Tech4O AirPod Wins Best of What's New Award From Popular Science

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (November 2006) – Tech4Oâ„¢, Johnson Outdoor’s new line of electronic devices measuring personal performance, today announced its AirPodâ„¢ has been chosen to receive the 2006 Popular Science “Best of What’s New” award for the recreation category and will be featured in the December issue hitting newsstands on November 14. The AirPodâ„¢ is the first and only product in the world to calculate in-the-air time or “hang time” for snowboarders. The AirPodâ„¢ was one of ten products chosen in the recreation category as a winner, beating out hundreds of other nominees.

“Being selected as a winner of the â€��Best of What’s New’ Award by Popular Science is a fantastic achievement for our Tech4O brand, launched only a year ago,” said Josh Whitney, product manager for Tech4O. “This award recognizes the AirPodâ„¢ as one of the most innovative products on the market – reinforcing our key goal; to be the leader in innovation across all of our product categories. We are very pleased to be recognized for bringing this groundbreaking technology to winter sports enthusiasts.”

“Best of What’s New” is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing a year’s worth of work evaluating thousands of products,” said Mark Janot, editor of Popular Science. “These awards honor innovations that not only influence the way we live today, but also the way we think about the future.”

The Tech4Oâ„¢ AirPodâ„¢ measures air time by run, air time by day, cumulative air time for the year, and temperature. It also incorporates a jump counter and basic watch features including time, date and alarm. It can be worn on the leg or boot and has an MSRP of $99.99. For more information about the AirPodâ„¢ visit: www.tech4o.com.

Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year, in particular breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. The winners – the “Best of What’s New” – are awarded inclusion in the much-anticipated December issue of Popular Science, the most widely read issue of the year since the debut of “Best of What’s New” in 1987. “Best of What’s New” awards are presented to 100 new products and technologies in 10 categories: automotive, aviation and space, computing, engineering, gadgets, general innovation, home entertainment, home tech, personal health and recreation.

Tech4Oâ„¢, based in Binghamton, New York, designs, manufactures and markets industry-leading instruments that provide feedback on one’s personal performance and environment including handheld and watch-style digital computers with functions such as speed, distance, heart rate, altitude, barometric pressure, compass heading and time, for a number of activities. Tech4Oâ„¢ is part of the Johnson Outdoors’ family of innovative, market-leading brands. Johnson Outdoors is a leading global outdoor recreation company that turns ideas into adventure. The company designs, manufactures and markets a portfolio of award-winning, consumer-preferred brands across four categories: Watercraft, Marine Electronics, Diving and Outdoor Equipment.

Johnson Outdoors’ familiar brands include: Old Town® canoes and kayaks, Ocean Kayakâ„¢, Necky® kayaks, Escape® electric boats, Minn Kota® motors, Humminbird® fishfinders, Scubapro® and UWATEC® dive equipment, Silva compasses and digital instruments, and Eureka!® tents and sleeping bags. For more information, visit www.johnsonoutdoors.com.

About Popular Science
Founded in 1872, Popular Science is the world’s largest science and technology magazine; with a circulation of 1.45 million and 6.5 million monthly readers. Each month, Popular Science reports on the intersection of science and everyday life, with an eye toward what’s new and why it matters. Popular Science is published by Time4 Media, a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.