360 DEGREES Weblog

If you do what I do everytime you go out and forget where you’ve parked your car, or have major trouble in finding your way back to your hotel, then worry no longer.   The ECCO GPS Keychain will help to show you the way.

This staggeringly small GPS system is set to revolutionise the way you find your way back to…well, wherever it is you started.

All you need to do is ‘lock in’ your starting location, then when you come back, simply follow the ECCO’s LCD display back to your car, or hotel.

The ECCO’s internal battery recharges via USB, but don’t worry about carrying your laptop around at the same time, as the charge lasts for a month on standby and almost two weeks if you use it for ten minutes every day.  Not bad!

The ECCO GPS keychain costs £69.99 and is available from Firebox

Molly & June is a boutique for small dogs founded on the idea that not only does your dog appreciate quality craftsmanship because it fits better and is more comfortable to wear, but that dogs can pick up on the benefits of fine fashion as well because they get more positive attention and their owners are happier. Named after the owner and designer France Simard’s two best friends, the designs have a mixture of vintage and contemporary elements and are all handmade in Toronto, Canada using luxe materials like wool, cashmere, and organic cotton. $45-$180

Part 4-wheeler, part rail buggy, the new Polaris Ranger RZR 4 ($15,000) is the world’s first four-seat sport side-by-side. Co-developed with racer Robby Gordon — or “Reckless Robby,” as we like to call him — the RZR 4 boasts an 800cc High Output Twin EFI engine mounted behind the back seat for a lower center of gravity, a new suspension that includes Fox Podium X 2.0 Piggyback Reservoir Shocks and Chrome Moly front upper A-Arms, a rolled independent rear suspension, a true all-wheel-drive system, a 12-volt plug in and two cup holders for rear-seat passengers, cut-and-sew seats, and Maxxis Big Horn tires with Black Bruiser rims.

$ 15.000

Fusion Garage is entering the tablet market with the JooJoo.  This tablet has a 12.1 inch (diagonal) widescreen display with 1366 X 768 pixels.  It’s 7.8 X 12.8 X 0.7 inches and weighs 2.4 pounds.  It offers WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and it has a USB port.  The JooJoo has built-in speakers, a microphone, and it has a camera for video conferencing.  It has a rechargeable lithium battery that Fusion Garage says lasts 5 hours with WiFi.  It uses a browser-based operating system, and it is Flash 10.1 and Java compliant.  It has a capacitive touch screen and accelerometer.  There is no mention on Fusion Garage of other applications for the JooJoo.  Fusion Garage is accepting pre-orders from the US now, with a promised ship date of 8-10 weeks.  The price is $499.

There’s been some talk recently of the Big Trak re-release, but if you’re looking for a truly modern reinterpretation of the programable robot then Wild Planet’s new Spy Video TRAKR may better fit the bill.  The remote-control ‘bot comes with a child-friendly PC-based programming system, which allows users to create custom routines and load them onto the TRAKR.  As for the robot itself, it uses 2.4GHz wireless and has an integrated camera, speaker and microphone, and comes preloaded with motion-sensing and night-vision apps.

Feed your inner pyromaniac without putting yourself, family, or closest neighbors in danger of bodily harm with Dynamite Fire Starters ($40). Despite the name, these fire-starter sticks aren’t actually made of dynamite, but do resemble cartoon-style TNT with their elongated cylindrical bodies. Made from paraffin and sawdust, 20 sticks come in each pack, encased in a finger-jointed cedar box that resembles the real dynamite boxes of old.

Already been to Aspen this season, but there’s still an inner appetite leftover, that certain appetite, which demands for more powder, slopes and thrills. Then don’t hesitate longer and spend yourself a new snow experience. The concept basically remains the same, but that was about all what the Alurunner shares with ordinary sleds. This stunning piece of German engineering skills combines just top-notch materials and crafting techniques to create an ultra light-weight and collapsible aluminum sleigh, which leaves nothing to be desired for the extreme alpinist. On top of the bold mechanical appeal of the Alurunner is a transparent seat made of a highly durable polycarbonate, called Makrolon. A removable polyethylene coating on the wide runners further enhances the supersled’s performance figures, whilst a huge aluminum claw, positioned under the sleds center, tames the speedrun with a powerful yet still controllable brake without influencing the actual direction. However, the true innovation is beneath the seat, an industry-first adjustable seat suspension with 165mm steel spring that even allows the intrepid rider to take off, and all that available in 5 different color schemes, plain white, the lady’s choice pink, forest green, standard silver, and a modern white-black design.

USD 712

It’s time to welcome the Martin Jetpack which set to release in late 2010. It is powered by a specially designed 2.0L gasoline engine producing 200hp and capable of travelling as far as 31.5 miles or up to 8000 feet. The aircraft’s ‘FAA Ultralight Classification’ negates the need for you to get a Pilot’s licence and the reason supporting this is the built in ballistic parachute bedded in to help in times of gas exhaustion and mid-air stalling. The product site mentions that it is expected that early orders for sales to private individuals will commence late 2010 with an estimated price expectation of approximately US$100,000.

