ConferenceBike

Why be satisfied with a bicycle made for two? Designed by American artist and inventor Eric Staller and German built to last, this seven-person ConferenceBike sounds like a hoot. But considering that companies frequently huddle in stuffy rooms for hours in meetings, why not enjoy some fresh air and get a workout at the same time? Never mind that we'll probably be going round in circles, ahem, like most of our meetings.

Click to see enlarged image of bike

Price: US$11,400
Availability: Conferencebike.com
Device: Bicycle
Basic specs: Porsche-engineered steering, hydraulic brakes, parking brake, lights, max.speed 24kmh, seat heights adjustable, 182kg

MindSpa Personal Development System

We've heard of flotation tanks and sleep pods to promote bodymind wellness. Now here's a home kit that promises the same benefits. Developed by a clinical psychologist to give this portable device a veneer of credibility, the MindSpa sends the user into a state of deep relaxation by bathing the mind in a combination of white light visual input and pulsating sound frequencies. The manual claims it takes from several weeks to four months to experience "subtle but noticeable" mental performance improvements, though the more immediate benefit is you emerge from a session feeling relaxed and refreshed. We don't know about you, but for our mental wellbeing at CNETAsia, we should all be plugged into one, particularly when the boss walks over. Oooom.

Click to see the MindSpa in use

Price: US$199.95
Availability: A/V Stim
Device: Mind machine
Basic specs: Microprocessor-based control unit with 12 proprietary programs, high-response audio headphones, CrystalWhite broad spectrum Visual Stimulation Glasses, 115 x 95 x 30mm, 119g

Samsung SCH-S250 camera-phone

What a dilemma, and one we'd love to have at CNETAsia. With Samsung dropping a bombshell by launching a 5-megapixel camera-phone--leaving the competition still struggling with 2 megapixels in the dust--consumers now have a very real quandary of whether to purchase a dedicated 5-megapixel digital camera or the SCH-S250. While the resemblance with Sony Ericsson camera-phones may draw some flak, the technology won't. Partnering with Japan's Pentax, Samsung has created a camera-phone with a high-sensitivity flash on par with most top-end digicam models. The shutter speed is rated at 1/1,000th of a second, and the macro feature allows close-ups of up to 10cm. Not surprisingly, it's also video-capable, with the 92MB onboard memory storing up to 100 minutes of video at 320 x 240. The display, always an issue on camera-phones, has been given top billing with a QVGA TFD-LCD sporting 16 million colors--over 60 times that of existing mobile displays. Borrowing from its Matrix phone, Samsung's created a "stretch" design that protects both lens and LCD. Singaporeans should know by now they won't be getting such a super-cool phone anytime soon. So eat yer hearts out.

Click to see large image | "stretch" design | front view

Price: N.A.
Availability: Korea this month
Device: Camera-phone
Basic specs: cdma2000, 2-inch, 16 mil-color QVGA TFD LCD (240 x 320), 5-megapixel CCD camera, 64-chord polyphony, 32MB external memory (RS-MMC), 100 minutes video, supports MP3, TV-out, IrDA, Text-to-Speech function, 3D games and sounds, 115 x 49.5 x 18.5mm, 116g

Transparent hybrid kayak/canoe

How cool can that be--a see-through canoe that blends in with the water so it looks like you're skimming the surface of the waves on nothing? No worries that this seagoing craft will spring a leak miles from shore since it's built of the same durable polymer as the cockpit canopies in supersonic fighter jets. Plus it's all wrapped around an anodized aluminum frame. For modesty, though, we'd recommend checking occasionally that your swimwear doesn't ride up your derriere.

Click to see closeup

Price: US$1,459.95
Availability: Hammacher Schlemmer
Device: Canoe
Basic specs: Adjustable seats, two double-headed paddles, a water bailer, two flotation devices, takes up to 193kg, 80 x 338 x 28cm, 18kg

Casio KLD-300 Label Printer

It's too bad we archive everything on our servers here at CNETAsia. But for home users who do tons of burning and backing up of photos, DivX files and data onto CD-Rs or DVDs, this label printer takes the bother out of labeling those discs manually or with a labeling software which requires a printer. Now you simply slide the CD-R or DVD into the top slot of the device, and voila, consistently labeled discs and covers within seconds. Love it.

Price: ¥25,200 (US$230)
Availability: Japan, from December
Device: Label printer
Basic specs: Heat transfer system, 200dpi, 100 sheets, AC adapter or alkaline dry cell, 215 x 246 x 88mm, 1.4kg

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