New York City was the location for ShowStoppers For The Digital Holidays 2008, putting on display a myriad of new consumer electronic devices, software and services just in time for holiday giving (or getting). Let’s look.

EyeClops Night Vision (Jakks Pacific, available fall 2008, $79.99) allows you to see objects anywhere up to 50 feet away in total darkness using infrared LEDs and infrared sensitive sensors, all incorporated in a spaceman-like headset ready to take on the night. The device works very well and gives a green night-scope view of objects, indoors or outdoors. A terrific hi-tech toy for kids of all ages. Jakks also introduced the UltiMotion Swing Zone ($79.99) a video-based gaming platform that includes five games with wireless motion sensor rackets, bats, clubs and the like. Plug the game into your TV and swing away against your on-TV opponent, or just whack the ball down the fairway.

The RC Cooler (Interactive Toy Concepts, available fall 2008, $69.99) is an insulated remote controlled beer/wine/soda cooler shaped like the top of a beer bottle. The cooler trundles around the room, patio, pool, deck or wherever you want via remote control, serving up cold beverages to you and your guests. The fun cooler holds up to 12 bottles plus ice and comes from the company that also brings you the Micro Mosquito 4X4 ($79.99) a 4-channel highly maneuverable RC indoor helicopter. We’ll need lots of practice for this one, but what fun when you do get the hang of it.

Schwinn introduced an electric bike powered by the new, exclusive to Schwinn, Toshiba Super Charge ion Battery. The Tailwind (www.schwinnbikes.com, $3,200) will charge in 30 minutes using the included home charger or in four minutes using the "repair shop" charger and goes up to 30 miles, depending on power setting and terrain. The eight-speed bike uses a front wheel assist-only motor (no free ride here) to help you pedal along. You set the amount of assistance you want. Stop pedaling, and the motor free-wheels. Shut off the assistance, and the bike operates like a standard eight-speed bike.

Palringo (www.palringo.com, basic personal edition free, commercial edition, various charges) introduced a new service designed to help consolidate all your PC and/or mobile text, voice and picture messaging into one interface connected through the Internet. It works across all popular messaging services, and you won’t have to open and close various messaging service programs to contact friends, relatives, associates, and the like. Run Palringo, choose your contact and select voice, text or photo to send and receive away.

In a similar fashion, the new SightSpeed (www.sightspeed.com, basic service free, business version $19.95/mo) takes on video communications using the webcam built into many new laptop computers (works with external webcams too). Easily do full motion (30fps) video or voice chats with family or friends who have installed SightSpeed, send video e-mails and do instant messaging. An optional plus version ($9.95/mo) allows group chat with up to four friends on screen. The business version allows up to nine in a chat session. Great way to keep everybody in the field on the same track.

In the solid state memory field, Kingston Technology introduced their 32GB SDHC memory card (available now, $300) aimed at the prosumer/professional HD camcorder market and allowing recording of up to four hours of HD video, depending on camera and compression used. A new idea in Micro SDHC cards is the just-introduced 8GB Multi-Kit ($39.99) featuring an 8GB micro SDHC card along with mini- and full-size SD adapter and a USB reader. The versatile kit allows consumers to store large amounts of data on a single card while utilizing adapters to easily convert the card for use on multiple device platforms. Also coming in mid-October in the Data Traveler line will be a 32GB capacity ($140) USB thumb drive.

CEIVA introduced the wireless CEIVAlife eight-inch high definition photo frame display (www.ceiva.com, $159.95), which can access the Internet via wireless network, ethernet cable or dial-up phone line. You can upload pictures, including cell phone camera photos, from anywhere to your on-line CEVIA account; the pictures will then be automatically optimized for photo frame display and downloaded to your photo frame or a CEVIA photo frame of friends or relatives next door, across the country or around the world. The download service is free for the first three months and $99/year thereafter. The download service plan includes free news, sports and weather downloaded to your frame. The photo frame includes interchangeable frames, black and woodgrain, and a built-in memory card reader.

Then finally, if you’re stuck for your holiday shopping for gift ideas or even stuff for yourself, Buzzillions (www.buzzillions.com) offers more than one million user reviews for a wide range of consumer products ranging from washing machines to pens, from cars to digital cameras and shoes. Browse by category or specific item and see what actual users have to say about the lawnmower you want to buy. Read reviews for eco-friendly products or browse through the Blog for what’s hot and what’s not.

More to come, so stay tuned.