This is a little out of the norm for PorschePerfect.com, but a pretty cool highlight video showing the Porsche Design P’9981 Blackberry Smartphone. I love Porsche Design, and have always loved the Blackberry, but it’s really bordering on a has been platform. The first class event way outdid the device in my opinion. A gorgeous device, just too bad it’s on RIM’s platform.

In the meantime, here are a few really cool Porsche Design items I’ve come across lately.

Porsche Design Ice Cube Trays

This is one dang cool, cheap accessory sure to please any Porsche enthusiast. The Porsche Design ice cube tray makes 12 frozen Porsche car shapes per tray including the 911, Cayman, Cayenne and Panamera. Think how much better your Gin & Tonics would taste with little mini Porsche ice cubes in them. They’re cheap at right around $15 too.

Porsche Design Johnnie Walker Blue Label Private Bar

What do you get for the Porsche enthusiast millionaire who already has everything? Try the Porsche Design Johnnie Walker Blue Label Private Bar on for size. This has got to be one of the most trick alcohol related accessories I’ve ever seen. Crafted from the the finest materials money can buy, the bar is exquisitely styled with both classic and contemporary designs, blending form and function. Motion sensors built into the bar activate the opening sequence during which sections pivot and slide to reveal the private bounty: a magnum of cask strength Johnnie Walker blue Label, two bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and four crystal glasses.

Now for the price tag…a mere £100,000, or roughly $150,000. Yep, that’s more than a Porsche 911 Turbo. Only 50 units will be offered. All you need to go with it are some Porsche shaped ice cubes!

Porsche Design P’6620 Dashboard Watch

I’m a big watch fan. Like cars, I don’t have a love of watches because they are status symbols or some other superficial emblem. I like them purely because of the design and form. There are a few Porsche Design watches that have struck my fancy over the years. The Porsche Design P’6620 Dashboard Watch happens to be one of them. Although I’m not in love with an all black design, I do love the styling of this watch. It’s simple, yet captures some of the essence of the instrument cluster in the Porsche 911. It runs around $6,000.

[Source & Images: Porsche Design]

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have the windows down, warm air blasting in your face, AND get a quick chill cooling at the same time? Yes, I’m talking about having your cake and eating too!

A company named Just 2 Cool promises their Cool Off product will darn near do just that. Cool Off is a natural, personal cooling towelette the company claims will invigorate and refresh you whether you’re behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS on the race track, or simply spectating race day from the stands.

They sent us some samples to test out. Since I don’t have much of an opportunity to race, I decided to throw some into my pack for a day hike my wife and I took with some friends.

It was a hot day, a rarity this year in the Pacific Northwest, setting us up for a good test of the Cool Off towelettes. On the return leg of the hike, all 4 of us were sweating up a storm with the sun beating down. We stopped about half way back and I broke out the Cool Off towelettes. At first, it felt kind of like rubbing one of those moist towelettes they hand out with a plate of ribs on your face and neck. I was a bit skeptical these worked.

After about 60 seconds, the cooling effect seemed to kick in. I definitely felt refreshed and cooled off. I don’t know that I’m in love with the Citrus Ice scent, but I do have to say I at least felt some quick relief from the heat. What’s more, my wife and I both felt a bit of the cooling effects for another 15 or 20 minutes.

The Cool Off cooling towelettes are infused with a clean-scented formulation of natural ingredients that include cooling herbs, botanicals, and essential oils. This residual on the skin is what helped prolong the cooling effect we felt.

Overall, I don’t know that I’d rush out to buy a box of Cool Offs, but I sure wouldn’t hesitated to try them again, especially if you’re sitting somewhere hot with no hope of relief from the heat coming (a Boston Red Sox game a couple of years ago comes to mind).

I have one Cool Off left. I’d like to send it to someone who would try it while driving their Porsche in the heat and report back what they think. If you’re up for the assignment and don’t mind giving your thoughts, let me know via the Contact page and I’ll get this over to you.

You can check out the Cool Off product at TheQuickChill.com.

This particular LEGO creation is no exception. Someone with a heck of a lot more time on their hands than I have, along with way more imagination, has created a great replica of a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet. What’s amazing is they added motors and other goodies enabling the creation to run, shift gears, retract the spoiler, even a working replica of Porsche’s PDK transmission. It has many of the same details as the real deal. Check out the video:

This little beauty contains almost 3500 parts and includes 8 motors, 3 remote controllers, 3 IR receivers, 3 pairs of lights, and nearly 7 meters of wire according to the video. The attention to detail is just crazy.

