COMPARE TO: Apple iMac, MSI AE2010-02SUS, HP TouchSmart 600xt

PRICE: Starting at $1300

FUN FACT: If you have any old Sony electronics, you may be able to trade them in for credit towards new Sony products through their Sony Trade In Program.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: The number of people computing from a desktop computer is dwindling. Thanks to Moore’s Law, we know computers (really, all gadgets) will become increasingly smaller and more powerful as the years go on. What does this mean for you? Well, it means you’ll be able to do a lot more with a lot less, which for a lot of people is negating the necessity to purchase a desktop computer. Unless your line of work needs the power of a desktop, why get one when you can cop a thin laptop you’re able to carry everywhere? And let’s not even get started on net books. So what does the future of the desktop computer look like? We think it looks a lot like Sony’s newest all-in-one desktop offering, the VAIO L series…

Apple undoubtedly made the all-in-one computer the go to alternative to the cumbersome and straight up unattractive tower models with their iMac line. Since then a number of companies have thrown their competitors into the ring hoping to topple the king, but until now none have come close. Their form factors are the same, yeah, but that’s where the similarities end. Sony’s goal is for the VAIO L to be thought of more as a networked entertainment device than a traditional PC. To accomplish that, they’ve made the 24-inch widescreen LCD monitor a touch screen, making it extremely easy to log in, play music or movies, or just surf the web. The touchscreen is nice, but it wouldn’t be as good without Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7 backing it. Say what you will about their iffy commercials and the abhorred Vista, Windows 7 is a completely different animal: faster, lightweight, and featuring a couple new tricks like the ability to use multi-touch hand gestures to navigate. It really makes all the difference.

The hardware is what you’d expect from such a machine: Intel’s Core 2 Quad processor available up to 2.66GHz, up to 1 TB of storage, NVIDIA GeForce GT or GeForce 2 graphics, and an optional Blu-Ray burner. All that is cool and needed for a system designed to crunch huge amounts of high-def data, but the specs that we’d probably use the most are the optional TV turner and HDMI input. At 24 inches, the VAIO L is big enough to be your television, and with those two options, it can be. Or, you can just use it to play Xbox 360 or PS3 when you’re not on Facebook. We have to admit, even if we had this, we would probably still use our laptops more. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be great as the central hub of our home entertainment network. Seems desktops still have a use after all.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY STORIES!

This thing is awesome, so cool that we had to let you guys know about it. Check out the video below to see Chris taking us through the rapid-prototyping process and how it keeps Burton on top…

COMPARE TO: Whatever janky iron you currently own.

PRICE: $80/$50 (pictured)/$40

FUN FACT: According to a poll, 9% of people enjoy ironing. But can they cook, though?

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: Look, we all know that ironing is up there with flossing as one of those annoying self-maintenance chores that we’re supposed to do daily but usually don’t. But here at Complex, it doesn’t make sense for us to recommend that you buy a $300 shirt and then sit here and let you press it with some cheap dollar-store iron that’s more likely to crease (or even singe) your investment than make it look better. Enter the new 360 Quick series of irons from Panasonic…

The 360 Quick (which come in three tiers: the NI-W450TS, the NI-W750TS, and the top-of-the-line NI-W810CS) is designed to make ironing easy—and with its high-tech appearance and features, it can even make it (dare we say) kinda fun. Irons typically have a triangular-shaped soleplate, but the 360 Quicks have larger football-shaped faces, an innovation that allows for more steam holes and consequently, more surface area so you can iron much faster. The two points on either end of the iron make it easy to maneuver under and around buttons. The “360″ in the product name refers to the fact that with the Quick, you can iron in any direction—forwards, backwards, and even sideways—without leaving creases or wrinkles. Smooth like butter, son. As a bonus, you can also use the 360 Quick in a pinch as a vertical steamer, Banana Republic style. (It’s kind of heavy, though.)

All of this will make your life easier, but what’s really cool about the 360 Quick is its awesome design: half-shark, half-Starship Enterprise. We thought “sleek iron” was an oxymoron until we saw the Quick, in which the design feels like an integral component, not just an afterthought. We could’ve used a retractable power cord but that’s a minor quibble. Seriously, spend an extra $30 (that you’d probably end up spending in dry-cleaning costs) and invest in an iron that’ll you use for a long time…or at least your girl will.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY STORIES!

See, more than anything, the Aughts have been all about watching videos on the internet. Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed the birth of the viral video through a series of important events: the first cell phone with a camera was introduced in 2001, YouTube was founded in 2005, and Nah Right started embedding videos in 2006. We assembled a comprehensive countdown of the decade’s 100 Best Internet Videos, from our favorite mainstream memes to some hilarious hip-hop blogosphere classics, for your viewing pleasure.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 100 INTERNET VIDEOS OF THE 2000s!

COMPARE TO: Amazon Kindle 2

PRICE: $299.99

FUN FACT: Sony will release a wireless Daily edition in December.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: We’ve been waiting for Sony to drop an answer to Amazon’s watershed digital reading device, the Kindle, since its release back in 2007. Although Sony was the first to market with an e-reader offering, Amazon’s e-book device stole the show with its built in wireless connection that allowed users to download books directly to the device from Amazon’s digital store. Last month, Sony finally upped the competition with a completely updated reader line that included a mini reader, a version with built-in 3G (that drops in December) and an all new version with a much welcomed, highly intuitive touch screen.

