A warm, stylish and functional winter coat?
A tech reviewer such as yours truly receives a lot of gadgets, games and gear to test-drive -- er, no violins, please -- but you can imagine my confusion when a winter jacket arrived at my home office the other day.
I quickly realized, however, this fleece-lined apparel wasn't sent to the wrong address -- it was Mountain Hardwear's "Refugium" (mountainhardwear.com/ardica), the first pre-wired winter sports jacket that not only provides heat on demand but also charges up your portable gadgets like cameras, smartphones or media players.
Called "Radiance" jackets for women, these stylish, insulated jackets ($270) were designed to accommodate the optional Ardica Moshi power system ($160) that slips down the back of the jacket and distributes heat (up to 37 degrees) throughout its integrated circuitry. A small black button on the front of the jacket lets you adjust for low, medium and high heat, which will give you anywhere from 3 to 8.5 hours of heat based on your selection.
When you get back home, or to the office, you can plug the jacket into a wall's AC outlet to charge up the battery -- though you can expect a few stares from curious onlookers.
The jacket's integrated USB port will juice up your electronics -- such as BlackBerrys, iPhones, MP3 players, GPS units or cameras -- but the optional $60 Tech Connector Kit lets you connect many more devices (and more at one time).
Now you can stay warm and powered-up while braving Canadian winters.
By Marc Saltzman, MSN Tech & Gadgets
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