Gallery: 12 Futuristic Gifts for the Early Adopter in Your Life
JB901early-ad-6
This year, the stale zinger, 'We're in the future—where's my jetpack?" finally became passé. The [JB-9 jetpack](http://jetpackaviation.com/) uses kerosene-powered jet turbines to provide backpack-enabled lift; a tank is good for 10 minutes of flight at up to 60 mph. There's already a sequel in the works: The JB-10, which ratchets the giddy-up to 100mph.
Icon02early-ad-7
The spin-resistant [Icon A5](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/like-flyand-stallin-icon-a5-plane/) doesn't look like a flying car, but it's similar in terms of size and operation. You don't need to store this two-seater at the airfield; the wings fold up and you can park it in your driveway. You can fill it up with automotive fuel. You need a fairly easy-to-get Sport Pilot license to fly it. And perhaps the best trait of all, it's an amphibious vehicle that takes off and lands on ground and water—and handles like a jetski. $250,000 gets you a fully loaded model.
Panasonic03early-ad-1
LG finally has competition in the OLED market. [Panasonic's first OLED TV](http://televisions.reviewed.com/content/panasonic-cz950-4k-pro-oled-tv-first-impressions-review) is a beauty, with amazing picture quality marked by oil-slick blacks and THX certification—a first for the 4K OLED class. This 65-incher looks great when off or facing the wrong way, thanks to an elegant curved design and a luxurious Alcantara suede-like backing. You may need to fly to Europe to buy it, but that's a minor added expense for a set that costs about $11,000.
Light04early-ad-3
The pocketable [Light L16 camera](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/light-l16-camera/) hopes to replicate big-sensor image quality—great low-light performance, shallow depth of field, and better detail—by using 16 smaller sensors tucked behind 16 lenses. That array gives the camera a larger aggregate sensor surface area, helping it absorb light without small-sensor noise. The lenses are set at different focal lengths, giving it optical zoom range to boot. You can preorder one now for $1,700.
Canon05early-ad-4
With no 8K content available at the moment, you might as well make your own. This prototype [Canon 8K video camera](https://www.wired.com/2015/09/wildest-futuristic-tech-canons-photo-expo/#slide-1) has a 35-megapixel full-frame sensor and captures 7680x4320 footage at up to 60 frames per second. The footage is so sharp you'll have a hard time believing you're seeing a digital image. Alas, it's not readily available yet, but showing up to Canon's R&D lab with a suitcase full of $1,000 bills may fix that.
Lytro06early-ad-5
It seems impossible: Lytro's first VR camera, the [Immerge](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/lytro-refocuses-to-create-a-groundbreaking-vr-camera/), captures video from a static location, but you can "move around" within footage if you wear a positional-tracking headset. Using hundreds of custom sensors, this futuristic globe captures information about the direction and magnitude of light traveling in any direction. The result is video that responds to cranes of the neck in addition to swivels of the head. You'll spend at least six figures to buy one in early 2016, but Lytro says it will offer more affordable rental plans.
Cobalt07early-ad-8
Like the Icon A5, the sleek [Cobalt Valkyrie](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/cobalt-aviation-valkyrie-canard/) has a spin-resistant design to keep it safe in case it stalls, but it uses a nose-mounted wing, or canard---French for "duck"—to combat loss of lift. It's a five-seater, with a beautiful unobstructed view, a top speed of 300 mph, and a range of 1,200 miles. Use the A5 for quick sorties and this plane for family <strike>road</strike> sky trips. $700,000 doesn't seem too bad.
Hendo08early-ad-9
The personal scooters that are all the rage these days aren't hoverboards, so stop calling them hoverboards. [The Arx Pax Hendo flying deck](https://www.wired.com/2015/10/hendo-2-hoverboard-hyperloop/) is the real deal—and more sk8r-fri3ndly. Its hover engines ([probably](https://www.wired.com/2014/10/physics-hendo-hoverboard/)) use electromagnetic propulsion to generate lift, and it's been redesigned with help from Tony Hawk to feel more like a skateboard. This board won't be available for the holidays, but that gives you more time to save the $10,000 you'll need to buy one.
