A few of my favourite things: lazy summer afternoons by the pool, Saturday-morning kayaks, and unnecessarily long showers. One of my least favourite things: a wet iPhone. Enter the UE ROLL – a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that comes with its own inflatable dinghy and a bungee cord on the back for easily attaching to your showerhead. All of a sudden, that extra ten-minute soak in the morning isn’t you postponing the start of the day; it’s being a conscientious citizen and catching up on the latest news before heading out to conquer the world.

Isn’t it great when technology helps you appear more competent than you actually are? For example, I’m clueless when it comes to most features on a decent camera, but thanks to Instagram, I can usually capture a passable photo. As for drawing skills, mine are third-grade-level at best, making me a huge fan of FiftyThree’s Paper app – a virtual collection of Moleskine-style notebooks and drawing tools. The custom-designed Pencil stylus lets you draw, shade, and blend like a pro; and if you happen to make a mistake, simply flip it over and erase right on the screen as you would with any old 2B. For those leaning more left-brain than right, the recent Think kit update turns your iPad into a digital whiteboard. Through the integrated Intention Engine, all your shaky lines, squares, and circles are smoothed out in real time to effortlessly create diagrams, graphs, and flowcharts that can export straight to Keynote, PowerPoint, or PDF. You come out looking like a creative genius; and whether you choose to credit nothing but natural-born talent is completely up to you.

MORE »

I think I just found my new grab a coffee and go explore the city camera. The 20.8-megapixel Nikon 1 J5 delivers a maximum shooting rate of 20fps with continuous autofocus, captures 4K video, has a three-inch 180° tilting touchscreen, is compatible with 1 NIKKOR lenses, and supports built-in Wi-Fi / NFC to easily get high-quality shots to your phone for some on-the-go Instagrams (while picking up another round of high-quality shots of caffeine). Plus, it’s hard to resist the combination of all that great technology on the inside and classic, Leica-inspired design on the outside.

MORE »

On the topic of diamond-quilted things, I came across OCTOVO’s Mac Folio while drooling over their beautiful surfboard collaboration with Jason Tilley. There are times when you go into a meeting with a briefcase and your full arsenal, while other times, a simple sleeve is all you need to keep that new (space gray) MacBook nice and cozy. In addition to having impeccable taste, the good folks at OCTOVO recognize the important things in life, equipping the folio with a small interior pocket to fit a credit card, ID, or love note. There, all essentials covered.

Growing up with an older brother has many upsides, including an early introduction to cooler clothes, books, music, and pretty much anything else that friends your own age haven’t yet discovered. That’s probably why the Vifa Copenhagen wireless speaker caught my eye – a beautiful combination of aluminum and textile (nice touch on the embroidered volume buttons) that looks like the kind of gear I used to obsess over back in the day, with the modern conveniences of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – and not having to flip the tape every thirty minutes. I think I’ll pick up an extra one for my brother. (via Uncrate)

I always enjoy a good Apple product unveil – even if just for the superlative-rich Jony Ive videos – and the recent incarnation was no exception. However, this isn’t a post about the Apple Watch, although I’m sure I’ll eventually get one myself. And I’ll do so for two main reasons: 1) the ease with which most Apple products seamlessly integrate into an ecosystem of other iDevices; and 2) what I like to call the Apple ooh-moment. It’s that instant when you first tried the iPod click wheel (RIP), or got your hands on the iPhone Multi-Touch display, or took the Magic Mouse for a spin. It’s like the philosophical equivalent of Steve Jobs’s one more thing – you hear about a new Apple device and you can intellectually comprehend what it does, but you don’t fully get its full impact until you have it in your hand, grinning ear-to-ear like a kid with a shiny new toy.

MORE »

Don’t know if I’m in the minority on this one, but I’ve always found it hard to find the right pair of headphones – ones that will drown out enough ambient sound without feeling like oversized earmuffs. Then I came across the clean, beautiful design of the Bowers & Wilkins P5, and now the search is over.

There are two beautiful things I like to wake up to in the morning. This is one of them :-)

(Tivoli Platinum Series Model Three)

I’ve had an iPod shuffle for a while now, because when you’re such a bad runner as myself, anything that makes a Sunday-morning 10k easier is worth its weight in gold. And now, I’m a bit tempted to move up to the iPod nano — 16 gigs of music, touchscreen, Nike+, and FM radio for about $150. Now, if the next version includes basic mobile phone capabilities, I’m totally in. I’ll throw it on one of these iWatchz Q Series watchbands and call Danielle to meet me when I decide to end the run at 5k and go for a Sunday-morning cappuccino instead.

I like to keep a minimal wallet and key ring, which means taking a serious (and at times existential) look at what you absolutely need with you throughout the day. One of those things is the LaCie iamaKey flash drive, and another is the Swiss Army Signature pocket knife. This tiny piece of brilliance takes up  very little room in your pocket and comes in handy about a thousand times an hour. The scissors are great for loose threads and tags, while the little pop-out pen is a lifesaver when you need to take a quick note. One other piece of knowledge — no one ever uses the nail file.