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Blackout Buddy H2O

Ill-prepared for inclement weather? This emergency light can run for 72 hours without any batteries. Developed by Etón Corporation with the American Red Cross, the device needs just a few drops of water to activate it. $10

Civilization: Beyond Earth

Beyond Earth is the first game in the Civilization series to be set in the future (a departure from previous releases). Players can build and tear down societies and even explore maps inspired by real exoplanets. $50

Nike Vapor 360

Breaking in a new baseball glove is tough. The Vapor 360 makes it easier. Built with a perforated and nearly seamless construction into the palm, Nike designers made the Vapor 360 ready to use right out of the box—no need to perform feats of strength trying to cool, warm, and stretch it into submission. $400

BACTrack Vio

The size of a key chain, the Vio is one of the smallest breathalyzers available. It measures blood alcohol content, and even estimates when the level will drop low enough to safely drive. $50

Jabra Pulse

Your heart rate monitor has a new home, and it’s in your ears. Jabra’s wireless headphones can measure heart rate (more accurately than on your wrist), step count and pace, and can record a given route. And because it includes a microphone, you can still field calls mid-workout. $200

Nerf Combat Creatures

The company’s first remote-controlled dart blaster has six legs, walks like an insect, and can shoot darts 360 degrees and up to 45 feet. Plus, it will almost assuredly scare any opponent into submission. $60

Climendo

Climendo aggregates data from popular forecasters including Wunderground, Forecast.io, and NOAA, and then compares it with weather outcomes to show which is the most accurate for your area. $2

WTF Evolution?!

Sometimes, animals just defy logic. Mara Grunbaum asks evolution to answer for those odd quirks—such as a weevil with a long neck, a primate with venom­ous elbow pits, and plenty more bizarre creatures—in her new book. $13

Milwaukee Jobsite Scissors

Thanks to cutting edges made from iron carbide, the Jobsite scissors are 10 times more durable than ones made from standard stainless steel. Cut through tough materials with abandon. $15-25

Yeti Hopper

At first blush, a cooler made of fabric sounds dicey. But Yeti made its crushable, packable one from DryHide material (borrowed from whitewater rafts) and reinforced it with fully sealing zippers (borrowed from hazmat suits). Then they lined it with up to 1.5 inches of insulation, ensuring that everything in the 6.5-gallon cooler stays ice cold. $300
Gadgets
obsessed
October 2014

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