Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in March 2012. It serves as a fascinating time capsule of the high end gadgets, luxury tech, and early wearables that were making headlines at the time.
Sony HMZ-T1 Head Mounted Display
Technology giant Sony’s Personal 3D Viewer head mounted display is the world’s first personal, wearable OLED HD/3D TV. The HMZ-T1 viewer has a unique form factor that allows users to simply slip the device onto their head and immerse themselves in a virtual theatre experience.
Resembling a futuristic visor, the device is worn like a pair of chunky goggles and earphones in one. This head mounted audiovisual system uses a pair of 3D capable HD OLED displays and a set of virtual surround earphones for a fully immersive media experience.
Aesir Copenhagen by Yves Behar
Yves Behar, founder of a San Francisco based design firm, collaborated with Danish mobile phone company Aesir Copenhagen to create a luxury phone with a highly fashionable and minimalist design.
The concept was about making a functional phone where sound quality and craftsmanship were more important than modern smartphone features. The 18 carat gold version was priced at roughly €42,000, placing it strictly in the ultra luxury market.
Diesel Vektr by Monster
Diesel and Monster teamed up to produce a pair of lightweight, high performance headphones with a slick faceted design. The Diesel Vektr Headphones sport a set of titanium laced drivers designed to deliver a well rounded auditory experience.
The geometrically driven design wraps the ears in angular facets, while a glossy black band stretches around the wearer’s head.
Wacom Inkling Digital Stylus Pen
Wacom, the maker of illustration interfaces for designers and artists, put pen and ink back in the hands of creatives. The Wacom Inkling Digital Stylus Pen is a real, ink filled pen that records an illustrator’s drawings and transports them to a computer.
Artists who prefer to sketch on paper can do so, yet a digital representation of their work can be imported into Photoshop and Illustrator in moments using a small receiver clipped to the top of the paper.
iTwin Remote File Access
The iTwin is a tiny device resembling a USB stick with two ends, allowing you to securely access your entire hard drive remotely. It acts as an access key to all your files in a device that fits in the palm of your hand.
Unlike portable storage, iTwin lets your data stay safely at home. Wherever you find yourself in the world, you can plug the portable end of your iTwin into an internet connected computer and gain full, secure access to your office machine.
Atomic Floyd SuperDarts
The Atomic Floyd SuperDarts offer powerful, punchy bass with clear high frequencies that appeal to fans of electronic and dance music.
Machined from stainless steel, they are incredibly sturdy. The SuperDarts use dual drivers, meaning you have two speakers pumping out music in each ear to handle low and high frequencies separately for a more defined sound.
Celsius X VI II Papillon Tourbillon
Inspired by tourbillon watches invented in the late 18th century to offset the effects of gravity on accuracy, the Celsius X VI II Papillon Tourbillon Mobile Phone features a mechanical tourbillon front and centre within its sleek black case.
This cell phone merges high end communications with a mechanical watch mechanism, serving as an incredible piece of micro mechanical artistry for luxury watch collectors.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
The highly anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR brought a 22.3 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor to the high end digital camera market.
Packing 61 point High Density Reticular Autofocus and up to 6fps continuous shooting, the EOS 5D Mark III also stepped up its HD video capabilities with a headphone jack for real time audio monitoring.
Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synthesizer
As portable as it is pretty, the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synthesizer includes eight unique synthesis engines, a slew of onboard effects, a live sampler, and a built in 4 track tape style recorder.
You can sample a sound from another song, your own voice, or even from the built in FM radio. The device is fully portable and capable of 16 hours of use per charge.
Skiff E-Reader
The Skiff Reader brought two new technologies to the large scale e-reader market: a touchscreen e-ink display and silicon thin film transistors on a flexible steel substrate.
The technology used in the Skiff Reader makes it flexible, meaning it can bend and warp slightly, giving it a more durable and rugged build compared to traditional glass based e-readers.
