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Fetish
Peak Performance
A Swiss Army of new features takes Motorola's popular walkie-talkie series from backyard to backcountry: The 14-channel T6000 includes a compass, clock, thermometer, and altimeter/barometer. This rugged transceiver communicates with your pals from up to 2 miles away; a stereo FM radio with headset provides an entertainment alternative should the well of wry observations run dry. The T6000's rechargeable battery lasts up to 12 hours.
TalkAbout T6000: $179. Motorola: (800) 353 2729,www.motorola.com.
Multimillionaire
Fuji's FinePix 4700 Zoom blows away old resolutions, sensitivity levels, and refresh rates with Super CCD technology that captures 4.3 million pixels (2,400 x 1,800) - easily the highest picture quality yet for consumer-level digital photography. The feature-packed, 9-ounce digicam creates JPEGs at three compression levels and two resolutions, and shoots up to 80 seconds of AVI video with sound. Results are stored on a SmartMedia card (included), and the USB port wastes no time with downloads.
FinePix 4700 Zoom: $995.
Fuji Photo Film: (800) 755 3854,www.fujifilm.com.
Rockin' Roller
The most visually striking scooter in years is also the safest, with a roll cage, safety belts, and optional antilock brakes. Like BMW's distinctive old Isetta microcar, C1 suits the city: The 125-cc, four-stroke engine hums along at 60 mph, covering 80 miles per gallon, while the catalytic converter keeps emissions low. One glaring drawback: The C1 is now available only in Europe - but maybe the Beem team can fix that, too.
C1: $5,000. BMW:www.bmw.com/c1/english.
Phone Manners
At long last, gentle screener, Bang & Olufsen lets you brush off incoming calls graciously. Using caller ID and a voice synthesizer, the BeoTalk 1200 announces 50 frequent phoners by name, nickname, or sound effect as part of the ring. You can tailor outgoing messages so that the inner circle learns your current whereabouts, Malcolm and Roz get directions from the airport, and everyone else hears the minimal spiel. You can even deny messaging privileges to telemarketers and other phone stalkers. BeoTalk time-stamps messages and supports remote retrieval, looking great all the while with that elegant B&O design.
BeoTalk 1200: $275. Bang & Olufsen: +1 (847) 299 9380,www.bang-olufsen.com.
Overheard
A telescope has already deepened that budding friendship with your apartment-dwelling neighbors; now it's time to take the relationship to the next level. Information Unlimited's Laser Listener makes you part of the conversation by bouncing an infrared beam off any window: Hot talk on the far side causes the glass to vibrate, the returning beam oscillates in sync, and the optical receiver then converts these movements back into sound. Just keep an ear peeled for the cops.
Laser Listener System 2: $349.90. Information Unlimited: (800) 221 1705, +1 (603) 673 4730,www.amazing1.com.
Handycam
Casio's WQV-1 gives the wristwatch spy camera a digital makeover. Unlike the film-hobbled novelties of comic-book ads and executive-toy catalogs, the 1.1-ounce microcamera uses a CMOS sensor and 1 Mbyte of memory to capture and store 100 time-stamped 120 x 120-pixel digital photos in 16-level monochrome. The LCD acts as a viewfinder, shows your shots, and (lest we forget) tells time, while the infrared port beams the photos to a fellow WQV-1 or an IR-equipped computer running Casio's optional Link software. Handy buttons let you enter a line of text for each photo to help you remember your new business associates' faces - and your new very special friends' names.
WQV-1: $199. Casio: +1 (973) 361 5400,www.casio.com.
Deep Voodoo
Call it hi-fi hocus-pocus, but true believers know that intangibles make a difference. Witness Mpingo Discs, passive acoustic-treatment devices made of solid ebony. Placed on and around your stereo, the 3-inch pucks resonate with the music. The discs lend a plangent beauty to your recordings, explains manufacturer Shun Mook Audio, the same way a clarinet's ebony body colors its rich woodwind tone. For audiophiles, this notion should strike a sympathetic chord.
Mpingo Disc Spatial Control Kit (set of 9 discs): $450. Shun Mook Audio: +1 (510) 839 6857,www.shunmook.com.
Balanced Meals
Matching high design with haute cuisine, Soehnle's Evolution offsets typical kitchen scales' clinical precision with a Zen-like beauty. The bright yellow four-petal pan unfolds to hold up to 22 pounds of ingredients, measured out in 5- and 10-gram increments. After use, it springs back to slender, flower-bud form, lending your kitchen both grace and counter space. Powered by a long-lasting lithium battery, the sculpted weightwatcher is dishwasher-safe, base and all. Your delicate and elaborately prepared sauces deserve nothing less.
Evolution: $139.95. Soehnle: (800) 827 2582,www.soehnle.com.
