Media Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamFoul-Weather FriendIf and when the sky starts to fall, the Weather Channel-branded Stormtracker VEC136 ($100) is our kind of all-in-one backup plan. Its black-and-white TV picks up VHF and UHF, and the radio gets digital AM, FM and NOAA Weather Radio. Its LCD screen can be set to display SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) text alerts related to your county. If that’s not enough of a lifeline, it also has LED lights and a cellphone charger, and everything but the TV can be powered with a trusty hand crank. vectormfg.comWISH LISTMedia Platforms Design TeamMedia Platforms Design TeamSaving SolesTimberland’s PreciseFit shoes, which range from $130 to $140, sell themselves on one-size-fits-more versatility. Removable insoles plus removable inserts let you add a half-size of room to each shoe, to fit, say, a wider left foot or thick winter socks. While the leap between the different fits–wide, regular and narrow–was too extreme to accommodate our own mismatched-width feet, this is literally a step in the right direction. timberland.comIt won’t make the tiny screen on your BlackBerry any easier to read, but ANYCOM’s BFK-200 Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard ($150) is a full-size keyboard that takes the thumb-blistering sting out of long e-mails. It’s sturdier than other folding keyboards, but still weighs in at under 7 ounces. And it’s entirely wireless, running for 60 hours on two AAAs, and syncing to compatible devices via Bluetooth. anycom.comMedia Platforms Design TeamBlu-ray Test DriveThe format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray has officially begun–whether you should care is another matter. We took the first HD-DVD player for a spin in the August issue. Up this month is Samsung’s $1000 BD-P1000, the first dedicated Blu-ray player.Hardware IssuesIt took nearly 30 seconds to load a Blu-ray disc, and up to 6 seconds to skip from one chapter to the next. If that doesn’t sound like much, try counting to 30 while staring at a blank screen. Now imagine paying $1000 for that privilege.Image QualityWe watched scenes from Hitch, Memento and XXX at 1080p resolution, which only Blu-ray discs can currently deliver. But all three films looked surprisingly grainy. The only footage that lived up to Blu-ray’s hype was a razor-sharp trailer for Underworld: Evolution.Bottom LineDon’t bother enlisting in this format war yet–even early adopters should wait for reinforcements.PREVIEWPlaying for KeepsWhether you love them, hate them or couldn’t care less, video games are on the march. Three powerful game consoles will do battle this holiday season for home entertainment supremacy–here’s our report from the front. –Erik SofgeMedia Platforms Design TeamMicrosoft XBOX 360AVAILABLE: NowPRICE: $300 to $400RESOLUTION: Up to 1080ixbox.comHardware: With nine months and some 80 games under its belt, the 360 is the next-generation console to beat. But now the 360 is in danger of becoming the least technologically impressive of the pack, lacking the PS3’s supercomputing power and the Wii’s motion-sensing controller. Microsoft is counting on innovative games to maintain its lead.Online: Xbox Live, a pay-per-year network that launched with the original Xbox, extended the life span of some titles, letting gamers jump into massive firefights or establish online racing leagues. You also can download cheap “arcade” games. Every 360 title is Live-compatible. Breakthrough Game: Test Drive Unlimited This massively multiplayer racing game will support over 100,000 players cruising around a virtual Oahu, heading for league matches or spoiling for a pickup race. It comes with 90 vehicles, including bikes and concept cars, and more will be available over Xbox Live. Online bells and whistles aside, it’s a great racing game.Media Platforms Design TeamSony Playstation 3AVAILABLE: Nov. 17PRICE: $500 to $600RESOLUTION: Up to 1080pus.playstation.com/ps3Hardware: Delayed by about six months, the PS3 has some explaining to do. Will its powerful RSX and Cell processors deliver better visuals and smoother game play than the 360? It plays 1080p-resolution Blu-ray discs, but what if HD-DVD wins the format war? The PS3 seemed worth the wait when we played it. But will the price tag–as much as $600–sideline this contender regardless of its heavyweight technology?Online: Sony is promising free access to its gaming network, with the standard roster of downloadable games, add-ons to existing titles, and the ability to host open or private games. Breakthrough Game: Assassin’s CreedThe crumbling masonry and teeming marketplaces in the Crusades-era Holy Land are gorgeous, but the artificial intelligence (AI) is even more stunning. Shove through a crowd and some bystanders shove you back. The AI extends to brawls, where enemies won’t always fight to the death, but may beg for mercy or run for help.Media Platforms Design TeamNintendo WiiAVAILABLE: November (Est)PRICE: $250 or less (Est)RESOLUTION: Up to 480pwii.nintendo.comHardware: No longer the dark horse in this next-gen contest, the Wii (pronounced “we”) is grabbing headlines with its motion-sensing mojo. Gyroscopic sensors turn the controller into a virtual fishing rod or pistol. But will revolutionary game play make up for the mediocre graphics and an inability to display HD-quality images? Only time, and possibly Mario, will tell.Breakthrough Game: Red