Try and go 15 minutes without using, interacting with or even touching a gadget. Chances are your texting fingers will be itching before the dawn of the third minute. Is this a good thing? It’s debatable. But, with so many shiny new devices aiming to make our lives easier, more efficient and a hell of a lot more entertaining, even the most curmudgeonly Luddite would have trouble denying a serious case of tech lust.
Best of all, the technologies behind many of these gadgets have taken huge leaps in the last few years; many that were cutting-edge but tough to use have now matured into icons of simplicity. No, they may not cure terminal diseases (yet), but they will change the way you walk, sleep, read, communicate and, perhaps most importantly, kill time on the train.
* YOUR TINY NEW TRAINER
Life-changing gadget: Fitbit Ultra wireless activity tracker, $99
Science has pretty much proven that sitting down all day at an office job is a killer. This information should get us up and walking around, but it doesn’t, which is where Fitbit’s new body tracker comes in. You wear the tiny clip all day long and it silently tracks how much — or how little — you move around, including steps taken, distance traveled and even how many stairs you’ve climbed. It also tracks your sleep patterns. The important part, though, is what it does with that information. When the Fitbit is near your computer, it wirelessly snitches on you to the Web. From there, the data can be integrated with popular fitness apps like Lose It! or Fitbit’s own iPhone app. Motivation just got motivated.
* NEVER LOSE FIDO AGAIN
Life-changing gadget: Tagg the Pet Tracker, $199 with one year of service
If you truly consider yourself a “dog person,” then Tagg the Pet Tracker’s promise to keep your pup from getting lost might be enough to warrant a purchase right off. But, if you’re paying some guy from Craigslist $20 to walk your dog every day, it could also help make sure Spot is getting his exercise and you’re getting your money’s worth. The Tracker itself is a water-resistant gadget about the size of a thumb drive that clips onto most collars. It has a GPS chip inside that’s constantly reporting its location via a cellular connection, so it can be tracked over the Web or on a smartphone. One of the coolest features is that it allows you to define a zone on the map and it will send an e-mail or text if the dog goes outside of it. It’s approved for cats over 10-pounds and probably kids, too, as long as you clip it to their backpack rather than making them wear the whole collar.
*DRAW DIRECTLY INTO YOUR PC
Life-changing gadget: Wacom Inkling, $199
Most people would be happy never to have to scan anything ever again, which is a part of what makes this pen/capture device so cool. The concept is extremely simple: You clip the sensor onto the top of a notebook or piece of paper and then draw or write. Your sketches are then stored digitally, so you can later upload them to a computer and manipulate them with graphics programs like Photoshop. The pen itself can differentiate between 1,024 levels of pressure and the sensor holds thousands of sketches at a resolution good enough for high-quality prints. Most importantly, it offers the true pen-and-paper experience that tablet computers can’t even come close to matching. The ability to share digital versions of your drawings will likely be great inspiration to actually create them and because the sensor is adjustable, even left-handed people can get in on the action.
*THE SWISS ARMY PHONE
Life-changing gadget: Samsung Galaxy SII, Epic 4G Touch, $200 with contract
Samsung’s current flagship cellphone does so many different things we’d run out of hyphens if we tried to list them all. And the phone’s spec sheet lives up to its “Epic” name. An Android Gingerbread operating system is powered by an ultra-fast processor and connects via Sprint’s 4G network, the last one to offer truly unlimited data service. With Spotify music and Netflix movies running seamlessly on the 4G network, you’ll be glad to be free of a data cap. The experience gets even better with an enormous 4.52-inch Super AMOLED screen that’s so big and sharp, you won’t mind leaving your tablet at home.
*THE AFFORDABLE $40,000 TV
Life-changing gadget: Sharp 80-inch Aquos LCD HDTV, $5,200
The term big-screen TV is just about ready to be retired. Simply put, most modern TVs would’ve been considered “big” a decade ago. But, in a landscape where 46-inch screens dominate, Sharp’s 80-inch behemoth sets a new standard. For some perspective, consider that this set gives you roughly twice the screen real estate you’d get with an already-formidable 55-inch set. That’s a lot of “Breaking Bad” all at once.
There’s quality mixed in with that sheer quantity, since this panel uses bright, efficient LED backlighting, making it the biggest of its kind. Advanced picture control helps reduce ugly light leaks around the edges and the 120 Hz refresh rate cuts down on motion blur. It does all this for less than $5,000 if you get the right deal, which is something when you consider that buying an 80-inch plasma five years ago would’ve set you back around $40,000.
