Category: Tech news

Product: SweeperVac

Manufacturer: Swiffer

Wired Rating: 6

The original Swiffer’s electrostatic-cloth-on-a-stick did a great job pulling up dust and small clumps of pet hair, but anything larger — crumbs, leaves, random detritus — just got pushed around until you came through with a broom or vacuum.

Thankfully, the SweeperVac has more sucking power than the collective attendees at the AVN awards. It combines a Swiffer with a cordless, rechargeable, Dustbuster-style hand vac mounted near the bottom of the pole, just ahead of the dust cloth. Don’t expect Dyson-caliber vacuum power here, but the combination works well enough to leave a kitchen or bathroom floor cleaner than any broom ever could — and with a lot less effort involved.

Keeping with Swiffer tradition, the double-jointed head corners nicely. And with a travel weight of just 3.6 pounds, the SV is light enough that you won’t tire after five minutes of, uh, sweepvac-ing. However, the hardware-fattened pole prevents the contraption from reaching more than a few inches under coffee tables, ottomans and other low-lying furniture — areas the original Sweeper could invade with ease.

What’s more, any cordless vacuum worth its salt should stand battle-ready in a charging dock. The SV stands on the floor, dockless, instead relying on an AC adapter you have to plug in and connect whenever you want to recharge. There’s a plastic loop on the SV’s handle for hanging on a hook or nail, but that’s hardly an elegant solution.

Still, Swiffer’s hybrid isn’t meant to take the place of your vacuum cleaner. It’s more of a fancy broom and dustpan, a room sprucer-upper you whip out when you remember company’s coming in five minutes. And for that, it’s nice to have around.

WIRED Quickly dusts and de-crumbifies kitchens, bathrooms and other hard-floor areas. Much easier to maneuver than an upright vac. Easy-to-empty collection bin. Slim and lightweight enough to hang behind a door or in a closet.

TIRED No charging dock. Smallish motor means weak suction power. Every time you use it, a disposable dirt pad makes its way into a landfill. Nonreplaceable battery, so when it stops holding a charge after a couple of years, you’re screwed.

Product: Helmet Cam

Manufacturer: GoPro

Wired Rating: 8

The problem with doing something epic stupid is that often it’s hard to document without destroying your camera.

For all you Jackass acolytes there’s the GoPro HD Hero, a small wearable camera with a rugged waterproof housing designed to be used in extreme (to the max!) situations. We wore it while mountain biking and swimming in San Francisco Bay, and found it comfortable, easy to use and damn near indestructible. What’s more, despite dunking it underwater, hurling it onto the concrete and dropping it from 25 feet, we couldn’t kill the little bastard.

Key to the Hero’s go-anywhere gusto is that you can afix it to almost any surface. Included are mounts suitable for flat, curved and oddly shaped surfaces (like a bike helmet). We also tried out a headstrap mount (sold separately). This is pretty much the dorkiest thing you can put on your body aside from a Boy Scout uniform, and we’re also pretty sure that it doubles as a chastity belt.

The camera’s interface is dead simple, if exceptionally bare bones, with a mere two buttons that navigate all settings, shoot and power up or down. It shoots both video and 5-megapixel stills, with five video modes ranging from WVGA to 1080p. Swapping between various modes on the fly is easy, but only after repeated button presses. Essentially, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it model. At 6 ounces, it’s more or less unnoticeable when mounted on your person — even atop your head but still simple to manipulate while hurtling down the side of a hill, even with gloves on.

As every barfly knows, being easy is no substitute for good looks. Thankfully, our 1080p footage appeared fantastic on a 39-inch HDTV. Colors are natural and vivid, while the camera’s picture quality when moving from low to bright light has the ease of an ACE cinematographer. Often, smallish helmet-mounted “action” camcorders can have a stuttered effect that looks almost like stop-motion video. Yet the Hero looked great in motion, shooting smooth, fluid video with no Fantastic Mr. Fox effect. (We did notice some artifacts and blurring at the edges when moving at high speed.) Photos also looked great, although the wide-angle fisheye effect has us taking it out of the protective case for some snaps.

