5 Watches for the Stylish Time Traveler

Devon Tread 1

Perfect for: Dropping a car’s worth of cash on something more original than a Rolex or a Patek.

Geek factor: Half the fun is explaining the mechanism: Pulleys and four mini motors circulate a system of numbered belts, and a tiny microprocessor keeps everything ticking meticulously.

$17,500

Casio CA53W-1

Perfect for: Reliving the glee of typing “7734206″ into a calculator during math class.

Geek factor: On top of enabling hot integer-on-integer action, this throwback is future-proof, with a calendar programmed through 2099, by which time you should have outgrown this whole retro-geek thing.

$25

Nixie Watch

Perfect for: Ensuring that you will never, ever get a date.

Geek factor: Lovingly crafted in a maker’s workshop out of cold-cathode tubes and aircraft aluminum. A tilt sensor activates the old-school orange display only when you check the time, preserving battery life.

$395

Breitling Montbrillant Datora

Perfect for: Getting in touch with your inner Larry Ellison.

Geek factor: Elegant timekeeping harbors navigational muscle: a tachometer for rate-of-speed calculations, plus integrated slide rule and chronograph for time/distance computation. (Raft and flare not included.)

$7,095

Phosphor World Time E Ink

Perfect for: Going to sleep in LA and waking up in Tokyo.

Geek factor: High-contrast E Ink digits remain visible at all hours, while 24 programmable time zones and dual time-zone display keep you dialed in across meridians and the International Date Line.

$150

(Photo: Andy Barter Story: Wired.com)

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Top 10 Most Expensive Laptops in the World

Most people do not spend too much money on their personal computers or laptops. The majority of people would typically rather have a big house,a nice convertible car,the most wanted cellphone or a Plasma HDTV.  Some people though can only accomplish their goals through expensive computer systems, often known as superlaptops. Let’s see a top of the ten most expensive laptops in the world :

10. Acer Ferrari 1100: $3000

It’s built with ultralight design that wear resistant carbon fiber chassis. The laptop is built using AMD Turion X2 Dual Core CPU, 4 GB of RAM and of course all other features like Wifi. With the good specification of hardware, it’s hoped that it will get the maximal speed like Ferrari car. It’s a worthed buying with $ 3000.

9. Dell M6400: $3000

It’s featured with Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme Edition Processors. The reason of using this laptop is for ripping complex analysis that need large data and graphics memory as the laptop have 16 GB of 1066 MHZ DDR 3 Memory for data as well as 1 GB of graphics memory. You won’t think that this laptop is the same as the low priced dell in all aspect. The price of this notebook reaches $3,000.

8. Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660: $3500

The special thing about this laptop is can handle HD DVD. The laptop is powered by 2.0 GHZ Core 2 Duo, 240 GB RAID 0 HDD and Nvidia GeForce Go 7600. This is the first laptop computer that utilize with HD DVD player with 17 inch screen in 1920 x 1200 resolution.

7. Lenovo ThinkPad W700DS: $4500

The additional dispaly is very useful for excel and CAD programs. The display itself is also very high in quality. This laptop is equipped with 2.53 Ghz Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9000, 4 GB RAM, Dual 250 GB 5200 RPM Hard drives. The price is $4,500.

6. Alienware Area 51: $5000

The laptop is using Intel Core 2 Extreme Packs with Nvidia Geforce 9800M GT in dual SLI Configuration with 1 GB in graphic performance. This laptop has 1 TB of storage in high speed RAID 0 configuration. The storage is equipped with a smart bay system that can record HD TV and film with the built in TV tuner. For $5,000 this laptop is very reasonable in price.

5. Rock Extreme SL8: $5000

This laptop is claimed to be the world’s fastest laptop computer with specs of Intel Core 2 Quad Processor, NVIDIA 9800 GPUs in SLI and 8GB of RAM. Equipped with blue ray that can display in high definition.

4. Voodoo Envy H:171: $8500

The specifications of the laptop are Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor, 4 GB of RAM, twin Nvidia Quadro FX Go 2500M graphics chipset, 1.3 Megapixel webcam, dual 250 GB hard diskk, 7 in 1 memory card reader, dual layer DVD RW drive and high resolution 17 inch 1920 x 1200 display.

3. Ego for Bentley: $20,000

The laptop can match the color of the Bentley car. This laptop usually bring by rich women that can spend $20.000 just for fashion purpose. For your intention this laptop just use 64 bit for vista and 160 GB Hard Disk.

