360 DEGREES Weblog

With a name that sounds like a bad-guy organization from a spy novel and a design that integrates modern sensibilities and mid-century kitsch, the WISPR Vaporizer ($270) is a stylish, portable, and discrete way to enjoy the bounties of harvest season. Just fill it with butane, prepare your herbs, pack the chamber, attach the straw, turn it on, let it heat up, and when the light goes off, it’s time to enjoy. Just remember to turn it off afterwards — which might be the most difficult part.

Made to create the illusion of being in a room with a window, the Bright Blind by Makoto Hirahara uses electroluminescent (EL) sheets on the underside of each slat. The intensity of the light is controlled by changing the angle of these, pretty much as you’d do if these were blinds on an actual window. While it’s not being sold as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder, this might not be such a bad angle for the product to take.

Bunker dwellers interested in the product should know that price information is not public: you have to request this information. Unless one of our readers has already purchased this and wants to enlighten us…

Well, we suppose it was only a matter of time. Aeroshot ($TBA) provides you with a portable burst of caffeine — 100mg of it, to be exact — via a fine powder that falls out of the air and dissolves instantly in your mouth. Oh, and since it’s not liquid, you should be able to carry it through security, although we’d advise taking it easy on all the “fine powder” talk until you’re well away from the aeropuerto.

When we heard the iPod’s creators were planning a new product, we surely weren’t thinking about HVAC systems. Yet here we are, staring longingly at the Nest Learning Thermostat ($250). This gorgeous, intelligent gadget learns from your habits, programming itself in about a week and using its colorful display to help you learn more energy-efficient and money-saving habits, while sensors keep track of whether or not you’re at home, and a Wi-Fi connection makes sure every Nest in your home is aware of the other and the weather outside, so it can understand how the changing temperatures affect your heating and cooling needs. You can even control it over the web via a computer or iOS device. Sure, $250 sounds like a lot for a thermostat, until you realize that it’s controlling half of your heating and cooling bill.

Wacom has finally released a new set of Bamboo-badged tablets. The latest entry-range of the tried-and-trusted Wacom tablets consists of the Bamboo Connect, Bamboo Capture and Bamboo Create, of which the first is a pen-only solution meant to support your daily business with pressure-sensitive digital ink. The later are for the ambitious creative inclusively wireless connectivity and an enhanced multi-touch experienced, which is meant to bring the pinch-zoom to an efficient use.

Logitech’s Harmony division has long made some of the very best universal remotes. But their latest product turns the very best smartphones and tablets into a great universal remote. Meet Harmony Link and the Harmony Link App.

The Harmony Link hardware is a disc that’s placed near your entertainment system and provides the link between the new controller and the equipment using a local WiFi network. Tiny IR Blasters snake from the backside of the sleek disc to your cable box, TV and A/V hardware — just like every other Harmony remote. This not only facilitates communication but also allows owners to place all the unsightly hardware in a closet, enclosed cabinet, or like in my house, a basement room underneath the living room. Logitech says the Harmony Link can replace up to eight remotes.

But this hardware isn’t the fun part. Nope, the real magic comes from the iPad app. The Harmony Link App turns the iPad into a universal remote, but one with a touch of flare. Instead of just being a touchscreen remote with the usual assortment of playback controls, the iPad app turns the chore of finding a TV program into a fun excursion. Slide through the interactive TV listings and just press Watch Now to engage the magic of Harmony Link, which will switch your TV to the appropriate station. Of course the app also features all the normal device controls and activity functions generally associated with Harmony remotes.

At launch, only the iPad will feature this interactive programming guide. The iPhone and Android app will only display activity buttons and device controls. Expect the Harmony Link in stores next month with a $99 MSRP.

What can’t be improved by making it out of carbon fiber? We’ve seen everything from car hoods to iPad cases made out of the stuff, but we may have found an answer to our question in the Corcel Carbon Fiber Bath Tub ($TBA). A symbol of opulence equal to the gold toilet, this carbon fiber tub sports a sleek, streamlined shape, is best matched with a modern, standalone faucet, and may/may not come from space and make racecar noises, as the movie suggests. Limited to just 51 units worldwide

Dyson has launched a new product that fits right in with its repertoire. Called the Dyson Hot, it is a bladeless heater fan that heats up the room using the company’s Air Multiplier technology. All you have to do is set the desired temperature, and the Dyson Hot will keep pumping out warm air until the temperature is reached. And when you don’t need it to act as a heater, the Dyson Hot can be a regular cooling fan as well – however it all depends on the temperature you set and the temperature of the room.

In addition to being multi-purpose, the Dyson Hot touts safety features such as no exposed heating elements – you won’t be able to burn yourself on accident, and it automatically shuts off if it tips over. And as the case with Dyson’s products – it comes with a hefty price tag. The Dyson Hot can be yours for $399.99.

Who cares if your camper rolls down the hill and into the lake — you’ve got the Sealander (€15,000; roughly $20,500). This unique tow-behind solves the question of whether to bring the boat or the camper by functioning as both, thanks to a low-emission electric outboard motor, a fully-equipped interior with a cooking/washing module, a cooler, a heater, and seating that converts into a bed, all packed inside a watertight package that’s sure to draw confused looks at the local boat dock.

Moleskine has new limited-edition Star Wars notebooks in both the Pocket (3.5 X 5.5 inch) and the Large (5 X 8.25) inch sizes.  There’s two designs for each size:  The Empire (shown) and The Rebel Alliance.  The covers are printed with metallic inks, and the endpapers have space-scape designs.  Each book also has a full-color poster tucked inside the back cover.  Each size is available with plain or ruled pages.  The Pocket size notebooks are $14.95; the Large are $19.95.  You can order these notebooks directly from Moleskine.