If there’s a major con to the HD Hero, it’s that you never know what you actually shot until you get home. It lacks both a viewfinder and LCD screen, and we repeatedly angled it lower than intended and recorded footage of the ground below instead of horizon ahead. Even knowing if you are recording is tricky. The camcorder beeps and a light flashes when you take a photo or shoot video. But if you’re flying downhill on your mountain bike, or hurling across the water on a surfboard, those cues are useless. For on-the-go use, the camera sorely needs a constant recording indicator.

In an almost ironic positive note, the camera looks like a cheapo chunk of gray-market garbage; it’s not going to draw unwanted attention if you plan on taking it somewhere dangerous, like Somalia or San Francisco’s Tenderloin. In short, if the best camera is the one you always have with you, this may well take the title, as you’ll be prone to carry it anywhere without fear.

WIRED Ugly camera, pretty pictures. Shoots fantastic HD video at breakneck speed. Ships with enough mounts to start a very tiny Canadian police force. So small and lightweight we initially mistook it for a Sarah Palin speech. Includes both waterproof and standard housing. Exceptionally rugged — we tried to get all Jason Voorhees on its ass and the thing would not die.

TIRED No viewfinder or display for setting up or verifying shots. No shooting indicator light. Fisheye effect on photos gets old faster than leftover tuna salad.

Product: iPad 3G

Manufacturer: Apple

Wired Rating: 7

Like the iPhone before it, the iPad has the potential to change your life. No exaggeration: Once you live with one for a few weeks, you’ll find it insinuating itself into your daily routine so much that you can’t imagine living without it. (If you’re a man, get used to wearing a murse.)

With more than a million of the devices sold to date, clearly something is clicking, and not just with 99-year-olds. But the 3G iPad, which went on sale Friday, is a weird mix of boon and bust. It’s a fantastic piece of hardware that changes the way you think about mobile computing … when it can actually pull in a signal.

During my first hours with the 3G iPad in San Francisco, where AT&T’s network is notoriously overloaded by iPhone-toting hipsters, I couldn’t get a connection — not even to set up an account so AT&T could take my money. After heading to a different neighborhood, I finally got a signal. Once online, speed tests on TestMyiPhone.com averaged 735 Kbps (download speed), which is respectable, but doesn’t reflect the frequent frustration of trying to find a usable signal.

The iPad is unlocked, but it’s only compatible with Micro SIM cards. Since AT&T is currently the sole U.S. carrier using Micro SIMs, that means we’re still stuck with AT&T, and that’s a huge minus.

You’re also stuck with the App Store. With more than 185,000 apps (5,000 of which are iPad-specific) there are a lot of choices for adding capabilities to your iPad, but you are limited to what Apple approves. Whether that drives you up the wall or gives you a feeling of comfort and safety depends on your attitude and on what you’re looking for. A compact replacement for your computer? This is not the device for you. A lap-sized television with 185,000 interactive channels? You will enjoy the iPad very, very much.

When it does work, this thing is an entertainment smorgasbord. Take, for example, my Sunday afternoon of media hedonism. I toted the 3G iPad to a hookah bar, plopped down on a couch with a pal, and started flipping through iPad comics, landing planes in Flight Control and watching Futurama between puffs of fruity smoke.

Add to that an impressively immersive web-browsing experience, excellent e-mail and calendar apps, and apps for playing music and looking at your photos, and it’s clear that the iPad is doing a lot of things right. (See Wired writer Steven Levy’s first look at the iPad for more on the iPad’s hardware and basic apps.)

The 3G iPad is really part of a brand-new gadget category: devices that can bring you any kind of content, anywhere, at any time. Are you a student searching for research papers? Bam! Download a PDF and read it while you’re eating at the cafeteria. PTA meeting putting you in a coma? Boom! Download an episode of Fringe. (Just don’t forget the earbuds.) Niche areas have even more potential. Doctors could look at up-to-the-second patient info, architects might see 3-D models in the field, and the military could potentially use it to help eliminate friendly fire.

