outdoors

If you like a little high-tech help when fishing for dinner, leave the fishfinder at home and try this electronic rod.

The SmartRod has an accelerometer that tells you when a fish bites your line. A sound or light alarm goes off so you can try reeling it in promptly.

Billed as the first of its kind in the world, the SmartRod is the subject of an Indiegogo campaign that's aiming to amass $50,000 for development with 20 days remaining. It's got a long way to go. … Read more

Forget wires. Outdoor Tech brings CNET three can't-miss offers! Exclusively for Cyber Monday, our good friends at Outdoor Technology are back and hooking up the CNET audience with great deals on three of the company's best Bluetooth products.

If you are a follower of CNET Exclusives or this blog, you'll know I love Bluetooth technology. If you are new to this, welcome, let me fill you in on why Bluetooth is my favorite. Bluetooth speakers mean I don't have to monopolize my iPhone in order to listen to music because docking is no longer necessary. And … Read more

Got cold hands and a really hot wallet? Chaval Outdoor is showing off a pair of $390 heated ski gloves that regulate temperature independently for each finger. Say you're one of those people with a chronically blazing-hot thumb and perpetually shivering pinkie. These luxury gloves are here to tend to your tempermental digits.

Instead of the standard wire-heating technology you'd find in many heated gloves, the Chaval Response-XRT wireless gloves rely on a paper-thin, flexible nanotech polymer film to deliver heat to each individual finger (much like this technology from Aevex). The Seattle-area company calls its system AlphaHeat.

"Think of this like having independent temperature control in each room of your house," Chaval co-founder Mark Boone tells me.… Read more

You may have had a cool treehouse as a kid, but would you want to spend more than five minutes in it today? Well, try spending the night in this deluxe pod that hangs from the branches.

The Cocoon Tree is a spherical tent formed by 24 aluminum rods. It hangs from polyester ropes tied to trunks and branches, and has a net below for access and safety.

The tent weighs about 130 pounds without anyone in it. The structure itself can support more than 2 tons. The ropes can bear loads of 1.6 tons, and there are six … Read more

Outdoor speakers are a little out of my area of expertise, and most of the ones I've seen at shows look like plastic rocks. Leon Speakers' Boundary B404 is definitely a big step up from those sorts of things.

The B404 sports a gorgeous solid mahogany cabinet inspired by Chris Craft's classic Thunderbird boats. Right now there's just one model in the Boundary line, the B404.… Read more

Ever since I was a kid I've had a fascination with racing. My father took me to motorcycle GP races at the age of 4 and we went every year for most of my young life. The big-name racers of the day, the roar of the engines, and the smell of formula fuel as they sped around the track all added to the fun and excitement for the young version of me.

These days I'm not much of a spectator racing fan, but if a new racing game comes out (really on any platform), I somehow automatically become interested. A big racing game release today on iOS got me looking for more fun driving games -- and while I know they're not for everybody -- if you like to "go fast," these games are for you.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about racing. The first lets you upgrade cars and compete on numerous tracks with a 3D top-down view. The second challenges you to compete, driving old-school go-carts around tracks and has a great overall feel. The third is a well-polished sequel that many racing game fans will probably automatically download.… Read more

On today's 404 episode, we'll solve the mystery of phantom cell phone vibrations and why we're so often tricked into thinking our phones have a mind of their own. One psychologist from the University of Sydney thinks that it has to do with electrical currents running through parts of the body surrounding the phone, while another professor of psychology believes it's in ours heads, that our addiction to technology has made us paranoid about e-notifications.

Walking around New York in this heatwave is enough of a workout for anyone these days, but some gym-goers in Canada are so sick of skinny people making them look bad that they've issued a ban on anyone that can't be described as "plus size."

According to the NY Daily News, Body Exchange gym in Vancouver claims to be a "safe haven" for overweight people that feel scrutinized when they work out next to those without an addiction to food. Unfortunately, we'll have to defer to Richard to comment on this story, as neither Jeff nor I have ever been inside a gym.… Read more

Here at CNET Exclusives, we try and take the guess work out of the onslaught of daily deal sites by working hard to bring our users top reviewed products at unbeatable prices.

This week our friends at Outdoor Technology are hooking up the CNET audience with a great deal on the company's top reviewed Tags earbuds. Not a member of CNET Exclusives? What are you waiting for! Join now and start saving on the tech products you crave.

We originally set our sights on these awesome headphones when they turned up in the Best Bluetooth accessories roundup on CNET. … Read more

Weather may dictate many activities in everyday life, but it doesn't have to its say over culinary options.

Hovering over a grill, monitoring steaks and burgers is a tradition that is enjoyed any time of the year. Except, of course, when the weather wants to rain on the parade of burgers, dogs, and steaks. Every cloud has a silver lining (probably made from a mixture of condiments); just because the outdoors isn't cooperating doesn't mean the grilling has to stop.

The Cuisinart GR-100 Indoor Outdoor Griddler keeps the good times sizzling wherever the action happens to be … Read more