The center piece of this package is the 14th annual Petit Le Mans, which is a 10 hour event on the ALMS calendar. It’s scheduled for Sept 28 thru Oct 1 at Road Atlanta. This is the signature event for ALMS.

Here are the additional things included in the package:

• VIP tickets to the Petit Le Mans including access to the private trackside chalet for dad and up to 10 guests
• Private jet transportation from anywherein the US to the Gwinnett County Airport in Atlanta
• 5 suites at the Château Élan
• Dinner with ALMS founder Don Panoz
• A personal tasting event with a master distiller from Tequila Patrón
• Helicopter transportation from the chateau to the track
• A ride in the ALMS safety car at the start of the race
• Pit access
• A cocktail reception with the series champion
• A table for 10 at the ALMS award gala
• A lap around Road Atlanta with a factory team driver in a Porsche 911
• Dad takes the Porsche 911 Carrera home as a souvenir

Not too shabby, eh? The price for this once in a lifetime event…just $500,000. And multiple packages are available.

Kids, time break into the piggy banks for dad…

One of our PorschePerfect.com readers, Don, emailed me a couple of days ago asking what modifications he should make to his Porsche 968. Here’s what he asked:

I would like to know what updates and modifications are possible for my Porsche 968?  Examples: engine (more power), dual exhaust, exterior headlights, fenders, side air ducts, hoods, rear exhaust cut outs for dual exhaust

I thought it would be worth throwing out to the readership to give Don your thoughts on it. Add your modifications to the comments below. He’ll greatly appreciate any suggestions you’re willing to give.

[Image: CarGurus.com]

Those of you who are parents love your kids and would do darn near anything for them. That’s no surprise. However, just because we love our kids and want them to enjoy the carefree years that mark the beginning of a person’s life, doesn’t mean we love all of the programming geared towards our kids. I know you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. I’m not sure which I’d rather hear on a long trip: “Are we there yet?” for the 20th time, or “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family.” by a big purple beast.

It’s really no big deal to watch just about any TV show or movie a couple of times. When you get to literally the 50th or 60th time through, though, you’re ready to do some illegal stuff to not only those happy characters but also the people that created them.

Fortunately, Kidz Gear has come to the rescue and is there to help you regain some sanity, not only on the road, but at home as well.

Kidz Gear headphones are specifically designed for kids bringing grown-up performance in a product built for kids. They are sized right for smaller heads and smaller ears, without sacrificing a decent sound, even though most kids could care less. Gotta start those audiophile tendencies young.

The Wired Kidz Gear Headphones work with about any audio source and are great for use on the go in the car or on a plane. They feature a built in volume control along with comfort padding. They keep the sound in allowing you to enjoy NOT listening to the same Disney movie for the 61st time.

The Wireless Kidz Gear Headphones have the same features as the wired version, only these work with the IR technology in vehicles with entertainment features that include video. Kidz Gear even guarantees compatibility with all cars so equipped. They have a volume control along with power on/off, automatic power off and automatic muting. A great quality product and solid addition to the entertainment system in your car, hopefully a Porsche Cayenne!

One additional accessory that’s available is an IR transmitter you can use in your home to give you a broader range of uses for the Wireless Kidz Gear Headphones. The transmitter easily plugs into the audio source of your TV, DVD player or video game system and let’s peace and quiet reign in your house while your little one (whether they be 2 years old or 17 years old) gets entertained.

Check out Kidz Gear headphones at GearForKidz.com. Let them save you from doing something that results in your imprisonment!

Now you may be asking, “What the heck kind of review is this?!” Fear not, I did actually try several of these products, just from the relative comfort of my garage. I’ll have more to say, I’m sure, once I have a chance to give the car the full detail treatment in another couple of months.

Here’s what Autoglym sent me:

• Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care
• Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing
• Autoglym Rapid Detailer
• Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner
• Autoglym Super Resin Polish
• Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner
• Autoglym High Definition Wax
• Autoglym Perfect Palm Applicator

You car nuts out there will be appalled to hear that I’ve always been a bit of a household goods type of car washer. I pretty much just fill up the mop bucket with hot water and use a little dish soap to create some suds. At least I don’t just run through the car wash (which I’ll admit I’ve also been known to do when I’m feeling particularly lazy). I always just figured soap was soap, although I know better.

