After Hours

Desktop toys: No binary time for TheOne

By · December 18, 2006, 6:03 AM PST · markwkaelin

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  • The holiday season is approaching fast. In fact, it seems to approach faster every year. For those of you in the giving spirit around the office, it can be difficult to find that special gift for the person on the other side of the cubicle wall. It cannot be too expensive and it should reflect a certain amount of lightheartedness and fun. I mean, after all, gift giving in an office environment is really about generating smiles and feelings of goodwill with your co-workers.
    With that spirit in mind, TechRepublic has acquired several inexpensive yet tasteful and useful desktop toys for review. One of these fine gadgets or gizmos should appeal to even the most difficult to buy for in your office.
    Next on our gift list is the TheOne, a binary watch, which comes to us courtesy of KlearGear.com.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • You wouldn't know it by the box, but there is one geeky gadget contained within.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • The tin inside the box brings to mind flavored coffee --- I'm not sure that is what the designer intended. However, it does indicate that this is not your typical watch from Wal-Mart.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • Not sure I'm all that enthralled with a watch that requires I read a manual just so I can tell what time it is.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • It looks like something a very confident techie would wear.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • It will take some time and practice before you can read the time instantly as you would a regular analog or digital watch. You also have to hit the button to get the lights to show you the time. That would be annoying. A watch is too complicated if I have to use two hands to figure out what time it is. By the way, the time according to the watch is 4:21.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

  • TheOne looks nice enough on my wrist and it might be a good conversation starter if you are in the right crowd, but at cocktail parties I usually have a drink in the other hand, which means I could not tell how late it was. Hmm --- now that I think about it, that might not be a bad idea.

    &copy CNET Networks, Inc.
    Mark W. Kaelin

The holiday season is approaching fast. In fact, it seems to approach faster every year. For those of you in the giving spirit around the office, it can be difficult to find that special gift for the person on the other side of the cubicle wall. It cannot be too expensive and it should reflect a certain amount of lightheartedness and fun. I mean, after all, gift giving in an office environment is really about generating smiles and feelings of goodwill with your co-workers.
With that spirit in mind, TechRepublic has acquired several inexpensive yet tasteful and useful desktop toys for review. One of these fine gadgets or gizmos should appeal to even the most difficult to buy for in your office.
Next on our gift list is the TheOne, a binary watch, which comes to us courtesy of KlearGear.com.

&copy CNET Networks, Inc.
Mark W. Kaelin

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After Hours Innovation Hardware Tech & Work

By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

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