Very similar to the original Sony Reader, the all-new Touch Edition is smaller, thinner and lighter than its predecessor. In addition to being able to carry over 350 books (more if you use a Memory Stick or SD card) thanks to its 512 MB of onboard memory, the Touch can read a number of different formats: Microsoft Word docs, Adobe PDF’s, ePub’s and even MP3’s if you want to listen to an audiobook. Great battery life will be needed for you to enjoy all those different formats. Luckily, Sony included a high-powered battery that, when fully charged, can run for almost two weeks, or just enough for you get through a 300 pg novel.

But the big news regarding Sony’s latest Reader is the crisp and clear 6″ E Ink touch screen. Thanks to the touch screen, readers now have a whole new set of options while reading books, magazines or newspapers. To turn the page, all you have to do is an Apple-esque finger swipe. Browsing through titles is made all the more easier and so is highlighting or underlining a particular part of a page. You can even take freehand notes, using the included stylus, on the page you’re reading—perfect for those of you that just started school again. We would love all of Sony’s e-readers to have built in wireless, but the touch screen capabilities of the stylish Touch Edition give this reader a cool on the competition.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY STORIES!

COMPARE TO: Samsung P400 DLP, InFocus Work Big, ViewSonic PJD5111

PRICE: $499

FUN FACT: BenQ is offering a $50 rebate on Apple’s Composite AV cable until 9/31, making it easier to play iPods and iPhones.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: In our 2009 Style and Design package, one of the emerging trends we highlighted was the miniaturization of the video projector. Since most people haven’t actually had any experience with a video projector outside of college lecture halls and MTV Cribs, we can see why it may not seem like a big deal to the masses. But let us assure you, it is. With this new crop of mini projectors you’re basically able to carry around your own television set. Now, that can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it—you know those dudes on the subway that play music from their phones without headphones? Yeah, imagine that with video—but we’re leaning towards the positive on this one. Especially with models like the BenQ Joybee GP1 on the market. Although it’s not the smallest of the bunch—some projectors, referred to as PICO projectors are almost the size of your cell phone—the GP1 offers a well balanced mix of features and ease of use in a package that can still fit in the palm of your hand…

SIZE
Those that lack space will love the GP1. We’re talking to all you collegiate co-eds that barely have enough space in your dorm rooms to fit a desk and a hamper. With the 1.5 lb Joybee all you need is a wall and something to rest the projector on. Despite it’s diminutive size, the GP1 can project a picture as large as 80″! Granted, the quality goes down as the screen gets bigger, but we doubt you’ll ever need an image that big, unless you’re hosting game night for your entire building.

IT CAN PLAY ANYTHING
A projector being portable means nothing if you have to lug around a DVD player or your computer to use it. While the Joybee can work with any DVD player or computer, you can also play video and and display photos from your camera, iPod, cell phone or even just a USB flash drive. Plug your flash drive into the USB slot and you can browse through your videos and photo using the on-screen menu and the remote control.

LED DRIVEN
A major concern when it comes to mini projectors is their ability to display bright, vibrant images. The Joybee sidesteps that problem by doing away with a traditional lamp and instead incorporates a LED lighting system called LED3 that not only consumes less energy but projects crisp, clear colors using RGB LEDs. Meaning, no matter where you decide to set up shop, the GP1 will produce awesome images. Unless, of course, you decide to have a viewing on the rooftop in the middle of the day. Also, to help you get the absolute best picture, the Joybee has a Wall Correction Tool allows you to choose from five possible wall colors. Yeah, they thought of everything.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY STORIES!

COUNTRY: Brazil
PRODUCT: Zeebo gaming console, $249
PROS: In a country where a PS3 can retail for $1,000, the new Zeebo is a budget-friendly alternative that—with a 3G set-up borrowed from cellphone technology—allows users to buy and download games wirelessly. Capcom, Namco, and EA are already on board to produce software.
CONS: Though the company plans to expand into Mexico, India, and China, its decidedly last-gen graphics are a drawback for serious gamers. Plus, PS3 and Xbox 360 are slashing prices like carmakers these days.

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COUNTRY: China
PRODUCT: Li Ning sneakers, $30-70
PROS: Founded by a gold-medal-winning gymnast, China’s largest sports retailer holds its own against Nike and adidas with aggressive marketing (see Beijing 2008) and sponsorship deals with U.S. stars like Baron Davis and Shaquille O’Neal.
CONS: Seriously, has Shaq ever worn a cool sneaker?

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COUNTRY: India
PRODUCT: Tata Nano car, $2,500
PROS: Tata Motors’ “People’s Car” has four seats, a two-cylinder engine, and gets 56 mpg—and it’s cheaper than a loaded 17” MacBook Pro (or 17 iPod Nanos). More than 200,000 people in India bought the Tata Nano in its first month of sales.
CONS: The car should do well in emerging markets but with no trunk or power steering, Tata’s plans to bring the Nano stateside seem a little far-fetched. The thing makes a Civic look like a Maybach.

VIDEO GAME CONSOLES TAKE OVER THE LIVING ROOM
Alex: Video game consoles are going to become the place where you see TV. Microsoft has a partnership with Sky TV in the UK, which means they’re streaming live TV to your Xbox360. It’s a tougher sell in the States, because Comcast is going to be like, “eff you, we’re making a shit-ton of money and we’re not going to give you a free version of our shit-ton of money.” But I think that’s going to change some things. Sony will try to trump them by doing something in the states, and by 2010 you’re going to get streaming television—even if you have to subscribe to it via your cable company And that’s a big deal.

