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Writing about gadgets around the holidays can get pretty hectic--hello, PlayStation3!--but there are some pretty cool perks. Take Tuesday night, for example, when the DigitalLife folks (the ones who organized the big tech trade show last month) invited a host of NYC-area reporters to Manhattan's fashionable Nikki Midtown bar and lounge for a packed evening of consumer tech. The agenda included a press conference from TiVo featuring CEO Tom Rogers, as well as a showcase of some products that people may or may not be craving this holiday season. Oh, yeah, there was free food, too.

The general … Read more

OK, we're confused (even more than usual). When we first saw the headline for this item on Red Ferret--"Shower Security Cam"--we thought it was something that would keep an eye on the kids or the front door while you bathed. Simple enough.

But then we noticed the image on the device's screen, which appears to be the person in the shower, not those being surveilled on the outside. And the transmission can be viewed wireless on a computer and a VCR. So rather than speculate on its intended (or unintended) uses, we'll just … Read more

It's not too often that iPod accessories make you feel like you've just stepped into a slick sci-fi spy movie. But the Myvu Personal Media Viewer from MicroOptical sure does. This $299 device is a piece of eyewear with attached earbuds that lets you view your iPod's video content on a screen in front of you. It plugs right into a video media player or compatible cell phone and lets you view video that, according to the company, appears to you as though you were two meters away from a 27-inch TV. Plus, it comes with a … Read more

One remote control shall rule them all.

Early next year, at least one unnamed consumer electronics company will release the Loop, a ring-shaped remote control that lets you navigate by pointing at icons on the TV screen, rather than scrolling and clicking through TV listings. The device translates hand motions into cursor movements.

The technology behind the Loop was created by Hillcrest Labs.

In remotes, buttons are out. Pointing is in. Nintendo's Wii game console will come with a hand-held controller that does the same. Meanwhile, GeoVector has come up with a software application for cellphones that lets users … Read more

Once again, I posit the question: why does Asia get all the cool stuff? (I sense I'm beginning to whine about this a bit.) Twinbird, a Japanese company that produces a variety of novelty gadgets, is coming out with a product called Link Zabady...or at least, that's how Engadget has translated it. At any rate, a big thanks to my fellow bloggers for bringing this fabulous gadget to my attention, even if I never get my hands on one. The Link Zabady consists of a splash-proof, 7-inch LCD screen with 480x234 resolution, a transmitter box, and a … Read more

They're baaa-aack. Actually, they never left. In recent years the mainstream media has often dismissed Microsoft as old news, offering headlines about its decline that have focused on Bill Gates' departure, Vista delays, Internet Explorer bugs and Google, Google, Google.

Yet if there's one thing we've learned about the battle-hardened veterans of Redmond--declining or otherwise--it's never count them out. Witness the news about TV and movie downloads through Xbox Live, including high-definition shows. Microsoft has long understood the potential for an uber-device to take over all digital home entertainment, from games and Web browsing to television … Read more

TiVo may be falling under the superficial spell of techno-fashion with its Glo Remote, but competing gadgets know that beauty is only clamshell deep. Take, for example, the InVoca voice-activated universal remote, which supposedly recognizes up to four voices and 25 commands for your TV, VCR, DVD player and other devices. It also has a charging base--shouldn't all products have those by now?--and a hands-free surfing function (we're not sure exactly how that works). The InVoca's name reminds us of an Italian scooter, but we've already gotten over that. If it works as billed, we … Read more

Digital photo frames seem a dime a dozen nowadays, though some have some interesting features. But these new 7- and 8-inch screens from Mustek are different: They are relative inexpensive ($100 for the smaller version) and can play MPEG video and music with built-in MP3 speakers, as well as show off your treasured snapshots. Unfortunately, the media apparently can be refreshed only by changing a memory card, rather than a remote Internet connection--meaning that you can't just send new stuff to grandparents in another state, unless you want to snail-mail it to them. That's too bad, because it … Read more

The Slingbox is no longer a Windows-only device. Today, Sling Media posted the beta version of the SlingPlayer software for Mac OS X. As to be expected with beta software, there are a few caveats: for now, the software is intended only for U.S. and Canadian Slingbox owners, and it will run only on Macs running OS X version 10.4. That said, we were able to download, install, and run it on an iMac in well under five minutes, and it performed smoothly during our first full day of testing. Download links and an FAQ are available at … Read more