Dispatches: Better Living Future Perfect Three dream tools for the globe-trotting geek
Verisyse
Myopic adventurers, rejoice. For around $8,000 and 15 minutes per eye, you can now have corrective lens implants that will make you feel like you were born 20/20. And unlike Lasik surgery, which may impair night vision, the procedure improves your view in all conditions. Common in Europe for five years now, intraocular lens technology (IOL) involves inserting a five-millimeter-diameter plastic lens through an incision in the cornea and then clipping it to the iris, which makes it extremely durable. "In Europe, even professional soccer players use them," says Dr. Kerry Assil, a leading American eye surgeon who helped test VERISYSE implants—the first IOL brand to receive FDA approval, this past fall. But the real clincher: Whereas Lasik requires an irreversible cutting away of corneal tissue, these implants are removable and upgradable—meaning they're not much more of a commitment than temporary tattoos.—Grayson Schaffer
Javelin
Traditional private jets emphasize staid comfort over "holy crap" performance. But by 2007, G-force junkies will be able to have both in the JAVELING, a consumer jet modeled after the military's F/A-18 Hornet. The $2.5 million two-seater, from Colorado-based ATG, has a 1,250-mile range, a top speed of Mach 0.92, and a luggage compartment—ready to be scrambled for any weekend sortie.—Jason Stevenson
Samsung SCH-S250
With top camera phones in the U.S. delivering a mere 1.3 megapixels, the new SAMSUNG SCH-S250 threatens to make your old phone as obsolete as rotary-dial. Released last fall in Korea, the five-ounce unit packs a five-megapixel CCD lens, shutter speeds up to 1/1,000 second, and enough memory for 100 minutes of video. Look for it in the U.S. later this year.—J.S.