Do you need the 3G version? If you’re a commuter or hope to use the iPad in a variety of locations, it’s definitely worth the extra $130. If you’re mostly going to be using it at home or at the office, get the Wi-Fi-only version. In either case, we recommend springing for the 32-GB version, as media-rich apps gobble up storage space quicker than you’d expect.

The hardware is on the right track. Now all we need is a mobile network that can really do this device justice.

WIRED Impressive power management: Battery chugged along for more than 8 hours on a 3G connection before going kaput. iPad Maps + GPS is absolutely stellar. Unlocked, it will work with any Micro SIM card (if you can find one). Finally an excuse to wear a man purse!

TIRED Limited to AT&T’s spotty 3G network in the U.S. Typing is a chore on the on-screen keyboard. Restrictive App Store policies may limit your access to porn and political cartoons (though there’s always Safari).

Product: 3G MicroCell by Cisco

Manufacturer: AT&T

Wired Rating: 7

As Ah-nuld would say, “Stop whining!”

AT&T, long the punch line of numerous jokes about poor cell service, is offering a $150 band-aid for wireless customers to mend their shoddy 3G reception. That help comes in the form of a plastic, orange-and-white hub called the 3G MicroCell.

Manufactured by Cisco, the MicroCell creates a tiny 3G data and voice bubble in your home. It sets up in a snap: Plug it in to your existing broadband network by Ethernet, log in to your AT&T wireless account, and follow the web instructions to activate the device. You can authorize up to 10 AT&T phone numbers (3G only, not EDGE) to work with the product.

After you set it up, try to macramé yourself a set of shorts or some other time-consuming task. The MicroCell takes roughly one hour to fully come online.

So what’s the anecdotal verdict? I tested the MicroCell in my San Francisco apartment located in the notoriously reception-deficient Mission district. Prior to installing the MicroCell, I had to stand by the front window just to make a phone call and was only able to chat for a few minutes before losing the connection.

The MicroCell remedied that problem: I can now traipse around my apartment placing or receiving calls and enjoy lengthy conversations without drops. Voice quality has also improved — no longer are conversations distorted by a cruddy connection.

The MicroCell also amplifies your data connection, but consider that benefit moot, because you need to have a broadband connection to use the product. That means you’ll be doing your data-heavy tasks (web browsing, downloading phone apps and games, etc.) over Wi-Fi from your base station instead, since that’s faster anyway.

The only reason you’d want an amplified 3G connection is if, say, you send a ton of MMS messages, because AT&T won’t let you do that over Wi-Fi. And even then, I can tell you the time it takes to send an MMS with the help of a MicroCell is hardly impressive. It still takes roughly 45 seconds for me to send an MMS of a photo snapped with my iPhone 3GS. (I would give you a comparison number with the MicroCell turned off, but I can’t, because I can’t send an MMS at all when the device is not turned on in my home.)

If you skew towards the loquacious end of the spectrum, there’s the option of paying a companion rate of $20 a month for unlimited phone calls, which gives you $100 off the MicroCell. This arrangement also enables folk on your family plan to make unlimited calls without sucking minutes from your monthly wireless voice pool.

With all that said, the part that will bug people the most is the price tag: AT&T service should work in your home without a $150 accessory, right? Fortunately this is a one-time price — no contract is required to use the MicroCell.

Money issues aside, let’s face it: Having a reliable cell phone connection is a big deal. Dropping calls or flat-out missing them can really make life suck. If you can’t stand waiting for AT&T to improve its 3G service, or for Verizon to deliver an iPhone, then it’s worth paying the price for the MicroCell.

That, or you could try giving hell to a customer-service rep until AT&T sends you one for free.

WIRED Urge to kill AT&T fading: Major signal boost in cell dead spots. Simple “set it and forget it” setup. Does not require contract commitment. No monthly fees. Design is so not garish.

TIRED Urge to kill AT&T rising: Costs about the same as an iPhone. Compatible only with 3G phones provided by AT&T (EDGE customers have issues too, y’know). Seriously, AT&T should offer this gratis.