2. Tulip E-Go Diamond: $355,000

The grip of the laptop can be replaced with white gold and diamonds. The price of this laptop can reach $355,000. Don’t ask about performace as this is the same as usual laptop. It’s just 12 antiglare screen display, 2 GB of RAM, 160 GB Hard disk, integrated webcam, bluetooth 2.0 and DVD burner

1. Luvaglio One Million Dollar Laptop: $1,000,000

This laptop is also designed so the owner can upgrade the hardware themself. This laptop is equipped with 128 solid State drive, MP3 player, built in USB stick and equipped with “integrated screen cleaning feature”.

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10 Trickiest Spy Gadgets Ever

10. Lipstick Pistol

"It's a classic," Boghardt says of this 4.5 millimeter single-shot weapon, presumably taken from a KGB agent in the mid-1960s. While it's unclear whether this dangerous "kiss of death" was ever used, a cyanide pistol was used for assassination in that era. These covert weapons are surviving examples of the "active measures" that were taken in this time period, unlike many of their intended targets.

9. Coat Camera

This little camera, Model F-21 issued by the KGB around 1970, was concealed in a buttonhole and has a release that the wearer presses from a pocket. Just squeeze the shutter cable and the fake button opens to capture an image. Hidden, portable cameras could be used at public events such as political rallies without detection. Boghardt notes that the Spy Museum's director Peter Earnest, who worked for many years in the CIA on intelligence, has used one of these cameras.

8. Microdot Camera

In the 1960s, the East German foreign intelligence service HVA issued this tiny camera, which takes photos of documents and uses a chemical process to shrink the text down so that a block of text appears no bigger than a period. This way agents could hide secret messages in plain sight. Boghardt points to an infamous incident involving microdots: Dusko Popov, a double agent during World War II, gave microdots to the FBI that mentioned German interest in Pearl Harbor. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover didn't trust Popov, however, so he never passed the information to president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

7. Shoe with Heel Transmitter

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Western diplomats in Eastern Europe avoided buying suits there, preferring to mail order clothing and shoes from the West. In Romania, the secret service used this to their advantage, working with the postal service to install a transmitter in shoe heels. Boghardt says that the recording device was discovered during a routine room sweep that revealed a signal, but the signal disappeared when all the diplomats left the room.

6. Enigma Cipher Machine

Messages sent over the wireless in the World War II era could be intercepted so the Germans used a cryptographic device. On the surface, the Enigma cipher machine looked like a regular typewriter, but it wasn't. A keyboard was linked to rotors, powered by an electric current, which transposed every keystroke several times. Corresponding messages went out in Morse code and required keys, which changed daily, to decipher -- get it? "De-cipher. " Which is exactly what the Allies did, cracking a code the Germans thought was unbreakable.

5. Cipher Disk

It's tempting to think that spy gadgets aren't all that old, but even Caesar encoded messages using cryptography. This disk dates back to the Civil War, when it was used by the Confederate side -- CSA stands for Confederate States of America.

It's pretty obvious how the device works: rotate the inner wheel to displace the letters. M = G, P = J, etc. Simple to crack, right? Not if the message is written in a language you don't know. Spies were tricky like that.

4. Bulgarian Umbrella

A Bulgarian secret agent used an umbrella just like this one on a London street to kill Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in 1978. A standard umbrella was modified internally to inject poison into its target with the press of the trigger. In Markov's case, the umbrella contained a ricin pellet, which is next to impossible to trace.

The museum displays a replica, made specially in Moscow for the collection. Boghardt says that in 1991, a room full of similar deadly umbrellas was uncovered in Bulgaria.

3. Pigeon Camera

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a spy satellite! Before the dawn of aerial photography, pigeons did the job. Flying over enemy territory with a camera on autoshoot, pigeons could provide crucial information without getting lost along the way. Beyond photography, the birds also carried messages at times when radio communication was spotty or down. Pigeons sent through enemy fire up until the 1950s had a 95 percent success rate and were duly decorated with medals of honor for their service.

2. Tree Stump Bug

This tree stump bug used solar power to function continuously in a wooded area near Moscow during the early 1970s. The bug intercepted communications signals coming from a Soviet air base in the area and them beamed them to a satellite, which then sent the signals to a site in the United States. Solar power meant that no risky battery changes were needed. Nevertheless, the KGB discovered this green bug so the museum's copy is a replica.

1. Dog Doo Transmitter

Dog doo? Really? Boghardt says this, er, doohickey has a hollowed-out space inside, ideal for holding a message so that case officers and sources could communicate without raising suspicion. Doo tends to be left alone, which is why beacons disguised as tiger excrement were used to mark targets in Vietnam, Boghardt says. One of the risks is obviously that such a device would be thrown away or discovered by someone accidentally.

