CHRISTMAS  SPECIAL  TOP ‘COOL STUFF’ GIFTS

WITH BARRY DU BOIS & SARAH HARRIS

 

1. CRUMPLED MAPS, $19.95

You know the drill - You’re on holiday, wandering a strange city, and you need to take a look at the map. You pull it out, signifying your tourist status, while at the same time you struggle to find your spot as the wind snaps an edge from your hands. Finally you orient yourself and, as you try to fold up the map, it tears, ripping in two. This ugly scene could have been avoided if only you had bought the Crumpled City, a map that is meant to be screwed up. It’s fashioned from soft, untearable material, is 100% waterproof and are designed to be scrunched up, so you can simply stuff it into your back pocket or the little bag it comes with, without worrying about having to fold and unfold, or ripping it at the seams. It literally is the lightest map in the world and is completely indestructible. Designed by Italian designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso he says ‘the more battered they are, the better they look’. Fully flattened, they measure 87x58cm, or 34 x 23-inches.

The crumpled city range includes 23 iconic cities and continues to expand... Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Chicago, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Florence, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, London, Milan, New York, New Zealand, Oslo, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Venice. They also do a Crumbled City Junior range for younger explorers.

Along with the usual site-seeing spots, which are all listed, each map also provides a selection of 10 ‘soul-sights’ which are places around the city they think will help give you a unique visit to your chosen city.

Stockist: www.gifts.com.au

   

CHRISTMAS  SPECIAL  2. SENSU SOLO BRUSH, $36.95

Painting without the mess! It may look and feel exactly like a normal paintbrush, but this is a touch screen artist brush specially designed so you can express your creativity digitally using drawing or painting apps on your smartphones and tablets. So instead of having to carry your paints, brushes and chosen canvas around with you when you fancy being creative…this means you can just grab your techie device and get painting…and what’s better the kids can do it too without making a mess! The brush has advanced ‘hair’ technology and construction which creates a spring and responsiveness that feels like you’re really painting on your ipad. The handle is made of premium aluminium and has just the right balance of weight in your hand – again to feel like you using a normal paintbrush. Compatable with capacitive touchscreen devices including: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, Surface, Nexus, Galaxy Tab, Nook, Blackberry playbook, and more. The Sensu Solo Brush works with all your favourite sketching apps – the ones they recommend to use are Zen Brush, SketchTime, ArtRage and FingerPainter. It’s available in five colours – slate, blue, green, purple and red and comes with a protective case. Stockist: www.eckersleys.com.au

   

CHRISTMAS  SPECIAL  3. POLAROID CUBE, $149

Polaroid is known for their cool retro instant cameras. Go Pro’s are known for their adrenaline junkie action cam. However rivalling the Go Pro, Polaroid have brought out a new lifestyle action camera called the Cube. The makers of the camera say they’re not directly rivalling though, as they’re targeting a different market – the more casual market. Dubbed the ‘cute’ Cube it’s the size of 50c coin – to fit in your pocket, bag and even a purse. It’s weatherproof, shockproof and easy to balance between two fingers, or snap it onto something metallic using the magnet at the bottom. It takes high-quality video at 720p or 1080p resolution with a wide angle lens that’s slightly recessed into the cube for protection. To switch back and forth, you unscrew a little door in the back; that’s also where you insert your SD card. It has a 6MP camera, 124° wide angle lens, and built in battery that records up to 90 minutes. To start recording all you need to do is hold the top botton to turn it on, press the top button once to take a photo and twice to start recording (red light will flash/beep). Then press it once to stop recording. To view your photos and footage, you plug the camera into your computer via a small USB. It’s exceedingly simple to use. Or at least simple enough that if you hand it around at a party, your friends would quickly gather how it works. Which is the entire point. The Cube is available in three colours – red, blue and black – with the classic Polaroid stripe. There are also lots of accessories to go with the Cube including a bumper case, helmet stand, waterproof case, bike mount. Stockist: www.polaroid.com.au

   

CHRISTMAS  SPECIAL  4. PARROT ZIK WIRELESS HEADPHONES, $499

Designed by Philippe Starck, the Parrot Zik Headphones offer style and sound. The Zik Gold Collection comes in four colours – yellow gold, rose gold and black gold, plus the classic. But it’s not all about style - the headphones have some pretty nifty features too, including:

• Touch panel controls - swiping up or down on the right ear cup changes the volume, swiping forward skips a track.

• Motion Detector – taking the headphones off your ears, automatically pauses the music.

• Simple pairing – touch your phone to the left ear cup to pair with NFC devices. • Bluetooth hands free telephony. • Active Noise Cancellation – with a total of four microphones ANC technology

reduces noise up to 25 dB. • Even with a flat battery, the music will play on with the jack cable included. • Plus you can download the free Parrot app and adjust the audio settings. • The headphone’s come with a USB charging cable, battery and protective

pouch. Stockist: Apple stores, Myer and other selected outlets and online

   

CHRISTMAS  SPECIAL  5. MIGHTY PURSE, from $99.99

Women everywhere will rejoice at this, the Mighty Purse! Literally this purse is the perfect mix of fashion and technology. Made of high quality genuine leather this purse functions just like a normal purse – it has credit card slots, sipper coin pocket, removable wrist strap. However, unlike other purses the Mighty Purse features a hidden lightweight built-in battery that can fully recharge any smart device. So when you’re on the go and your phone goes completely dead you’ll never be left powerless again. Works with all micro-usb Smartphones and iPhone (iPhone adapters sold separately) Then simply recharge the battery via any USB port. The purse also comes in a cheap non-leather version for $89.95, a CROSS BODY BAG from $139.99 and also in SPORT LUXE bag fro $99.95 which can be used a clutch purse, cross body bag and as a hip bag. There’s lots of different colours and finishes to suit every style and occasion. Stockist: www.handbagbutler.com.au