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By DAVE GUSSOW
And don't fret if the GameCube or Xbox are sold out. The electronics shelves are full of devices for almost any taste and almost any budget. Among the items expected to be hot are DVD players, MP3 digital music players and digital cameras. And while the electronics industry is touting digital TV sets, Consumer Reports magazine (www.consumerreports.org) says conventional analog sets are "still a good bet for most consumers." Here are some of the items that caught our eye:
Bots are beautifulIt started with a mechanical dog named Aibo from Sony. Now, it's hard to turn around without running into a robotic pet of some sort.Sony keeps coming out with new models. The latest are Latte and Macaron, a mere $850 or so each compared with Aibo's initial $2,500. For the money, they're smarter, the company says, with more emotions, word recognition (they've got mikes in their ears) and personalities that develop over time based on how they're raised (we couldn't make this up). A little farther down the price scale is the i-Cybie ($200, www.tigertoys.com) from Tiger Electronics. The i-Cybie can do a lot of the tricks that Sony's Aibo can do, but without the panache. Your i-Cybie can walk, sit, stand, shake a paw, wag its tail, beg and, yes, lift a leg. It takes 16 computer-controlled motors for it to pull off what comes naturally to an old-fashion real dog.
According to the company, the bugs use something called "nervous network" technology that enables them "to mimic real insect behavior." Just what we need in Florida. Fun with shoppingYou want to shop for clothes. The kids want to play. What's a parent to do? Skannerz ($19.99, www.skannerz.com) makes shopping a game by letting the kids search for "creatures" from the planet Kaos. These creatures happen to hide in the bar codes of merchandise. Different codes trigger different creatures as the kids rummage through the racks and shelves at a discount store or supermarket. The handheld device (for ages 7 and up) captures the creatures from three battling tribes, setting up a role-playing game in the machine. A guide comes with the device to keep track of said creatures and to let the players know the particular characteristics of the captured. Parents get to pick up the merchandise after their kids are finished scattering it about the store. Even more kid stuffYou're never too young for a gadget. Plan Girl (www.girltech.com) is a handheld organizer for girls ages 8 and up. It includes an address book, calendar, calculator, secret mode for entering private data and a seven-language translator. For $14.99, it also has a few games. The popular Cybiko (www.cybiko.com) came out with the Cybiko Xtreme personal organizer ($149). It can communicate with other Cybiko units up to 150 feet away. In addition to messages, it offers games and an MP3 music player. Perfect for study hall, at least until the teacher confiscates it. And what kid wouldn't want a cute TV. Konka (www.konkausa.com) has a 13-inch TV good for a family or play room. The $169 TV comes in pink, powder blue or a two-tone blue-and-yellow color scheme. It also has all the jacks needed to connect to game machines or other audio/video equipment.  Does anyone really know what time it is?
Watches that tell only time are so, well, 20th century. How about musical games or kickboxing on your wrist? Timex's (www.timex.com) Interactive Fun Watches are entertainment on the go for about $25. For the connected generation, Timex's Internet Messenger Watch ($99) can receive pages and e-mail, but it can't send messages. To receive, you'll need to spend about $5 a month for a service. To respond, you'll need a cell phone. Messages scroll across the face of the watch, which is available in blue and two shades of silver. And for those who can't be troubled to reach for the remote control, Casio Inc. (www.casio.com) has the Wrist Remote. The CMD40B-1 can control the TV, VCR, cable box, stereo and other devices with the touch of a button on a watch ($129.95). Get 'em while they last
Intel, the giant chipmaker, pulled the plug on its Connected Products Division, which produced digital cameras, music players and toys that worked with PCs. Supplies should last through early next year, so some bargains might be in the offing. One of the newer creations looks promising. With the Intel Play Digital Movie Creator ($99), kids can record up to four minutes of video, transfer it to a PC and edit it. Packin' pixelsAt one point this year, we were told the pixel wars for digital cameras were over. But companies are still packing more and more pixels (the dots that make up digital images) into new cameras. The good news is that consumers don't have to buy cameras with the most pixels (and pay higher prices) to take good photos. Even more welcome news is that camera companies have made consumer models easier to use, particularly in getting the photos from the camera to a PC or printer. And, as always, prices are getting better, with more models starting under $300 and some less than $200. For those fixated on pixels, Minolta's Dimage ($1,500) offers 5.2 megapixels, and Nikon's new Coolpix 5000 ($1,099.95) is right behind at 5 megapixels. But those deluxe models are best for professional photographers and serious hobbyists. Families can have fun with fewer pixels and less money. For example, Fuji's FinePix 2600 ($299) and its less expensive sibling, the A101 ($179), pack plenty of phototaking power in your palm. The