"Accidents happened all the time," the historian says. "That's one of the challenges of being a spy or case officer."

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10 Hot Home Theater Systems

­When anyone talks about the decline of film, you can be sure home theater will come up as a potential movie-killer. It's not just the increasing price of movie tickets or the wallet-squeezing operation theaters have set up at the concession stand. Staying indoors in the comfort of your own living room might sound more appealing than getting in the car, driving to a theater chain and dealing with loud moviegoers who leave a mess and talk on cell phones during the show.

If you've ever thought about setting up your own personal movie theater, the amount of options can be mind-boggling. Whether you're looking for good sound for an equally good deal or even if you have millions to spare, buying a new home theater system is a big decision, and with so many options available, how do you decide which one is right for you? We've rounded up 10 hot home theater systems, making it­ ­easy to find something for every budget.

10: Onkyo HT-S9100THX

Onkyo offers the world's first THX-certified home theater systems.

­If you've ever settled into a movie and been met with a loud, whirring noise accompanied by a huge rumbling, you may have thought the robots were finally taking over and stampeding the theater. Fortunately, if you check the movie screen and see three large letters, "THX," you can rest easy -- the short intro before the film is letting you know that the images and sounds you're about to experience have been given a special seal of approval.

If you're familiar with the THX logo and its association with audio and video performance, then you should give the Onkyo HT-S9100THX a listen. So does Onkyo have anything to do with THX, or is the home theater company just using the letters to get some attention?

As it turns out, the Onkyo HT-S9100THX package is the world's second home-theater-in-a-box -- or "integrated home-theater system," as the two companies like to call it -- that is THX-certified. (The first was an earlier version by Onkyo, the HT-S900THX.) The S9100THX includes a DVD player that can upgrade video to 1080p, a 7.1 channel surround sound system and is priced between $799 and $999.

09: Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA

The Sony DAV HDX500/I BRAVIA home theater system sets out to impress music lovers as much as movie lovers.

­The Sony DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA offers many of the typical perks of a home theater system -- a five-disc DVD player, five surround sound speakers and a subwoofer, all ready for the movie lover. The DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA goes a few extra steps for the music lover, too. The system comes with an iPod dock so digital music fans can play their music over the speakers, and with an XM Radio subscription and the XM Mini-Tuner package, the DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA is ready for satellite radio listening.

The system also has either 720p or 1080i output via an HDMI digital interface, allowing viewers to upgrade their DVDs' video quality. Sony's DAV-HDX500/i BRAVIA is one of the more affordable home theater systems, selling for about $420.

08: Panasonic SC-PT760

The SC-PT760 is Panasonic's mid-range home theater system, and it will probably benefit because of it.

­Fo­r anyone with a budget range between $267 and $415, the Panasonic SC-PT760 is a possible candidate for consideration. It offers your typical home-theater-in-a-box specifications -- a five-disc DVD player, 5.1 channel wireless surround sound speakers, HDMI input that upgrades video to 1080p and an iPod dock for iPod integration.

The SC-PT760, Panasonic's mid-range system in a group of three, is more popular than its two cousins, the less expensive SC-PT660 ($300) and the more expensive SC-PT960 ($500). The lower-end system scraps the wireless speakers and front speaker stands, making it less convenient than the SC-PT760; the higher-end system, on the other hand, adds tallboy speakers to the mix, an extra that many consumers may find unnecessary and not worth the extra money.

07. Sony HT-CT100

Some home theater systems come with a plethora of accessories. More often than not, the more gadgets included in the package, the more confusing and frustrating it can be to set up everything.­

However, other systems, however, can be pleasantly simple. One popular subsection of the home theater system market is single-speaker audio. If you think that's all there is to it, you're just about right -- single-speaker audio packages typically come with one speaker, often in the shape of a long, rectangular rod, that delivers "faux" surround sound.

­Priced at around $300, the Sony HT-CT100 is one of the leaders in single-speaker audio, offering a small, minimalist setup that includes a subwoofer and a thin soundbar speaker. Manufacturers have perfected these simpler sound systems over the years

06.Panasonic SC-BT100

The Panasonic SC-BT100 brings Blu-Ray to the home theater system market at a reasonable price.

­Now that the high-definition DVD wars are over and Blu-ray is the sole provider of HD home video, you can expect a lot of systems, including laptop computers and video game consoles, to begin using the format. Home theater system producers have, of course, followed suit, and several in-the-box packages are showing up on the shelves.

