NIKE Nike + iPod Nike and Apple have brought real-time running data to a new location: your ears. The Nike + iPod system wirelessly transmits essential stats (pace, distance, time elapsed, calories burned) from a tiny sensor that fits beneath the sock liner in your left shoe to a receiver that plugs into an iPod Nano. You can listen to music while you run, and a voice (male or female, your choice) gives periodic updates on your performance. Afterward, upload the data to nikeplus.com, where you can track your progress, challenge friends, and even reunite a high school cross-country team. [from $29; nikeplus.com]
OLYMPUS E500 Evolt Most manufacturers of digital single-lens-reflex cameras reengineered their existing lens systems to fit their newer digital camera bodies. Not Olympus, which realized that light sent through a lens needs to hit a computer chip, unlike film, nearly straight on. The new 8-megapixel E500, with its 2.5-in LCD screen and a 49-point light meter, has 15 digital-specific Zuiko lenses to direct light at just the right angle. [$799, including 14Ð45 and 40Ð150 lenses; olympus.com]
MIZUNO Breath Thermo III 1Ú2 Zip If moisture-wicking base layers don't act quickly in cold temps, you'll find yourself shivering on the chairlift. Mizuno's newest fabric has a polymer that converts moisture to dry heat, which is reflected back to your body, warming you the instant the garment gets damp. [from $60; mizunousa.com]
SMITH OPTICS Super Method Light-adapting photochromic lenses make conditions easier on your eyes, and props to Smith for pairing the technology with a new carbonic material that's scratch-resistant and significantly lighter than glass. They're available in 22 frames, including our fave, the polarized Super Method. [$99; smithoptics.com]
APPLE MacBook By incorporating Intel's Core Duo processors into its new MacBook, Apple suddenly has a laptop that runs up to five times faster than its predecessors. But there are other, quieter accomplishments, too: a power cord that attaches magnetically to the computer (so you can't accidentally pull it off the table) and a tiny camera imbedded above the screen that makes video conferencing easier than ever. [from $1,099; apple.com]
HELIO Kickflip The aptly named Kickflip -- the top "kicks" open with the push of a thumb -- has some of the best features around for an all-in-one phone, including a great music player, a two-lens still camera (one's a macro lens for close-ups), and a video camera. But it's the all-inclusive setup that caught our attention: $135 a month buys 2,500 free minutes of talk time, free nights and weekends, unlimited Web browsing, video and picture messaging, and nationwide IM and text messaging supported by Sprint and Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network. The behind-the-scenes secret to the device's success: the advanced wireless technology provided by Earthlink, the once-dominant internet giant now operating as Helio. [$200; helio.com]
BIG AGNES Stagecoach Duffel The first bag offered by Big Agnes, a well-respected tent and sleeping bag maker, the Stagecoach merges roller bladeÐstyle wheels with backpack straps, highly water- resistant fabric, water-proof zippers, and welded seams that rival a river guide's dry bag. Although we don't recommend submersing it if you don't have to, the 5,100-cu-in hauler is the first roller we've seen that can weather blizzards, hurricanes, or spilled margaritas. [$159; bigagnes.com]
SPECIALIZED BG S-Works While an uncomfortable saddle can ruin a long day on a bicycle, so can bad cycling shoes. Specialized's BG S-Works melds comfort with the technical aspects needed for racing's highest levels (Floyd Landis wore a pair en route to his disputed victory at the Tour de France.), and at 17 oz per pair, they're some of cycling's lightest shoes. More important, the ultrastiff carbon sole sacrifices minimal energy when pedaling, and the shoes feature Boa's dial closure mechanism, which you can easily fine-tune without dismounting. [$275; specialized.com]
COLEMAN Road Trip LXE The practicality of Coleman's compact, elegantly simple two-burner Road Trip sets it apart from the world of transformer-size, propane-sucking outdoor grills. Two cast-iron grates come off for washing; there's a griddle plate for pancakes and eggs; and folding legs mean the grill packs flat. The Road Trip LXE's 20,000 BTUs probably aren't enough to cook 50 steaks and feed a backyard full of guests, but the Road Trip will certainly sustain a weekly habit of grilling a few chicken breasts outdoors. It's also versatile enough for car camping, picnicking, or tailgating with some buddies. [from $189; coleman.com]
SPYDERCO Salt 1 Supposedly there's no such thing as a completely rustproof steel knife; at least there wasn't, until Spyderco's Salt. The secret is the Salt's nitrogen-based H-1 steel. After days soaking in saltwater and another week out in the elements, ours showed no rust or pitting. The knife also has Spyderco's classic features: a belt clip and a blade hole for one-handed opening. [$86; spyderco.com]
NINTENDO Wii The backbone of Nintendo's Wii (pronounced "we") is the Wiimote, an innovative motion-sensitive controller that lets you bash on-screen tennis balls, turn a steering wheel, or swing a katana during swordplay. (Note: Draw the blinds.) The Wii's ability to engage more of your body than just your fingertips harks back to Nintendo add-ons of yesteryear, only with much better graphics. [$250; nintendo.com]
KRUPS KB720 Munich-based industrial designer Konstantin Grcic put 1,100 watts into the motor of Krups's KB720 blender, several hundred more than normal consumer models. The added power makes operation quieter, as the blender doesn't whir if you add ingredients during operation. You'll never have to shout over a whirling daiquiri again. [$149; krupsusa.com]
VORNADO Zippi Vornado's Zippi features exposed fabric blades that you can angle and accelerate to provide an ultraquiet cooling effect. Granted, it doesn't rival a central cooling system, but it does reduce energy costs by focusing the air beam where you need it -- on your sweaty forehead. And, somehow, sticking your hand into the finger-friendly blades never gets old. [$20; vornado.com]

To see the rest of the "Gear Of The Year," pick up the December 2006 issue.

By: Paul Hochman
Additional reporting by: Mark Anders, Scott Jones, Jonathan Lesser, Seth Porges, Will Rizzo, Michael Slenske, and Joel Weber
Photographs by: Michael McKoveck
(December 2006)