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Best- Panasonic KX-TD816
SOHO PHONE SYSTEMS
First Class:
__Panasonic KX-TD816 __
Turn your home office into a war room with a PBX-like digital phone system. The KX-TD816 handles up to eight incoming lines and 16 extensions, with voicemail, distinctive rings, and an optional automated attendant that plays frontline receptionist. The box works with your PC to build address books and pull up customer accounts using caller ID. The system also routes long-distance calls to the cheapest carrier and works with phones from Batman-era rotaries to tricked-out speaker models. Installation requires manual labor or consultant time.
KX-TD816 with Voice Processing System: $900 plus installation. Panasonic: (800) 211 7262, www.panasonic.com.
Business Class:
__Centrepoint Concero Switchboard __
Great for home offices, the easy-setup Switchboard covers two incoming lines and four extensions. When you're away from home, a cell, pager, or long-distance number can be your remote extension. Like a pushy receptionist, the box asks for the caller's name, then dials you at, say, your hotel. It announces the caller and lets you choose to talk, forward, or dump to voicemail. A modest but well-chosen feature set makes programming simple.
Concero Switchboard: $495. Centrepoint Technologies: (888) 332 9322, www.conceroconnect.com.
Coach:
__Siemens Gigaset 2420 __
At root, the 2420 is a desk station plugged into a standard jack. But this stackable two-line phone system grows as fast as you do, handling up to eight extensions via the 2.4-GHz radio band, routing incoming calls to additional handsets ($116 each), and letting the handsets call one another. It lacks an auto-receptionist, and the handsets need recharging sooner than promised, but the system is configured at the factory, so you just have to plug it in.
Gigaset 2420: $387. Siemens: (888) 777 0211, +1 (212) 285 4000, www.siemenscordless.com.
DIGITAL SLR CAMERAS
First Class:
__Nikon D1 __
Serious photographers like a single-lens reflex camera because the viewfinder is the lens itself: What you see is what you'll get. Toss in a 2.7-megapixel CCD and it's little surprise the Nikon D1 is a photojourno favorite. It operates in low light with ISO 1,600 sensitivity, and its top shutter speed of 1/16,000 second freezes anything that moves. The D1 accommodates 50-plus Nikon Nikkor lenses, and its sturdy case and watertight seals withstand heavy use under extreme conditions. It machine-guns more than four shots per second, so you can catch that dramatic touchdown or market meltdown.
D1 (without lens): $5,900. Nikon: (800) 526 4566, www.nikonusa.com.
Business Class:
__Canon EOS D30 __
CMOS sensor cameras used to be CCDs' poor relations, but Canon's EOS D30 shows off their potential. While not as abuse-proof as the Nikon D1, the 3.25-megapixel D30 features ISOs up to 1,600 and shutter speeds down to 1/4,000 second, as well as compatibility with more than 50 needle-sharp Canon lenses. The Viagra-like battery powers 500-plus images between charges, and Continuous mode rapid-fires about three exposures per second.
EOS D30 (without lens): $3,500. Canon: (800) 652 2666, www.usa.canon.com.
Coach:
__Olympus C-2500L __
This 2.5-megapixel CCD camera has a powerful five-mode pop-up flash, ISOs to 400, and shutter speeds down to 1/10,000 second, for those portraits of the sun. The C-2500L fires five frames in 3 seconds, slower than the pricier models, but it comes with a 3X zoom lens (interchangeable, with lens adapter), a 32-Mbyte memory card, batteries, a charger, and an infrared remote for group portraits. All in all, it's a great package deal.
C-2500L: $1,299. Olympus: (800) 347 4027, www.olympusamerica.com.
KICK SCOOTERS
First Class:
__Nova Cruise Xootr Comp __
Afraid your other ride says fat cat, not whiz kid? The topflight Xootr Comp lets you roll with the fast crowd and the foot soldiers. Speed's no problem with this 9.9-pound kick scooter's 180-mm low-resistance polyurethane wheels; one rider covered a mile of traffic-clogged downtown roadway in about seven minutes. The Comp's wide carbon-fiber deck handles adult-sized bodies and unrepaired streets, and a hand brake helps you stop short of collisions. The CNC-machined solid aluminum body bespeaks beauty as well as precision.
Xootr Comp: $489. Nova Cruise Products: (888) 353 4464, +1 (603) 868 3705, www.xootr.com.
Business Class:
__K2 Kickboard __
If you prefer the feel of skateboarding, you'll be comfortable on the wood and carbon-fiber deck of K2's three-wheeled Kickboard. Twin front wheels mean you maneuver mainly by leaning, with a little help from the joystick. You stop by stepping on the back fender. The collapsible 10-pound board is good for travel, though its 100-mm wheels are sensitive to rough terrain. Where the Kickboard really shines is in stunt riding - it practically begs you to try a few tricks along the way.
Kickboard: $299. K2: (800) 426 1617, www.kickboard.com.
Coach:
__Razor MS-130 __
The 6-pound Razor is a real crowd-pleaser, thanks to its travel-light size, weight, and price. The aluminum-alloy deck fits one adult foot, while the other foot kicks, brakes with the rear fender, or hangs in midair. Two Rollerblade-like 100-mm wheels make for a sometimes wobbly ride, but the Razor folds up tiny and tight, for hassle-free intraurban, multimodal commuting. A detachable shoulder strap makes it easy to tote, even on SRO public transit.
MS-130: $119.99. Razor: (800) 659 9947, +1 (714) 546 4601, www.razorscooters.com.
