A wrist watch or a video player?

Hi guys, I might be a bit late in posting this, and maybe some of you must have already read about this cool-looking watch on other famous blogs like engadget or gizmodo. But for those of you who are not so geeky as the others (lucky for me, or you wouldn't be reading my post here), I am talking about the Brando MP4 wrist watch, which is not just a digital watch, but also an MP4 player.

Yup, it supports videos for both MPEG and Windows Media formats. You can use it to record and listen audio, play video clips and store files. From what I have found, the quality of the MPEG4 recordings is very high, an hour takes about 60 megabytes of storage. It also boasts an FM tuner, voice recorder, photo viewer, "eBook reader," a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, five preset equalizer modes, USB 2.0 connectivity, and yes, even a built-in speaker if you're not down with headphones. For pictures and detailed reviews, visit here. They have a nice write-up on all the feeatures alongwith user reviews.

It comes in a bold orange and a more conventional black color. I actually like the black one with the red dial. Looks sleek! Its available in 1GB and 2GB version (just like the iPod). And it's attractively priced at $98 and $139 respectively.

Though I'd give Brando credit for being different and coming up with a product much better than their competitors, I am a bit skeptical about how much people would connect to it....After all, some things are best kept simple, right?!




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What if your office had mid-day nap stations?

With the increasing toll of work-related stress, more and more companies are waking up to embrace the concept of bringing home into the workplace. Google tops the list with on-site laundry, clinic and dental care, hair salon, 3 free meals a day and new T-shirts twice a week!! Please forgive me if I'm forgetting something here! But more and more offices are moving to no-cubicle designs, resembling kitchens and living rooms. There are media lounges, entertainment and game rooms, WII stations and now enters the Nap Station!!

Yes, a New-York based company called MetroNaps has invented the EnergyPod (photo courtesy of MetroNaps), a plush reclining chair that lulls users to sleep and can gently wake them up at pre-defined intervals using vibrations and lights!! Arshad Chowdhury, an investment analyst by profession, was struck by this brainwave when he saw a lot of his colleagues sneeking into the restrooms to take powernaps. And the benefits of powernaps are known to us all. 10 mins of stress-free sleep can re-energise and organize your thoughts, increasing the flow of creative juices and overall well-being.

EnergyPod is a classic design, resembling a dome-shaped egg-like cubicle that provides a perfect reclining postion, soothing music, sound-proof interior and gentle lighting-everything to make those 10 mins of sleep truly worth it. Check out the design here. Priced at around $12,000 it is proving to be an attractive investment for many companies like Proctor and Gamble and Cisco Systems.

So what are you waiitng for?? Ask your company to check this out today, or if you are an employer, maybe this might help increasing the well-being and productivity of your employee, huh?!!



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Drive your hotel with you - Hotel Movil

Man has already soared heights by inventing private jets and charter planes that are as luxurious as one can imagine. The seas are brimming with Yachts that host spectacular parties and huge Cruise ships which can treat you like royalty. What you saw in Titanic is probably 1/10th of what is out there.

And now, replacing RV's, which till today were the best in terms of comfort and luxury on the road, comes the Spanish giant called Hotel Movil(photo courtesy of hotelmovil.com). Please welcome the first of its kind, a luxurious pop-up hotel
which is like a large truck trailer that can be dragged to any location and turned into a two level hotel within 30 minutes!! Yes, sounds too goo to be true, but not when you see this video. (Select fabrication, then video) A few clicks with your finger-tips, and this giant truck transforms into one of the most beautiful and lavish portable homes that you would have ever seen. After its 11 rooms are unfolded, the hotel on wheels can sleep up to forty people, making it roomy enough for wedding parties, family reunions or luxury camping trips with a large group of friends.

It is made of steel, but the interiors will leave you dumbfounded. Hotel Movil isn't short on luxury: every room has a bathroom, plasma screen TV, DVD, internet access and more. Depending on the trailer's configuration, a bar and movie screening room can also be included. You can have your private patio and balcony. The Price for a weekend rental is EUR 7,000. Alternatively, you can buy a hotel of your own for EUR 400,000. This sure is competitive with the cost of the RV's at present, considering the functionality and luxury it offers. Now, is that an interesting innnovation or not??!!



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