Obsessed

Some things are just . . . better LINDSEY KRATOCHWILL 

1 BLOOM BLANKET
Who decided blankets need to be flat? Design studio Oak Form took inspiration from ori- gami (and tessella- tions). The result is a cashmere blanket that looks like it belongs in a geometry book. $300
2 HUMIN
This app aims to replace your phone’s built-in contacts list by remembering contacts as you would: based on how you met, where they live, and who your mutual friends are. Free
3 THINGS TO MAKE AND DO IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION What would it take to get you to try a math problem? A little hu- mor could help. In his latest book, stand-up comedian and former math teacher Matt Parker shows the fun (and funnier) side of the much-maligned subject. $28
4 MO-FI
No matter how hi-fi your music player, if you’re listening on cruddy headphones, you’ll be disappointed. Blue Microphones’s first foray into the space includes a built- in amp that delivers powerful, smooth bass like no others can. $350
5 MICRO 8050 Thanks to a specially designed 8-volt max lithium-ion battery, the Dremel Micro 8050 packs the power of a large tool into a body small and light enough to hold like a pencil. Added bonus: An LED

at the tip illuminates any project, making fine work easier. $89
6 BATTERYBOX GBatteries has figured out how build an external battery pack that can add six hours to your laptop’s battery life or 80 hours to an iPhone 5S. The pack uses technology called BatteryOS, charging it to 100 percent capacity without draining per- formance. $215
7 TOUCHPICO This portable pro- jector, the size of a smartphone, includes a stylus with an embed- ded infrared emitter. An IR camera captures the stylus’s image and maps it as it moves around the display, turning an 80-inch projection into a giant tablet screen. $379
8 GOTENNA
There are still places without cell service
or Wi-Fi. That’s where you need goTenna. With the device, you can share your location with other goTenna users via GPS and send text messages via blue- tooth and long-range radio waves. $300/pair
9 WITHINGS ACTIVITÉ
Most fitness trackers look pretty much the same (not pretty). Withings’ latest, on the other hand, is a stylish watch with sensors in- side. A small meter on the face shows steps or sleep progress. For data on distance traveled
or calories burned, it connects to an app via Bluetooth. $450 

Tracking technology

Tracking technology is every- where. It lives in activity bands, security devices, air conditioners —even nutrition-tracking smart cups. And that’s the problem. “We have too many needs to buy dedicated devices for everything,” says Rafi Haladjian, founder of Sen.se, so he created a single device that can make dumb items smart. He called it Mother, and it’s designed to care about you
as much as your real one. To use it, people place sensors—called cookies—onto anything from a coffee pot (to monitor caffeine intake) to a child’s toothbrush
(to keep tabs on dental hygiene). Cookies use accelerometers to track motion, thermometers for temperature, and a Wi-Fi connec- tion to determine proximity.
The cookies then send the data back to the central unit, which compiles the information and feeds it into a newspaper
app. Daily habits and envi- ronmental indicators are displayed like stories on
a front page, making it easier to live a healthier, more informed life. And that’s something every mother can agree on. LINDSEY KRATOCHWILL 

BONA-FIDE

The lens for the high mega-pixel era.
A large aperture standard lens delivering outstanding resolution, exquisite images with beautiful bokeh. A bona-fide classic.

50MM F1.4 DG HSM

Case, hood (LH830-02) included. USA 4 Year Service Protection 

The quietest, most efficient ceiling fan is now the smartest

Big Ass Fans® reinvented the ceiling fan with the silent, hand-balanced
and energy-efficient Haiku®. In fact, Haiku holds the top 11 ENERGY STAR® rankings for efficiency, and its patented LED module offers 16 unique brightness settings. Haiku now features SenseMETM technology, an on-board computer and array of sensors that automate Haiku’s speed for effortless comfort. And SenseME now works with the Nest Learning ThermostatTM for easy comfort and up to 30% savings on air-conditioning costs. Smarter comfort and savings?
That’s a no-brainer.