Hey gang, Valkor here. Though we’ve yet to experience Halloween and Thanksgiving, signs of the Christmas season are starting to rear its head – and to that I say an advanced Bah-Humbug! Christmas with all its sparkly lights that’ll make ya go blind, that annoying music to make your ears bleed and then you gotta give people stuff! That’s the worst of it! But… maybe my mood will change on the holiday after Pepcom’s Holiday Spectacular, with a “Christmas Carol” theme complete with visits from Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Future and loads of tech toys to play with… that might change my tune…
I wanna give a huge nod to Jakks Pacific for hooking up the Val-man with a Kylo Ren figure from the upcoming Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens. Here are no words that can describe my excitement for this film. Even if it ultimately sucks, it’s brand new Star Wars on the big screen and I’m so looking forward to it!
Hasbro – The maker of all things Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony and loads of board games, have gone and scored themselves a Disney/Marvel license and are pushing out one of the coolest toys to hit the market; it’s called Playmation, which mixes Iron man’s wrist Repulsor along with action figures you place on a stand – and then proceed to shoot them off of said stand, alongside a mobile app for collecting experience and rewards. The “Repulsor Gear” also utilizes the voice of Jarvis who will guide you on your progress. With the starter pack you get the repulsor, two figures, and two activators (additional figures and stands sold separately). Personally, I’m down for wearing the repulsor on the daily, which looks like it can easily fit adult hands. Awesome!
Speck – Speck has been known to drop by the cave here and there, with another new review forthcoming; At the holiday showcase they were showing off some pretty “sweet” cases in the “Candyshell” lineup know as “candyshell Inked” (also Inked Luxury). The cases not only offers up quality protection, but also new artistic designs, some completed with a “Luxury Metallic Finish”. Your smartphone will look amazing when out in the wild. Speck was also showcasing the Candyshell Clear, which lets the original design of your iPhone 6/6 Plus shine, while still offering up that grade A protection. Finally, Speck in conjunction with Jonathan Adler home design, have produced cases featuring the artwork that replicates and matches up some of Adler’s more popular works. Stay tuned for a review of the Candyshell Clear and we’ll have more from Speck in the coming months.
Plantronics – The company that produced gaming headphones the “RIG”, which scored a 4.5 in Val-cave testing, were on hand showing off some new headphones that are sure to pique your interest. First up are the Backbeat Sense; these stylish headphones not only offer up a cool look, but their wireless (Bluetooth), touts a long battery life, has smart sensors so it’ll pause your music when you take them off and start up again when you pop them back on. But one of the niftier features is the open mic, which will allow you to hear more clearly, things that are around you so you won’t have to take your headphones off (great for air travel). Next is the latest in the in the RIG collection – the RIG 500E 7.1, which touts big sound as well being fully modular so you can take it apart and customize the headphones for optimal comfort or appearance. Both look pretty sweet and show much promise at being awesome. Whether they’re actually awesome or not that is up to the Cave to decide.
Brookstone – What started out as an IndieGoGo project, will soon hit the store shelves and if you’ve been extra good, maybe Santa will leave one of these Japan/Anime inspired “Cat Ear Headphones” under your tree this year. Not only do they look cool with the cat ears and neon lights, but they’re noise cancelling and built for private as well as shared listening. Looking at these headphones is making me long for another Japan journey…
Seagate – Seagate is back on hand to help take your next gen gaming to a whole new level; introducing the Game Drive for the XBOX One and PS4, which allows you to not only expand your storage space, but give you optimal usage that also improves performance. So no more having to delete and reinstall your favorite titles, now you can keep them well stored and have full access to your digital titles whenever you like. Gaming to the next level? Indeed!
Ventev – There’s never a shortage of goodies whenever I visit the Ventev table and while the company had plenty of items on hand that piqued my interest, there two items in particular that stood out amongst the fold. First up is the Powercell 10000+ portable battery, which features an LED indicator, built in Lightning and MicroUSB cables as well as a USB option, plus you can plug it in the wall to not only charge the battery but also any device connected to it. Next is the Desktop ChargingHub, which makes for the perfect desktop companion that allows you to plug in multiple devices through traditional plugs or through one of the three USB ports. And it also acts as a stand for your smartphone or tablet. Stay tuned for my review of the Powercell charger as well a review of the Charginghub in the coming months.
Cafflano – What if I told you that you could grind and produce a fresh cup of coffee whenever/wherever in just a few minutes and you don’t need electricity to do it? Introducing Cafflano, the all in one coffee maker that with one device, allows you to produce an amazing cup of coffee any time the urge hits you. And really it doesn’t matter where you are, so long as you have access to hot water – either carrying some in a thermos while outdoors, or getting a hold of some on a train or plane. Sure it requires a little hands on, but the after tasting the finished results, I can see that the Cafflano will make for an amazing Christmas gift.
We got one more Pepcom to attend, to finish out the year as well as a Pre-CES show that I can’t wait to attend. So until then, stay tuned to the pages of TOV for updates on these products and so much more in our TechView section as well upcoming tech events.