Fetish
Talking on Sunshine
The SOLARLIFE solar-charging battery will give your Motorola cellular flip phone plenty of staying power. It will recharge whether it's attached to the phone or not - just stick it in the sun and wait eight hours. But the real benefit comes from being able to leave your phone in standby mode all day without running out of juice; just make sure the surface of the battery is catching rays. The SOLARLIFE's built-in power management system continually checks charging and discharging, gets rid of pesky memory problems, and gives the battery a longer life. SOLARLIFE: US$129. Bel-Sound Inc.: +1 (201) 288 1685.
Robo Joystick
The Future Joystick is like one of those Japanese robots that cleverly folds and unfolds into different creatures. Open out the steering wheel, and you've got motorcycle handlebars; another tweak and you'll have an airplane joystick. Compatible with most PC games and all IBM-compatible computers, the joystick comes with a connector for adding a second joystick, software to control sensitivity, a demo videotape, and a race car game. The Future Joystick: US$139-$199. D.I.T. Export-Import Company Inc.: (800) 960 6077, +1 (213) 663 4096.
Tap into the Center
It's easy to become addicted to the AT&T Two-Line Personal Information Center - it can store up to 200 autodial numbers. Combining an LCD, keyboard, and speakerphone, this gadget features six programmable phone directories and up to 50 audio/visual indicators to remind you of important dates piling up on your calendar. The large LCD can also display each caller's ID (with time and date received). You can even set the lines to have different rings. AT&T Two-Line Personal Information Center 882: US$199. AT&T Corp.: (800) 222 3111.
Stamp Act
Everybody loves to use rubber stamps. Maybe it's the satisfying thunk they make when they hit the paper. The STAMPCREATOR by Brother allows you to create your very own "seal." With a choice of 163 symbols, three fonts, and 30 templates of pre-made stamps, the STAMPCREATOR manufactures stamps by melting tiny holes through a thin layer of film. The system comes with three different stamp sizes, giving you up to nine lines of vertical or horizontal copy on a stamp. P-Touch STAMPCREATOR: Approximately US$300. Brother International Corporation: +1 (908) 356 8880, ext. 4307.
Check Your Head
The HDC 451 headphones from Sennheiser make your music sound sweeter and give your ears a break by reducing potentially damaging low frequencies. The headphones work wonders with their tiny mics in each cup. The mics monitor the acoustic environment and cut out frequencies between 400 and 1,000 Hz - the ones that cause those frustrating disturbances. With a frequency response of 20 to 18,000 Hz, an impedance of 270 ohms, and a distortion rate of only 1 percent, you'll hear music or news more clearly no matter where you are. HDC 451 headphones: US$249. Sennheiser: +1 (203) 434 9190.
Crayons for Grown-ups
The new 600-by-300-dpi Phaser 340 from Tektronix is the world's fastest solid-ink color printer. Tektronix's RISC-based architecture speeds PostScript output allowing you to print at an amazing rate of four pages per minute on plain paper. The solid-ink ColorStix provides long-lasting color and idiot-proof installation without component maintenance or messy toners; you'll also have no more annoying color bleeds, fading, or fuzzy text to worry about. Phaser 340 color printer: Approximately US$5,000. Tektronix Inc.: (800) 835 6100, +1 (503) 682 7377.
Compute by Radio
The CruisePad looks just like a big-screen Newton, but it's really a wireless remote interface for comfortably controlling your desk- top computer from as far away as 500 feet, or a whopping 1,000 feet in open areas. It has a backlit screen, transfers data at 1.6 Mbits per second, and is designed to be held in one hand. You can enter data using a configurable onscreen keyboard or a stylus. Pop it on your desktop, and you can plug it into a full-sized external keyboard. CruisePad: US$1,399. Zenith Data Systems: (800) 582 0524, +1 (708) 808 5000.
Waterlogged
Currently in use by foreign military, search and rescue teams, and other emergency personnel in the toughest of environments, the Aquapac will keep your cellular phone safe from salt water, snow, sand, and wind. The APQ-M2, which looks like a Ziploc bag with room for an antenna, was designed by Aquaman UK. Just slip the phone in the bag, and start making calls while shooting down the rapids. Even if you lose your grip and the phone plunges into the icy drink, the perky Aquapac will bring it bobbing up to the surface. APQ-M2: US$24.95. Aquapac USA: (800) 551 0966, +44 (71) 738 4466.
Digital Digits
Remember Nintendo's Powerglove, that VR-type videogame controller that used chirps of ultrasound to track your hand's location? Although a great idea at the time, it was too complicated to connect, let alone calibrate and program. The Glove, from Anaphase, offers a much simpler solution: it uses the best of existing game-controller technology. With pressure-sensitive materials implanted in the wrist and fingers to register movement and button control, The Glove is like a standard game controller, only you can stick your hand right in it. The Glove: Under US$100. Anaphase Unlimited Inc.: +1 (516) 671 2456.
Signal Grabber
The best way to view broadcast TV is with the TV-15 antenna from Terk Technologies. It has horizontally arrayed, non-telescoping dual-rod antennae, with frequency-matching technology, that give exceptional performance on most broadcast channels. Terk's Pin-Dot Pre-Tuning control and an antenna-or-video source selector make it easy to switch between off-air reception and video sources like your camcorder. TV-15 antenna: US$39.95. Terk Technologies: (800) 942 8375, +1 (516) 756 6000.
The Home Audience Is Listening
Onkyo's TX-SV919THX is the first audio/video receiver to meet Lucasfilm's THX standards for home theater sound. You can set it for different surround modes - theater, concert hall, stadium, nightclub, arena, open air - or create your own surround mode and save it in the battery-free memory backup. The exclusive "Academy Filter" helps enhance monaural soundtracks. The TX comes with two remote controls: a large programmable control for button freaks and a smaller, simple unit that handles the receiver's most frequently used functions. TX-SV919 THX receiver: US$1,996. Onkyo USA Corp.: +1 (201) 825 7950.
Multi-Monitor
Here's a color display screen to suit any situation. The FV-600 from Casio combines an internal speaker and 10-inch LCD video monitor, a rear-screen projection system capable of displaying a 10- to 100-inch image, and all the necessary hardware to hook it up to any video signal. For on-the-road demos, the 13-pound FV-600 works with an optional 60-inch transportable screen that weighs only 10 pounds. FV-600 MEGA VISION: US$1,950. Casio Inc.: (800) 962 2746, +1 (201) 361 5400.