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FREE MUSIC, LEGALLY. FOR REAL
Kevin: One of the hottest new products that I’ve played with that isn’t yet launched in the States is a company called Spotify. They finally got the record companies to agree to a model in which they give away unlimited streaming music from any artist, anytime, anywhere. It’s working in the UK right now. Their model is called Freemium—they give the basics away for free and they charge you for different layers of the premium service. So they’ll be splicing in different audio ads as you’re listening to the music, but essentially you never really have to buy a CD again. You can search for any artist, any album, you can browse by genre, you can see shared playlists that your friends created and its extremely high quality, instant on demand play of any song out there. It’s nuts.

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NETBOOKS TAKE OFF
Alex: As solid-state memory is getting lower and lower in price, those netbooks are going to be more and more powerful.
Kevin: I think low cost PCs that you can jump in and get the basics of are going to be big. There’s a netbook version of Linux that brings together all the things you do. The hardware is so cheap that you’re gonna have people walking around with hundred dollar notebooks that do pretty much everything that you want to do.

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TWITTER GOES CORPORATE
Kevin: I see more and more people using it as a business tool. And the amount of followers you have will indicate how big of an influence and how big of a personal brand you are and so I would just really encourage people to to start looking past the, “I’m walking down the street and just got a slice of pizza” and figure out how to leverage this to boost my personal brand and show who I am on the Net.

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THE PALM PRE WILL KEEP APPLE ON ITS TOES
Alex: I want to see what Palm’s next phone will look like. They came in, threw the gauntlet down and said, “Apple you don’t own this space, We’re gonna come in and do as good as we can do.” And it remains to be seen how well that is, but it’s gonna push the iPhone in a big direction because they have a real competitor. And what the Palm Pre 2 looks like will be some crazy stuff.

Besides Microsoft, no other company has changed the way we use technology more than Google. The company started by two Stanford grad students has revolutionized the way we search for and interact with information. But we don’t have you tell you that, besides the fact that the word Google is officially now a verb in the Merriam-Webster dictionary you probably just came from the actual Google site or one of their many web properties like YouTube or Picasa.

We know they’re the illest in the game, but how good are they really? In our 2009 Style and Design issue, we looked at six our favorite Google innovations and graded them. Here we added four more to make it an even ten. Read on to see how your favorite Google offerings got marked.

BLOGGER (2003)(Link)
HIT: After acquiring Blogger’s parent company Pyra Labs in 1999, Google turned simple blog publishing software into the go-to service for most new bloggers. Its intuitive design and interface made it a hit among those just getting into the blogging game. Even today, with a number of other blogging services out there, it’s still ranked among the most used.

MISS: As more and more blogging services came onto the market, they offered more sophisticated and customizable options than Google’s Blogger. However, Google being Google has improved the software with every version. Also, lately, many bloggers have complained that Google breached their terms of service by deleting their content without consent.

GRADE: A

GOOGLE AD SENSE (2003)(Link)
HIT: If you’re a company that influences millions of people’s online activity, why not bank off your efforts? That’s exactly what Google did with their advertising software that has changed the web revenue game. Depending on your location and keywords, Google will service you with unobtrusive ads they think will interest you. Even if you don’t click on any of ’em, best believe people make money using it.

MISS: You know those blogs you wander onto that are solely made to advertise a product? Yeah, you can thank Ad Sense for that. Assholes.

Grade:B-

GOOGLE MAPS API (2005) (Link)
HIT: Maps was already better than Google’s previous engine Mapquest (which also powered Yahoo! Maps) when it dropped, but Google’s proprietary baby quickly eclipsed its rival with next-level mapping tools such as Google Street View. And the real bombshell landed later that year, when the Maps API (application program interface) dropped, allowed programmers to tweak Google Maps to suit their needs.

MISS: Besides the borderline intrusiveness of Google’s Street View, it’s the best mapping software EVER.

GRADE: A+

GOOGLE EARTH (2005)(Link)
HIT:You know how everyone talks about the global community becoming closer as a result of the internet? This is what they were talking about. Google’s virtual globe, available in 37 languages, allows users to go anywhere in the world with the click of a mouse. Last summer, they even made it as a browser plug in so you can surf the globe from your iPhone.

MISS:Just like Google Maps, people complained that Google Earth could be used to invade the privacy of people due to its close proximity arial photography. They also came under fire for agreeing to blur out or omit property belonging to some special interest groups. Our main complaint would be the way the software taxes your system while running.

GRADE: B-

GOOGLE TALK (2005)(Link)
HIT: It may have been introduced in 2005, but Google Talk wasn’t really poppin’ until a year later when Google gave GMail chat functionality. And since almost everyone has a GMail account, we find it to be our alternate chat program after AOL’s Instant Messenger. The fact that you instant message someone who isn’t online and have them see it next time they check their mail or sign on, or leave them a MP3 voicemail that will be sent to their inbox is pretty dope.

MISS:When Google released their GTalk client, they, of course, neglected to create one for Mac OS X. Good thing iChat and Adium fully support it.

GRADE:B

GOOGLE DOCS (2006)(Link)
HIT: In Google’s quest to topple the mighty Microsoft, they acquired an online word processor and compiled it with their online spreadsheet program to create the best online office suite on the market. It’s real strength lies in the availability of documents anywhere in the world and the ability for them to be edited by people remotely. It’s so good, Microsoft announced that the next version of Office will incorporate a completely online version.

MISS:If it really wants to compete with Microsoft Office, it’s going to need to beef up its offerings. Its simplicity is much appreciated, but when it comes time for some heavy lifting, Excel and Word still reign supreme. But, hey, for a free office suite, there ain’t none higher.