Product: EPH-50 Headphones

Manufacturer: Yamaha

Wired Rating: 7

For avid earbud users (and abusers) the entire concept of “noise-canceling” is a feature that just never seems to work correctly.

No matter how snug the bud, there’s just no way to eliminate the clamor of the outside world (especially for those of us who work in places as rowdy as Wired). Yamaha’s EPH-50 headphones may not change any minds about this, but their slick — albeit slightly goofy — design offers hope.

The EPH-50s are fairly standard in-ear headphones, but the guts, unlike many spherical or barrel-shaped designs, are spread out flat, like a saucer, so they mostly cover the concha (the inner bowl that leads into the external auditory meatus).

The disc shape provides a suction-tight seal but also just a bit of the over-the-ear cupping action found in full headphones. So if you’re in the office or on the street, outside noise is minimal. It’s not totally noise-canceling, but it does keep most of the racket out.

How do they sound? Pretty good, actually. We tossed Motown, Dave Brubeck, Jay-Z and even a few Glee covers (don’t judge!), and the EPH-50s delivered solid sonic quality.

Then we hit them with the big guns: a mixtape of “I Want You” by Theophilus London. London can work enough styles — soul, hip-hop, Calypso, electro, a smattering of rock — into one track to test nearly every range in one madcap three-minute outburst. The EPH-50s passed this test, just not with flying colors.

Admittedly, these are not the best buds we’ve ever heard, but the dynamic drivers pack decent bang for their 100 bucks; deep bass, clear vocals and some competent separation. The highs were a little airy but not unbearable.

What is unbearable, however, is after a few hours the disc design puts some decent strain on the inner ear.

They’re not perfect, but for a compact design that delivers big-can sound, the EPH-50 buds deliver. Just be careful not to wear them for too long.

WIRED Solid sound reproduction. Nifty design blocks outside noise while keeping the headphones small. “Smart” cable holder makes the cord easy to wrap. Relatively cheap given performance.

TIRED Lightweight cable feels flimsy. Tinny highs. Can hurt the ears after long periods of use.

Product: AccuCell AL9000

Manufacturer: AlcoMate

Wired Rating: 9

AlcoMate makes a range of portable breathalyzers, most of which cost less than the AL9000. Skip those. In our tests, not even the next-best AL7000 could match the wicked consistency of the 9000. Granted, it reads about 0.01 higher than the police units — but it’s always 0.01 higher. Thank the fuel-cell sensor — the same tech used in police models — which turns your boozy breath into electrical current that can be precisely measured. We’re guessing that AlcoMate calibrates the device a tad high to keep users on the sober side of legal — probably a good idea when your customers are the kind of people who buy personal breathalyzers.

WIRED Most reliable of the bunch. Audible click tells you when to stop blowing. Small and light. Quick startup. Optional USB kit ($50) lets you download readings to your PC to plot drunkenness over time.

TIRED Expensive.

Product: Mercury Guitar Amp

Manufacturer: Carr

Wired Rating: 9

Do you play guitar at home? If you do, we’ll bet a dollar the neighbors have hollered at you to “quiet down with that racket.” Or maybe they just called the cops. We don’t know.

What we do know is there’s a solution that keeps both parties appeased: the Mercury. This stunning vintage-styled single-channel combo amp allows you to rock out without bothering people downstairs.

First, let us drop a little knowledge on you: Guitar amplifiers generally sound best with the volume cranked up, but this of course, is a great way to violate noise ordinances. What the Mercury does differently is allow you dial down the volume but still get tone that sounds like the amp is jacked to 11.

The Mercury accomplishes this with a 4-position power switch. Turn the output switch from 8 watts down to 2, 1/2 or even a 1/10th of a watt, then crank the volume up and the Mercury’s 12-inch Eminence Red White & Blues speaker will hang onto the optimized tone of an amplifier at high volume. When we blasted its behemoth overdrive at 8 watts, then powered down to 1/10th of a watt, the amp produced tones that sounded nearly identical.

