From Japan: luxury gadgets for geeks, despite the recession

consumer products
A warning to my fellow gadget hounds: If you hope to keep a roof over your heads during Great Depression 2.0, you might want to forget I ever told you about Tokyoflash (www.tokyoflash.com). The Okinawa company, despite hard economic times, continues to turn out new stuff for geeks, particularly those with enough class to store their hardware in something other than a hip holster.

Readers might recall my going gaga over Tokyoflash's high-tech timepieces last year. Now, the company is adding lighting, jewelry, and clothes to its lineup.

Some new nonwatch offerings include a wooden optical mouse, the Hacoa (about $130); a brushed-aluminum alarm clock, the LED Diode Digital ($127); and a Japanese-designed courier bag with interchangeable covers ($242).

But I still visit Tokyoflash for the watches. And the company's latest seems readymade for Hollywood's next Philip K. Dick-inspired thriller. The Kisai Keisan (about $255, at right) has convex lenses through which you see the device's bright, colorful LED characters. The tube-like lenses and segmented band make the watch look like it was pulled from the side of the "Alien" spaceship, Nostromo.

You might also say the Keisan looks like a wrist-worn puffy coat. It has an unconventional display: You add up the numbers in each row to determine the time or date. (A "T" or "D" lights up in the first row to tell you which you are looking at.) The Keisan also puts on a bit of an LED light show after you push a button to get the time.

The Tokyoflash R75 (about $234) is another new watch with a wacky display. The R75 is sleeker than the Keisan and has LEDs arranged in rows, like Necco candy buttons. It has a classic metallic band, with a clasp.

Five-day shipping from Japan is free for either watch.

WII GAMES

Snow sports for the springtime

There's enough white stuff falling in New England this winter to keep snowboarders and skiers happy. Perhaps that's why Namco Bandai is waiting until March to release We Ski and Snowboard, the sequel to its apparently successful We Ski. The new game, as you might guess, embraces those who prefer to face a mountain sideways and who tend to talk more like surfers than skiers.

We Ski and Snowboard, which you play either using the wireless Wii Balance Board (of Wii Fit fame) or the Wii Remote or Nunchuk controllers, lets you create a whole new character to take on those moguls and straightaways.

Namco Bandai says players can also dress their characters up in a variety of protective gear.

You can also stick with your own original Mii character, if you prefer.

Up to four people can play We Ski and Snowboard at the same time. Avalanches, dramatic downhill challenges, and bunny slopes await you. As with We Ski, you can opt for nighttime adventures and other edgy environments. The updated game adds half-pipes and new aerial stunts to the mix.