GRADE: A-

GOOGLE ANDROID (2007) (Link)
HIT: Designed by T-Mobile Sidekick creator Andy Rubin, Google’s foray into the mobile handset market was one of the most full-featured, desktop-like experiences on the market. Add to that their willingness to keep it open-source so anyone could customize it and you get the Linux to the iPhone’s…Windows?

MISS: In the midst of all the geeking out, Google forgot to make the OS visually appealing to consumers. They also forgot that the software is only half the phone experience, and picked a handset that looks like it came out with the Motorola Razor.

GRADE:B-

GOOGLE GEARS (2007) (Link)
HIT: If and when you stop using Microsoft Office—and let’s be real, that will happen—Google wants you to use Google Docs and GMail. Google Gears is a software that runs will allow you to use both (and any other Google app) without being connected to the Internet, further blurring the line between web apps and traditional local applications.

MISS: While we all love GMail and Google Docs, the big G is going to have to really step their web apps up if they want to compete with Microsoft Office.

GRADE: B

GOOGLE HEALTH (2008) (Link)
HIT: You heard it from Obama: The medical industry needs a makeover, stat! The next step in updating the field will be to transfer medical records to electronic databases that users and doctors can easily and instantly access; Google’s personal health record service does just that. After a successful beta run in Cleveland, the service has boldfaced partners like CVS and Walgreen already lined up.

MISS: There have been concerns regarding the privacy of the medical records, but Google insists it’s as safe (or safer) than paper records. Call us when encryption is foolproof.

GRADE: B

GOOGLE CHROME: (2008)(Link)
HIT: In yet another attempt to topple Microsoft, Google dropped their own browser; with its insanely fast Java engine and self-contained tabs, it was designed to a less stressful browsing experience (fewer crashes FTW!). It also arguably looked better than any other browsers on the market

MISS: Google must have not been paying attention to the rise in Mac usage over the years, as they failed to release a Mac OS X version of Chrome. FAIL.

GRADE: B

COMPARE TO: Apple iPhone, Blackberry Storm, Palm Pre

PRICE: $499; $199 w/ Two Year Contract

FUN FACT: The myTouch 3G comes in three colors: Black, White, and Merlot.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: In the consumer gadget marketplace, fierce competition breeds great products. And nowhere has that been more evident than in the world of mobile phones. Ever since the iPhone made companies rethink the role phones play in the lives of consumers, we’ve seen a flood of models looking to replicate Apple’s success. One of those phones was the T-Mobile G1, a touch screen slider powered by Google’s new Android phone operating system. And while it brought some widely praised innovations to the market, many felt the phone was not refined enough to do battle with the other touchscreen mobile devices now going for the throne. To give it another go, T-Mobile (and manufacturer HTC) went back to the lab and came back with the more responsive, more attractive and better featured myTouch 3G.

HARDWARE
Consumers who couldn’t commit to the iPhone because of its lack of a real keyboard, loved that G1 incorporated one without doing away with the touchscreen. However, leaving in the keyboard made for an exceptionally fat handset. To get the myTouch 3G down in size, they did away with the conventional keyboard and went with a virtual QWERTY keyboard that automatically goes from portrait to landscape mode depending on the application and orientation of the phone. This all together makes for a much slimmer package. The keyboard isn’t as functional as the old one, but after an hour with it, we were breezing through typing. Even with the slim new frame, we expected some internal storage, instead we got a 4 GB microSD card to store songs and videos on. Not bad, but not great. Also not great is the lack of a traditional 3.5″ headphone slot, making it so you have no choice but to use the headphones included with the phone. However, what is great, is the inclusion of WiFi to go along with support for T-Mobiles 3G network allowing you to quickly download web pages and songs from Amazon’s MP3 store.

TOUCH SCREEN
A popular complaint with the G1 was the responsiveness of the touchscreen, or lack thereof. Scrolling through lists was made difficult as you had to flick the same spot over and over again to just get a response. This time around, the screen feels more high grade: less like plastic, more like some sort of glass, and the difference is like night and day. In addition to the screen, you can also navigate using the trackball located between the “talk” and “end” keys. We found this to be useful when reading a lot of text on a website like the NYTimes, or Complex.com.

SOFTWARE:
The myTouch 3G runs the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, code named “Cupcake.” Cosmetically, not much has changed (the icons and overall appearance appears to be fresher), but take a little time running through the different screens and built in applications and you’ll notice how everything moves much more smoothly. Also made simpler (one click) is the ability to upload your photos to Picasa and videos to YouTube. You still have the endlessly useful multi-desktop feature that allows you to have your apps divided among multiple screens. The biggest add on is the aforementioned virtual keyboard that opens up with every edit box. On top of that, you still get the awesome ability to simultaneously run more than one program at any given time, and the option to customize the look of almost any and everything in the phone—icons, wallpapers, menu’s, etc.

And just because they did away with the physical keyboard doesn’t mean T-Mobile is any less serious about the myTouch being a true communications beast. You can set up email with just about any type of POP3 (most web based emails) or IMAP email systems, as well as full synchronization with all of Google’s services: Calendar, GMail and Google Talk. If AOL’s AIM is more your flavor you can set that up, too, along with Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

The best part of a recession is you can “project” just about anything, an idea that comes in handy when you’re trying to pitch your part of the world to tourists and magazine editors. At a recent press conference to promote Australian tourism, futurologist (yeah we know) Ian Yeoman stated, “Robotics will become important, because you’re going to have labor shortages in the future…Even robot “prostitutes” that would not pass on diseases such as HIV could make an appearance.”

