OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal 2009 - Limited Edition

Its fusion temperature is half the titanium alloys, when it is cooled, its three times harder then stainless steel. The amorphous structure allows it to bond seamlessly with the ceramic bezel. The process begins when ceramic rings are formed. The numbers and the fine lines of the minute scaling are then engraved into these ceramic bezel rings and polished. The alloy is heated and pressed into the cavities in the ceramic material after which any excess Liquidmetal is removed.The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Liquidmetal Limited Edition has a stainless steel case and bracelet.

Time Jokes

"Don't Ignore the KidsThe 12-year-old boy stood patiently beside the clock counter while the store clerk waited on all of the adult customers first. Finally he got around to the youngster, who made his purchase and hurried out to the curb, where his father was impatiently waiting in his car.- What took you so long, son? he asked.- The man waited on everybody in the store before me but I got even.- How?The youngster explained happily:- I wound and set all the alarm clocks while I was waiting. It's going to be fun at eight o'clock.How many countries have you got?- All the countries in the world!- Wow! That's a pretty cool watch you've got there.- That's nothing, this watch also has a GPS facility, fax, e-mail and can even receive NTSC television channels and display them on its miniature active color pixel LCD screen!- Boy, that's incredible. I wish I had a watch like that one. You wouldn't consider selling it by any chance?- Well, actually the novelty has worn off for me, so for $900, if you want it, it's yours.The watchless traveler can hardly whip out his checkbook fast enough to hand over a check for $900. The seller takes off the watch and gives it to him."Congratulations, here is you new hi-tech watch." Then, handing the two suitcases over as well, he says, "And here are the batteries.

Time Jokes

- Age 46I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. - Age 47I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. - Age 50I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. - Age 51I've learned that *** a living is not the same thing as *** a life. - Age 58I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. - Age 92Hi-Tech WatchA man is at Grand Central Station waiting for his train that leaves at 6 p.m., but he has forgotten his watch. So he looks for someone to ask the time. He spots a guy carrying two suitcases and sporting this fabulous hi-tech watch, so he asks him for the time and the guy replies:- Sure, which country?Age 7I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again. - Age 12I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. - Age 15I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there. - Age 29I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. - Age 30I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.

Time Jokes

Later, when I was putting on my coat to leave, I asked him what time it was. He looked at his watch blankly, then brightened. "It's time for you to go," he answered triumphantly.Time ManagementThe church wanted to help their congregation cope better with the stresses of modern life, and decided to offer a course in Time Management.Soon after the course was announced, a member telephoned the Pastor.- What time does the course start, Pastor?- Oh... six-ish, seven-ish....Time Gets Better with AgeI've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.Here is a another small collection of jokes that have either a direct or indirect connection with watches and time. I'm sure that some of them will make you smile.CAT timeIf twenty dogs run after one cat, what time is it? Twenty after one.Lunch timeAt lunch time, sit in your parked car w/sunglasses on and point a hairdryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.Universal TimeA customer calls the round-the-clock tech support hotline to ask what hours the call center is open.- The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Says the technician who answers the call.Customer asks:- Is that Eastern or Pacific time?It's TimeEven though he could not tell time, my three-year-old grandson was wearing a watch when I visited.

The Nike+ SportBand

he Nike+ SportBand sells for a very reasonable $59. In January, we told you about the Nike Amp+ chanel watches online which doubles as a remote control for your iPod Nano. Recently, Nike introduced the Nike+ SportBand which seems to be a variation on the theme with a slightly different focus.The SportBand answers the question "What if I don't want to run with music?" This isn't as theoretical as you might think since many races ban music players. With the Nike+ SportBand, you can see all the same information that the web chanel watches displayed on the screen of your Nano (pace, distance, calories burned, etc.), but on an LCD integrated into the SportBand itself rather than on the screen of your iPod.Like the Nike Amp+ bell & ross , you can still upload your running data when you get home, so it's just as well integrated into the whole Nike/Apple ecosystem. All you do is pop the Nike+ Link out of the SportBand, and plug it directly into your computer's USB port.Nike has also introduced a web-based coaching system called Nike+ Coach with professionally crafted programs for a range of fitness goals. Everything from "Walk to run" to "Marathon" is laid out with motivational tools, progress tracking, peer challenges, and more. This might sound trivial, but I'm here to tell you that workout buddies — even virtual ones — are a major factor in keeping up an exercise program. Of course, you probably have to have the hardware to make much use of the virtual coach, but the cost of entry is really pretty minimal.

