When it comes to technology you have to admit that the United States is a world leader. Driven by innovation not imitation, the US has the capability to explore every corner of the world to add value and market their product.

Luminox watches are one classic example. Founded in 1989 in California, Luminox watches are Swiss-made and what makes them so unique is the cutting-edge luminescence and readability installed into each and every watch. It is a costly and time-consuming process that makes Luminox watches shine above all others.

Luminox is held in such high esteem that the watches are used by the US Coast Guard, US Air Force, United States Navy SEALs, and a variety of other special forces, professional divers and EMS teams worldwide.

Like many other American success stories, Luminox came from a forward-thinking individual realizing a need in the market and meeting it. Barry Cohen, a watch industry veteran, came across a Swiss self-powered illumination system and knew that it would make watches more visible and easier to read in low or no light situations.

In fact the name Luminox comes from Latin: lumi for light and nox for night.

Luminox watches are advertised to possess “always visible technology” and glow up to 25 years in any light condition. The watch hands and markers contain tritium insets which provide the long-term luminescence, as opposed to phosphorescent markers used in other watches, which must be charged by a light source.

The process for achieving Luminox’s legendary luminescence is quite complicated. Anyway, here goes: tritium in a gaseous tritium light source undergoes beta decay, releasing electrons which cause the phosphor layer to fluoresce. During manufacture, a length of borosilicate glass tube which has had the inside surface coated with a phosphor-containing compound is filled with the radioactive tritium. The tube is then fused with a CO2 laser at the desired length. Borosilicate glass is used for its strength and resistance to breakage. In the tube, the tritium gives off a steady stream of electrons due to beta decay. These particles excite the phosphor, causing it to emit a low, steady glow.

Luminox markets its range watches across four different categories:  sea, air, land and yes – even in the darkest of environments – space.

 

LUMINOX: SEA COLLECTION

The Luminox Navy SEAL watch is the timepiece that made Luminox famous. In 1993, the Assistant Research and Development Officer for the Navy SEALs, Nick North, was asked to seek a more dependable watch for night missions and found the solution at a trade show where he discovered Luminox. He worked with Luminox’s founder Barry Cohen to develop a watch specifically for the US Navy Seals and a revolution was born.

Divers will be interested in the Scott Cassell “deep dive” range of watches. Scott Cassell is an expert counter-terrorism operative and a consummate undersea explorer who embraces danger and relies on Luminox timepieces as part of his essential gear.

 

LUMINOX: AIR COLLECTION

As the Navy SEAL watch gained a serious reputation, Luminox was approached by US Air Force pilots flying the F-117 Nighthawk fighter jet. Luminox developed a watch for these pilots and then contacted Lockheed Martin, which turned into an exclusive arrangement to produce Lockheed Martin timepieces.

Utilizing aircraft-inspired details, the watches of the Luminox AIR series pay tribute to some of the most remarkable strategic aircraft in aviation history. Created under official and exclusive worldwide license with Lockheed Martin, the Luminox Air collection includes the F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, the vintage inspired P-38 Lightning and the Limited Edition SR-71 Blackbird.

 

LUMINOX: LAND COLLECTION

The Luminox LAND collection is a series of timepieces perfected for professionals in military and law enforcement. They have been developed with and supplied to professionals around the world in military, law enforcement, SWAT teams, border patrols and more.

As part of the collection, the RECON series meets the requirements of military personnel for analog watches that can also be used as simple and efficient navigation tools on the ground.

The Field Series in Day Date, Chronograph Alarm and Automatic movements update the very traditional Field watch category with vintage-inspired styling, rugged appeal and modern functionality.

Also in its LAND series is some serious motor racing pedigree. Since 2008 Luminox has partnered with Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan to bring his signature watch series to his devoted fan base. In collaboration, they have produced five successful Limited Edition series charting TK’s racing career, including the Ultra-Light PC Carbon Chronographs.

 

LUMINOX: SPACE COLLECTION

From sea, air and land, Luminox was keen to explore the deepest dark depths of space. Their opportunity came through the XCOR Space Expeditions (formerly known as SXC), a venture committed to making passenger space flights possible.

According to Luminox founder Barry Cohen: “We are now entering the era of the privatization of space travel and XCOR is enabling the common man and woman to experience something never possible before – being in space.”

In 2013 Luminox launched a line of signature watches Made for Space and designed with the input from test pilots and astronauts from XCOR Space Expeditions. The Luminox Space watches will be worn by both the astronauts and passengers.

Can’t see yourself adventuring in to outer-space? Well at least you can now wear the watch and enjoy some inner-space. The watch will be visible under your bedsheets.

A couple of months ago we reviewed the new iPad mini, which was officially launched on September 9 last year.

Now at the other end of the scale, Apple has recently launched the iPad Pro – a device that aims to be the future of computing. This is an aspiration shared and best-owned by the laptop-top killing rival Microsoft Surface pro 4, which was launched in early October.

Competition at the top end of the market is intense and the need to innovate and re-invent is extreme. The development in portable devices has indeed peaked during the past few months.

Apple announced the iPad Pro at the same time it launched the iPad mini. The iPad Pro was then officially released on November 11.

In short, Apple’s iPad Pro is the biggest and boldest attempt to reinvent the iPad. It is larger with an expansive 12.9 inch Retina display. It has double the CPU performance of iPad Air 2 and refined Multi-touch technology. It has some new inputs and accessories, like a super-accurate stylus called the Pencil, and a new side connector for keyboards, and it has an operating system that allows for split-screen multitasking.

