Back to the future: reclaim lost time with these helpful gadgets

Men's Fitness, Oct, 2004 by Andrew J.I. Vontz

Life has gotten finer in this digital age. But who has time to enjoy it? The modern man on the move has fewer and fewer precious moments to savor the flavors of contemporary living. Thankfully, gear manufacturers are putting in the hours to help erase life's downtime deficit, allowing you to spend more of your day in the pursuit of pleasure.

1. PHILIPS SENSEO

Coffee is awesome, but if you have to stand in line for 20 minutes listening to whiny grad students just to buy a $3 cup of java in the a.m., some nose-ring-wearing barista's going to get hurt. Unless, of course, you just pop a Senseo "coffee pod" into this system and--huzzah--you've got a perfectly brewed single serving of Joe. It automatically operates with the perfect amount of water at exactly the right temp to give you the dark, piping-hot nectar on your schedule, not Starbucks'.

$70 @ senseo.com

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2. TOSHIBA RS-TX60 DIGITAL MEDIA SERVER

If only it were possible, we'd spend every waking moment watching reruns of Airwolf. Thanks to the Toshiba Digital Media Server with 160-gigabyte hard drive, we can now live the dream. The RS-TX60 utilizes the TiVo programming service, storing up to 160 hours of TV. You can then archive your favorites onto DVDs with the built-in burner, and even connect a digital camcorder and burn home movies straight to DVD.

$699 @ tacp.toshiba.com

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3. ELECTROLUX TRILOBITE

The original self-propelled robo-vacuum cleaner uses infrared and ultrasonic technology that will keep your floors cleaner than a French maid with OCD. Turn the Trilobite on and let it loose--and when this dust devil is finished cleaning, it will even re-dock itself on its charger. On the downside: It can't make a grilled cheese and looks kind of weird when you dress it up in one of those sexy uniforms.

$1,199 @ electroluxusa.com

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4. NOKIA 6600

This PDA-phone-camera hybrid has enough memory and an enhanced processor to let you power-browse the Web and send e-mail faster than the computers from just a few years ago. It also lets you sync the onboard software with your home PC on the fly. Not tech enough for you? The built-in video and still camera add a picture-perfect digital touch to this uber-gadget.

$400 @ nokia.com/us

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5. SAMSUNG YP-60V

Runners don't want a ton of electronic crap weighing them down. So, joggerboy, look to the YP-60V to lighten your load. And while you enjoy your MP3s or listen to the radio on the run, the palm-sized device cheeks your pulse with its built-in heart-rate monitor. It can also simultaneously calculate your pace with its integrated stopwatch.

$180 @ samsungusa.com

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