt” store (located near the useful Zoom Shop). I learned to carry two carry-ons, my Slappa Velocity Pro backpack for my laptop, DVDs, and other electronics, and a second small bag with my books, magazines (which I’ll of course leave behind), Ambien and a couple of bottles of water. Recently, I was introduced to www.seatguru.com, and it’s changed the way I travel.

Sample map SeatGuru has seat maps for most of the airplanes (and each of their various configurations), chock full of advice on a seat-by-seat basis. A sample “map” is on the right. In a nutshell, green means good, yellow means beware, and red means don’t sit under any circumstances. Their seat maps also include lavatories, galleys, AC power ports, and even the windows. The best part is the seat-by-seat guide, which has some very practical information. Here’s an example:

Seats 23G,H are standard Business seats, but the proximity of the galley can be bothersome. It tends to get very cold in this area during flight.

The site is great, and all thanks to Matthew Daimler, a frequent flier who started the site himself a few years back. He recently launched a mobile version as well, http://mobile.seatguru.com/, which makes the last-minute seat changes at the check-in counter a little easier to do with confidence. Can’t recommend it highly enough (although he doesn’t have China Airlines yet, so if you are flying them and are sitting back with the cattle like I usually do, get the aisle exit row seats, they’re great)

Another handy site I’ve recently been turned on to is www.bodyclock.com, if you have some international travel ahead, give it a visit.

RFID Tags for your Luggage

Posted on March 7, 2005 by DigiDave

RFID Airlines spend 100-200 dollars on every bag they lose. While they only lose 5 out of every 1,000 bags, that can sure add up over a year. The New York Times had a good story today about future RFID tags for luggage (I hate linking to sites that require registration and try to avoid it normally). The technology is there and in the long term would save the airlines money and it would save passengers a lot of hair pulling. For right now, however, none of them want to make that initial investment. RFID technology is scary to some, and when the proposal is to put RFID tags on kids I can understand. But this is an application of RFID technology I think we can all get behind.

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