lightweight cameras, which fit easily in a pocket, offer good color reproduction even in low light conditions. The 2600 captures 2.11-million pixels, which is good for a 5- by 6.5-inch color print on a photo-quality inkjet printer, and its 16-megabyte SmartMedia card holds up to 20 high-resolution images for printing or 120 low-resolution images suitable for e-mailing. The A101 takes slightly smaller 1.3-million pixels images, which can make 4- by 5-inch photo-quality prints. Its 8-megabyte SmartMedia card holds about half as many images as the 2600's card. Having gone through the digital camera buying process this year, I know it can be confusing and intimidating. Fortunately, consumers have a number of online resources to help sort things out. They offer detailed reviews and sample photos in most instances. Among them are Steve's Digicams (www.steves-digicams.com), which has headquarters in Pinellas County; Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com); and Imaging Resource (www.imaging-resource.com). A digital slide showThe ritual of viewing family photos in an album is nice, if a bit old fashion. But trying to huddle around a computer screen to view digital photos seems impractical. Microsoft's TV Photo Viewer ($159, www.microsoft.com/tvphotoviewer) is a good, if somewhat pricey, alternative. It plugs into your TV (which needs an RCA-type or S-Video input) and lets you do a slide show that all can see in the comfort of a family room. The viewer is essentially a computer floppy disk drive. The software allows up to 40 pictures on a single disk, and it comes with a remote control (gads, another one for the coffee table). We wondered about one point while playing with the viewer: With the hyped CD-burning capabilities in Windows XP, it would seem natural to make it a CD-ROM drive capable of handling even more photos. Maybe that will be done in Viewer Version 2.0. A couch potato's dreamsIt's a TV. It's a computer monitor. It's both. Samsung's (www.samsungmonitor.com) SyncMaster 150MP ($749) and SyncMaster 170MP ($1,299) can handle typical computer chores and show TV programs using a built-in tuner and video inputs from a VCR, camcorder or DVD player. It can also show high-definition television broadcasts. The 150MP has a 15-inch screen; the 170MP, a 17-inch. Both have built-in speakers and a picture-in-picture feature.
And for those looking for a more traditional TV, Consumer Reports rated Sony highest in four categories. But a couch potato does not live by TV alone. Videophiles have some enticing gadgets to consider: Pausing live TV was not enough, nor was zapping commercials. The next generation of digital video recorders from ReplayTV lets you share from one TV to another with a home network, or even with others who have high-speed cable or DSL Internet access. The TV networks are so upset that they have sued to block this feature and the recorders' advanced capacity to skip over commercials. The recorders, produced by SONICblue (www.sonicblue.com), range in price from $699 to $1,999, depending on how much recording capacity one wants. The maximum is 320 hours. DVD recorders are rolling out, though consumers will have to wade through another maze of industry jargon to understand conflicting formats. They also will need to dig deep into their wallets. Among the offerings are Pioneer's DVR-7000 set-top DVD set-top recorder ($2,000) and Panasonic's DMR-E20 DVD Video Recorder ($1,499). Panasonic also has the PV-DF2000, a TV with built-in DVD player, VCR and FM radio ($899.95). For TV viewing in the great outdoors, the Jeep TV Lantern ($100) has a 5-inch black and white TV, AM/FM weather band radio, multidirectional fluorescent twin tube lantern and flashlight. It includes adapters to plug it into a car cigarette lighter and a household AC outlet, but not batteries. Back to the '50s?Remember those pictures of movie audiences wearing 3-D glasses in theaters? Three-D is here to stay, and those glasses are back, but this time in front of your computer screen. TDV Technologies Corp.'s 3-D StereoVision Viewing System turns your computer screen into a 3-D playground. The $79.95 and $99.95 systems includes hardware, software and electronic viewing glasses and can be ordered from www.i-glasses.com. It works only with images on CDs (such as Bugs in 3-D) that the company sells, as well as some games also available at the site. While we're in our retro mode, the E-Chargers Intruder took us back to our childhood of playing with gas-powered model planes. The Intruder ($59.99, www.spinmaster.com), though, is a remote control aircraft powered by batteries and made of Styrofoam. Flights last only minutes, with a recharge necessary every time. That may get tedious for kids, according to my teen, who naturally showed up the adults with an almost flawless first flight. Our test flights were adventures, and the Styrofoam body showed it could take a licking. Our conclusion: It bounces well. By land or seaLet us not forget our obsession with the car, or the love of the open water. For drivers, the Escort Passport 8500 radar detector ($299.95, www.escortstore.com) promises fewer false readings when one is trying to avoid Smokey when traveling at the speed of sound. And the Tire Minder Pressure Indicator ($6; www.canadiantire.com) will help keep tires in shape. Its transparent cap has an indicator that shows green when pressure is good, red when it drops below a predetermined level. For boaters, boatersworld.com has a top 10 list of popular