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Citizen Eco-Drive Proximity watch notifies iPhone owners without betraying their nerd status
It's hard to deny that Bluetooth watches usually lack the social graces you need when dressing to impress. Citizen doesn't want to leave you a binary choice between technology and poshness, however. The company's upcoming Eco-Drive Proximity watch has all the respectability of an analog steel timepiece, but it quietly syncs to an iPhone 4S (or newer) through Bluetooth 4.0. Miss a call, get a message or approach a meeting, and the seconds hand will point to a word on the dial indicating what needs attention -- there's no broadcasting your geek credentials to everyone in the room. The iPhone syncs its time with the watch if you're so inclined, and a search mode will ping the handset if it's lost under the couch. Expect to pay $550, or about as much as many mid-tier quartz watches, when the Proximity goes on sale in the fall. It's certainly not a trivial price next to other Bluetooth watches, but the public acceptance factor may be more than worth the premium.
Kanguru rolls out Eco Drive line of external hard drives
It's been quite a while since we last heard anything from Kanguru, but it looks like the company is still kickin' it in the hard drive business, now introducing its new Eco Drive line of power-saving external hard drives. Apparently, the drives make use of three different power saving modes to reduce power consumption by up to 75%, which the company says will also extend the life of the drive itself. Further adding to the drives' eco status is their RoHS compliance, which certifies that they contain a minimal amount of hazardous chemicals. Otherwise, the drives look to be pretty standard as far as USB drives go, available in sizes from 80GB to 750GB and costing between $95 and $350.