In the belly of this little beastie is an Electro-Harmonix EL-34 tube that packs a surprisingly beefy punch at full power. The 3-position boost switch increases gain, unleashing a range of growling, vintage overdrive tones thick enough to rattle your ribcage. Its spring reverb unit adds lush, deep reverberation to the clean tones of my Les Paul Classic so spacious I nearly nodded off mid-strum.

While the power switch makes the Mercury versatile enough for solitary shredding, band practice and recording, using it at any major gig is a bit of a stretch. And at $2,290 (plus an extra $150 for the cream/gator finish our demo came with), this boutique rig makes sense for only serious aficionados. Hey, it’s definitely cheaper than hiring a lawyer after you’ve been charged with disturbing the peace.

WIRED An amp that delivers tone you want to hear at a volume that won’t wake the neighbors. Beautiful, beautiful vintage design. Tones are thick, full enough to shake your martini. Hand-wired with impeccable build quality.

TIRED That hand-wiring and impeccable build are costly. Line out, reverb send and receive jacks are difficult to access.

Product: MotoNav TN765t GPS Unit

Manufacturer: Motorola

Wired Rating: 6

What!? Someone still makes standalone GPS devices?

You better believe Motorola does. And there’s a reason for that. Say you’re travelling overseas in a very rough, very foreign place. Are you going to trust a roaming iPhone to know which way to the embassy and which way toward a “disputed zone” where the unit of currency is human organs? No. You’re going to want a dedicated device like the MotoNav TN765t to show you the way.

The main appeal is the 765t’s screen. Motorola went large (and bright, and colorful) with a 5.1-inch LCD with lots of real estate. Nestled on the backside are six customizable soft keys and a connection for a vehicle dash mount. This slick design and cinematic 358 x 854 layout makes the 765t one of the best looking units we’ve used this year.

Actual navigation is a little scattered. A cold boot with relatively clear sky took just over a minute, but on-the-fly route updates while zig-zagging through Bay Area cityscapes proved slow. Navigating the device itself was an entirely different matter. Motorola was smart and went with a spartan, user-friendly interface that minimizes the need for traditional menus. For tasks like entering destination addresses or using the integrated trip planner, a series of animated panels slide into view for data entry. This task-driven “map as menu” approach rocked, and extra touches like 3-D landmarks, local search and lane guidance added polish.

Motorola took a slightly unorthodox approach to implementing the 765t’s extras. Instead of including a cellular radio for updating its live services, the device is largely dependent on a Bluetooth data connection with your phone. Staples like traffic updates are handled by an integrated FM-radio in the dash cradle, but rich metrics like fuel prices, weather forecasts and voice-powered search all require a data connection and subscription service.

This is ultimately the issue with the 765t. As far as presentation and ease of use go, it handily beats the average smartphone and even many GPS units. However, its reliance on a smartphone data connection is the four steps back as opposed to the interface’s two steps forward.

WIRED Aesthetically pleasing hardware and software. Both loud and clear while operating as a Bluetooth speakerphone. Responsive voice recognition ensures your hands stay at 10 and 2. Reasonably priced (the hardware at least). Supports importing contacts using Bluetooth.

TIRED Hardly the fastest GPS unit on the block. Only lasts about two hours with continuous use. Includes maps for the United States and Canada only — new maps cost $20 apiece.

Product: Droid Incredible Smartphone

Manufacturer: HTC

Wired Rating: 9

The highly anticipated HTC Incredible was well worth the wait. This miniature powerhouse not only looks prettier than a stack of Monets, but also smokes most smartphones when it comes to performance.

Weighing in at 4.6 ounces and spanning a mere 2.3 x 4.6 inches and .47-inches thick, the diminutive device feels sleek and almost toy-like in hand. The black body, festooned with stylish red flourishes, makes it hard to slap on a protective case. The sleek look is enhanced by the buttons, which are flush with the surface of the 3.7-inch, 480 x 800-pixel OLED touchscreen (except the optical joystick).

With a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, the Incredible is so speedy, it makes the Flash look like a morbidly obese couch-jockey. An iPhone took about 16 seconds to fully load Wired.com; the speedy Incredible browser took a mere five seconds. And speaking of which, the Incredible supports the Flash Lite 4.0, so you won’t see any of those annoying blue Lego icons that pop up when browsing on the iPhone.

