A good-looking headset (for real)
Accessories
The industrial design house Ignition (go to ignition.com) has developed a small, light, and righteous-looking headset for fashion-conscious Bluetooth users.
The Invisio G5 (about $300), has a black finish and a military look, and measures less than 1.5 inches long. It resembles the bone-conducting headphones SWAT team and special forces guys wear, at least on television. In fact, the forthcoming Invisio Q7 uses the bone-conducting technology.
The G5 has a "Soft Spring" fitting system that holds the headset in place, so the arm of your eyeglasses is the only thing resting on the back of your ear.
The G5 lasts for four hours between charges. That time goes very quickly. But the case that comes with the headset doubles as a charger. With the case, you can charge the headset another five times.
Negri Electronics (negrielectronics.com) is taking preorders for the G5. But the G5 and the Q7 will not be available until the fall.
Multimedia Phones
LG's Muziq is handy, and it's inexpensive
If you paid $600 for a certain i-something this weekend, I think you paid too much for your mobile phone. You already have a mobile phone, laptop, and MP3 player. You don't need an all-in-one device.
Don't get me wrong: I'm a lifelong Apple fanatic, and have a collection of Apple computers that goes back to the IIci. And I just picked up an iMac for the home office. But there are many alternatives to the iPhone that (while less elegant) offer exciting options, for far less money.
Sprint next week will release the Muziq by LG, a multimedia phone with an FM transmitter that will play your tunes on your car stereo, for example. (Note: It can be tough finding a clear channel, as you compete over your hyper-local airwaves with WZBC, WERS, and the rest.)
The Muziq, which is only about $100 with a two-year contract, includes a 64MB MicroSD card, and supports up to 4GB. A 4GB card will store about 4,000 songs. Songs at the Sprint Music Store are about $1 each, if you have a Sprint data plan.
The phone also includes a 1.3 megapixel flash camera, Bluetooth and SMS Voice, and text messaging.
OLED
From Russia, a cute little keyboard with organic light-emitting diode displays
In case you haven't noticed, I'm mad for ThinkGeek.com, the online purveyor of wacky gadgets, from USB mug warmers and caffeinated lipstick to WiFi detectors and "Star Trek" phasers.
ThinkGeek also offers cheap ways to check out new technologies, such as organic light-emitting diodes.
OLEDs are brighter, lighter, and can be made more flexible than other display technologies. (See last week's column for coverage of the OLED wristwatch from ThinkGeek.)
Now, multitasking hipster technophiles can pick up the Optimus mini three keyboard by the Art. Lebedev Studio in Moscow from ThinkGeek for about $160.
The mini three is a USB hotkey device with three 1-inch-square keys doubling as 96x96 pixel color displays.
The mini three comes with download directions for getting the configurator software you will need to manage the device. You can assign a key to launch Skype or Microsoft Word for example, and an icon representing the application will appear on that particular key.
You can also light up the keys with weather reports and images that update automatically.
The mini three might be a better bet for PC users.
The new Mac OS X version, which I am using, is wonky. So far, it has launched "the beach ball of death" three times in System Preferences on my desktop.
Innovative last week
The latest Nancy Drew mystery for the PC
It seems there are as many games as novels featuring the teen detective who wears fuzzy sweaters and plaid skirts. The latest installment from Her Interactive Inc. (herinteractive.com ) is "Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek." In this game (number 16 in the series, for those keeping score), Nancy visits a hotel in the Canadian Rockies and gathers clues to learn who is behind a series of suspicious accidents. As Nancy, you can disguise yourself as a hotel maid to snoop around guests' rooms, crack codes, and explore hidden passageways. You can also try your hand at ice fishing and snowmobiling.