Autoglym may have just singlehandedly changed my ways. The product they sent me is top quality, but not only that, there’s something for pretty much any car cleaning job you set out to do. Check out the sheer number of products they carry:

Autoglym has built their business around providing high quality products for automotive care and valeting. They were established in 1965 with a commitment to developing products to enhance the life and look of your automobile. They continue to look for ways to enhance their products and bring new technology to the products used in the automotive world.

Each of their products is designed to meet a specific cleaning or finish enhancement need on your car. One of my favorites, though, is the Instant Tyre Dressing. I’m sure I’m not alone in loving the look of shiny black tires on a clean Porsche, or any car for that matter. I’ve always had a tough time finding a product that would do the trick though. The Autoglym product worked great when sprayed on to washed tires, then left to dry, resulting in a nice glossy sheen. Love it!

Couple this with the Custom Wheel Cleaner and you’re going to be the talk of the neighborhood.

One item is especially unique and worth mentioning. The Autoglym Perfect Palm is one sweet applicator. It’s got the mold of a hand on one side, along with a foam pad on the other side providing even application of the cleaning product being used. It’s light, fits the hand perfectly and worked great with the Vinyl & Rubber Care product I used on the interior. One particularly cool feature is the ability to put the Perfect Palm on the back of your hand for those hard to reach or awkward places, like the bottom of the windshield inside the car. I love this product.

The perfect product to see how cool the Perfect Palm can be is the Autoglym High Definition Wax Kit. I’m a sucker for things with HD in the name, and evidently that applies to auto care products. I was ready to rush out into the snowy weather we had a couple of weeks ago to try this stuff out. The kit includes a pot of high definition wax, two applicators and one hi-tech finishing cloth. A far cry from old green bottle of Turtle Wax I used on my girlfriend’s Nissan Pulsar in college. I suppose that’d be akin to watching TV in black and white.

The other products are pretty self explanatory and seem to work as advertised. At least when I gave them a shot. I don’t really know what you say about cleaning products like this other than my car, especially the inside, looks great. Definitely a step up from the old ArmorAll that dad used to use on the car.

I love the results of the cleaners and would happily use these on any car, including the Porsche. You can pick up Autoglym products at Pep Boys, Canadian Tire, PartSource or WalMart. Check out other locations at the Autoglym web site: autoglym.com.

A little over a week ago, we fired up a little giveaway for something probably more on the unusual side for a Porsche blog. An On The Job gift pack is on the line. All you have to do is submit a Porsche picture…or pictureS! Send in 1 or 100 pictures. Whatever you have that you’d like to share. Legally of course.

Above are a couple of the submissions so far.

You’ve got just a week left before the cutoff and we draw a winner. See the details here: Submit Your Porsche Picture, Win An On The Job Gift Pack.

Send in some pics!!!

Fortunately for a guy like me, companies like Black & Decker make products designed to help out wannabebutneverwillbe “mechanics” like me. I was pleasantly surprised to find just such a product show up at my door recently. Black & Decker sent over their 500 AMP Jump-Starter with Inflator to review.

Let me just say, this is one heck of a handy product and one similar to it saved my bacon while I was out in a Ferrari 348ts last year and it kept dying.

The Black & Decker Jump Starter is just that. It’s a jump starter that doesn’t require you to have another vehicle available to start a car with a dead battery. You hook up the heavy duty jumper cables to the dead battery, give it a minute and let er rip.

A couple of other cool features about this particular model is the included inflator. Very handy for car tires, bike tires, basketballs, soccer balls, etc. They even include a little compartment with a needle and some other adapters for the inflator. It’s got a built in pressure gauge. This model also has a built in area light that is very useful if you’re trying to hook up the unit on a car at night. Last little touch is a USB charger outlet. Helpful for juicing your electronics in a pinch.

The only thing I’ve found it won’t start is a completely dead battery. My neighbor’s son was over at their house for dinner one night last year. Something happened with his Porsche Cayman battery and it was completely dead when he came out. I think he hadn’t driven the car much in a month or two and it just slowly drained. The jump starter we used on it wouldn’t give it enough power to turn it over. Course neither did jumper cables connected to another vehicle.

Overall, I can’t say enough good about the Black & Decker Jump Starter and Inflator. Personally, I think every garage should have one. Even if you have newer cars. Just comes in handy, and you never know when.

Check em out on the Black & Decker site here: Black & Decker.