Fetish
Ultimate Remote Control
The Lexicon 500T is a programmable touch-screen universal remote-control device. With its programming capabilities you can customize the user interface for any system. The built-in drawing program lets you place buttons, text, and symbols anywhere on the 500T's screen. Create your own macros: with the push of one button you can automatically turn on the TV and the VCR, dim the lights, and play a VHS tape. The 500T will be a hit in my house: I've got so many different peripherals and video modes, no one can ever figure out how to program anything. US$2,000-$3,000. +1 (617) 736 0307, fax +1 (617) 891 0340.
Crosstalk Made Coherent
The SoundStation looks more like a three-spoke throwing disk than an audioconferencing system. Based on advanced data signal-processing technology, the SoundStation uses sound-processing algorithms to remove echoes while allowing full two-way conversations that overlap without clipping, distortion, or the loss of information. Ordinary speakerphones handle only one party at a time; the SoundStation lets the conversation flow – the phone won't get in the way. US$1,195. Polycom Inc.: +1 (408) 451 9000.
Night Sight
I'm glad the Cold War ended, because now I can get one of these cool Russian nightscopes. US General specializes in importing infrared scopes from the former Soviet Union, which these days is always cash-hungry and eager to sell military tech goodies. These scopes start at US$700 and go up to $11,000. My favorites are the panoramic B6 scopes ($1,539), which have a microchannel plate that both accelerates and increases the number of electrons striking the phosphors. The result is more light and better detail. US General: +1 (415) 634 8440.
Ear-Bleeding Fun
Developed by Meyer Sound, the HD1 speakers may be the most acoustically accurate monitors ever built. These are self-contained, self-powered black boxes, a little bigger than a foot cubed. But don't let their size fool you: these speakers are dual-amped, so they work beautifully at any volume level. (I've even connected them to my computer for amazing multimedia sound support.) With the VX-1 and CP10 parametric equalizers mated to your system, you can turn any room into a first-rate acoustical chamber – even if it's got wood floors. VX1: $1,600. HD1: $4,778/pair. Meyer Sound: +1 (510) 486 1166.
Wrist Weather
Specialty watches are nerd honor badges, but they're so clunky! Who wants to walk around with a ghetto-blaster-sized hunk of plastic strapped to one wrist? Well, try the Vertech Alpin from Avocet: it looks really cool; it's stuffed with useful functions for bikers, climbers, and hang gliders; yet it weighs under an ounce. Two fat, colored buttons give you the current temperature, altitude, and barometric pressure. It'll also calculate your rate of ascent or store your daily vertical change. (Oh yeah, it also tells time.) US$120. Avocet: +1 (415) 321 8501, fax +1 (415) 321 2699.
Portable Solipsism
Feeling agoraphobic in that wide-open office cubicle? Encapsulate yourself in the Clipper CS-1, and say goodbye to the outside world. This 7-foot-long workspace wants you and your computer to work as one, and features adjustable reading lights, superquiet ventilation, and space for files, printer, and personal treasures. The translucent shell tops a base constructed from solid maple and stainless steel. The leather seat slides along a rowing-machine-style rail. The perfect cockpit for zooming through cyberspace. US$6,000. New Space Inc.: +1 (817) 921 5331, fax +1 (817) 927 8655.
Smooth Shooting
This new ES series Canon Hi8 gets the high-five. It combines image stabilization technology, a high resolution color LCD viewfinder, a powerful 12X zoom lens, five programmed exposure settings, and a titler and fader. The "Shake Absorber" stabilization system is based on a prism filled with a silicon-based oil, so you can get a smooth shot in a bumpy situation. And at the end of the day, my fun doesn't have to stop: the camcorder has a built-in light. US$1,900. Canon USA Inc.: +1 (516) 328 5145.
Tape No More
The Flashback is a solid-state sound recorder that is hardly bigger than four credit cards stacked on top of one another. It stores data on snap-in/ snap-out solid-state memory cartridges called SoundClips. As with a more conventional tape recorder, you can save an entire interview or business meeting, but the Flashback also lets you add a note or message in the middle of a recording without overwriting the original data. SoundClips are PCMCIA-compatible, so you can transfer data to and from your computer. US$249.95, additional 30-minute SoundClips are $49.95, and Norris says it will have 60-, 90-, and 120-minute SoundClips soon. Norris Communications Corp.: +1 (619) 679 1504.
Rabbit Ears Redux
Roll up all that ugly antenna wire and still get optimum radio reception with the AM-FM Q power antenna. The sleek design will fit right in with your other state-of-the-art audio gear. The antenna's two reception modes, Terk Technologies claims, can double the number of stations you normally receive. For those oh-so-desirable, oh-so-distant stations, switch on the Pin-Dot-Pre-Tuning dial, which lets you lock in on a particular frequency. US$99.95. Terk Technologies: (800) 942 8375, +1 (516) 756 6000.
Mighty Monitor
Whether you're on the couch or surfing the Net, a big video monitor enhances your experience. The Diamond Pro 29 is compatible with Macintosh, IBM, and nearly all Unix display standards, with a resolution of up to 1280 x 1024. And since it uses a microprocessor-based scanning system, the Diamond Pro will support almost every video standard out there. It also has memory to store up to fifteen custom presets so you can instantly switch from a corporate presentation to a video game to a PAL-standard video. Not only will you have infintely greater fun, your eyeballs will love you forever. US$6,665. Mitsubishi Electronics: (800) 843 2515, +1 (914) 997 4999.
Vervy Velocipede
The latest milestone in Cannondale's mission to reinvent the bicycle (see "Fetish" Wired 2.04) is the Magic V4000. This bike is all aluminum – right down to the motorcycle-like five-spoke wheels. Maintenance is a snap: one tool fits all the fasteners, and all bearings are the same size. Its front and rear wheels are interchangeable – none of the drive train parts mount on the rear wheel. The V4000 weighs only 20 pounds, so it'll be winning contests for speed and style by the time you read this. Want the slickest vehicle going? A Ferrari is out of your price range? Go for a Magic V4000. US$5,000- $7,000. Cannondale: +1 (203) 544 9800.
Wound for Sound
The snail-like shape of B&W's Nautilus speaker is going to have the rest of the audio world following its trail. The Nautilus project began as a quest to design a speaker that would flawlessly reproduce sound without introducing peripheral tonal qualities inherent in the speaker casing. The look was inspired by the form of the cochlea, or inner ear. The result is near-perfect music reproduction from shells so sexy-looking my friend told me she had an erotic dream about them. US$35,000/ pair. B&W Loudspeakers of America: +1 (508) 664 2870.
Edited by David Jacobs
