BY SIMON DUMENCO
Still reeling from Time Warner
Cable's ABC lockout? Create your own damn TV station with the Sony
DCR-TRV820 Handycam ($1,299, J&R Computer World in late May), which
lets you beam high-resolution video and stereo sound right into your
television. Just aim your Handycam in the general direction of the Sony
IFT-R20 Super Laserlink Wireless Receiver ($49), a small black box that
goes on top of your TV set, and (provided you're within 26 feet of the
TV) "broadcast" directly from the camcorder -- no cables, no
adapters, no nothing. The Handycam's other gee-whiz feature is a
built-in mini-printer that spits out color video stills on
business-card-size paper or small stickers.
Sexy Two-Pieces
The two sweetest cell phones for spring?
The diminutive Motorola Timeport P8167 ($299) and Samsung 6100 ($179),
which both operate on Sprint's PCS digital network and include "microbrowser"
Web-surfing capabilities (check your stocks, read the latest headlines).
They're also worthy featherweight contenders designwise -- the
Timeport's clamshell shape has a satisfying solidity, and the Samsung
features a flip-down keypad cover, so you can take and terminate calls
by one-handedly snapping it open and shut. It's an oddly satisfying
gesture, and it makes borrowing a friend's one-piece Nokia
anticlimactic: You end a call and your phone just . . . sits there. It's
sad, really.
Control Freak
It's almost creepy how much control the
X10 MP3 Anywhere 2000 remote gives you. Yeah, it puts you in command of
your stereo, TV, DVD player, etc. -- not to mention X10 modules you can
use to operate lights and appliances (say, a space heater or a fan). But
the X10 can also control a PC's MP3 audio files with a 2.4GHz
mini-broadcast system -- part goes into your PC's sound card and part
into your home stereo. The neatest trick of all is that X10 has kept
remarkable control of the price: The entire system is $49.99 (available
direct at www.x10.com or 800-675-3044).
etc.
Head Cases
Do your long-suffering neighbors bang on your apartment walls if you
turn your stereo's volume above 3? Invest in a pair of wireless,
rechargeable headphones. The Sennheiser RS6 ($149.99, J&R;
212-238-9000) uses 900MHz RF technology and has a 250-foot range; the
high-end Sony MDR-DS5000 ($499.99, J&R) has just a 33-foot range but
more than makes up for it by wirelessly broadcasting Virtual Dolby
Digital surround sound -- the only one on the market that does. . . . Unleash
Your Mouse Microsoft's Cordless Wheel Mouse ($39.99, CompUSA;
212-764-6224) uses digital radio technology to wirelessly control your
Windows PC (it works up to five feet from the receiver) -- perfect for
the ultra-minimalist desktop.
From the May 15, 2000 issue of New York Magazine.
(c) 2000 New York Magazine. All
rights reserved; reprinted with permission.
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