*SO WARM IT’S COOL (AND QUIET)
Life-changing gadget: Dyson Hot, $400
Heating empty rooms is wildly inefficient and most radiators typically alternate between ice cold and scalding hot. Dyson has used fancy engineering to solve these problems by adding heating plates to their Air Multiplier bladeless fan system (left). The entire unit is about the same size as a stand-up air purifier, but because of its unique shape and powerful brushless motor, it can spit hot air clear across most New York apartments even as its protective outer layer prevents accidental burns. Because the plates never heat up past 392 degrees, there’s no burnt dust smell and it operates almost silently — a plus for anyone who doesn’t love the hissing and clanging of a radiator. It’s remote-controlled and comes with a digital thermostat that keeps room temperature consistent. In the summer, you can even use it as a standard cooling fan.
*BIG-SCREEN ON THE GO
Life-changing gadget: Epson Megaplex MG-850HD projector, $800
Most people are probably used to seeing data projectors in boardrooms or classrooms, but they’re quickly becoming the boombox of the modern era. Epson’s Megaplex projector has a built-in dock for iOS devices. Drop an iPad, iPhone or iPod on the connector and it will throw content from it at the wall, creating a 720p HD picture the size of a 100-inch TV. It has a built-in stereo speaker system and also connects via HDMI or USB, so it will accept content from computers, Blu-ray players and digital cameras. Want to watch a movie from a friend’s iPhone or PC? Hook up the cable and point it at the wall. Plus, it puts out a relatively robust 2,800 lumens of light, so you can take it outside and bother people with your favorite videos anywhere you can find a big, blank wall and a power outlet.
*ALL YOUR MOVIES, MUSIC AND PICTURES ANYWHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE
Life-changing gadget: Seagate GoFlex Home Network Storage System, $159 for 2 TB
Rather than picking from one of the growing number of cloud storage services out there, Seagate’s absurdly simple network-connected drive lets you set up your own Web-accessible storage drive. Plug it into a wall and an Internet router, and then all your files, songs, movies and pictures can be shared on your home network or remotely via the Web. Seagate even offers free iPad, iPhone and Android apps to let you stream music and videos without a fee. You can get a drive up to 3 TB, but the GoFlex system can grow along with your burgeoning collection of embarrassing photos.
*ALL THE COOL OF AN iPAD AT HALF THE PRICE
Life-changing gadget: Amazon Kindle Fire, $199
It’s stupid to pay for features you’re not going to use, which is why Amazon slashed things like cameras, microphones and 3G connectivity from their first full-on tablet computer. The result is a machine that’s meant to facilitate furious content consumption, while selling for the relatively ridiculous price point of $200 when it launches on Nov. 15. The Fire is fully integrated into Amazon’s media empire: Books from the Kindle store, apps from Amazon App Store, music from Amazon’s Mp3 Store and Cloud Drive. Starting to see a trend?
*NEVER WAIT TO FOCUS AGAIN
Life-changing gadget: Nikon J1, $649
Nikon’s new J1 is part of a relatively new breed of compact cameras with interchangeable lenses that bridge the gap between bulky pro-style DSLRs and slow point-and-shoots. The J1 is built around an all-new 10.1-megapixel CX-format sensor with integrated auto-focus right on the chip. That means the lenses don’t need focusing motors and even vintage manual-focus Nikon lenses deliver auto-focus results when mounted to the body. The only drawback: older lenses have a zoom factor of 2.7, so even a wide angle lens shoots like a telephoto.
*PLAY ANYTHING ON YOUR TV
Life-changing gadget: WD TV Live, $99
This set-top box gives your TV access to just about every Web video service you can think of, including Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu+, Pandora and more. It’s also one of the first to play nice with music streaming subscription powerhouse Spotify, which recently landed here in the States. It’ll stream your own music, photos and movies, too, regardless of what format they’re in. Better than Apple TV and Roku.
*CONTROL YOUR TV WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE
Life-changing gadget: Logitech Harmony Link, $99
The Link is a shiny black pod that plugs into a home theater system and Wi-Fi network. Matched with one of Logitech’s free apps for iPhone, iPad and other smartphones, it transforms your mobile device into a universal remote. Infinitely programmable and customizable, you’ll be the boss of every component in your system. And now when the remote goes missing, you can give it a call and hear it ring.