One Blu-ray home theater system that's caught people's attention is the Panasonic SC-BT100. The first notable thing about it, aside from the Blu-ray-capability, is its price -- depending on where you purchase it, the SC-BT100 will cost between about $600 and $800. Considering that many home theater systems only play standard DVDs and can go for more than $1,000, the SC-BT100's price could convert anyone who's still on the fence about whether or not to switch to Blu-ray.

The SC-BT100 includes an AV receiver and a set of five speakers; it's 7.1-channel-ready, meaning you'll have to buy an additional set of speakers and wireless receiver to get the full effect.

05. Denon DHT-FS3

The Denon DHT-FS3 offers a simple, elegant package, and you look around some, you might be able to find a good deal on the Internet.

For sleek simplicity that can hide in your living room but still provide sound worthy of a home theater system, the Denon DHT-FS3 stands out. The package includes one speaker and one standalone subwoofer, both of which are very compact -- the speaker measures at 3.75 inches (9.5 centimeters) high by 33.5 inches (85 centimeters) wide by 4.8 inches (12 centimeters) deep and only weighs about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms), while the subwoofer is 4.25 inches (10.8 centimeters) high by 14.9 inches (37.9 centimeters) wide by 14.25 inches (36.2 centimeters) deep and weighs about 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms). The DHT-FS3 has a shiny piano-black finish, and in a way it does look like a miniature version of a piano section.

The Denon DHT-FS3's list price is as high as $1,200, making it one of the more expensive home theater systems, but an online search can lead to prices as low as $700.

04. Sony DAV-IS10

The Sony DAV-IS10 speakers are about the size of a golf ball, giving consumers more options in terms of placement.

Not everyone's living room allows for home theater systems to fit perfectly. Many packages come with speakers or subwoofers that are simply too big, and even if you can mount accessories on walls, they might look garish and out-of-place, ruining any sense of comfort in your entertainment space.

­Many manufacturers are trying to shrink home theater systems, making speakers small while keeping the sound big. The Sony DAV-IS10, for instance, offers speakers as small as golf balls, so they can go in nearly any space in your room. The package is also high definition, offering DVD upscaling to 720p and 1080i and an HDMI cable. The system will play DVDs, CDs, MP3s from iPods and FM/AM radio, and retailed for around $400.

03.Pioneer HTS-GS1

­Video gamers can be pretty picky about their setups -- sometimes a specific type of controller will be the only thing that feels right, or a high-definition television will offer the best visuals and display a game's graphics the way they should be seen.

For Xbox 360 owners looking for a little more pizzazz for their gaming experience, the ultimate may be the Pioneer HTS-GS1. This home theater package is designed to match the style of the Xbox 360 console and enhance the experience with its sound system. Geared toward small-to-medium sized rooms, the HTS-GS1 offers easy-to-follow instructions for setup and configuration with the 360. On top of offering 5.1-channel surround sound for the console, the home theater system also enhances DVDs, CDs and MP3 files that can play on the Xbox. Prices for the Pioneer HTS-GS1 range from $240 to $330.

02. Bose 3-2-1 Series III

The Bose 3-2-1 Series III is, as the name suggests, the company's third installment of the 3-2-1 group. This home theater system is a compact one, offering imitation surround sound with just two speakers and a subwoofer. The Series III DVD player and tuner is also small, measuring at 13.4 inches (13 centimeters) high by 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) wide by 3.3 inches (8.4 centimeters) deep. Whereas the Series II didn't include HDMI, the Series III corrects that and makes it easy to connect to an HDTV and upscale any standard DVDs to 1080p.

The high price of the Series III ($950) may scare off any budget shoppers, but those with the cash and a penchant for graphite might want to look into the package.

01.Kipnis' Outer Limits Theater

For the ultimate, never-gonna-get-it setup, we can look toward the living room of music producer Jeremy Kipnis. Most people, if they had $6 million to burn, would do many things. Maybe they'd buy a house or a couple of new cars.

Kipnis didn't do any of these things. With $6 million, he instead built a gigantic, state-of the art home theater system, which has become known variously as "Kipnis' Outer Limits Theater," "The Kipnis Studio Standard Experience," or "The Greatest Show on Earth." This, of course, wasn't your typical, home-theater-in-a-box situation, as no home-theater-in-a-box exists for such a high price tag. Kipnis chose the separate elements and put them together, including the ultra-high resolution (4,096 by 2,160) Sony SRX-R110 Digital Cinema Projector, 8.8-channel sound with 16 18-inch (45.7-centimeter) subwoofers, a Sony Playstation 3 and top-of-the-line Blu-ray, HD-DVD, DVD, VHS and Laserdisc players.

The couch in his living room, however, only sits three, so make sure you grab a seat if you're ever invited to witness The Greatest Show on Earth.

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