SteelBringing a sword to a gunfight is a bad idea, but lots of fun. Red Steel gives you both kinds of weapons–and showcases the Wii’s motion sensors by letting you aim your controller like a gun or swing it like a blade. The graphics aren’t as detailed as the PS3’s and 360’s, but game play doesn’t get more immersive than this.WISH LISTMedia Platforms Design TeamSome Like It QuadWhat’s more fun than an 1150cc sportbike? Perhaps an 1150cc sportbike with the stability and handling of a formula race car. The 880-pound, 95-hp GG Quad hits 60 mph in under 5 seconds. It’s big, it’s weird and we’re dying to try it. But it has three strikes against it: It costs $49,500; steering it is a workout; and it isn’t road-legal. Motorcycles are defined as vehicles with three wheels or less. However, GG Quad has filed a petition to change the law. ggquadna.comMedia Platforms Design TeamMP3s From HeavenSomeday we’ll look back and laugh at MP3 players that downloaded music from a PC through a cable. We’ll be plucking our tunes from thin air. For now, the MusicGremlin ($299, plus 99 cents per song or $15 per month for unlimited songs) lets you access over 2 million tunes wirelessly and swap files with other subscribers. The catch? You have to stay in range of a Wi-Fi network, such as your home connection or a local hotspot. musicgremlin.comMedia Platforms Design TeamScreen DreamIt isn’t groundbreaking, but Creative’s Zen Vision W ($399 for 30GB, $499 for 60GB) has the best screen we’ve seen on a portable media player, and it plays every format we’ve thrown at it, from MPEG and AVI to various types of DivX. Even non-dweebs will appreciate the bright 4.3-in. screen and the CompactFlash card slot–you can display photos and save them to the hard drive. creativelabs.comMedia Platforms Design TeamSanders can do a fine job of removing paint–but they’re better at, well, sanding wood. The 4.5-pound PaintEater ($75) is a paint specialist. It has a comfortable grip, and it uses disposable, easy-to-load spun-fiber discs from 3M that tear through old paint without shredding the material you’re prepping. wagnerspraytech.comBackup GeneratorsPower outages, whether due to hurricane-force winds or an aging national grid, can happen anytime. To make sure you don’t get stuck with a water pump that won’t pump and a fridge full of rotting food, consider a backup generator. After testing the best new models of 2006 at my family’s entirely off-the-grid home, here’s what I discovered. –Ben HewittDetermining how much generator you need is a matter of simple addition. Decide what you want to keep running and add up the wattage. Keep an eye on surge wattage–some appliances require extra power to start, so you might have to turn other devices off to avoid tripping a breaker. For a rough idea of your power needs, here are sample ratings for common appliances:TV Run: 500 wattsSurge: N/ARefrigerator Run: 500 to 700Surge: 2000 to 2200Microwave Run: 625Surge: 8001/2-horsepower furnace fan Run: 800Surge: 23501/3-horsepower well pump Run: 1000Surge: 2000Window-mount air conditioner Run: 1200Surge: 1800Electric hot-water heater Run: 4000Surge: N/AMedia Platforms Design TeamBRIGGS AND STRATTON ELITE 01532Price: $529Max. output: 900 wattsWeight: 55 lb.Fuel capacity: 1.2 gal.If outages are rare in your area, and you’re simply concerned with running a mini fridge for a few hours until the grid is back on line, go with a small, super-portable unit such as Briggs and Stratton’s 900-watt Elite. It won’t keep your whole house humming, but it will keep your beer cold and run the TV while you wait for better days. And because it’s so light (55 pounds), you can lug this little generator almost anywhere. briggsandstratton.comMedia Platforms Design TeamSUBARU ROBIN 4300iSPrice: $2999Max. output: 4300 wattsWeight: 163 lb.Fuel capacity: 3.4 gal.If you plan to run sensitive electronics (like PCs and audio systems) directly off your generator, take a hard look at the 4300iS. It’s an inverter/generator, so it produces extremely clean, spikefree power. The unit’s 4300 watts is enough to power most anything, although running concurrent high loads (such as a water pump, a table saw and an a/c) will trip its 30-amp breaker. Still, with its convenient electric start, wheel kit and quiet air-cooled Subaru engine, this was my all-around favorite. subarupower.comMedia Platforms Design TeamHITACHI E71Price: $2400Max. output: 7100 wattsWeight: 201 lb.Fuel capacity: 5 gal.When nothing but raw power will do, yank the recoil starter on Hitachi’s E71. Equipped with a 13-horse Honda engine, its prodigious output is sufficient to run an entire home, provided you use a modicum of common sense. Because it lacks the Robin’s inverter technology, you shouldn’t plug sensitive electronics directly into its four receptacles. Nor is it as blissfully quiet as the Robin and the Briggs. But when it comes to massive output, the E71 rules the roost, making it my pick for construction sites and general mayhem. hitachipowertools.comSAFETY TIPS Generators can produce more carbon monoxide than a running car, so don’t run them in a basement, in a garage, under a carport or on a front porch. The best spot is at least 10 ft. from the house. Don’t back-feed electricity from a generator into an outlet. Plug appliances into a generator, or plug the generator into a transfer switch that an electrician has installed near the home’s service panel. For more on generator safety click here.