Sounds good to us. Hey Ian: below is our list of top ten robot women we’d like to have sex with. If you can work on getting these made real, we’ll book our tickets. Just let us know when the ladies are ready and we’ll be there with a 10-page cover story, thanks…

MARIA FROM METROPOLIS
Maria is a classic robot, and this movie dates back to 1921. The remake of this film will have her dropping a few inches off of that robot waistline (and adding a few up top), but for the 1920s, this was one hot piece of clunking scrap metal.

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AIKO from JAPAN
This thing is real! An inventor named Le Trung, who has never had a real girlfriend, built this, and it does cleaning, makes drinks and reads newspaper headlines. Homie has spent about $21,000 so far and is still improving it. Would we smash even though we know his tiny inventor wang has been up in there? Maybe if we got some hardcore cleaner and went to work…

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LISA (KELLY LeBROCK) from WEIRD SCIENCE
When Kelly LeBrock popped out of that closet, we were all psyched—robot titties! And then we realized that it was 1985, we were 3 years old, and John Hughes didn’t put nudity in his movies. Oh well, there is always the remake. Wait, is she a robot or a real girl or a hologram or just CGI? Whatever, we’re on it regardless.

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T-X (KRISTANNA LOKEN) from TERMINATOR 3
So she can throw you across the room. Worth it. This woman is effing hot, and if her fantastical off-set robot personality is anything like her real-life sex machine, you’re looking at one of the most awesome robot-love situations of all time here folks.

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CAMERON (SUMMER GLAU) from THE SARAH CONNON CHRONICLES
Terminator (and it’s shitty spinoffs) have this whole robot thing down. Why create male robots at all? It’s not like they’re gonna have robot penis for the ladies. Or maybe they will, but still. Hey engineers in the year 2050: just make hot robot chicks, OK?

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KAY-EM 14 (LISA RYDER) from JASON X
Another robot/sex machine. Granted, if we were stuck on a floating space craft and Jason was going after us we’d do our last rights with the blonde chick, but she’s not a robot, and that wouldn’t make any sense in this post.

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PRIS (DARYL HANNAH) from BLADE RUNNER
Daryl Hannah has always seemed a bit weird looking to us, but the robot stuff is kind of kinky, and here it works. Enough makeup on anything and we’re pretty much there.

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THE FEMBOTS from AUSTIN POWERS
Um. Of course. All at once please.

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JAPANESE RUNWAY ROBOT from JAPAN
This thing kind of makes us laugh, and the thought of having sex with it seems painful—bang bang clunk clunk. In reality, we’d rather watch movies and fantasize about fake robots then succumb to the reality of a rounded steel crotch, but f it. We’ll try anything 3 or 4 times.

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THE ROBOT MODELS from THE SURROGATES POSTERS
Again, all of them at once please. Just don’t pinch the sensitive part, thanks.

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COMPARE TO: Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini, LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra

PRICE: $300 (1 TB); $200 (750 GB)

FUN FACT: Started in 1970, Western Digital made most of their money from pushing calculator chips before moving into OEM storage in the ’80s.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Because when your computer crashes, and it will crash, it’s going to hurt bad when your realize you just lost your term papers as well as your music, video and photo collections that you’ve been compiling for however many months or years. Western Digital’s My Passport Essential SE will help you sidestep such a disaster. Their newest mobile hard drive comes in 750 GB and 1 TB (terabyte) capacities wrapped in a sleek package that checks in at less than half a pound in weight, less than an inch thick and only 5 inches wide. Thanks to a USB 2.0 connection you get crazy fast transfer speeds (480 Mb/s) and the ability to power the drive solely with the USB connection, making it that much easier to just toss in your backpack and go. We recommend going for the gusto with the 1TB—it may sound like too much space, but that’s like saying Kim Kardashian has too much ass, it’s just silly.

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE 750 GB MY PASSPORT ESSENTIAL SE FOR $169

PRICE: $128

COMPARE TO: Shure SCL4, Sony MDR-EX500LP, Klipsch Image S4

FUN FACT: The Vibe II’s were awarded Design & Engineering Showcase Honors at 2009 Consumer Electronic Show (CES).

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: We understand non-audiophiles don’t put too much thought into their headphones. Not only do most of them sound the same, headphones are just one of those accessories you expect to misplace, so why bother? Plus who would bother paying over a c-note for some plastic and rubber? All good points. But what if a pair of headphones were priced a tick over $100, sounded as good as headphones double its price and forwent plastic and rubber for cloth and steel? Well, that’s where the new V-MODA Vibe II’s come in…

ANALYSIS

TOP SHELF FIT AND FINISH:
If you put your headphones through the same wear-and-tear that we put ours through on the regular (jogging, biking, subway), you know how easily a pair of ear buds can physically break down after a couple months. V-Moda, in stylistic effort as much as a quality reassurance, decides to do away with the traditional headphone materials and go with braided Kevlar fabric for the cables, stainless steel for the earbuds, microphone and controls, and 24K gold covering for the plug. To ensure even more durability, the plug features a 45-degree flexible design so you can’t break the cord leading to it or break the plug itself. We’ve all fell victim to the unraveling of headphone cords, with the Vibe II’s you don’t have to worry about that.

GREAT SOUND QUALITY:
Fit and finish are important, yeah, but if your superbly built headphones sound worse than the free iPod headphones, what’d you accomplish? The Vibe II’s deliver with sound that matches its aesthetic. You may notice the little subwoofer-looking box at the end of each ear bud, that’s not just there for effect. Behind each stainless steel enclosure are 8mm V-Masque dynamic technology speaker drivers—which, in layman talk, is the technology that will make your lows sound full and bottomless, and your highs soar with a clarity and range only found on full ear headphones. The great sound can also be attributed to the BLISS (Bass Level Isolating Soft Silicone) system that isolates outside noise and provides a deeper, richer bass response. It’s like you’re at your own private concert.