With 5.6 million pixels, iPad Pro features the highest-resolution Retina display of any iOS device. The 12.9‑inch screen makes everything you do – such as editing 4K video, designing presentations, and running a business – easier, faster and more engaging. And the Multi‑Touch subsystem has been re-engineered, expanding the ways you can interact with iPad.

At the heart of iPad Pro lies the new A9X, a third‑generation chip with 64‑bit desktop‑class architecture. It delivers up to 1.8 times the CPU performance and double the graphics performance of iPad Air 2. So even the most demanding apps run effortlessly.

iOS 9 is the most intuitive, advanced and secure mobile operating system in the world. With new capabilities that take full advantage of the powerful performance of iPad Pro, it helps you be more productive and creative. Multitasking makes running two apps at once a breeze. And improved features throughout the system, including Siri and Spotlight search, make iPad even more useful. If it feels like iOS 9 and iPad Pro were designed for each other, it’s because they were.

iPad Pro comes with a variety of built‑in apps that make it easy to take on the essential things you do every day. And on the App Store, you’ll find incredible apps designed just for iPad, so there’s virtually no limit to what you can do.

 

Introducing Apple Pencil

There is one app that you will need to purchase as an optional extra, however it is quite essential to get the most out of your iPad Pro. The accessory is called Apple Pencil.

With its pixel‑perfect precision, Apple Pencil expands the power of Multi‑Touch and opens up new creative possibilities. It’s sensitive to both tilt and pressure, allows you to create a range of artistic strokes and effects, from the thinnest of lines to subtle shading. Beyond adding new capabilities to iPad Pro, Apple Pencil also feels completely natural and responsive from the moment you pick it up.

 

Apple Pencil is specifically designed to work with the iPad Pro, and has been rated as being even better than Microsoft’s Surface Pen. Apple Pencil is fast, accurate, pressure-sensitive, comfortable, and for apps that support it, glorious.

The magic part comes when you tilt the Pencil’s tip to an angle: it can do shading like a real pencil. Any amount of off-angle tilt can do extra things depending on what an app allows. Pressure sensitivity, while it takes getting used to, is finely tuned. The combination make this feel like a physical art tool, rather than a piece of technology.

The Pencil pairs via Bluetooth, and also needs charging: a Lightning plug on the end lets you plug it into the Pro for a quick charge, or plug into a Lightning cable using an included adapter to charge separately, resulting in about 12 hours on a single charge.

If you are a graphic artist then the Apple Pencil combined with the iPad Pro is truly a must-have – it’s about as good as it gets.

 

Smart Connector and Smart Keyboard

Apple has also added potential to the iPad Pro with a new side connector port, called Smart Connector. It’s a small row of magnetic contacts used to attach accessories, similar to how Microsoft’s Surface tablets connect to their keyboard covers. Accessories snap on, and can be powered by the iPad while also allowing the transfer of data.

One such accessory is the Smart Keyboard which docks with the iPad Pro using the Smart Connector.  Smart Keyboard also doubles as a kickstand once again suggesting similarities with the competing Microsoft Surface Pro.

 

Unibody Design with Four Built-in Speakers

The unibody enclosure houses iPad Pro’s new 12.9 inch retina display. Even with its massive display, iPad Pro has an astonishingly slim and light design — just 6.9 millimetres thin and 713 grams. Thanks to the strong unibody enclosure, it feels well-balanced and sturdy. For all its capabilities, the most surprising thing about iPad Pro may be how easily it seems to disappear in the hand.

Also built directly into the unibody are four new high‑fidelity speakers, creating an audio experience as big as its display. The new design produces an engaging sound stage with three times the acoustic output of iPad Air. But it goes even further than that. iPad Pro automatically adjusts the orientation of the high frequencies according to how you’re holding it. So whether you’re playing a game or watching a movie, the sound of iPad Pro is more immersive than ever.

 

Other Features

iPad Pro uses Touch ID technology to turn your fingerprint into an unforgettable password. So you can unlock your device with just a touch and keep your personal data safe, even if you share your iPad with someone else. Touch ID also lets you make secure purchases in iTunes, iBooks and the App Store. And with Apple Pay, you can make purchases within participating apps, easily and securely.

The device also features two incredible cameras to capture any moment. The iSight camera on iPad Pro has an advanced sensor that lets you shoot beautiful images and video. The Apple-designed image signal processor gives you excellent results, whether you’re taking a panorama photo or using burst or timer modes. You can also shoot time‑lapse and slow‑motion video in 720p HD. And with a larger viewfinder, you’ll see more detail than ever before.

Meanwhile, the front‑facing FaceTime HD camera also has an improved sensor, which along with the larger display makes video calls feel more lifelike. Even in low‑light or backlit settings, your pictures and videos will look great.

To summarise, the new iPad Pro is Apple’s answer to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Both devices are claiming to be “laptop killers” – the future of portable computing – and it would appear that the stakes in this market sector are going to increase in coming years. In Microsoft’s favor is the wealth of soft wear available to users. In Apple’s favour is a legion of fans and users, particular in the graphic arts sector. Apple Pencil is an accessory that will massively appeal to artists, so in this respect Apple holds the upper hand.