[ HP Photosmart R707 ] [ Playmobil Zoo ] [ Omega Reflector ]
[ Kyocera Ceramic Knives ] [ Targus Headphones ] [ Heximoes ]
[ Talking Road Whiz ] [ 007 Edition Scene It? ] [ Halo 2 ][ OutRun2 for Xbox ]

Sleek And Stylish

T’s small, sleek and stylish, and it makes fantastic pictures. That’s the HP Photosmart R707 Digital Camera, with 5.1 MP resolution, 3x optical zoom and 10 shooting modes. Its ergonomic grip makes for a nice fit in your hand.

Red-eye? You don’t to flash twice, or wait for software touchups. You can eliminate red-eye before the photos leave the camera. Now that’s unique. For the novice, there’s a built-in help, which I found quite useful.

It comes with a 32MB internal memory, plus an SD Card slot.

You can print photos without a PC, direct from the camera to printer with the USB cable. This smart camera is priced at $349. More information at www.hp.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Real Entertainment

LAY TIME means turning off the TV and getting on the floor with your Playmobil toys that stir creativity and imagination. Playmobil, with more than 250 different toys, are the ideal playthings for the young set.

Playmobil figures are proportioned to fit a child’s hand. The figures are designed to be child friendly.

Take the Playmobil Zoo. What kid doesn’t love the zoo? The set consists of six figures and a pond – plus 13 animals. Now your child can be the zookeeper. Available at specialty retailers for $99.99.

[ Back to Top ]

Far, Yet So Close

HE GeoVision Omega Reflector is a high-quality portable 700mm telescope that will be welcomed by all would-be scientists and curious observers over age 8 who are fascinated with tracking the stars.

Not a toy but a precision instrument for celestial discovery, it will give you immense satisfaction, and fun, viewing the moon, planets and deep-sky objects such as star clusters and nebulae. Who knows? You may even spot the Starship Enterprise on its home voyage!

You get three interchangeable all-glass eyepieces providing power magnified from 35x to 300x for different viewing conditions. The finder scope helps you to aim the telescope with great accuracy. The sturdy tripod extends to 45 inches. This high-end telescope is priced at $149.95. More information at www.EducationalInsights.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Slice And Dice

YOCERA, based in Japan, has launched a line of Santoku ceramic knives that are in sharp contrast to the typical cutting instruments in your home or professional kitchen. Made from zirconium oxide, similar in hardness to diamond, the Santoku’s razor sharp edge lasts 10 times longer than the conventional high-carbon steel blades, and is half the weight.

Unlike steel blades, the ceramic blade won’t rust, as it is impervious to acids, juices, oils, and salts. Ideal for slicing vegetables, fruits, boneless meats and fish. You should still use your steel knives for carving, boning and cutting frozen foods.

Priced at $49.95 for the mini 4-inch blade, $79.95 for the 5.5-inch knife, and $89.95 for the Special Edition Susan G. Komen 5.5-inch pink knife. More information at www.KyoceraAdvancedCeramics.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Stop The Noise

ARGUS, preeminent provider of mobile accessories, offers a pair of Active Noise Cancellation Headphones that makes working on a notebook, listening to CDs or watching DVDs more enjoyable whether on the road or at your desk.

This is "an ideal companion for mobile executives or commuters," product manager Henry Watanabe affirms.

The large size ear cups that seal the ears prevent outside noise from entering the headphones. Each ear has a microphone that feeds such noise through an electric circuit that cancels out the noise. An on/off switch controls the noise cancellation feature.

Available at $49.99 from stores and www.targus.com where the product number is AWM02US.

[ Back to Top ]

New Level Of Strategy

WO to six players can play Heximoes, a six-sided strategy game. It takes dominoes to a new level of strategy and design. It teaches players 7 and up counting, visual discrimination and patter recognition.

This matching game comes with 132 hexagonal tiles. You have three ways to play. In Game One you play round after round, making a unique geometric pattern, until one player collects 66 points and wins.

In Game Two you fit as many Heximoe tiles together as you can until time’s up. In Game Three players race each other to form a six-pointed star. See more at www.EducationalInsights.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Help Is On The Way

F you’re on the road without a GPS system, and you’re on the lookout for a restaurant or hotel in the area, next best thing is to press a key on your Talking Road Whiz and get the information you want.

This pocketsize electronic device from Ultradata Systems actually talks to you. You key in the state, interstate highway, direction you’re going, and closest mile marker. The device will display and speak the information, directing you to the nearest restaurant, service station, hospital, camp site, road help, and rest room.

Also included are directions and driving times between 250 cities in the U.S. Surprise: batteries included. Price $39.90, at www.utradatasystems.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Shake A Martini

OU can play James Bond in the 007 Edition Scene it?, an interactive DVD movie trivia board game from the Seattle-based Screenlife.

You are faced with more than 700 on-screen challenges from some 20 Bond films, 600 trivia questions, 30 Q cards, game board and 6 pieces. Game spans 40 years of scenes, gadgets, vehicles and villains.

Game is $49.99. See more at www.sceneit.com.

[ Back to Top ]

Can You Save The Planet?

HE fate of mankind is in your hands with the arrival of Halo 2. There hasn’t been this much anticipation for an otherworldly touchdown since Neil Armstrong’s moon walk. Play Master Chief, a warrior born for combat, with the fate of humanity in your hands as the Covenant juggernaut attempts to destroy Earth.

Price for Standard Edition is $49.99. Limited Collector’s Edition, $54.99, includes the making of the game, deleted scenes and outtakes, art gallery, commentary from the development team behind the scenes at Bungie Studios.

[ Back to Top ]

Fast Thrills

HRILLING racing is promised with OutRun2, the legendary arcade racing game developed by Sega-AM2 and published by Microsoft. Highly popular in the ‘80s with video game arcade enthusiasts, OutRun2 is now available for the home Xbox system.

You can choose from eight different stylish Ferrari cars. More than 15 tracks are set in locations around the world, including desert, mountains, foggy hills and tropical city.

[ Back to Top ]