WORKS WELL WITH PHONES:
V-MODA knows most people listen to music on their phones. For those of you multitasking with iPhones and Blackberry’s, the Vibe II’s come with a built in microphone and phone controls so you can take calls while listening to music and easily resume your song without having to pull our your phone. Also, there’s no need to purchase another headset for your VOIP or Skype applications, the Vibe II’s work seamlessly with those as well as iChat, and other third party audio recording applications in Mac OS X. Handsfree is the way to be.

ClicK Here to Buy It Now!

You know those people that never stop talking about all the apps on their iPhone? Well, these are the ones they downloaded on the down low. Is that a touch-screen mobile device in your pocket or are you just excited to hit the jump? Sigh, just keep reading to check our guide to the 5 sleaziest iPhone applications…

TITLE: MyVibe
DEVELOPER: Sawhorse Enterprises
PRICE: Free
• We’re not mad at the idea of ladies stimulating themselves while they tweet with us, but the company’s suggestion to use this makeshift vibrator “when the kids are watching TV—and not you” is a little fucked up.

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TITLE: Passion
DEVELOPER: Chris Alvarez
PRICE: $4.99
• Lay your iPhone on the bed while having intercourse and get graded on your performance. Get scores like the one above and your girl will probably let your roommate smash while you’re at work.

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TITLE: rubMyClit
DEVELOPER: Creative Commons
PRICE: Free Web App (rubmyclit.ratethatthing.com)
• Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but real clitorises feel nothing like your iPhone screen.

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TITLE: iWet T-Shirts
DEVELOPER: Synapse
PRICE: $0.99
• Yo, why the hell does she have a bra on under that t-shirt? We wanna see the two’s!

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TITLE: Pocket Pick-Up Guide
DEVELOPER: Phantom Particle
PRICE: $1.99
• No T&A here, but any guy using this app to pick up chicks is the definition of sleazy. Instead, tell her you have the MyVibe app on deck and want her opinion.

PRICE: $299

FUN FACT: The Rovio can be controlled via Skype or MSN Messenger through a special video plug in.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Because when the WowWee team came through with the Rovio they completely changed our mind about the little three-wheeled electronic watchdog. Not only did we doubt its usefulness (we love robot’s and all, we just couldn’t think of situation when we’d need one), we were skeptical on how well the Rovio, an electronic assistant that can be controlled remotely from any computer connected to the internet, would really work once they were gone. Well, it worked pretty damn well. And after playing around with it for the better part of the afternoon, we got to thinking. As July winds down and we start planning the last of our summer getaways, we’d love to leave one on in our apartment just so we can keep an eye on everything while we’re OT…

ANALYSIS

COMPLETE REMOTE CONTROL: If you would like to protect your spot when you’re out of town or just at work, all you have to do is log into the Rovio website (you can do this from any computer, cell phone or internet enabled device), and connect to your machine. As we stated earlier, we had our doubts about how the Rovio would be to control, but WowWee makes it extremely easy to function. You can use your trackpad or your mouse to move it around. To give the you the omni-directional control needed to properly scour any environment the Rovio comes equipped with omni-directional three-wheeled motion for easy, precise navigation. Admittedly, moving it around takes a little getting used to, but after an hour so, you’ll be traversing your entire apt. Or, if you’d like the Rovio to move about the house on its own, you can use the TrueTrack navigation system to store waypoints for Rovio to check on throughout the day. TrueTrack is also used to get Rovio to its base so it can recharge itself.

Sound and Vision Once logged into the Rovio site, you can use the built in, head-mounted high resolution camera (640 x 480) and microphone that streams real time audio and video to navigate your Rovio’s surroundings. In addition to streaming live audio and video, the Rovio can also take photos and store them until you get home, or email them to you throughout the day, just so you can stay up to date. We don’t advocate spying, but if you’re paranoid like Mr. West, you can keep an eye on wifey when she’s at the crib and you’re out of town.

BUY IT NOW

COMPARE TO: Polaroid PoGo

PRICE:$149

FUN FACT: Although only limited to 2″x3″ sheets of paper, ZINK has larger sizes on the way, so you can expect larger, instant photo printers in the future.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: When Polaroid ceased producing the instantly developing cameras that came to be synonymous with the company’s name, a collective “WTF” was heard throughout the tech-world. We all have a memory or two involving or captured by a Polaroid camera. It’s true digital cameras and camera phones with the ability to instantly send photo’s to friends and family via the internet kinda swerved into Polaroid’s lane, but there was something awesome about the instant gratification that came along with Polaroid cameras. With summer now in full swing and our weekend beach trips leaving us with moments deserving of a hard copy, we tried out to the Dell Wasabi portable photo printer to see if we could get that old thing back…

ANALYSIS

SIZE DOES MATTER
In order for any device to replace the Polaroid, it would have to be extremely portable. Or, at least as portable as the Polaroid cameras were in their time. The Dell Wasabi accomplishes that with a footprint measuring about an inch thick and a little under five inches long. It’s too big to squeeze into your pocket (unless you’re wearing Girbuad jeans), but it’s small enough not to take up any room in your backpack, weekend bag or girlfriends pocketbook. And since it weighs in at just under half a pound with the rechargeable battery installed, you’ll never notice it’s there.

