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The Japanese perfected the hand roll - tuna, yellowtail, and now piano. Straight from Nippon comes a flexible 2.5-pound rubber pad that unfurls into a 61-key set of faux ivories. Its 128 synthesized sounds can be blasted through the onboard speaker or the headphone jack (for private performances). There's even a MIDI port for hooking it to a computer. When not in use, the keyboard rolls up for easy carrying.
Hand Roll Piano: $279, www.audiocubes.com
It's the harshest reality adrenaline junkies face: no story, no glory. To capture your extreme exploits in near-DVD quality, pocket this cigarette pack-sized videocam and strap the second lens to your arm, leg, or helmet. Its wide-angle view is fed to the main unit over a tether cable (a stabilizing algorithm smooths out nauseating bobs and jiggles). A water-resistant rubber shell protects the system during fast, wet rides down steep slopes. And because it uses 512 Mbytes of shockproof flash memory, it should keep working after a bone-crunching slam.
SC-X105 Sports Cam: $599, www.samsung.com
It's a match made in media PC heaven. Sony combines the processing muscle and sex appeal of its venerable computer line with the video-rendering skills of its esteemed TVs in a single flatscreen. Behind the 20-inch LCD is a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4, double-layer DVD burner, and 250-Gbyte hard drive. Use it to rip every episode of the new Battlestar Galactica series, then watch them again and again with a sharper picture, better contrast, and truer color than you'd get from other PC-TV hybrids.
Vaio V (VGC-V520G): about $2,500, www.sonystyle.com
This remote controls it all. But unlike other top-end universal clickers, the RC9800i doesn't require an installation expert to set it up, so you'll be the one in charge. Just tell it what gear you own - and in what room - through the onscreen menus and you're done. The built-in Wi-Fi can even control PCs, media streamers, and other compatible devices. It's the easiest way to keep the whole house under your thumb.
RC9800i: $599, www.philips.com
Make these cushions the building blocks of your social network. Available in three heights (10, 15, or 18 inches), the seats come in wool, leather, velour, and more - and if Morlen Sinoway doesn't have the fabric you want, send in your own. Toss the cushions around the living room to provide comfy seating that will impress even your most discerning friends. Then stack them up Lego-style and tuck 'em neatly in a corner for storage.
Pill: $250 and up per cushion, www.morlensinoway.com
Got power-hungry gadgets? It took eight years, but the R&D nerds at Panasonic finally figured out how to brew disposable batteries with up to twice the lifespan of standard alkalines: Fortify the usual mix of manganese dioxide with oxy nickel hydroxide and graphite, and vacuum-pack more electrolyte into the steel shell. The resulting AA and AAA batteries supply extra current and voltage for your MP3 player and digicam to snack on - at a price you can stomach.
Oxyride: $4 for four-pack, www.panasonic.com
- Brian Lam
credit Craig Maxwell, styled by Pamela Palma
Hand Roll Piano
SC-X105 Sports Cam
Vaio V (VGC-V520G)
RC9800i
Pill
Oxyride
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