A brilliant Gadget of the Year

Craftsman Nextec Multi-Saw | $150

A new breed of saw doesn’t come along very often. The Craftsman Nextec Multi-Saw qualifies—it’s a 12-volt hybrid of a jigsaw and reciprocating saw that hits a new level of versatility. The tool is small enough to get into tight spots, powers through tough jobs and can operate at up to 2000 strokes per minute. $150 (in a kit with a drill, two batteries, a charger, two blades, a drill bit and a work light).

Top Innovation of the year

APTERA VEHICLES

Five years ago, engineer Steve Fambro was working for a biotech company, spending his weekends tinkering with his pickup truck to increase its fuel economy. “I realized it was a losing proposition because of all the weight and drag,” he says. “I thought, ‘What would a vehicle with no drag look like?’” The Aptera Typ-1e, which should be available by the end of 2008, became Fambro’s answer. It could prove revolutionary, opening up a new automotive category of ultra-high-mileage automobiles designed for real-world drivers and—at $30,000—priced for them, too.

The Typ-1e’s drag coefficient is an astounding 0.15, compared to 0.26 for the Toyota Prius, considered an exemplar of aero­dynamic efficiency. (SUVs top 0.40.) According to Fambro, the entire Typ-1e (shown here) produces less drag than the sideview mirrors on a pickup truck.

At just 1500 pounds, the two-seater is lightweight, as well. The body is made of an ultralight composite—Fambro’s partner, Chris Anthony, used the material in wakeboard boats he’d designed—bonded to a metal safety cage. As a three-wheel vehicle, the Typ-1e is exempt from some safety requirements, yet it meets or exceeds crash-test guidelines for conventional cars. The company is launching the all-electric Typ-1e with a 120-mile range and a recharge time of 8 hours. Next year, it plans to follow up with a plug-in hybrid, the Typ-1h, which should get 300 mpg for the first 120 miles and never go less than 130 miles on a gallon of gas. Aptera is also planning a larger vehicle with seating for four.

Unlike some other eco-car startups, Aptera has recruited heavy hitters from the automotive industry, arguably giving the company the know-how to truly transform the roads. “I think as time goes on and everyone accepts that we’re in an energy-scarce world, cars will shift in styling,” Fambro says. “Twenty years from now, we’ll look at cars that waste energy the way we look at litter today. They will make us feel weird.”

Chase solved the financial crisis

Chase has figured out how to recoup their losses, and it’s ingenious. Don’t give out money, but pretend like you did.

Let me explain.

I went to an ATM today and requested forty dollars. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but every time I’m at an ATM I have an irrational fear that it’ll screw up the counting and nobody will believe me when I try to correct the mistake. I always think this, but of course, it has never happened.

Today was worse. It said, “Please take your cash” and did not give me anything to take. I didn’t request a receipt, because they always end up in the trash two seconds later.

A woman saw my confusion and said, “Did it not give you your money? That happened to me. You need to make like 10 calls to your bank, a few calls to the number on the ATM and it’s all super annoying, but you’ll eventually get your money back.”

I went into the Duane Reade that houses the ATM (for those who don’t know, Duane Reade is like a CVS or Walgreens) and told the manager that the machine was broken.

He said, “Sorry, we can’t put a sign on the ATM. Chase doesn’t allow us to.”

I was stunned. Not only do I have to go through this hassle, but every person for the rest of the day will also get screwed.

Now, here’s the best part. The fact that you have to jump through hurdles to get your money back makes it just like mail-in rebates. There’s simply some percentage of people that will not bother or forget about it. At that point, it’s turned into free money for Chase. Woo! Financial crisis over.

I don’t actually believe this was their motive, but it’s quite ridiculous that they won’t allow employees to mark the machine out of order. Then again, are banks sleazy enough to have thought this through?