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June 1, 2005
Tech Gadgets Galore for Gifts and More The venerable Swiss Army Knife has entered the hi-tech age. The newly released SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox (SWISSMEMORY Victorinox, at Best Buy Stores, 512MB/1GB, $119/$199) looks like the traditional red Swiss Army Knife, with its fold-out knife, screwdriver, nail file and scissors. But this one sports a foldout detachable USB 2.0 Drive, available in 512MB and 1GB sizes. Swing out the USB Drive to plug into your computer, or detach it to use separately. Also available is a flight version without the knife or scissors. SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox comes in the traditional red, a new sapphire blue or a retro ALOX metal version.
Included in the red and blue versions of the device is a retractable ball point pen and a built-in LED flashlight. Push on the logo, and the LED lights up to help you find your way or illuminate the tip of the ball point pen if you need to write in the dark. Since the ALOX version does not include the LED light or ball point pen, it’s slimmer in size. Preloaded on the USB Drive is "Travel-Easy," software allowing synchronization with desktop organizers. Included is optional password protection to keep the drive contents secure, except for a "Lost and Found" file which displays contact information without needing a password in case the drive is lost. The SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox is a convenient way to carry data, presentations, photos and a pocket knife anywhere you go. Did we mention that the device includes a detachable neck strap and USB cable extension?
The microphone is highly directional, placed one half inch from the edge of your mouth and incorporates an ambient noise rejection feature to reduce surrounding noise. The result is that people you’re speaking to hear you much more clearly, making the unit ideal for use in noisy environments. Since all ear canals are not exactly the same, the ETY.COM Headset includes several sizes of earpiece flanges. We tried out this new headset, and the sound quality was quite amazing. Even in a noisy environment, with the earpiece in place, the environmental sound literally disappeared. And those we called remarked on the clarity of our voices.
Another cool new "gadget" we’ve had a chance to look at is the Denali Camera Bag (M-Rock, available at www.M-Rock.com, $40), which is sized just right to fit a medium-sized digital camera with large zoom lens. The bag measures 6 x 5.25 x 3 inches and features an inside zippered clear plastic pocket that allows you to see its contents (ideal for extra batteries). There’s an additional small inside "secret" flat pocket for credit cards, mad money or whatever. A front zippered pocket contains two additional compartments, one open at the top and the other zippered, so there’s plenty of space for extra memory cards, batteries, etc. The bag comes with two carrying straps: one for back-pack like carrying and the other for shoulder carrying. Elastic loops on the bottom carry a small tripod, and a belt loop is built into the back of the bag. The bag is well padded throughout and highly water resistant (according to the manufacturer) but just in case, tethered inside the front zippered pocket is a rolled-up rain jacket for the camera bag. Neat. We could have used that on our last vacation. |
For a cool, "fast" personalized
gift, the JumpDrive Lightning flash drive USB 2.0 (Lexar Media,
$120/$280 1GB/2GB, available from www.lexar.com) can’t be beat, literally. It
boosts a super fast transfer rate of 24MB/18MB read/write speeds in the 2GB
model. The drive is dressed in a slick stainless steel jacket that can be custom
engraved for a personal touch. Free engraving of up to 20 letters is available
from the www.lexar.com Web site. Consider "Congratulations Bob,"
"Memories of Italy," "My Favorite Songs," and so on.
Included software allows file synchronization and the ability to create a secure
private password protected partition in addition to a public partition, both
with or without encryption. A tiny blue window blinks to show drive activity,
and a loop permits use with a key ring or neck/belt/wrist strap. Lexmar has
other specialized JumpDrives that include appropriate software and come
in various colors: JumpDrive TouchGuard with built-in fingerprint scanner
to keep and safeguard passwords, Web addresses, user names for automatic logins,
JumpDrive Photo with image manager software that keeps photos from being
accidently deleted, and others.
Also new to the market is the ETY.COM
Headset (Etymotic research, $69) looks similar to other hands-free
headsets on the market, sporting an earpiece and short boom mike. But the
headset’s noise-isolating earphone and close talking noise-rejecting
directional microphone set it apart. The earpiece is engineered to fit snugly in
the ear, with multiple earpiece flanges providing external noise isolation so
only the audio from the earpiece is heard. Extended frequence response provides
a much improved sound compared with other headsets.