Global Positioning System devices, ranging in price from about $115 to $600. Block that call! Block that call!A peaceful dinner? Could it be true? The TeleZapper from Privacy Technologies Inc. ($49.95, www.privacytechnologies.com) stops those annoying computer-generated calls from telemarketers. Just plug the small black device into the phone line. When it picks up the ringing phone, TeleZapper emits a special tone that fools an automated marketer's computer into thinking the number is disconnected. Unfortunately, it doesn't interfere with manually dialed calls. And dealing with another annoyance, the FaxFilter ($69, www.faxfilter.com) blocks unwanted faxes. People sending you a fax need a two-digit code to tell the machine that their material is allowed. Otherwise, it breaks the phone connection. While we're thinking of rude phone calls, we come to cell phones and their lousy battery life. Electric Fuel Corp. (www.electric-fuel.com) has a portable recharger called the Instant Power Charger ($19.95) that runs on disposable batteries. The chargers are for all major brands of cell phones and for some handheld organizers that use rechargeable batteries. Of course, this could encourage even more rings interrupting our lives. A handful
It has been a big year for handheld devices: new models, a new operating system for Pocket PCs and a price war to try to juice slumping sales. The devices initially were used as calendars and address books. Now, they do a little bit of everything, including phones, Web access, photos and music. On the phone-handheld combo front, several new products appeared this year: The SPH-I300 from Sprint PCS and Samsung Telecommunications ($499.99, www.sprintpcs.com) weighs in at 6 ounces and includes a color screen. Kyocera and Palm teamed up for the Smartphone ($499, www.verizonwireless), and the Handspring VisorPhone ($299, www.handspring.com) works with that company's Visor line. Handheld companies spent a year dressing up their organizers with color, making them thinner and more powerful, and introducing some models as low as $100. A couple of places to check out news and reviews in this category are www.pocketnow.com and www.pdabuzz.com. Some other interesting accessories also are available for Palm handhelds, such as the ThumbPad Keyboard made by Targus ($39.99, www.targus.com). The ThumbPad snaps onto the handheld computer's serial port and draws its power from the computer. The SmartPad2 from Seiko Instruments USA Inc. ($200, www.seikosmart.com) transfers handwritten notes into major personal digital assistants, in your own distinguished scrawl. We believe in music
Panasonic has an intriguing new entry, the SV-SD80 ($329.95). It weighs less than 1 ounce and is the latest in the company's e-wear line of trendy-looking portable devices. By comparison, the $99 Rio One (www.riohome.com) is a heavyweight: less than 3 ounces (not including battery). But, again, with so many choices, it's hard to narrow choices. Consumer Reports rated top standard players: the Creative Nomad II 64 ($259.99); the Sony NW-E3 Network Walkman ($219.99); and the Compaq iPaq Personal Audio Player PA-1 ($249.95). Other places to check out for reviews and more information on MP3 players before you buy: MP3.com and Ziff-Davis (www.zdnet.com). For those who want to make their own music, the iKTV Music Video CD Karaoke Station ($149.99, www.taomusic.tv/products.htm) comes in five translucent colors, connects to a TV and plays a variety of digital music formats. Geek corner
DiscOnKey from M-Systems ($49.95 to $99.95, www.m-sys.com): This portable hard drive can fit on a key ring, hold up to 32 megabytes of data and requires no software. That means you can carry around information as if it's jewelry and access it on the next Windows, Mac or Linux computer you use. Just plug it into a USB port and go. The Ethenticator USB 2500 ($129) fingerprint reader ends the need for user names, passwords and the necessity to keep track of it all in secret. A sensor turns the details of your fingerprint into digital code (and can tell, by the way, if you're alive or dead). Belkin's CD LaunchPad ($22.99, www.belkin.com) lets you design and apply labels to your recordable CDs. You design the label on a home computer, print it, place it on the LaunchPad, put your CD face down on top of it and press the trigger. High-speed Internet access is getting more expensive, but it can make the geek in your life so much happier. Cable modem service runs $45 to $50 a month, with providers including Time Warner, America Online, Earthlink and Verizon's WorldWind. Digital subscriber line service over telephone lines runs about $50 a month. And to cater to people with more than one computer and high-speed connections, Verizon is offering the HomePortal 100 gateway from 2WireTM Inc. for $199.95. Last, we go retro again, this time for a '60s flavor. DayGlo Inkjet Cartridges ($7.99-$39.99, www.dayglo.com) will "intensify the color of all print jobs," not just those requiring a fluorescent touch. Black light not included.
That's the way the ball bouncesA simple basketball would not seem to qualify as a gadget. The Spalding NBA Infusion basketball ($44.99, www.spalding.com) is different. It doesn't need a pump and needle to be inflated. It uses a built-in Micro Pump to stay in shape. - Information from Times staff writer William Lampkin and Times wires was used in this report. Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4228.
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