The Backpack Cooler Chair

Okay, so there is a good band playing at the Botanical Gardens and all your mates decide on an impromptu visit. You know you need a) your own chair and b) stuff to nosh. But the sardine express you are travelling in makes it difficult to take a bag packed with food plus a camping chair. What is a guy to do? Invest in the backpack cooler chair!

From its handy backpack design for easy mobility, to the insulated portable cooler for plenty of eats, to the comfy chair it is topped off with, this versatile device makes packing in a hurry child’s play. Fashioned from heavy-duty polyester and featuring a U-shaped zipper for easy access, an exterior water bottle pocket, two cushioned backpack straps with adjustable grips, and a durable metal frame to accompany the fabric seat, this backpack cooler chair miraculously folds flat for easy storage.

The chair measures around 40cm x 25cm x 18cm and 46cm x 30cm when the backpack chair is open. It retails between R380-R400.

Jawbone’s UP – the wearable health monitor for Apple devices

At first glance, the average Joe would never even suspect that inside this thin, attractive wristband is embedded technology that’s able to track your daily activities, sleeping patterns and diet.

The UP uses its inbuilt "MotionX" sensor to track your activity and transfers the relevant data to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the headphone jack. A dedicated app then provides an overview of your movement, GPS routes, sleep and meals. UP is meant to integrate seamlessly into the user’s lifestyle “24 hours a day”.

The UP has a built-in Li-ion polymer battery which takes 80 minutes to recharge and lasts up to 10 days, according to Jawbone. It has a USB to 3.5 mm plug adapter for charging at 5V.

The UP monitoring system is only compatible with iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, iPad, or iPod Touch (iOS 4.1 and greater). The UP app is free but it does not work without the wristband and the wristband is not compatible with any other app or device.

The global launch is planned for near the end of the year.

The Kindle Fire

The newest addition to the Kindle family, the Fire features a vibrant 7-inch multi-touch display which utilizes IPS (in-plane switching) technology to provide an extra-wide viewing angle, so others can watch alongside with you.

The display produces 16 million colours at a resolution of 1024 x 600 and has been chemically strengthened to be 30 times harder and 20 times stiffer than plastic, which makes the Fire durable and more resistant to wear and tear.

Its user-friendly interface allows users to browse effortlessly through the menus. Being an Amazon product, the Kindle Fire gives you access to Amazon’s plethora of digital content, usage of the Amazon Cloud for free, unlimited storage, and Amazon prime members get unlimited free access to more than 10,000 movies and TV shows. If you’re not an Amazon prime member, you get a 30-day free trial of the service so you can get a taste of it.

Amazon has incorporated a revolutionary, high-speed Web browser in the Fire – the Amazon Silk - and have enhanced their WhisperSync tech further by now allowing you to pause movies and TV shows, so you can pick up exactly where you left off.

Just in time for Xmas!