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Genius on the Court
Adidas’ responsive basketball shoe makes ordinary kicks seem as advanced as a pair of Chuck Taylors. An electromagnetic sensor in the heel monitors how hard your feet hit the floor, whether you’re cutting across the court, lining up a free throw, or going in for the big dunk. The shoe’s onboard processor determines what kind of move you’re busting and triggers a motor to adjust the tension on a cable in the midsole. More tension equals more shock absorption for jump shots; the cable slackens for running. Sadly, no amount of in-sneaker brains will help solve a chronic airball problem.
adidas_1 Basketball, Intelligence Level 1.1: $250, www.adidas.com
Gaming Giant
This gaming notebook isn’t just fast – it’s a LAN-party Jumbotron. Watch all your frags on its 19-inch LCD running at a widescreen resolution of 1,680 x 1,050. Pushing all those pixels is an AMD Turion 64 processor and tandem Nvidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX graphics cards. Alas, it weighs a thigh-crushing 16 pounds and has a pathetic 30-minute battery life. But that’s the price you pay for such a killer view of the carnage.
Envy u:909: $5,000, www.voodoopc.com
VoIP Unleashed
Skype’s Internet phone service is great, but being tied to your PC sucks. Netgear’s Wi-Fi phone is the first that lets you get off the hookup and place Skype calls from any wireless network. It even supports all of the advanced features, so you can make domestic long-distance and international calls to non-Skype users at the telco-killing cost of about 2 cents a minute. Think of it as a cell phone with limited coverage areas, but with much cheaper rates.
Skype WiFi: $250, www.netgear.com
Pocket Theater
When it comes to handheld video viewing, a little widescreen goes a long way. Take the Viliv: Its 4-inch, 480 x 272-pixel LCD is nearly twice as big as the video iPod’s – perfect for watching MPEG and DivX movie files from its 30-Gbyte hard drive. The player also supports MP3, Ogg, and AAC audio formats, has a built-in FM tuner, works as an image viewer, and sports an iPod-like clickwheel. No more squinting to watch Lord of the Rings on the train.
Viliv: $500, www.goviliv.com
Sound + Vision
What good are picture-perfect home -movies without a solid soundtrack? This camcorder not only captures seven hours of DVD-quality video on its 30-Gbyte hard drive, it supplements the footage with true 5.1 surround. The SR100 works with an optional Bluetooth lapel mike ($165) to capture your cast’s chatter. For clear lines from your leading lady, just clip one to her dress. Now your audience will really be able to appreciate your brilliant script.
DCR-SR100: $1,000, www.sonystyle.com
At Close Range
You don’t need a deep room for a wide picture. This projector can throw a 100-inch image on a wall from just 36 inches away. With a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels, it’s an ideal match for the integrated DVD player. The unit can even scale down HD signals to its native pixel count with a Teranex image processor, formerly found only in pro equipment costing $60,000. Ah, the sweet, steady march of technology.
ESP TDP-ET20: TBD, www.toshiba.com
credit Peter Samuels
adidas_1 Basketball, Intelligence Level 1.1
Envy u
credit Robyn Twomey
Skype WiFi
credit Peter Samuels
Viliv
credit Robyn Twomey
DCR-SR100
ESP TDP-ET20
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