Review of the Casio GW

I wonder what such a tool would look like, how it would function, and whata public service announcement from Casio about terrorists using their watches toblow up airplanes might look like. Anyway, I'm no security expert, so I'm happyto reserve judgment, and I would certainly prefer airlines err on the sideof caution when it comes to security. At the same time, I will also say that Istood in the longest security line I've ever seen this morning flying out of Oakland,CA. I travel a fair amount -- often out of Washington, DC -- and I've never seena longer, slower moving security line as the one I stood in this morning, evenright after 9/11. I don't know if watches had anything to do with it, but I suspectthat with each warning that gets issued, policies get stricter, and lines getlonger.The idea is that since Casios are readilyavailable and very affordable, budget-conscious terrorists could modify aCasio ProTrek or Pathfinder so that it could detonate a bombat a specified altitude (I suppose you wouldn't want to blow up a Suunto,Tissot, or a Hamilton). I received a lot of skeptical email regarding thewarning, however whether it was justified or not, Casio's legalteamhasapparently responded. According to Robert Shapiro, Director of LegalAffairs, Casio is more than happy to work with the DHS to help limitany potential threats:"We hope to have a meeting where we can help screeners with identifyingthe watch and understand how it's used, how it functions.

Review of the Xonix 256MB MP3 Watch

I wrote asmall piece outlining the history of the Fossil Wrist PDA back in November,in case you're interested in ancient history.But for those of you who prefer to look forward rather than back, the new FossilWrist PDA is actually immediately available on Fossil's site, and if you can wait5-7 business days, they will even ship it to you for free!Fossil does not go into a lot of technical detail about the Wrist PDA on theirsite, but here's what I've been able to gather so far:160x160 grayscale LCD touch-screen.66MHz processor. That's twice the speedof the 2-year-old original.Palm OS 4.1 (same as the original).8MB of memory (up 4x from the original).Stylus integrated into the buckle.All I can say is thanks, Fossil, for not giving up on this watch. I'm sure somevery heated and ugly internal battles were fought and won in order to keep investingin this piece of technology.(The watch even charts changes in barometric pressure.)Real-time digital compass. Displays your current heading as well as both magneticor geographic north (see my reviewof the Tissot T-Touch for an explanationof the difference). The watch even has a level bubble built into the face to helpyou keep it level when using the compass. The resolution is 1 degree.Thermometer. (Can be calibrated to compensate for your body temperature.)Dual layer LCD display so you can view the compass and other information simultaneously.Date display.

New Site Dedicated to Fossil Wrist PDA Software

Included in the box is an adapter for standard 3.5mm headphone jacks. Ieven played a few tracks over my Altec Lancing computer speakers, and they soundedgreat. Do the MP3 player and the quartz watch share the same rechargeable battery?No. The battery for the MP3 player is rechargeable while the battery for thequartz watch is a standard watch battery. Therefore, when you run the MP3 player'sbattery down, the watch won't stop. How long does the battery last?About 10 hours. During my tests, it actually lasted 10 hours and 11 minutes.Howdoes the nTren MP3 watch recharge, and how long does it take? I found it gainedabout half a second over 24 hours which is a pretty standard variation. Is there a random mode?No. MP3s are only played sequentially on the nTren MP3 watch. How does the equalizer work?Just press the EQ button (upper left-hand corner) to cycle through the 5 equalizermodes (normal, pop, classic, rock, and jazz) while an MP3 is playing. There is no visual indication of which modeyou are in, so you will probably just want to keep experimenting until you findthe mode that sounds best.What operating systems is the nTren MP3 watch compatible with?Windows 98 and above, and Macintosh 8.6 and above. (I only personally testedit with Windows XP Professional and OS X 10.3.6.) Is the watch's firmware upgradable?

Fossil Launches New Wrist PDA (FX2008)

Only on Watch Report can a story on Patek Philippe be followed by one on a newFossil Star Wars watch. But as I'm fond of saying, every watch is right for someone.And if you're a total Star Wars geek, and you don't care who knows it, then thisone might be right for you. From the Star Wars online store:The Clone Wars Animated Series returns this March, and Fossil has a fantasticnew watch to commemorate the event.This highly stylized timepiece, which featuresthe animated incarnations of Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Yoda,has a brushed metal finish and sports an adjustable leather band studded with fourpolished rivets.Fans of animation will appreciate the way the face has been designed withinthe bezel--the images of Mace, Obi-Wan/Anakin, and Yoda appear to "float" onthree separate plains within the bezel, simulating the look of an animation celand background setup. Keep up to the minute with this Forceful animated foursomefrom the highly collectible Fossil series of watches.The new Clone Wars watch will run about 105 credits , and willbe available in May of 2005. It looks like you may even be able to preorderitif you're afraid of forgetting. If this is the kind of thing you're intowearing on your wrist, you might also want to check out the FossilStar Wars Driod watch, or see if you can find oneof the much sought after FossilStar Wars Imperial Icon watches.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is, by any measure, a timeless classic. The onepictured on the right was my first Rolex, given to me by my father, and given tohim by his father in 1965 as a high school graduation present. I wore it in highschool myself, unaware at the time of the social connotations associated with Rolexwatches. I knew Rolexes were considered good watches, and I knew I got a lot ofcomments on it, but to me, it was simply an unobtrusive, ***, accurate, dependable,and very tough watch with a little bit of family history. I think I can safely attribute my obsession with automatic watches (as opposedto digital quartz watches, which are an entirely different obsession of mine) tothis particular Rolex. It doesn't get a lot of wrist time anymore primarily becauseit's a little on the small side for a men's watch these days, but I still throwit on occasionally, and after a little bit of winding, it keeps time every bitas well as my much newer Rolex GMT Master II. The bracelet could stand to be replaced,and the acrylic crystal is plenty banged up from the all the punishment I threwat it in high school, but mechanically, it's perfectly sound.The Rolex Oyster Perpetual sold for all of $125 in 1965, or at least, that's whatmy grandfather paid for it. That's about $750 in today's dollars. A new comparablemodel (another Oyster Perpetual or a Rolex Air-King) would sell for about $3,000today. Despite steady price increases, Rolex watches are in such demand now thatyou're likely to pay full retail for a new one, and you may even have to orderthe exact watch you want.So why do I use the cliche "timeless classic" to describe the Rolex Oyster Perpetual?There are three things about Rolexes that make them timeless.Quality. Rolexes are one of the highest quality watches inthe world. Although there are plenty of comparable and probably even a few superiorbrands out there, in a fair fight, a Rolex can hold its own against just aboutanything. Design. Other than the size of the Oyster Perpetual, I'd say it's just about as fashionable today as it was in 1965. The look of Rolex watches doesn't change much over time which means they will not only function for additional generations, but they will still look like relative modern automatic watches rather than ancient family heirlooms.