__ Fetish - F E T I S H __
__ If Spock Dialed In __
Workplace style evolves again with Quicktel II, a line of external modems from Logicode. Straight out of Star Trek, these modems are designed to rotate according to your setup, allowing for maximum visibility by jealous co-workers in your orbit. Voicemail, speakerphone, and Caller ID functions are a welcome telephonic addition to this practical yet alluring way to log on. The Starship Enterprise should be so lucky.
Quicktel II modems: US$349 (LED model), $399 (LCD external model). Logicode Technology Inc.: (800) 735 6442, +1 (805) 383 2500.
__ Log On, Couch Out __
Whether it's checking out a new CD-ROM or sending a group letter to Grandma, there's nothing worse than the whole family crowded round the computer: Mom, Dad, little Joey it gets tight. Now you can take the party to the couch. Combining the family-friendly reality of TV with a computer's brain, Gateway 2000's Destination Big Screen PC offers the best of both screens, allowing a gaggle of users to watch the tube, surf the Net, or zap those pesky space invaders. Why get up?
Destination Big Screen PC: US$3,499 to $4,699. Gateway 2000 Inc.: +1 (605) 232 2000, on the Web at www.gw2k.com/destination/.
__ Sound Off __
Family Voice, available in Japan from Canon, is a simple little gadget with memory-based sound input/output. A magnet on the back lets you put Family Voice on the refrigerator, turning it into a family information board kind of an audio sticky note. It can replay 20 seconds of recording, which makes it perfect for leaving short messages and phone numbers. But while Family Voice is cute, simple shapes such as circles or triangles might better engender the strange feeling of talking to your kitchen appliances.
Family Voice: ¥2,800 (US$28). Canon: +81 (43) 211 9390.
__ Way to Wireless __
Everywhere you go, people talk wireless. Only thing is, the FCC is still grappling to retain control over the spectrum. So you take what you can get Wavecom Jr. from RF-Link Technology. It's a wireless audio/video/computer device that transmits across distances up to 300 feet. Wavecom will even send signals from your computer monitor to your TV, transmitting data over the little-used 2.4-GHz frequency instead of the popular 900-MHz channel used in phones and other devices. And it's FCC approved.
Wavecom Jr.: US$199.99. RF-Link Technology Inc.: +1 (310) 787 2328, email rflinksale@aol.com.
__ Free at Last __
Remember how powerful you felt the first time you phoned sans cord? You paced, you danced, you washed dishes all the while gabbing with Mom. VictorMaxx Technologies introduces the VIR one controller, a cordless, baseless, ergonomic joystick that connects directly into your PC game port. Sure, it looks kinda funny, but if you want to multitask while playing a newly minted version of Ms. Pac-Man, or need to jump around the room to really experience that virtual street fight, the VIR one is your move.
VIR one: US$119; VictorMaxx Technologies Inc.: (800) 815 6299, +1 (847) 267 0007.
__ Psycho-Surveillance __
Mad Max, perched high on a cliff while chowing down dog food and spying on the bad boys, would have loved Leica's Vector laser binoculars. This truly is intelligent observation within seconds, the eye-safe, infrared diode laser rangefinder and electronic digital magnetic compass determine bearing and orientation of the object under scrutiny. Whether you're scavenging the desert for gasoline or cleaning up an oceanic oil spill, Vector keeps your eyes on the prize.
Vector binoculars: US$7,500. Leica Technologies Inc.: +1 (703) 404 0335, email leicasod@aol.com.
__ Hog Wild __
What exactly happens when a designer of state-of-the-art tech-toys turns his talents to the road? In the case of Machineart designer Andrew Serbinski, it means the genesis of the MK9, aka Machineart Kawasaki, a high-tech bike for the serious motorcycle junkie and a few of her closest friends. Combining the best in Japanese engineering with the elegance of a Beemer and the attitude of Evel Knievel (on a good day), the MK9 is one bad hog. (It's also an ergonomically correct one.)
MK9: approximately US$35,000. Machineart: +1 (201) 714 9846.
__ DigiRocky __
Does your job take its toll on your sanity? Release your pent-up aggressive tendencies with this boxing bag from the folks at Hammacher Schlemmer. Sensors in the bag measure the power of your punches and kicks. The computer also allows you to set up to 16 four-minute rounds and program your routine and rest periods for that full Rocky Balboa workout you crave. It's just about as real as you can get without having to take repeated punches to the noggin.
Computerized Boxing Workout Bag: US$299.95. Hammacher Schlemmer: (800) 421 9002, +1 (212) 421 9000.
__ A New Way to Ride __
Tired of mountain biking? The Outback mountainboard offers a whole new way to explore off-road trails. It looks like an overgrown skateboard, but its design combines aspects of mountain biking, snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing. Three knobby pneumatic tires will roll over any terrain rocks, grass, dirt, whatever. And don't worry, there's an add on lever pad that allows for speed reduction in advanced riding conditions. Now, when you roam, you can roam anywhere.
Outback mountainboard: US$299. Earth Sports Products Inc.: (800) 654 6483, +1 (509) 783 0600.
__ Total Recall __
Even octopi don't have enough arms to juggle the components in a typical home theater system. The Stage 3 KC-Z1 controller, a personal handheld touchpad from Kenwood, uses a GUI to activate and adjust your components. Meaning you won't have to grow new limbs if you want to kick in the bass on Coolio while adjusting the tint on the Knicks game. With six video inputs, five analog audio inputs, and four digital audio inputs, the KC-Z1 brings the ideal interface into reach.
Stage 3 KC-Z1: US$2,800. Kenwood USA Corp.: (800) 536 9663, +1 (310) 639 9000.
__ FutureTel __
In Japan, it's called the Personal Handy-phone System. In the US, it's the much-heralded PCS. Either way, it's next-generation cellular, and it's as cheap as a call from a pay phone. Kyocera's MO-501 master connects PHS slaves, allowing you to use them as digital cordless units when the master is connected to a phone line. PHS handles data at 23 Kbps a great wireless home network.
M0-501 PHS parent unit: ¥45,000 (US$430). Kyocera Corp.: +81 (45) 943 6138.
__ Every Angel Terrifies __
Need camouflage for today's crud-shellacked wasteland? Slick on some lipstick or nail polish in industrial-chic hues such as Plague (rich violet with a blue sheen) and Uzi (trés heavy metal). Urban Decay, the cosmetics venture from Cisco Systems co-founder Sandy Lerner, beckons a melding with rusted fire escapes and smoggy streets. Now you can really show 'em fear in a handful of dust.
Nail enamel and lip color: suggested retail price US$11 and $15, respectively. Urban Decay: +1 (714) 494 9825.
Thanks to Marla Aufmuth, David Boyer, Harry Stewart Case, John S. Couch, Jesse Freund, Kristin Lowe, Tessa Rumsey, Larry Smith, and Wired Japan.
