This page
archived September 2004
ARCHIVED.
Yep, I just can't keep up with all of the latest & greatest gadgets...they get
out-of-date quickly.
Only
the best of the best gadgets get the "Fine
Piece of Equipment" mark. They must do
their 'thing' extremely well, be of high-quality construction and
reliability, and be relatively affordable. All of the items below are
rated as an FPE:
 Nomad
MP3 Jukebox III This 2nd
generation product holds tons of music, or any other kind of file, on a
20 gigabyte hard drive in a package the size of
a portable CD player!! Stores so much music that if you
listen to music for 3 hours a day, every day, you won't hear the same
song repeated for over three months! Can rip any audio input to
MP3 format directly, has IR remote control & FM radio (options),
Firewire & USB connectivity, and costs less than $400! More
Info |
AT&T 1717 Answering Machine All
digital, excellent sound quality, ALL of the features you would
need/want, compact package, all for a mere $12! |
Streamlight Trident
This edges out the Petzl Duo
due to its bargain $18 price! Both are hands-free, waterproof to a few
feet, dual beams: one is a bright adjustable-focus
for walking around, the other is a battery-saving one or three LED local-area beam
for reading and such. Good for backpacking and working on the house.
More
Info
|
Luxeon Star Flashlight This
'Next Gen' LED is the technology that will replace incandescent bulbs in
homes, cars, etc. This 1-watt version is 12x brighter than the
brightest 'conventional' LEDs. A 5-watt version is out too. Does not burn out. Very energy efficient.
Currently still very expensive. |
| Motorola
TimePort 8000
A neat analog/digital tri-mode folding cell
phone that is smaller than a wallet and can go for 6 days on standby. |
FRS/GMRS
Radios The 'Family Radio
Service' & 'General Mobile Radio Service' frequencies give you decent sounding communications in a small
and convenient package. There are many many models now, ranging
from $30 to 250 per pair. We recommend at minimum getting a dual
FRS/GMRS model
with all 22 channels, 38 'sub-channels', a battery level indicator, and
a CALL button. Other features available are: digital
compass, altimeter, FM radio, secure voice
scramble, vibrating alert, water resistance, earphone/microphone jack,
rechargeable batteries, VOX (voice operated mic), and collapsible or folding antenna.
Motorola makes many high quality
models.
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| SUBARU
Impreza
WRX sedan. Comes standard with: all-wheel-drive with
limited slip differential, anti-lock brakes, front & side airbags,
air conditioning, in-dash 6-disc CD changer, and a turbocharged boxer
engine with intercooler (& functional hood scoop), cost in the low
20s. Much faster than most 'sports cars' (Toyota Celica GT,
Mitsubishi Eclipse, Integra RSX, Ford Mustang to name a few), high
reliability, and scored tops in crash testing!
Outback
Wagon. All-wheel-drive
with limited slip differential, 7.5" ground clearance, faster than
a speeding SUV (yet can still get 24 mpg in mixed driving), great
handling, can haul a buncha stuff, high reliability, and scored tops in
crash testing! |
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