While the Incredible took about 37 seconds to boot up (compared with iPhone’s 22), it was much speedier during use. Scrolling through menus, activating apps and the like all took much less time.

The Incredible runs Android 2.1, the latest version of Google’s mobile OS. It also has seven screens that you can customize to your liking with pre-installed or downloadable widgets and programs. Designated buttons for Menu, Homescreen, Back and Search make navigation easy.

The optical joystick — a touch-sensitive button that allows you to scroll and select items — is a bit tricky at first but we found ourselves warming up to it after a few days.

Compared with other touchscreen phones, the display was very responsive to our swipes. And the shiny screen didn’t accumulate finger sludge nearly as fast as an iPhone. Performance outdoors is poor however: The Incredible’s screen gets washed out to the point where it’s not readable in direct sunlight.

The 8-megapixel camera with LED flash performs so well, we abandoned our trusty Canon point-and-shoot in favor of the Incredible’s photo and video-capturing skills. Colors are vivid and there’s surprisingly little noise. When you’re done playing Jimmy Olsen, you can upload your images via Bluetooth to your computer, or to Facebook, Flickr, Peep or Picasa, and share them with anyone willing to look.

We were able to stream radio shows and watch videos with ease. A minor gripe: YouTube clips don’t play fullscreen. Pleasingly, the battery lasted for two days of moderate use; if you’re a phone-attached-to-the-ear type person, you’ll definitely need a daily charge.

The phone’s name might be a tad pretentious but we’ll be damned if it doesn’t live up to it. If you’re a Verizon customer looking to upgrade to Android, this is one of the finest phones available on that network we’ve yet seen.

WIRED Tiny, yet mighty. Faster than a locomotive with the help of 8-GB flash memory, 512 MB of RAM and Snapdragon processor. Gorgeous color display. We’re blown away by the phone’s smudge-resisting skills.

TIRED Camera lens isn’t flush to the back of the phone; it could easily be scratched by a set of keys. Sunlight is this phone’s kryptonite.

Product: RioLED-V Pocket Projector

Manufacturer: Favi

Wired Rating: 4

Since their introduction a few years ago, pico projectors have improved considerably in both picture quality and brightness. But for the multitasking RioLED-V, it seems that this machine is firmly stuck in 2007 timewarp.

The main problem with this portable projector is that it spreads itsellf too thin. Instead of focusing on brilliant images, Favi tosses in a Wi-Fi, a Linux OS and a couple of apps making this device feel more like a half-assed notebook.

Actually half-assed is too kind. The RioLED-V feels more like an incomplete monkey-human hybrid that a mad scientist abandoned so he could get a taco salad.

The device emits a mere 10 lumens, rendering images gauzy in rooms with even a small amount of natural light. That’s not so bad if you only watch movies after dusk — or are a vampire — but who wants to draw the blinds closed just to read e-mail? (It might be good for watching porn, but we didn’t test that. Swear!)

There’s also a handful of preloaded apps — a bare bones YouTube portal, a photo viewer, internet radio and a weather widget — but no web browser. What. The. Eff? The side-scrollable menu screen is easy to navigate, though the wee wireless keyboard and remote control require a direct line of sight with a tiny infrared sensor located on the back of the chassis. Wander a few inches to the right and the peripherals play dead.

The RioLED-V supports a slew of file formats, including AVI, H.264, Divx and Xvid, but doesn’t offer many ways to access them. In addition to a slot for SD/MMC cards on the rear panel, there’s a USB port reserved exclusively for thumb drives (no external hard drives, iPhones and other media players permitted).

Headscratchingly, the dual 3.5mm A/V jacks are both outputs, one for routing media to a TV or secondary projector and the other for hooking into a speaker. During tests on an early production model, we discovered a near fatal flaw: When either outie is populated, the internal projection engine shuts off. (Note: Favi tech support says a solution is on the way.)