Review of the Nike+ Sportband

As you can see from that list, it's a datalogger stripped to its smallest and most essential form. What's more, it's not just keeping totals. Here's a graph from a walk: As I said, I'm no runner! The point is that the Sportband is saving quite a bit of data about your runs, and the Nike+ website has excellent features to keep running totals, compete against real or virtual opponents, and even coaching: The Sportband itself is very lightweight, and on the strap is completely weightless. The chanel online display is a bit small to read on the run, but the main button is large and in front so it's quite easy to start and stop, and then peruse the data on your computer later. The unit and the strap are two pieces that snap together so post-run, you pull it off and insert it into a USB port. The software runsautomatically and uploads your data as well. (As a nice touch, it alsosets the time automatically.) Very nice engineering.The sensor is a piezo-based accelerometer, with a non-replaceable battery spec'd to 1000 hours of life.Today, a review of the unusual Nike+ Sportband, a combination chanel ceramic, radio system and running companion. Paired with the coin-sized transmitter in your shoe, the Sportband measures distance, pace and time in a superlight package on a low-key rubber strap. As previously posted, the Sportband is designed for runners who don't want music (for them, the Amp+ is perfect), or want to travel light. So what can you do with the Sportband?Measure distance & pace.Estimate calories burned based on the data you enter.Upload data to the Nike+ website (more on this below).Specs include:Lithium ion polymer battery (full charge takes 2 hours).Waterproof to IPX-7 spec (3 ft of water for 30 minutes). Buttons not waterproofed though.Polyurethane strap, stainless steel buckle, and polycarbonate case.Reverse LCD display.Charges the internal battery and sets the time automatically just by plugging it into the USB port.

Review of the Suunto X9i

At 52mm by 16mm, all this is packed into a watch only slightly larger than the average Suunto. With integrated band and plastic case, the luxury gift is lightweight and comfortable to wear. It's noticeably smaller than some of its competition, and the addition of GPS has been done tactfully -- if you didn't recognize the watch, you wouldn't know it was a GPS.Suunto describes the X9i as a "wrist top computer", and they're not kidding. Plan on spending some quality time with the manual before hitting the trails.The GPS portion of the X9i is definitely the marquee feature, so let's dive into that first. Modes and features include:Find Home. Mark a position as "home", and this features easily gives you a vector back to it. Useful in a wide variety of settings, from hiking to flying and exploring.Track back. Similar to find home, but in this case, you're trying to follow your same route back.Activity mode. Tracks speed and distance.Time calibration. You can also use the GPS to set the gift for man' time for super-accurate timekeeping. Atomic watches, take notice!Navigation mode. Use waypoints and routes as downloaded from the computer to follow a route.Each time you use the GPS, you can have it log data into internal memory for later downloading. This is then displayed in either the Suunto Trek Manager software, or on Google Earth.The GPS, interestingly, cannot display raw latitude and longitude. View the Suunto X9i Photo GalleryIf you like your watches with long feature lists, have we got a gift for man for you! The Suunto X9i is a wrist-top computer, adding GPS to the usual laundry list of modern digital watch features. There's no question that the Suunto X9i is designed for the great outdoors.Let's get right down to features. The X9i packs in:GPS navigation with a 12-channel receiver.USB data and power inte***ce, with PC software and a free inte***ce to Google Earth.Altimeter.Barometer.Thermometer.Compass.Three alarms.Stopwatch.Dual time (with good multi-time zone support).Rechargeable Li-Ion battery, good for about 500 charge cycles.Bitmapped high-res display with electroluminescent backlight.Waterproof to 100m or about 330 feet (but see below for more on this).Tough resin/plastic case with scratch-resistant mineral crystal.Integrated plastic strap with metal teeth, vented for warmer climates.

