Oregon Scientific's Touch Advanced Weather Station

Some weather stations have a confusing array of buttons that toggle between modes, but Oregon Scientific is announcing a new touchscreen weather station at CES that will simplify determining what you should wear in the mornings.  The Touch Advanced Weather Station gives you full weather forecasts, accurate time & date, temperature, humidity and air pressure readings with a touch of your finger.  The Touch Advanced station shows 12-hour weather forecast with 24-hour historical barometer and barograph, indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity with up to 3 channels, and a daily max and min temperature and humidity record.  It also has an atomic clock and calendar with crescendo alarm and 8-minute snooze.  The MSRP is $49.99.

Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Watch Review

The All Black is ‘just…' a new color scheme in the existing Sunnto Elementum Terra line. The all-black casing and negative display make for a stealthy (Stargate ) look, while retaining all the functionality of the Terra clan. I have always been tempted by Suunto's luxury line of Elementum Terra watches but to be honest the original three styles, while very nice, never talked to me enough to do the deed. But the Terra All Black pushed me over the edge…. The Terra All Black is well sized and weighted and even better looking in person, featuring: time, date, alarm, 3D compass, altimeter, barometer, and chronograph. Here it is next to my old Suunto t6 running/workout (right) and Movado (left) watches I wear regularly.  As you can see, the Terra All Black is very nice looking. I have used my t6 for YEARS, having definitely gotten what I paid for. It continues to keep ticking…a new battery every couple of years and has yet to fail me. My hope and expectation is that the Terra will do the same; withstand the same rugged lifestyle that my t6 has. The Terra's professional appearance not only enables it to be worn anywhere (aka business setting), but also be used while running/outdoor adventuring. While nicely weighted and sized, the Elementum series of watches is relatively thick, but not painfully so. The overall dimensions of the watch are 1.8 (44mm) x 1.8 (44mm) x 0.5 (13.5mm) inches and weighs 95 g (200 g for Steel). Contents: Suunto Elementum Terra All Black Wrist Computer Cleaning Cloth Customer Support Card Quick Reference Guide Features: Time, Date, Alarm Backlight Altimeter Barometric pressure & trend 3D compass Chronograph Cumulative ascent / descent Log: last 8 ascent / descent, max. altitude Suunto's Elementum Terra has a simple design, manufactured with high quality materials and intelligent/well-thought out navigation. As you would expect from Suunto, its luxury line of watches is extremely well made: corrosion-resistant AISI 316L stainless steel case and buttons; sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating; intelligent knob positioning for easy scrolling; high-quality LCD display with metallic display graphics; water resistance to 100 m (and according to the manual, the buttons can be pushed underwater). The Suunto Elementum has two sensors: pressure and electronic compass. The pressure sensor has a dual purpose of monitoring the barometric pressure and altitude data. The main screen of the watch shows the time, date, altitude, and barometric pressure trend and reading continuously. The compass function can be accessed by pushing the bottom button. The 3-Axis (3-D) compass does not need to be level to operate accurately. The barometric pressure scale (outside ring display) turns into a pointer for North, and the watch dial reads out the degrees you are facing. The compass and barometric sensors need to be initially calibrated and aligned. Having majored in atmospheric science back in college, I find the barometric pressure gauge and trend indicator interesting and a lot of fun. So far, it has done an excellent job of letting me know what the weather is going to be like. The pressure was high and it was clear and cold but once it took a nosedive, the rains were here a few hours later. While this feature has limited benefits surviving in the urban canyons, it could definitely come in handy while out camping, fishing, hunting and the like. The watch also features an alarm and simple chronograph. The chronograph measures 1x100 of a second for a minute after which it measures up to 99 minutes. While the Terra can time your runs/hikes/rides, track your altitude gains/losses, and help you navigate your routes, it does not work with Suunto's foot pod, bike pod, GPS pod or heart rate monitor; making it not an ideal choice for hardcore training. The watch has a very bright backlight. It can be activated by pushing the middle button for a couple of seconds. The entire screen is illuminated with a blue/green glow. The backlight is impressively bright and stays on for approximately 3-4 seconds. In addition to the new Terra All Black, there are also three other styles in the line; Black Rubber, Black Leather, and Steel. Along with the Terra, the high end Elementum line also includes a Aqua (left) and Ventus (right). The Elementum Aqua is for ‘urban and underwater use' and the Elementum Ventus is for the ‘on-board and on-shore lifestyle'. The Elementum line of watches is made in Finland, where the brand started/is from. The Suunto Elementum Terra line ranges in price from $899 to $1199. While not as costly as Rolex or Breitling, a thousand dollars is nothing to scoff at either. Its lack of training and/or expedition features makes other less costly Suunto watches, like the t6d or Core, a more logical choice for the hardcore athlete or outdoor explorer. The Terra All Black is more for the professional who exercises during lunch or hunts/hikes on the weekend. Having said that, even though I workout pretty hard a majority of the time and do many outdoor activities, I have zero buyers regret on my 2011 Holiday gift/splurge (to myself )….without a doubt, I love the Terra All Black's look, feel, form and function.

