Fetish
Color Me Cheap
Printers, like all electronic equipment, keep getting cheaper and better, but Epson has set a new standard with its first inkjet color printer. The Stylus Color gives you near-photorealistic output at 720 dpi. I used to go to the local service bureau and shell out US$12 per page for Canon color copier prints. This printer is going to pay for itself in no time flat. Stylus Color: US$699. Epson America Inc.: (800) 289 3776, +1 (310) 782 0770.
All-Around Sound
For the ultimate power presentation, strap these 3-D headsets on your victims and they'll believe everything they hear. The wireless Imax PSE headset has three infrared receivers so it can deliver ultra-realistic 3-D sound no matter where the head is turned. Designed for use in Imax theaters, exhibit narrations, and simulator rides, the PSE headset can also be fitted with liquid-crystal shutter glasses for advanced 3-D visuals. Sonics's engineers will custom design and build a sound system based on your specifications. PSE Headset: US$250-$390. Sonics Associates Inc.: +1 (205) 733 0500, fax +1 (205) 733 0569.
Biomusic
Wire yourself to the WaveRider jr. - via electrodes and conductive jelly - and let your body make music. This small electronic device, in conjunction with a Mac or PC, converts your body's biosignals into musical notes, allowing you to play your heart like a drum, your brain like a piano, and your arm muscles like a trombone. You can designate notes, ranges, scales, and keys or create your own custom setups. The Pro, MAX, and MAX Pro versions of the WaveRider give you more channels and lots of extra goodies, allowing the ultra intense to write their own biosignal-to-MIDI output algorithms. WaveRider jr.: US$750, MAX jr.: $1,250, Pro: $1,500, MAX Pro: $2,000. WaveAccess: +1 (510) 526 5881.
Kill Migranes
Aspirin and other over-the-counter painkillers are about as effective as Flintstones Vitamins when it comes to treating migraines, a severe form of headache that afflicts about 20 million people in the United States. The Imitrex SELFdose is a syringe cartridge containing sumatriptan succinate, a substance that wipes out even the worst head-pounders. The cartridge fits into a spring-loaded holder for easy self-injection. Imitrex SELFdose unit: Approximately US$45 per dose. Glaxo Inc.: (800) 545 2965, +1 (919) 248 7900.
Hard Card
Your hard-disk drive is one of the few computer peripherals that use precision moving parts. It's hard to believe they made one tiny enough to fit in a PCMCIA card, but they did. Even more impressive is the performance of The DataPak, a 170-Mbyte, extremely rugged PCMCIA disk drive. It draws barely more than a watt of power when in use, and with a transfer rate of 3.5 Mbytes per second, it's perfect for swapping large amounts of data between computers with PCMCIA slots. Since you can simply pull the drive out of the slot, security is hardly an issue. The only thing you'll have to worry about is losing the little guy. DataPak 170: US$565. Kingston Technology Corporation: (800) 835 6575, +1 (714) 435 2600.
Multitasking Mania
AT&T's new Globalyst 360TPC personal computer is the perfect toy for the attention-deficit-disorder set. Now you can take a conference call, play your favorite CD, open a spreadsheet, download a file, direct incoming calls to voicemail, and send a fax, all without having to get up from your desk. The Globalyst, with an Intel 486 DX2/66 processor and 420 Mbyte hard drive, does it all. If you are looking for a one-stop solution for all your data needs, this is it. Globalyst 360TPC: US$2,199 with monitor. AT&T Global Information Solutions: (800) 637 2600, +1 (513) 445 5000.
Nextwork
The next generation of network access for the Macintosh is now here. The DaynaLINK for ARA, a mobile access server, uses PCMCIA card modems to support up to eight remote clients via an AppleTalk connection. The RISC processor and Dayna's software provide enough power to handle high-speed data transfers for all eight remote users at the same time. DaynaLINK for ARA: US$2,999. Dayna Communications Inc.: +1 (801) 269 7200.
Merge with Your Mouse
If Linus had one of these mice, he'd throw his blanket in the trash. The heart-shaped Sensa mouse from Logitech cries out to be caressed. Its consumer-tested soft edges and indentations for the thumb and fingers make it fit so comfortably in your hand it becomes a part of you. Sensa's three-button design and software (included) is crafted to prevent stressful repetitive motions, such as double clicking. You can get one in your choice of four groovy patterns: deep wood, black chess, silver pearl, or blue leopard (shown here). MouseMan Sensa: US$74.95. Logitech: +1 (510) 795 8500.
Dial and Swipe
PhonePlus is smart enough to know you can send more than a conversation over the line. The built-in keyboard and digital display are handy for taking notes and entering names and numbers into the speed-dial database. As a phone, it's top-notch, with one-touch autodialing, call forwarding, return calling, and three-way calling. But here's the most interesting feature - PhonePlus reads the magnetic strips on bank cards, with custom software to enable shopping, ATM transactions, bill paying, and fund transfers from home. If QVC's smart, it'll give this thing away. PhonePlus: US$199. Verifone:+1 (703) 834 9480.
No-Brainer Camcorder
While one of the distinguishing characteristics of techno-fetishists is an obsession with buttons, knobs, and levers, sometimes I just want to sit back and let the machine make the decisions. That's when I reach for the EZ1, a compact VHS camcorder from JVC. It looks like a point-and-shoot still camera and works a lot like one too. All I have to do is look through the viewfinder and press the "shutter" button. There are a lot of nice idiot-proof features buried in the software too, such as Instant ReShoot, 3x Power Zoom, and QwikPix, which lets me take a series of 5-second-long shots. GR-EZ1 camcorder: US$699. JVC Company of America: (800) 252 5722, +1 (201) 808 2100.
Make Your Point
The next time you make a presentation using your PC, don't let the mouse keep you tethered to a table top. Get up and move around with the RemotePoint, a cordless, hand-held, infrared pointing device that controls your Mac or PC up to 40 feet away. And an onboard transducer converts variations in thumb pressure into cursor movement. No special software is needed: just plug it into your PC port and begin pointing. RemotePoint: US$199. Interlink Electronics: +1 (805) 484 1331, fax +1 (805) 484 8989.
Time Chip for Couch Potatoes
The blinking 12:00 on VCRs is standard fodder for bad stand-up comedy. Now PBS is making life a little easier for confused couch potatoes. In June, the network began invisibly transmitting a time signal that can be picked up by VCRs equipped with a special chip. The Sony SLV-770HF is the first VCR to come with the chip, which continuously resets the clock. SLV-770HF: US$599. Sony Electronics Inc.: (800) 222 7669, +1 (201) 930 1000.