Snow-capped mountains are glistening with the season’s first snowfall and they beacon the avid skiers to slide over its untried, whitish veneer. For those who have decided to pick up the call, take a look at this new Aston Martin range of skis made from latest material including composites, aluminum and carbon. The ski, designed to allow ultimate control for slalom and freestyle skiing, is well suited to the needs of a casual skier. While the ski is available in four different colors: Morning Frost White, Quantum Silver, Almond Green and Silver Blonde, one can personalize the color, which is just a phone call away.

The Russian Sukhoi SU-27 has a top speed of Mach 1.8 (more than 1,300 mph) and a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1:1. In other words, it can accelerate while climbing straight up. It was designed to fight the best the United States had to offer, and it can be yours for the cost of a mediocre used business jet.

Last week, we told you about a cool DIY jet. If you like the idea of a jet but not the thought of doing it yourself, John Morgan has you covered. He’s got a pair of beautifully restored Sukhoi SU-27 Flanker jets. They’re first-rate pieces of Soviet-era hardware designed to go head-to-head with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. They’re for sale, joining a very elite group of former military fighter jets offered for private ownership in the United States.

If you’ve always dreamed of being a fighter pilot, but missed your chance at the military route, this might be your chance to become a Top Gunski without having to deal with the Iceman trying to steal the limelight. Never flown a jet? No problem.

“We have a training program for any prospective owner” Morgan says.

Sukhoi SU-27 during takeoff
The SU-27 was one of the Soviet Union’s premier Cold War weapons. The same SU-27UB model Morgan’s offering for sale was flown by the Russian Knights, the Soviet’s closest equivalent to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

Morgan’s team at Pride Aircraft has “zero timed” the airframe and engine, so you’re getting an aircraft that’s just like new. Theses birds have been modernized with Western instrumentation, radios and GPS. Both are fully IFR equipped with U.S. avionics.

Nothing currently on the aircraft market comes close to these airplanes. Several companies talk about how their aircraft feel like a fighter jet or offer fighter jet-like performance. But it’s not very often you can actually buy a fighter jet.

Oh sure, there are a handful of former U.S. supersonic trainer jets like the Northrop T-38 out there, and the Douglas A-4 or MiG 21 fighters are impressive by any measure. But few, if any, airplanes come close to one of the best fighter jets made during the Cold War.

First flight of Pride Aircraft’s SU-27
Morgan got started in the aviation business restoring North American Aviation T-28’s, an old American trainer used at the dawn of the jet age. After several years of success in the piston market, Morgan grew curious about some of the former Soviet Bloc jet trainers that started appearing after the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s.

For the last 10 years, Morgan has built his reputation importing, restoring and selling Aero Vodochody L-39s, a small primary jet trainer used throughout the Eastern Bloc.

“One of our L-39 customers liked what we did and asked us to manage the Sukhoi project,” Morgan said.

The pair of SU-27s were purchased for a company that needed to do some high-altitude research (the jets can reach 57,000 feet). “They needed a platform that could carry sophisticated technology to high altitude,” Morgan says.

But the company went bust and the project faltered. Morgan decided to finish restoring the jets and put them up for sale. “We’re in the final stages in getting the last one licensed,” he says.

SU-27 landing with speed brake deployed
The jets are the “UB” variant of the SU-27, never intended for combat, so they aren’t fitted with weapons. But all the performance is still there. Morgan has a pair of former Air Force fighter pilots flight testing them. His chief pilot is a former F-15 jockey, and he says the SU-27 is remarkably similar to the F-15 Eagle (video of his first flight below). Though according to Morgan, the pilot says you get the impression you’re definitely pushing a bigger airplane through the sky.

But who’s going to spend $5 million on a Russian fighter jet?

It’s definitely not for everybody, but if pure performance and excitement is what you’re after for, look no further. When it comes to sheer bang-for-the-buck, the SU-27 is tough to beat, says Tom Haines, editor in chief of Pilot magazine, published by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

“For what you get from a performance standpoint, and a thrill standpoint, it’s a great value,” Haines says. “Now, putting gas in them is another story.”

There’s always a catch, isn’t there?

The $5 million price tag is only the beginning. Even if you’re flying around without the afterburners lit, the Flanker burns 1,000 to 1,200 gallons per hour. With Jet A currently selling for $4 to $5 a gallon, this isn’t a cheap thrill. We won’t even go into the potential maintenance costs.

As for the training you might need if you want to own and fly the SU-27? Morgan recommends some jet experience before starting the training. Of course, his pilots are happy to teach you in an L-39, much the same way the original pilots of the Sukhoi fighter gained experience back at the peak of the Cold War.

Thanks WIRED