aqua

Food enthusiasts have a hard time not trying new things. Everything from new recipes to funny-looking vegetables at the market are fair game to the curious. And of course, the same thing can be said about cooking techniques. Given the opportunity to try out the AquaChef Professional Water Oven by Kitchen Advance, I dove right in.

The first thing one notices about the AquaChef is its remarkable similarity in appearance to a deep fryer. Of course, since sous vide cooking uses water as the cooking medium (as opposed to oil or hot air as in an oven) that is where … Read more

Gaming giant Nintendo noted today that it will soon cease production of the Aqua Blue 3DS in Japan.

The announcement comes a few months after the debut of a Cobalt Blue 3DS in Japan, which seems likely to arrive in the U.S. sometime in the near future. For those of you still keeping up with the crazy color calamity, Nintendo also plans a Midnight Purple 3DS shade, set to debut in May. … Read more

Safari has always felt more finished on its native Mac home than its Windows port, and version 5 is no different. Though the improvements made in Safari 5 lack the visual pop of the biggest changes in Safari 4, such as the Cover Flow-inspired Top Sites and history browsing and the interface refresh, Safari 5 contains just about the same level and quality of changes--with one caveat.

The biggest new feature that comes in Safari 5 hasn't been fully implemented yet. A new add-on network won't be officially available until later this summer according to Apple, but Safari'… Read more

Some of the best things about Windows 7 are the window-management tools under the Aero umbrella. Aero Snap, Aero Shake, and Aero Glass do nothing less than make Windows 7 competitive with Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard on the window management front. They pop visually, they're fun to use, and most importantly, they're useful ways of managing windows. But that doesn't mean you can't tweak them, and for people who want more out of their Aero, there's AquaSnap.

AquaSnap gives users fine-tuning control to change the Snap/Shake/Glass functionality, customize the Aqua … Read more

Apple's latest iteration of Safari has a lot to offer, putting it among the top browsers in its category, but those who like to customize their surfing experience may need to look elsewhere. Version 4 features the Nitro engine, which runs JavaScript up to 4.5 times faster than Safari 3 (according to Apple) and it was certainly blindingly fast in all of our testing. The browser supports all modern Web standards, like HTML 5 and advanced CSS effects so you don't need to worry about whether Safari will work correctly on your favorite sites. Though Safari 4 … Read more

Initially met with some skepticism, the Windows version of Apple's Safari browser has developed into a strong Web-surfing candidate. Previous versions felt unfinished, but Safari 4 can stand should to shoulder with the other major Windows Web browsers--depending on what kind of experience you want.

Safari lacks most customization features. Skins and other aesthetic tweaks exist in the Mac version, but not here. Just about the only thing you can alter is the font. However, the new version represents a radical departure in look and feel, and the changes are for the better. Safari now looks much more like … Read more

Finally, gadget-seeking swimmers are getting equal treatment to sportsmen who enjoy dry, electronic-friendly conditions. California-based Finis is out with the Aqua Pulse, a waterproof heart monitor that relies on bone conduction technology to communicate high-fidelity sound via the temple bone to the inner ear.

Monitoring your heart rate is supposed to be the most effective way to train, as you can measure intensity and exertion levels and avoid over-training and under-training. But so far, heart rate monitors have generally been made for wearing on the wrist, connected to a skin sensor normally attached around the chest--a setup that's not … Read more

Every week, I try to pick a game and some other useful utility for my iPhone apps post, but this week I can't help but write about two games. What can I say? They keep coming out with great games! The two games are from completely different genres so if you like games at all, I'm guessing at least one of them will find their way onto your iPhone.

This week's apps include a well-designed Jet Ski racing game and a unique word game that's challenging and makes you laugh while you play.

WordFu (99 cents, … Read more