Sharp09early-ad-2
"Sharp" is right: The company's [85-inch 8K television set](http://www.sharp.co.jp/corporate/news/150916-a.html) has four times the resolution of 4K TV and 16 times that of a 1080-line HDTV. Granted, it'll be years before you have 8K content to watch on it, but who cares? Just Venmo your pal in Japan $133,000 to buy it and ship it in time for the holidays. The Super Bowl party will be at your place for the foreseeable future.
Nokia10early-ad-10
It looks a bit like the orb Luke Skywalker uses for Jedi training aboard the Millennium Falcon, but [Nokia's OZO camera](https://ozo.nokia.com/) doesn't shoot lasers. Instead, it captures 360-degree video and spatial audio, and the main draw is that it provides directors with a real-time feed of what it's capturing to a headset. It's not a perfect sphere: Around back, there's a "tail" to accommodate its battery. Still, its eight cameras record a full globe of footage, which is what you'd expect for its $50,000 price.
Muki11early-ad-11
The days of seeing a barista mangle your name on the side of a cup are numbered. Soon that underemployed English major will beam your misspelled name to an e-ink display on the side of your chalice. Progress! The neatest part about the [Paulig Muki](http://www.pauligmuki.com/aboutmuki.php) is the display is powered by the heat of your single-origin Yirgacheffe. An app (of course there's an app) lets you choose the images displayed on the side. Just like everything else on this list, it's absurdly expensive for its product type. Preorder one for $50 to $75.
Harvest Right12early-ad-12
The worst thing about astronaut ice cream is it tastes like Styrofoam. The second-worst thing about astronaut ice cream is it's available in a limited range of flavors. The [Harvest Right in-home freeze dryer](https://harvestright.com/store/) kicks both problems to the curb. Go to Bi-Rite, Somerset Creamery, or Tucker's, pick up a gallon of the wildest flavor you can find, and put it in this $3,600 contraption. The resulting freeze-dried ice cream (or fruits or vegetables or a nice slab of ham) will keep for more than 20 years. Don't forget to freeze-dry some hot fudge and cones.
US Special Forces Soldier Arrested for Polymarket Bets on Maduro Raid
The master sergeant allegedly used classified intel to profit on the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, marking the first US arrest for insider trading on a prediction market.
Kate Knibbs
Newly Deciphered Sabotage Malware May Have Targeted Iran’s Nuclear Program—and Predates Stuxnet
Researchers have finally cracked Fast16, mysterious code capable of silently tampering with calculation and simulation software. It was created in 2005—and likely deployed by the US or an ally.
Andy Greenberg
Rednote Draws a Line Between China and the World
As the platform expands abroad, it’s taking steps to separate Chinese users from the international audiences it once brought together.
Zeyi Yang
Apple’s Next Chapter, SpaceX and Cursor Strike a Deal, and Palantir’s Controversial Manifesto
In this week’s episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk about Tim Cook’s legacy as CEO at Apple and what his long-rumored departure means for the future of one of the world's biggest companies.
Brian Barrett
At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty
CS 153 has gone viral on the Palo Alto campus—and on X. Not everyone is happy about it.
Maxwell Zeff
Palantir Employees Are Starting to Wonder if They're the Bad Guys
Interviews with current and former Palantir employees, along with internal Slack messages obtained by WIRED, suggest a workforce in turmoil.
Makena Kelly
This Is the Only Office Lamp That Does Double Duty on My Nightstand
Portable lamps are rarely, if ever, as powerful, precise, and multipurpose as the Lume Cube Edge Light Go.
Matthew Korfhage
These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden Cost
The Kickstarter-funded glasses from L'Atitude 52°N have AI features bundled for one year, but the company doesn't know yet how much it will charge for access after that.
Boone Ashworth
The Best Pool-Cleaning Robots for a Truly Automated Summer
Send the pool guy packing. One of these robotic buddies can maintain your water quality instead.
Christopher Null
The Best Fitbit Models for Every Lifestyle
The fitness trackers I'd recommend to beginners, athletes, and kids.
Boutayna Chokrane
Robot Vacuums That Don't Suck (Unless It's Dirt)
Tired of vacuuming? Hand the reins to a robot vacuum.
Nena Farrell
They Made D4vd a Star. Now They Want Him Convicted of Murder
A legion of young fans propelled the singer D4vd to viral fame. Now that he’s been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, they say the clues were in their Discord all along.
Jennifer Swann