AND YOUR PASSENGERS CAN PUT IN THEIR two CENTS
If you want to use your wireless phone in the car without tangled headset cords and earbud fatigue, a speakerphone is a common solution. If your phone doesn't have its own speaker, the Supertooth II portable speakerphone from BlueAnt Wireless can keep the conversation going on the highway.
The Supertooth II speakerphone, which is about 14cm long, connects wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and has an adjustable noise-canceling microphone to help eliminate background noise during a call. The device clips magnetically to the car's sun visor to keep the microphone and speaker right where you need them when driving, and it can easily be detached and carried inside to serve double duty as a desktop speakerphone.
PHOTOS: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE
The Supertooth II can be found in several online stores listed at www.myblueant.com. It comes with a car charger as well as an AC adapter. And in case you're planning a really extended road trip, its rechargeable battery can last for up to 20 hours of talk time and 800 hours of standby time.
FROM IPOD SCREEN TO BIG PICTURE. WELL, BIGGER ANYWAY
The rallying cry among fans of portable media players is rarely “Bigger!” But don't tell that to Memorex. Their iFlip device, scheduled to be released next month, connects to any newer video iPod and reproduces small-screen images on an 8-inch monitor.
The iPod drops right into the iFlip's cradle. You control video and music playback via the iPod's scroll wheel, while a set of buttons on the side handle volume and the on-screen menu functions. Powered speakers reproduce the sound, and the two audio jacks allow lovey-dovey couples or back-seat siblings to watch at the same time using headphones. The device also has a video port for transferring the action to an even bigger TV.
Available in black or white, the iFlip has a 480-by-234-pixel screen and operates about five hours on one charge. It will cost about US$200 and will be available through major online and offline electronics stores. The device folds shut for easy transport, and an optional carrying case is also available.
While the rest of the world focuses on making portable video players smaller, the iFlip brings things closer to life-size.
A DVD PROJECTOR TURNS MULTIMEDIA INTO CHILD'S PLAY
From Hasbro, the makers of the Easy-Bake Oven, comes another light-bulb-powered toy, the Zoombox DVD Entertainment Projector. This device, which could come in handy at sleepovers, projects DVD movies or video game images onto the wall or ceiling of a darkened room.
The projector's features include an integrated CD and DVD player, good-quality stereo speakers, a headphone jack and three RCA plug inputs, two for audio and one for video. Despite the name, the lens does not actually zoom. In fact, the dim image reminds you why bulbs for standard projectors often cost more than this entire unit. The Zoombox uses a common 35-watt halogen bulb, which costs about US$6 and lasts around 500 hours.
The projector is made to be moved, with a large handle that doubles as a prop for beaming the image onto a wall. Or you can lean it onto its back, to point straight up at the ceiling. The ability to play music CDs makes this useful as a bedroom sound system. Just remember, like the Easy-Bake Oven, the Zoombox is more a toy than the real thing.
CAMERA FOR AMATEURS BORROWS FROM THE PROS' GEAR
When Nikon first made changes to its unexpectedly popular D70 digital single-lens reflex camera, they were so minor that the result was simply named the D70s. Its successor, which will be available next month, has enough new features to get its own model number: D80.
Like the D70s, the D80 is mostly intended for sophisticated amateur users. But although it is smaller than the camera it replaces, the D80 picks up technologies from its professional siblings. It has a higher resolution, 10.2 megapixels, and uses the same processor as the top-of-the-line D2x. From the D200 it gains a high-magnification viewfinder. Critics of the D70 viewfinder often compared it to peering down a dark hallway.
The D80 has a few tricks of its own. It is frugal with power: Nikon estimates its battery can last for 2,700 pictures. And its built-in software allows some image editing without a computer.
The D80 will cost US$1,000 on its own or US$1,300 with a new zoom lens.
IT'S THE LATEST IN MOBILE PHONE CHIC, AND SO MYSTERIOUS
Not unlike a comic book supervillain, little is known about the Motokrzr K1, Motorola's latest ultraslim fashion phone, except that it's wanted around the world.
This 113g phone features the same metal cladding as Motorola's previous phones, as well as a metallic keypad and a 2-inch color display. The phone supports a fast cellular networking system called Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE) and includes a 2-megapixel camera and micro-SD card slot for memory expansion.
The phone is a 1.27cm thick and slightly smaller than the Razr. One charge gives about three hours of talk time and about 10 days of standby.
The mysterious Motokrzr K1 should be available within the next month, although the exact introduction, carrier and even price are still closely guarded secrets. The phone is a quad-band GSM phone.
Expect to see it pressed to the ears of the fashionable in the next few months.
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