In attempting to be multiple devices at once, the RioLED-V lost sight of what it was meant to be: a portable projector. We’re hopeful that the folks at Favi will correct some of the flaws in this portable, namely the projection performance. But as of right now we just can’t recommend it.

WIRED Auto-connect for Wi-Fi saves a few seconds of hassle on startup. Tripod is solid and sturdy. Files load with little lag.

TIRED No web browser is baffling. How can it be a netbook without ‘net access? No AV in = zero support for external hard drives and other media players.

Product: MM-1

Manufacturer: Bowers & Wilkins

Wired Rating: 8

If you crave luxury and fine-tuning, you might have once thought that desktop speakers weren’t for you. Those fancy, overpriced floor speakers teetered at the top of your must-have list (and budget) for years. Well, now the overlords of audio at B&W have finally brought their signature combination of sonic virtuosity and aesthetic awesomeness to the home office. These sleek speaks smell like a pair of new sneaks and elevate your workspace to the very definition of nerd chic. Fully wrapped in cloth and banded with a polished silver stripe, the MM-1s are beautiful from every angle. Plus, their compact size won’t have you reorganizing your desktop in search of extra space.

More than just trophy speakers, the MM-1s produce deep, rich tones and killer bass. The depth of sound excels across genres and mediums, which makes these a welcome addition to any home office. While these units are much slimmer than M-Audio’s AV 40s, the sound couldn’t quite reach their level. And the $300 price difference makes it hard to favor look over function.

WIRED Terrific sound across the entire spectrum. Included remote lets you control volume and jump between tracks (iTunes and Windows Media Player only). Inputs concealed beneath speakers (peekaboo!). Coffee-mug-sized footprint.

TIRED Sound isn’t quite as bold as M-Audio’s AV 40s’ — a bit muffled at higher volumes. Not cheap.

Product: Command TSA-Compliant Laptop Bag

Manufacturer: Timbuk2

Wired Rating: 7

Timbuk2 has long been the bag of choice for the bike messenger. But what happens when designers adapt that street-ready platform for the jet-set form?

You get the Command, Timbuk2’s carryall that conforms to the Transportation Security Administration’s new carry-on baggage rules. Built from heavy nylon, the sack is only a half step away from the spartan messenger bags you probably toted in college. And, just like those outdoorsy tanks, the Command remains both strong and water-resistant. Underneath the front flap hides an ecosystem of organization with color-coded pouches for change, keys, gadgets and pretty much anything short of a six-pack. Rounding out the convenience is a roomy main pocket, outfitted with a couple of smaller pouches and a detachable organizational hub for storing additional gadgets, pens and even water bottles.

The backside hides a dedicated laptop pocket with its own sleeve. Unfortunately, the studded interior of this sleeve is more middling than muscular. With no real cushion on the bag’s backside, the bubbly foam padding is intended to offer support from everyday shunts and bumps. However, the studs themselves are surprisingly thin and appear to be full of air. This doesn’t necessarily make the feature pointless (it’s better than nothing), but it’s clearly a half-assed whack at sturdiness.

What’s well-executed is the Command’s TSA-compliant conversion. All it takes is a single zipper and the bag splits in half, ready to lay flat on an airport X-ray machine. The resulting look is inelegant — almost as if the bag committed seppuku and collapsed prostrate — but the precious minutes saved by not having to remove the laptop is totally worth it. With one more zip we had everything reassembled and ready to move.

Make no mistake: Tthis bag is still much more at home on a hipster zipping around on a fixie than at the airport. But if urban laptop-schlepping is your wish, this is most definitely your Command.

WIRED Customizable as a set of Legos. Ballistic nylon wipes down easy. Metal buckles ensure sturdy connections. Side entry pocket lets you quickly sift through the bag without messing the main flap. Wheelie-suitcase compatible.

TIRED Light on laptop protection. Loses shape when it isn’t fully loaded. Still makes you look like a ’90s San Francisco bike messenger. Shoulder strap needs regular adjustment.

