December 01, 2012

Ziiiro Celeste Watch Hands-On

December 01, 2012/ The Alt Team

In search for a stand-out, cool looking wrist watch? Ziiiro's line of watches is anything but conventional. Ziiiro is a fairly new company, and compared to the well known giants, Ziiiro's unique design concept for its watches is like a small ecstasy pill with a smiley face on it. So if manly thrusting watches like Tissot's PRS 516 don't tickle your fancy, let Ziiiro sort you out with one of its eye-grabbing watches. The Celeste is the company's latest analog watch with a watch face so uncommon, it's a mind-bender to interpret at first glance. But first, you will have to part with $205 from your pile of cash in order to get yourself one. After that, you might like to know that the Celeste is made entirely out of stainless steel, so it's pretty hefty for its fragile-looking size.

November 29, 2012

iOS App Icon Drink Coasters Hands-On

November 29, 2012/ The Alt Team

Do you like drinking coffee, tea or anything related to drinking while at the comfort of your own home or office? You probably do. If you also happen to be an avid user of Apple's iOS, it'll only be natural that you'd like to show you're an iDevice user. While Android users have their Android figurines to play with, you can bring some of your favorite iOS icon apps to life with custom made iOS coasters that look like real-life glossy app icons with a few simple steps and a $20 bill.

November 20, 2012

Dosh Blade Card Wallet Hands-On

November 20, 2012/ The Alt Team

The Blade is Dosh's latest minimalist wallet to find its way into our pocket. The Blade looks a lot less like the defined wallet you'd expect, and more in the lines of a compact card carrier. The sleek and slim form factor, and the two-face design allows the Blade to hold up to two cards on one side while it also features a pretty clever brushed metal money clip around the back for American and European bills.

It's called the Blade for a good reason as it's incredibly thin. Roughly as thin as the iPhone 5 or a no. 2 pencil. If you ever need to carry more than two cards, the Blade will most likely be a deal breaker for you. Then consider Dosh's more advanced 3 or 6 card capacity wallets like the wonderfully practical Luxe 3 and Luxe 6 we had the pleasure of taking a look at.

October 31, 2012

GearPods Survival Pro Kit Hands-On

October 31, 2012/ The Alt Team

There is one thing you should never leave home without when venturing out into the wild, and that's survival gear. It really goes without saying, and there are plenty of options and survival gear out there for you to pick and choose from. One company stood out to us however, and that's GearPods. This is a company that takes all of the required survival tools and creates various types of kits which come in modular pods. Not just any pods though, GearPods are extremely tough, durable and lightweight pipe containers made from transparent polycarbonate - available in different sizes and colors that feature a waterproof design and easy-to-twist grippable end caps also known as GearPods' Terminators.

October 21, 2012

Triple Aught Design Ranger Hoodie Hands-On

October 21, 2012/ The Alt Team

Do you feel that? It's getting cold, real freezing cold. Winter is upon us and quite frankly we don't feel like freezing our asses off out in the cold. Our Californian weather is insanely unpredictable and we don't think we're alone on that front. So a good backup plan is to always have the right type of gear to pick from that closet of yours. It's that time of year where you look for something fresh to replace your old clothes that have seen quite a few harsh winters and admirable use.

Triple Aught Design or TAD for short, is one of those brand names which are hard to come by and that offers really amazing apparel that easily matches if not surpasses some of the big-time and well known brand names in the outdoor outfitting arena. The company is famous amongst military personal as well as the tactical oriented crowed, and for good reason. Triple Aught Design is stationed in San Francisco where it makes all of its outdoor, tactical and adventure oriented clothing and gear designed for people who appreciate quality, well thought-out stuff.

Triple Aught Design's $219 Ranger Hoodie is one of the outfitter's best selling jacket that's available for men in four colors, while the slightly more expensive $235 Valkyrie Hoodie is the women's equivalent. The Ranger Hoodie is not a typical hoodlum hoodie you'd find at your local retailer. Far from it in fact. It features a modern-cut designed with tactical aspects and a seam-less design using a Polartec WindPro material that's coated with DWR for superior rain-resistance, a zippered design, six strategically placed YKK zippered chest and arm storage pockets with D-rings inside for secure tethering of your small essential gear and two side arm patch Velcro areas for customization.

October 10, 2012

Mypressi Twist V2 Portable Espresso Maker Hands-On

October 10, 2012/ The Alt Team

Now is about the time all of you tea sippers should look away, because we're talking coffee! Wholesome, aromatic, bold espresso to be exact. Some say a shot of espresso is the best, most effective energy drink on a Monday morning. So leave that 5-hour energy at home, and bring with you one of these bad boys. Meet the Twist V2 by Mypressi. It's the portable, handheld espresso machine you can take with you just about anywhere to pull yourself a fresh shot of delicious espresso, courtesy of your favorite blend.

We took the Twist V2 for a little espresso making spin to see if it really can recreate a quality shot comparable to full fledged machines that run upwards of $2,000 as Mypressi claims. Mypressi's Twist V2 is a remarkable machine that requires no plugging in of any sort which is why they call it portable. The Twist uses a patented pneumatic technology that produces 9 bars of pressure using a single standard N2O (Nitrous Oxide) gas cartridge, the same widely available cartridge you would use for a whipped cream canister, which is the source that powers up the Twist V2 and delivers the intense pressure that forces the hot water stored inside its metal dome-shaped water bowl down into the espresso pod and out thru the metal showerhead creating the espresso with a push of a button. On the spot.