fatigue

LAS VEGAS--The truth can be so brutal.

After spending two days in the Fitness TechZone at the Consumer Electronics Show, I now know that my weight, blood pressure, and stress levels are all higher than I would have guessed. And now, thanks to the Fatigue Science ReadiBand I've been wearing since yesterday morning, I also know I need more sleep.

The band looks like a faceless black watch (warning: it draws attention to itself, at least here at CES) but it's oh so much more. The wrist movement detector tracks activity to calculate fatigue based on sleep levels, … Read more

The ubiquity of computers in the workplace has created a legion of workers who spend long days typing and staring at screens, often to the detriment of their bodies and their productivity. Oh, we know we should take breaks to rest our eyes, wrists, and minds, but that's difficult to do when the work seems never-ending and deadlines are looming. WorkPace is an ingenious program that reminds--or forces--you to take periodic breaks, ensuring that both your mind and body have a chance to refresh themselves.

The program is extremely well-designed, and first-time users will find a thorough introductory video … Read more

At first glance, Smart Diary seems similar to many other planners, with various calendar views and the ability to set tasks. What really sets Smart Diary apart is its diary feature, which is unlike anything we've seen before in this sort of program.

The program's interface is attractive and intuitive, with a surprisingly sleek calendar design. It's easy to do all the basics, like adding events and tasks, scheduling reminders, printing schedules, and so on. Everything is neatly arranged with tabs and drop-down menus, allowing users to quickly find the functions they want. What really impressed us … Read more

If you're the type who has to peel yourself off your chair at quitting time, you might want to take this well-intentioned ergonomic helper for a spin. Workplace Angel is the apple a day that may help keep the repetitive-stress away. On-screen reminders pop up at set intervals, gently nudging you to take short or long breaks and suggesting stretches to relieve mounting tension. You can keep time with an animated 3D helper who demonstrates the proper execution of exercises.

Workplace Angel is a decent-looking program that requires some foresight (you are prompted to select reminder times before that … Read more

If LaCie is trying to lock up the fashionista market by hiring European designers to tart up their storage devices, Iomega seems to be sending an entirely different message with its "eGo" line of portable drives.

To wit: A few months back it released a version that bore a striking resemblance to a hip flask, and now it's come out with a model dressed in full camouflage fatigues. The 250GB "Camo eGo" is also outfitted with a black "Iomega Power Grip," adding "a style of adventure and intrigue to the eGo color … Read more

Move over, Porsche--you can stay at the museum in your pretty aluminum-milled handset. The road, meanwhile, will belong to the Hummer phone.

The "HT1" returns to Hummer's military roots, at least superficially, with a camo-designed casing to protect a 2.2-inch touch screen, 2-megapixel camera, FM radio and 2MB of built-in memory. Newlaunches says it's the creation of French design firm ModeLabs, which is known for its unique concepts especially where phones are concerned.

The camouflage look, of course, is the closest this $400 handset will ever get to the battlefield. But we think the company … Read more