VoiceMe

One more reason not to leave your couch. Taiwan company HOTECH's VoiceMe lets you, literally, tell your telly, VRC, air-conditioner and just about any electronic device to turn on or off--giving your poor thumb a much-needed rest. VoiceMe can learn basically any infrared signal to work on anything you can operate with a remote control (except, unfortunately, on bratty kids). The catch: The manual states that it takes several steps to "train" VoiceMe before you can fully use it. And as voice recognition is not an exact science, we're expecting some capricious response to commands. Still, the potential for voice recognition as an interface is limitless. Credit cards that only work when they hear their owner's voice? Coming up next.

Price: S$159.90 (US$92.42)
Availability: Now
Device: Remote voice controller
Basic specs: 9V battery, 1m IR range, 5m ultimate speech input distance, 147 x 30mm, 130g

M-bird XT-21 flash player

It's Neo meets the cyberpunkish M-Bird XT-21, looking like the digital audio half of Samsung's SPH-N270 Matrix phone. Coincidentally, both are Korean made, which goes to show how far the Koreans have caught up in terms of pushing the design envelope. In the overly crowded MP3 space, this gizmo distinguishes itself with built-in stereo speakers blasting a very decent 90dB, 100mW output, an inverted LED screen supporting 125 colors, built-in USB plug for Memory Stick expandability, voice recording and FM tuner. Who cares if you'll spend the better half of the day figuring out what all those odd knobs and buttons do. This one's so weird, it's cool.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Korea for now
Device: MP3 flash player
Basic specs: 256MB and 1GB versions, supports MP3 and WMA, built-in speakers, direct encoding, voice recording, FM tuner, 86.7 x 38.6 x 18.7mm, 65g, 700mAh rechargeable Li-polymer battery

Miravision

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the coolest of them all? Step aside, wicked stepmother. Make way for Miravision, where things are not what they seem. A brainchild of Philips, this converged device hides an LCD TV behind a thin polarized reflective sheet. Switch on the TV, and your favorite reality show comes on. Turn the TV off, and now it's an innocuous wall-hanging mirror. For those who like to admire their reflection, a "picture in mirror" mode lets you watch Singapore Idol in a corner of the frame at the same time. The screen can also be hooked up to a PC for surfing the Net, and there're plans for a waterproof version to grace bathroom walls. So now you see it, now you don't.

Price: Est. S$5,000-S$6,000 (US$2,922–US$3,506)
Availability: Global launch, October-November
Device: LCD TV-mirror
Basic specs: Available in 17-inch, 23-inch and 30-inch widescreen versions, Super IPS display, accepts component, HD and XVGA signals, multiple AV inputs, customizable frames

Flip Flap

Collectors of Japanese toy maker Tomy's Hidamari No Tami ("sunny people") solar-powered noddies will probably flip over the Flip Flap. Looking like a pair of green bunny ears, this potted plant requires no maintenance or batteries as it "flaps" under the power of a light source. While we are not sure if the Flip Flap has hidden "stress-relieving properties" like its Hidamari cousin, we're certain it will make an interesting conversation piece. In fact, Tomy anticipates that people will want to have more than one Flip Flap. The manufacturer has thus, savvily, packaged each pot in an attractive transparent receptacle that allows yet more Flip Flaps to be stacked pyramid-style. Be warned. If that doesn't whet your urge to start collecting, the medley of six irresistible colors will.

Price: S$29.90 (US$17.49)
Availability: Now
Device: Solar-powered desktop accessory
Basic specs: Solar panel, on/off switch, choice of six colors; transparent acrylic casing

Sony Qualia 005

You know how just when you thought you'd taken the wrappings off the latest wow-wee TV, something better always comes along? Well, brace yourself. This time it's Sony with the launch of what it claims is the world's first LED flat-screen TV. What's different this time is LEDs being used as backlight. Apparently, this allows for truer and richer colors compared with your LCD TV which employs a conventional source of light. The Qualia 005 comes in two flavors--40 and 46 inch. But like all previous Qualia offerings from Sony, this one may not see light of day here. Bummer.

Price: US$7,697 for 40 inch, US$10,000 for 46 inch
Availability: Japan in November, globally end of year into 2005
Device: LED flat-screen TV
Basic specs: In 40 or 46 inch models, Emotion Engine, Graphics Synthesizer, DRC-MFv2 standard-TV-to-HDTV upscaler, Cross Media Bar GUI

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