This watch lets you make cardless MasterCard payments

In the past year, NFC/RFID technology advancements have allowed shoppers to make quick and easy payments using programs such as MasterCard's PayPass and Visa's PayWire. Without ever having to remove a credit card from your wallet or purse, RFID technology allows you to make a credit card payment by simply placing your enabled device next to a sensor. Although typical NFC devices come in the form of modern smartphones equipped with applications such as Google Wallet, watch manufacturer LAKS has partnered up with MasterCard to create another method for easy payments using RFID technology. Dubbed Watch2Pay, the device is a wristwatch equipped with a SIM card that can be linked directly to your MasterCard PayPass account. With the Watch2Pay watch, you'll be able to make quick payments by simply placing the watch next to a compatible MasterCard PayPass scanner. Since there won't be PayPass scanner everywhere you go, the device also comes with a traditional prepaid card to use. The watch comes in a wide variety of colors and can be purchased for the price of 99 Euros here.

Hydromechanical watch concept pumps away the hours for horologists

Vincent Perriard and crew have apparently gone from overseeing the Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch and its fluorescent liquid battery gauge to designing another high end watch that combines mechanical action and fluid measurement with the HYT H1. This hand-wound timepiece has a 65 hour power reserve and displays the time via pumping bellows that push bright green fluorescine past the time markers. A rendered video embedded after the break does more to explain how the watch works, but it may not help you figure out its rumored $45k price tag.

Modify Watches Review

I still wear a wristwatch, but I'm part of a dying breed.  News articles suggest that the current generation has turned its back on the wearable timepiece in favor  of checking the time on a cellphone.  Modify Watches is offering wristwatches that are more a fashion statement than for the telling of time.  With multiple faces and straps, you can configure your watch to express yourself.  Their packaging states the watches are ” Fashionable, Flexible, Modifiable and Dope”.  I have no idea what the last term means. The watches come in two sizes, big and bigger, they're water-resistant to 3 ATM and made of stainless steel and plastic. For the review I received 2 watch bands and one watch face which were packaged as above. On their website they show 13 watch bands, or straps as they call them and 12 watch faces.  They run the spectrum from subdued to rather eccentric and vary in price.  I tend to be conservative, so I opted not to get the polka dot face.  I went with black and blue straps and a silver face. Here's a closer look at the face.  This is battery operated, so it came with a wedge in the stem to keep it from operating until needed. On the backside are the screws that need to be removed when replacing the battery.  There's no indication on the web site how long the battery will last. The box the watch components were shipped in had the instructions for assembling the watches.  It's really not that difficult. To give some perspective, on the left is my daily use watch and the Modify watch. If you're someone with a small wrist, the watch may seem a little clunky, but that may be the look you're going for. The timepiece is very basic.  There's no day or date indicator, although there is a second hand.  Even though it is battery driven, you can still hear the second hand “tick”.  This fascinates my 3-year-old grandsons, so I'll count that as a positive. Changing straps is simple and if you have a large enough collection of straps and faces, you can have a different daily look on your wrist for a long time.  I've found the watches to be very comfortable to wear.  The soft plastic of the straps is “stretchy” and conforms to your wrist. It appears to me that Modify Watches is attempting to recreate the Swatch craze.  More power to them if they do.  If you're into vibrant colors and wear a watch as a fashion accessory, these are the way to go.  The least expensive combination of face and strap will cost you $40 plus shipping.  Just for comparison, you can buy 4 complete watches at most discount stores for the same amount.