Product: Studiophile AV 40

Manufacturer: M-Audio

Wired Rating: 9

You’re doing all of that music on your PC a disservice by attempting
to filter sound through those coin-sized built-in fakers. A proper set
of speakers won’t set you back a month’s rent and will have you rocking
until the cops show up. If desktop real estate is no object, you can’t
do better than M-Audio’s Studiophile AV 40s.

Think monster floor speakers trapped inside tabletop bodies. These
units aren’t as compact as standard desk audio counterparts, but what
they take up in size, they make up for with sound. Highs are crisp, and
distortion-free bass notes rattle your bones. Watching movies and
television from your PC suddenly becomes more enticing and worthwhile.

Fancy yourself a recording artist? A pair of quarter-inch inputs
lets you connect the AV 40s to a mixing board and use them as studio
monitors. Try blasting some Journey “Faithfully” on these. You won’t
regret it.

WIRED Peerless audio quality. Great value.
Wake-the-neighbors loud. Magnetically shielded, so you won’t catch a
buzz off your cell phone or mess with your laptop’s screen. Handy
headphone jack lets you work musicians’ hours while housemates snooze.

TIRED With 6 x 7.25-inch footprints, they do take
up room (and at 14 pounds a pair, you won’t be moving them around much).
Backside power switch means you’re constantly doing a reach-around at
bedtime.

Product: Ceramic Speakers

Manufacturer: Joey Roth

Wired Rating: 7

Desktop speakers have a knack for looking boxy and boring and sounding so-so. Enter: Joey Roth and his merry men. An improbable, eye-popping mix of Jetson-esque curves and rustic materials, industrial designer Joey Roth’s crockery-cum-speaker set produces a bold, crisp tone that’s great for movie-watching and MP3 jam sessions.

From the packaging down to the tiniest details, these well-built speakers look like a desktop design exhibit. Even the cables are pretty (think pink bubblegum). Ceramic horn-shaped speaks sit inside smooth wooden stands that appear to defy the laws of gravity. A separate unit houses the volume control slider, which just adds to the coolness.

Our only complaint was that the bass lacked punch in some action flicks and hip hop; it’s highly noticeable at first, but after a long listen, it’s easy to forget about the boom. The likes of Dr. Dre would not be pleased.

WIRED Like buying an art piece and getting great speakers, too. External amp lets you locate the volume switch wherever you damn well please. Go ahead and rage: Joey’s kids are loud enough to fill a large room.

TIRED Boomless bass. Dr. Dre would disapprove. Sound stage suffers if you’re not sitting in the sweet spot. A bit more look than listen. No money left for dinner (for a month).

Urbanspoon plans to continue its assault on OpenTable, and its weapon of choice is going to be the iPad. I am not talking about Urbanspoon’s slick iPad app which is already out and is aimed at consumers. I am talking about the RezBook, which is part of Urbanspoon Rez and is aimed at restaurant owners.

When it comes out in June, RezBook will be a full reservation system. Instead of writing down reservations in a paper book, restaurant owners will be able to enter them directly into the iPad, see bookings by time and by table. With a $500 iPad and RezBook, any restaurant will be able to afford a computerized reservation system. It won’t be free. RezBook will charge $1 per reservation, plus a low monthly fee. It will be much cheaper than a dedicated reservation system, and slightly cheaper than OpenTable, which is the company Urbanspoon is really going after.

RezBook works hand-in-hand with UrbanSpoon Rez, an iPhone application that launched last Fall. Urbanspoon Rez helps restaurants promote open tables and add a Rez button to their Websites, their page on Citysearch, mobile apps like Urbanspoon, or to other sites and apps through CityGrid. RezBook takes those incoming reservations and manages them on the backend, and creates a customer database in the process.

The combination of Rez button promotions and the iPad’s off-the-shelf affordability should allow Urbanspoon to target a wider swath of restaurants than the kind you currently find on OpenTable. At least that is the plan. I place RezBook in the same category as Square’s iPad app, which turns the tablet into a mobile cash register. Both of these apps leverage the iPad to bring sophisticated business software to small merchants with the promise of bringing them into the digital age.

When is OpenTable going to come out with its iPad app?