The O.R.B. Wireless Earpiece Finger Ring

 This is a nicely designed very cool wireless headset to get your head around, or should I say ear, and finger if you like, but not at the same time of course. If ever an idea fused clever innovative design with useful practical technology then this is it.

When not in use, the O.R.B (Orbital Ring Band) is another attractive fashionable ring to be worn on the finger which will vibrate to warn you of an incoming call or message. An e-link display shows caller ID, text messages as well as calendar reminders; how useful is that?

But there’s a twist to this story, literally, if you decide to answer the call, twist the ring and it becomes a very stylish wireless headset for hands free communication up to 30 meters from your phone. Finished talking? Then simply slip it back onto your finger.

The O.R.B get’s the thumbs up from me. It will be available toward the end of 2010 for around $129 or $175 for the deluxe version with full colour LED screen.

Louis Vitton Damier Graphite Signature USB key

It’s not for this site ever to overlook the efforts of any serious fashion brand, so I hereby present to you the latest offering from the French fashion brand of luxury leather goods Louis Vitton. The Damier Graphite USB key comes with a 4GB storage capacity and has a platinum ring with a strong durable cord and carabiner for easy attachment to those other fashionable accessories you might own, handbag, suitcase, phone etc etc.

I was toying with the idea of giving this post the title of ‘ober luxury or ober priced?’ but then if I were to look at this from a value for money perspective I would missing the point, since £275 for such an average sized storage capacity does not add up at today’s prices. However, it’s the attractive classic design and overall quality we pay for silly, so on this note it get my vote. Long live King Louis!

To Biometric or not too Biometric?

OK so here is the problem I have with biometric scanners for secure access, what if suddenly it doesn’t let you in? I ask the question because it’s only a matter of time before my IBM laptop fitted with such a gimmick (sorry did I say gimmick I meant gadget) is going to say sod off mate this is not your finger! And mean it. What then I ask myself?

Reservations aside, this is quite a nice use of the technology, especially as most USB flash drive devices at the time of writing this post have no security at all. It needs to be said also that

manufacturers Gresso deserve much credit for the Pandora Collection. These very exclusive luxury USB flash drives come in two models. Pandora in Black with 200 year old African Blackwood and 18K gold crowned with a splendid white diamond and Pandora in Red wood and silver incrusted with a nice looking ruby. Prices around $9,999 and $999 respectively in case you were wondering, we’ll be featuring a bit more of Gresso in forthcoming posts so stay tuned.

Color rings

I have to confess to being quiet excited about this ‘hands not entirely free’ wireless accessory concept, but judging by the comments I’ve come across on many posts circulating the Internet you might think I was the only one. In case you didn’t get it in a glance, the rings on the thumb and little finger act as your headset and microphone respectively. The hand phone gesture activates built in distance sensors to make and receive a call, could it be easier?

Major benefit- eliminates the need to rummage around my person to answer the phone before the call is missed. Downside – will feel like a bit of a nerd taking this call on a busy Saturday afternoon in Oxford Street. If you believe as I do that personal technology will ultimately integrate about us in a discrete and attractive way then there is no denying that BKC Design, the Argentinean outfit that developed this unique concept has introduced something that has legs, watch this space…..

Oakley Rocks!

Those of you who have been following the progress of personal technology will not have failed to notice the commendable efforts made by Oakley with their range of electronic shades. As a leading innovator of sport and lifestyle sunglasses they have pushed the boundaries to give their shades a raison d’être beyond simply protecting our eyes from the sun (and looking good while doing so). There is a wonderful practicality of having hands free audio functionality on an accessory that we could be wearing anyhow on the beach, while cycling and even taking a walk around the market on a hot sunny day. Personally, I am not entirely sure that I would get sufficient use out of a pair of O ROKR Bluetooth enabled or Split Thump MP3 sunglasses to justify a purchase, but I’m sure looking forward to seeing where this concept is going.

Oakley O ROKR Pro TM

Oakley Split Thump

Oakley Razwire

TOKYOFLASHier than most!

If you adore innovative, inspirational design as much as I do, then you will undoubtedly appreciate these latest offerings from those pioneers of modern, flashier than most wristwatch design TokyoFlash. The Japanese watchmaker has just unveiled their latest creations the Nekura Progression and the Nekura scramble.

The unique feature of these somewhat bold and brash watches comes in the form of an interchangeable multi-colour LED light display in blue, cyan, red, green, yellow and pink allowing the wearer to change the display depending on their mood or indeed the days fashion outlook. Undecided? No problem, you can also set the watch to a dynamically changing colour scheme that will fade through all the available colours. Another very cool feature of this range is the stainless steel self-adjusting wristband, finished with a neatly designed clasp.

The difference between these two watches as you can see from the pictures comes in the form of how the time is displayed. The scramble takes on the trademark TokyoFlash binary approach using a series of bars to communicate the time, but if you would the rather not have to go through the process of deciphering the time, every time, then the less abstract, more tradition display of the Nekura Progression would be the best option. Either way, for a mere £75 the Nekura Progression or Nekura Scamble would make a rather nice addition to your fashion accessory collection.

World’s most expensive MP3

Regular visitors to this site may recall a post written not so long ago concerning some rather nice USB drives produced by the luxury Russian cell phone manufacturer Gresso. Whilst researching this post I also happen to chance upon a rather nifty little device, which I now understand to be the world’s most expensive MP3 player from the very same designer.

The Gresso Mp3 player features 1GB of internal flash memory supporting Mp3, WMA, ASF and OGG music formats and a built in FM tuner to boot. The unique flat keyboard also has special patented scratch-resistant covering, that the company claims to be as hard as diamond and the figures and letters are cut by ultra precise laser.

In keeping with the company’s theme of producing luxury technology products made from 200 year old African Blackwood, the Gresso Symphonia collection comes in various combinations with white and pink 18 carat gold trim at a cost ranging between 3,000-5,000 Euros. These ultra exclusive MP3 players were created for the discerning customer who demands the ultimate in innovative design and quality craftsmanship, measuring 39 millimeters by 39 millimeters by 10.5 millimeters; it is small enough to wear as jewellery.