Review of the Suunto X10m

Compared to the X9, the X10 improves GPS sensitivity and better battery life (33%). Watch size, shape, and weight are unchanged.The GPS memory can store up to 26,000 points at either 1 second or 1 minute intervals: If you're in 1-second mode, and using the luxury gift intensively, expect six hours of battery life. At the other extreme, if you leave everything off and just read the time, it'll last up to two months. Something to think about before going on a long hike; perhaps consider a small solar panel with USB connectors.There are some cool uses of the X10 other than the obvious expeditionary stuff: did you know that, by using a GPS at the same time as your camera, you can automatically geotag your pictures after the fact? There's free software that correlates the timestamp on the image with the GPS track data, and then tags the pictures with the estimated location. Given the very cool support for this in Flickr and iPhoto, the X10 is an excellent way to do so, and quite unobtrusive. (I wore the X9i to Buenos Aires, and no one took any notice at all.) You can also use the Suunto Track Exporter software to download to Google Earth which is, I think, one of the best ways to use any GPS.Up for review today is the Suunto X10m, an improved version of the X9i I reviewed in 2007. It's a GPS ugg with a long list of features that belie its understated appearance:GPS: Routes, waypoints, tracks, speed distance, 1 meter (3ft) resolution.Plan and visualize tracks on a PC ahead of time, then download to the watch.Google Earth compatible (screenshots and more below).Altimeter: Altitude, vertical speed, alarms for set altitudes and rates. Temperature compensated.Barometer: Absolute pressure, sea level pressure, trend graph, weather alarm.Integrated temperature sensor (which isn't accurate unless the web gift is worn outside your sleeve).Watch: 3 alarms, time optionally set via GPS, dual timezone support with 30-minute offsets supported. 100m (330ft) water resistant as long as you don't press the buttons.Integrated lithium rechargeable battery, specced for 500 charge cycles, recharged via the included USB cable.Available in different colors as well as the supplied military version (all black, reverse LCD, red backlight, with support for the military grid coordinate system and 'mils' compass readings).Full review continues below.

The Omega Speedmaster X

Mission elapsed time (up to 999 days). Mission time alarm.Shipped in a box covered with spacesuit material (nice touch).Bidirectional 120-click ratcheting bezel for timing with the analog hands.Luminescent "bezel pearl" for night visibility.LCD "stealth" mode. (Clean up the dial by turning off the curved LCD display.)List price for the X-33 was about $2,600, and they show up on eBay and on sale uggs forums every now and then for about $1,500 - $2,000, depending on their condition.Additional Resources: The Omega X-33 Product Page. A Pilot's Impression of the Omega X-33. Review of the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33.Say Hi to the Omega Speedmaster X-33. Introduced in 1998, this is one amazing watch. Omega literally flight (and crash) tested it with NASA and military pilots, experimenting with several design iterations before settling on and shipping two commercial versions. It was designed for pilots and space flight, and is rated by NASA for the mission to Mars. Without a doubt, this is one of the coolest and most interesting analog-digital the best ugg ever made.But of course, something this good just couldn't last. Unfortunately, the X-33 was made unavailable to the general public last year, and now you can only buy them if you work for NASA, or you're in the military. And if that weren't enough, rumor has it that you need to assemble an order of ten or more at once.Features of the Omega Speedmaster X-33 include:Titanium case and bracelet (for light weight).Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, coated on both sides.Omega quartz movement developed specifically for this watch (caliber 1666), temperature compensated, rated to ± 0.1 seconds per day.26-month battery with low-power indicator.Water-resistant to 30 meters (about 100 feet).80dB alarm — incredibly loud for use in a cockpit environment. (Finally, a watch that you could actually use for an alarm clock.)8 lux backlight — practically flashlight-bright.42.25mm diameter case.Day, date, stop better ugg, GMT, and a countdown timer.Standard daily alarm, and a second programmable alarm.