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__ Feel __
A mouse? How '80s of you. Soon, we'll all be donning something like the 5th Glove. Built for VR applications by the 5DT Corporation in South Africa, the 5th Glove measures finger flex and hand orientation (aka pitch and roll). But it can also emulate a mouse or baseless joystick. Since you can still type while wearing it, it's not hard to imagine similar devices becoming quite popular in the workplace of the future.
5th Glove: right hand US$495, left hand $595. General Reality Company: +1 (408) 289 8340, on the Web at www.genreality.com/.
__ Jetson __
Slowly, it's beginning to happen. Computer designers are realizing schemes that have languished on paper for years. Compaq's Presario 3000 is proof that PCs can push the design envelope. The 3000 is a full-featured desktop coupled with a flat-panel display. Marketed for home users, the pricey Presario may not make as big a splash as it should. So go buy one: if other manufacturers see that well-designed computers make money, we may not have to put up with boring boxes much longer.
Presario 3000: US$3,499. Compaq Computer Corporation: (800) 345 1518, on the Web at www.compaq.com/.
__ Point __
There is something so spectacularly useless - or maybe it's phallic - about carrying a laser in your pocket. Whatever the case, the Laser Key Chain is one of the most perfect toys you could wish for. The tiny device throws its red beam up to 200 yards away - far enough that you can't see it, anyway. Less than 3 inches long, the Laser Key Chain runs on three watch batteries that last a surprisingly long time - longer if you don't waste hours bouncing the dot across your walls. Laser Key Chain: US$65.
The Sharper Image: (800) 344 4444, on the Web at www.sharperimage.com/
__ Photon __
Moms warn about sitting too close to the TV. But if you're a serious gamer, let's face it, you don't listen to your mom. If you're one to sit too close for too long with the volume too high, Samsung's built a screen especially for you. The GXTV is a 13-inch monitor flanked by a 21-watt multispeaker stereo surround system - including a 15-watt subwoofer. On top of everything, the GXTV includes a 181-channel TV tuner with dbx noise reduction. Stick your head in that, Mister. GXTV: US$349. Samsung Electronics Co.: (800) 726 7864, +1 (201) 229 4000.
Vision Task Light: US$265. Luxo Corporation: (800) 222 5896, +1 (914) 937 4433.
__ Box __
It's time to break apart the box. IBM's new Aptiva S Series computers are split in two: one piece holds the CPU, a smaller console holds the removable media drives. The console fits nicely under the multimedia monitor. Sporting a fast Pentium processor and a flexible design, the S Series computer should really turn heads. Aptiva S Series: from US$3,000.
IBM Corp.: (800) 426 7235 ext. 4340.
__ Treading __
Somewhere along the line, Sisyphus got the health bug and built a business around it. The Endless Pool, measuring a mere 15 feet long and 8 feet wide, promises the benefits of an Olympic-sized facility. How? Its 16-inch propeller creates a user-adjustable current, effectively letting you swim in place. Endless Pool: standard system US$14,250.
Endless Pools Inc.: +1 (610) 497 8676, on the Web at www.endlesspools.com/.
__ Drop __
This is definitely *not *your progenitors' calendar. While most wall-variety date-keepers spew image motifs that vary as widely as the flakes of winter's snowfall, the Morning Dew calendar makes a play of its function and the slow stepping-on of our lives, emulated in the lingering descent of a water droplet as it progresses back toward the earth from whence it came. Red and blue markers bookend each week, while you play gravity's role by moving the dewdrop down, each Sunday marking the extremities of the next seven days of your life.
Morning Dew: &YEN17,000 (US$156). Spiral: +81 (3) 3586 1252.
__ Pong __
"Enter a better mousetrap, and a ping-pong ball will beat a path to block your door." Good evening and welcome to the Mouse Motel. Please note the steep incline up the kitchen floor. There you go. Whoops! Lunging for that tasty morsel has swung you down into the end of the tube. No worries: you've got all the peanuttier spread you could want - but wait, the exit has been blocked by a little white ball. Pleasant stay.
TeeterPong Mousetrap: US$14.99. The Teeter Pong! Company: (800) 909 7664, +1 (307) 332 5200.
__ Universal __
Minolta's Infonium is a real-time simulator for viewing the universe. Beyond de rigueur features, Infonium includes a Space Travelling System for simulating romps in the great beyond. Add optional computer, video, and laser displays, and you've got one of the most powerful multimedia theaters available.
Infonium: from &YEN170,000,000 (US$1,556,000). Minolta Planetarium Company: +81 (6) 386 2050.
__ Zippy __
SyQuest has been playing catch-up lately in the removable storage arena. Enter SyJet, a 1.3-Gbyte cartridge drive. Fashioned by RKS Design, SyJet sports cleaner lines than its predecessors, and the drive has the guts to back up its stylish housing. SyJet has a maximum sustained transfer rate of 7 Mbytes per second and an access time of around 12 milliseconds.
SyJet: external US$499, internal $399. SyQuest Technology Inc.: (800) 245 2278, +1 (510) 226 4000, on the Web at www.syquest.com/.
__ Plasma __
There's a new screenin town - the Fujitsu Plasmavision M21. With an anorexic profile of only 3 inches and a highly flattering 21-inch display, the M21 is the supermodel of flat-screen television monitors. Barely tilting the scales at 21.5 pounds, the M21 has the latest gas plasma technology to thank for its stunning looks. Better still, the 640-by-480-pixel screen costs less than much smaller LCD monitors.
Plasmavision M21: US$8,808. Fujitsu General America Inc.: (800) 835 6452 ext. 321, +1 (201) 575 0380 ext. 321.
__ Boney __
Despite mounting concern over car phones - several fatal accidents have been caused by drivers preoccupied with calls - the Japanese are not ones to spoilsport the technological free-for-all. Combination earphone-microphones - like the Anssupur - have proved to be a popular solution. The bone-vibration microphone must be pushed deep into your ear canal, but users say it sounds fine. It's definitely better than trashing the Benz.
Anssupur: &YEN5,800 (US$60). Duke Glory Co. Ltd.: +81 (6) 206 3042.Thanks to Roderick Simpson, Tadashi Ibi, Megumi Ikeda, Wired *Japan, and *Wired UK.
