Lullaby and good slides
Ever notice how your neighbor's vacation slides just make you nod off?
Philips has. Its Magic Theater works on that principle, only it lulls little ones to sleep — on purpose. Basically, it's a slide projector that also plays lullabies or soothing sounds.
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The Magic Theater comes with six slides featuring illustrations of geometric shapes, farm animals, etc. and two blanks on which you can draw. Also, the slides are circular and slowly rotate as the music plays and babies drift off to dreamland.
Details: Philips Magic Theater, $49.95. Uses four AA batteries. All of the optics in the Magic Theater are plastic and, thus, baby-safe.
Available at Sears or online at Target.com (enter “Philips Magic” in the search field). For more info, select “United States Consumer Catalog,” then click “Personal Care” at:
www.consumer.philips.com/ consumer/catalog/catalog.jsp
Hey, nice display
If you're a computer owner, maybe it's time for you to move into the 21st century and get yourself a nice display.
Apple recently introduced two new flat-panel LCD Cinema Displays that really shine.
The new 20- and 23-inch displays have a wide-aspect ratio that makes them perfect for watching high-definition video.
They're framed in sleek anodized aluminum, which gives them a lean, spare look.
The new displays also come with a DVI port, which means you can use them with most G4 or better Macs or any DDC-equipped PC. They aren't cheap, but they sure will put some snap in your click and drag.
Details: Apple Cinema Display; 20-inch model retails for $1,299; the 23-inch goes for $1,999; a 30-inch model for $3,299 will be shipping soon.
Available at CompUSA, 400 Jefferson Road, or online at:
You've got questions?
Ever lose your remote? Of course you have.
Got too many remotes hanging around? Of course you do.
Well, RadioShack's got answers, as its slogan says.
The Kameleon 8-in-1 Universal Remote Control is a streamlined, snazzy remote with a backlit LCD face. As the name implies, the Kameleon can be programmed to control up to eight devices.
To make this remote even more friendly, the Kameleon comes with a remote finder — a separate button, which you stick on the side of the TV or VCR, that makes the remote “beep” when you press it.
Another plus is that the Kameleon only displays the buttons relevant to the device you're using, so you don't have to thumb through a library of buttons to find Play.
Details: Kameleon 8-in-1 Universal Remote Control, $79.99, available at (where else?) RadioShack.
For more info, go to:
‘Fingerprint-access activated, Mr. Bond.'
Index Security has begun selling a USB flash memory device called the BioStik, which has a built-in fingerprint access reader.
Once connected to a computer, data stored on the BioStik only can be accessed with the owner's fingerprint on the reader.
While other companies also sell devices like this, the BioStik has the advantage of being a self-contained, plug-and-play device.
If you're carrying sensitive data on a flash memory USB device, it might as well be the BioStik because the device's innards are sealed with an epoxy.
Details: Index Security BioStik, $170 to $200, comes in 128 and 256 MB memory sizes. Works with Windows, OS X and Linux and can be operated from recent versions of these operating systems without external drivers.
Available online at:
Shein has been a freelance technical writer and reviewer for the Web and print media since 1998. He also is a contributing editor to and can be heard on “What the Tech?” on WXXI-AM (1370).