NO INK, NO PROBLEM
The genius in the Wasabi lies in its no ink technology. Developed by a Massachusetts based company called ZINK (Zero + Ink), the paper has an advanced composite material with cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals embedded within it. Before printing the crystals are colorless, giving off a white appearance. But once it gets going, the paper is heated and the crystals are activated forming whatever color you need—no need for the iconic Polaroid shake. This technology is the reason why the device can be so small in the first place. Not only that, but the 2″ x 3″ paper has an adhesive back so you can print a photo and instantly turn it into a sticker.

WIRE OR WIRELESS, YOUR CHOICE
You can connect to the Wasabi either two ways: through a USB connection or wirelessly via Bluetooth 2.0. We must note that for whatever reason the iPhone can’t connect to the Wasabi via Bluetooth. But we’ve found a number of other phones that do. When using USB, simply connect your camera with PictBridge (if you bought your camera in the past 2-3 years, it probably has PictBridge) to the Wasabi, pick which photo you want to print, wait one minute and you’ll have your photo. We wish the images were a little more crisp and bright seeing as how they get compressed into 2″x3″ images, but nothing beats instant photo printing.

COMPARE TO: Logitech V550 Nano, Macally Optimo,

PRICE:$49.95

FUN FACT:The Microsoft Arc Special Edition is available in Marine Blue, Deep Olive Green, Eggplant Purple, and Frost White.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT:
Choosing a mouse may seem like an afterthought to most, but when you think of all the time you spend on your computer each and everyday, it becomes painfully clear that your peripherals are almost as important as the computer they’re attached to. How many of you have a special keyboard, chair or headphones at your job that you’d be lost in the sauce without? After testing Microsoft’s new Arc Mouse, we believe it deserves a spot in everyone’s desktop arsenal…

PROS OF THE ARC MOUSE:

IT’S EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE
• Despite it’s diminutive size, the Arc is one of the most comfortable portable mice we’ve ever used. Other competitors are so tiny they easily get lost in even the smallest of hands, leaving your skin dragging against the surface. Not a good look. Looking to bridge the gap between desktop and portable mice, Mircosoft found a way to deliver desktop size with the same (or, better, if you ask us) portability as most notebook options. This was accomplished by ingeniously allowing the rear third of the Arc to fold inwards to 60% of its normal size. We’re surprised Michael Bay didn’t enlist one for Revenge of the Fallen. At first the Quasimodo shape seems a bit extreme, but stick with it, and after a while you’ll think to yourself why isn’t every mouse shaped like this?

COMPLEX SIMPLICITY
• Now-a-days mice are either over inundated with buttons making them look like a prop from Battlestar Gallactica, or their simple to the point that they don’t do even the most simple of tasks. The Arc finds a great balance between the two. Including along with the flush right and left click buttons are two fully programmable buttons: the extremely smooth scroll wheel and a button found on the top left side. Whether you’re using Windows or a Mac. these two buttons can be used to do just about anything.

WIRELESS FACTOR
• If you’re not using a wireless mouse by now, you’re losing. The Arc employs a 2.4 GHz wireless receiver that instantly works when plugged into an available USB port. Once connected, the Arc can work flawlessly up to 30ft away from the receiver. And thanks to Microsoft’s Laser technology, it can work on any surface—glass, wood, carpet, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re in range, it’ll work. When you’re done just unplug the receiver and easily mount it to the magnetic surface underneath the fold-able rear third so you don’t lose it. Trust us, if you’ve used wireless USB mice before, this is a godsend.

COMPARE TO: Shure SE110, Sony MDR-EX300

PRICE: $80

FUN FACT: Company founder Paul Klipsch (1904-2002) started the company in 1946 out of a tin shed in Hope, Arkansas.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: We’re accustomed to seeing demand outpace supply when it comes to limited-edition toys, or Air Yeezys, or even Palm Pres—but mass-produced headphones? That’s a first. But ever since we tested the Klipsch Image S4 Headphones a couple of months ago, we’ve been waiting to tout these excellent earbuds to the masses—waiting, that is, for the product to go back in stock at online retailers. Well, the S4s are still completely sold out at most stores, but our friends at Klipsch assure us that they will become available in the next week or two. In the meantime, here are four reasons why you need to get your back-order on…

#1) THE SOUND QUALITY IS SUPERB.
Meaning the highs are high, the lows are low, and all that other stuff you audiophiles care about. Look, none of us are trying to be Young Guru here, but anybody who owns an iPod should be a veritable expert on headphone sound quality. The S4 headphones deliver the crispest, sharpest, bassiest, and overall best sound of any earbuds we’ve ever tried—and as NYC commuters (and habitual earbud misplacers), we’ve tried a helluva lot. When compared to other headphones in its price range (and even some more expensive competitors), the S4 is at the top of the line. You’ll never listen to Soulja Boy’s Gangsta Grillz tape the same way again.

#2) THE EARBUDS ARE COMFORTABLE…AND THEY WON’T GET LOST.
The earbuds themselves come in three different oval-shaped sizes to contour to your ear; when you settle on the right fit, they are super-comfortable and minimally obtrusive in your ear canal. (No more of those uncomfortable post JFK-to-LAX earaches.) Another great aspect of the S4 is the actual construction of the earbud foam—unlike the foams on most Sony models, the S4 foams are firmly connected to each earbud piece, meaning they won’t come loose in your backpack or fall off during your commute. Losing those earbud foams renders your headphones useless, and Klipsch has helped ensure that you’ll avoid that frustrating-as-fuck experience. There has been some concerns over the thinness of the S4 cable, but we didn’t have any problems with splitting or breakage. Our advice is to stick with the generic iBuds when working out and doing anything that might cause cord-yanking.

#3) NOT ONLY DO YOU BLOCK OUT NOISE, BUT YOU WON’T CREATE AMBIENT NOISE EITHER.
Hey, not everybody wants to hear Soulja Boy’s Gangsta Grillz tape with you, right? The S4s are considered “passive” noise-cancellation headphones, but suffice to say that you will not hear shit when you are using them. Better yet, nobody else will, either; there’s nothing more annoying than the dude who terrorizes his fellow commuters with the ambient noise of his asinine iPod playlist. Don’t be that dude. With the S4s, you won’t.

#4) THE PRICE IS RIGHT.
There was a time when you could drop $20 on headphones and call it a year, but these days, the market is absolutely flooded with choices in different price ranges. At $80, the Klipsch Image S4s are priced in the middle of the pack, but take it from us: You won’t need another set of earbuds anytime soon. If you’ll use them as much as we do—i.e., everyday—they are well worth the investment. Plus they come with a special earwax cleaning tool! We’ve been waiting for one of those, really.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE KLIPSCH IMAGE S4 HEADPHONES!

But we’ve seen this story before: a file sharing company gets taken down only to be replaced by it’s competitors. And though TPB will be missed, users will no doubt move on to the many other torrent sites on the ‘net. If you’re looking for a new go-to torrent search site, or just looking to get into the torrent game, check out our five favorite sites below…

ISOHUNT
• Launched: January 2003
• Overview: Founded by Canadian Gary Fung, Iso Hunt quickly boasted a following of 7.4 million users. The site features a clean interface, with no registration needed. Results are quick and prompt. You’ll have no problem finding the latest albums and movies with more than enough seeds to keep your downloads moving along quickly.

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DEMONOID
• Launched: April 2003
• Overview: The most exclusive site on the list, to access Demonoid’s user uploaded torrents you must be a member and to be member you must be invited or wait until they periodically open up their registration. You can thank the Canadian Recording Industry for that. Their strength lies in their community which doesn’t allow the uploading of pornography, and closely monitors every users download and upload ratio’s to make sure everyone gets the best use out of the site.

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MININOVA
• Launched: January 2005
• Overview: Launched as a follow up to the popular Supernova tracker, Mininova is one of the largest torrent sites on the net with over 8 million downloads. Mininova’s homepage shows the newest and most popular uploads in every genre featured on the site. It was reported that this past May they started trying out a content recognition system to sniff out any illegal content. As far as we can tell, they’re not doing a very good job.

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FENOPY
• Launched: March 2006
• Overview: A meta torrent search engine, Fenopy searches a number of different torrent sites.

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BTJUNKIE
• Launched: June 2005
• Overview: BTJunkie acts as a webcrawler for torrent sites across the ‘Net, searching both public and private trackers, kinda negating the need to join some membership only sites. It also offers some unique features like Torrentmail which is a service that emails you when certain new torrents are added.

PRICE: $429.99

COMPARE TO: MSi Wind U120, Samsung NC10, HP Mini 2140

FUN FACT: The Seashell is available in black, blue, white and pink.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Asus helped usher in the age of the Netbook with their Eee PC line of sub-notebooks back in 2007 with the release of their Eee PC 701 model, and since then it has been improving the model line year by year as almost every computer company has released their own Netbook.

For those of you still using a Compaq Presario from the ’90s, let us bring you up to speed on what exactly a Netbook is. Doing away with most of the features that go unused by a majority of the computing masses, a Netbook is a small laptop that gives you the bare essentials, allowing you to complete basic tasks such as browsing the internet—checking your Facebook, Twitter, Complex.com—light word processing and playing music and videos, all for a price well south of $1,000. If that sums up your computing needs, you may wanna chuck the desktop and check out a Netbook.

Asus’ newest EeePC, the Seashell, is their best yet. Coined the SeaShell because of its tapered clamshell form (think Apple MacBook Air), the SeaShell comes with some much welcomed improvements such as a larger keyboard. The achilles heel for most Netbooks is their cramped keyboard which makes it frustratingly impossible to touch type, but unless you’re a Ninja Turtle or Jazze Pha, this keyboard will prove comfortable. The trackpad even gets a revamp in the form of multi-touch. Just like on the iPhone and now the MacBooks, you can now make a pinch gesture on the trackpad to enlarge and shrink documents. It may not seem like much, but when you’re working on the SeaShells 10.1″ LED backlit screen (1024×600 resolution), having the ability to resize photos and text easily is key.

Most Netbooks have gotten past the storage problem, and the SeaShell, with 160GB of internal storage and 10GB of Eee Online Storage, does so as well. Also thrown into the package is a Premium Dolby and SRS Surround Sound Speaker set up, which makes the diminutive laptop sound larger than its 10.7″ wide and 1″ thick footprint. But the real reason to get a Netbook, besides the price, is the battery life. The SeaShells battery is rated at 6 hours, which means it can still survive a flight from New York to Cali. Processing duties are adequately handled by Intel’s Netbook chip, the battery friendly, Atom running at 1.66 Mhz.

Netbooks aren’t for everyone. Some people need a bigger screen and an optical drive, a dedicated graphics card and more powerful processor. But, let’s be real, for most of us, they’re perfect for simple everyday tasks and are much easier to tote along to the beach this summer. If you’re in the market for one, the Seashell should be high on your list.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE ASUS EEE PC SEASHELL!