mTUNE-N

Love it, love it, love it. This iPod accessory caught our eye at the CeBIT booth only because there was a nano sitting in it. That's right. You dock your player into the left ear cup of this wireless stereo MP3 headset, and voila: MP3 unplugged. A direct feed to your ears. mTUNE-N's big foldable cans claim to be "lightweight", though we weren't able to check that out at the stands. For controls, the design offers easy access to your nano's Click Wheel, though just one niggly thought. How in tarnation does one navigate through the menu while the player is tucked away somewhere in the vicinity of your head? Guess it's do the shuffle or pack along a mirror if you don't fancy yanking off either headgear or player.

See cans closed | nano slot | jack

Price: US$49.99
Availability: Macally, patent pending
Device: iPod cordless headset
Basic specs: 3.5mm jack, 40mm Mylar cone speaker, 32ohm impedance, 105dB sensitivity, 6.1oz

Mus2

Remember our friendly looking, cursor-shaped Mus mouse? This family of rodents just got larger with the addition of Mus2, in both black and white versions. As promised by Russian design house Art Lebedev, its latest offering now caters to the Windows crowd with two buttons instead of the one for Apple users. They've also gone optical and wireless, with a power indicator in the mouse handle that lights up when the rechargeable battery starts running low. Mus2 claims not to cause any discomfort in hand. Though if you have to point-and-click 10 hours straight at work, you might just end up throttling this mouse, sexy or not.

See big image

Price: US$40
Availability: At Art Lebedev Studio
Device: Optical wireless mouse
Basic specs: Compatible with Windows and Mac OS X, USB connection, operating range of 2m, 2,300fps, 800 dpi, two AAA rechargeable or non-rechargeable batteries, switches to power saving mode if not moved

Self-heating clothes

We bet even the Eskimos will make a beeline for this. Brit vendor Maplin Electonics literally gives new meaning to the term "hot pants", rolling out what could be a first for the UK industry--self-heating clothes. These battery-operated garments made from new fabric technology will keep the fashionably challenged looking, erm, cool even in the midst of a blizzard. Heating wire woven seamlessly into the bodywarmer and gloves fire up to a toasty 40 degrees Celcius within 5 minutes. While the makers have thrown in a zipper that doubles as a compass, let's hope version two sees something more practical like a temperature control knob and legwarmers as well.

See vest and gloves

Via Gizmag

Price: Bodywarmer, about £40 (US$69.75); gloves, about £20 (US$34.90)
Availability: The UK, Maplin Electronics stores
Device: Clothing
Basic specs: Water-resistant gloves, 6 AA batteries required, in yellow or black

Dog-e-Tag

What's next? As if cameras and minus ion hairdryers for canines aren't enough, the Dog-e-Tag takes the conventional metal dog tag to a whole new level. Being programmable, dog owners can store up to 40 lines of data ranging from multiple phone numbers to home address, to even medical info. If you're afraid your missing mutt needs some TLC by kindly strangers, you can even leave messages like "I like my tummy rubbed" or "I am nine-years-old and I can't see very well". Of course, if it's a lost Rottweiler or Pitbull you're facing, you could try saying very gently "sit, Ubu, sit, good dog" before reaching a hand out for that Dog-e-Tag.

Check it out upclose

Via popgadget.net

Price: US$39.95
Availability: Dog-e-tag
Device: Digital dog tag
Basic specs: 36mm around, 21g, up to 40 lines of info such as cell phone numbers, pager numbers, email addresses, comes in six colors, shock- and water-resistant casing

Light Reading

Don't you love the play on words? This little idea flicked on in the mind of designer Sam Johnson, and is supposed to add light to your bookshelf without looking like a light fixture. The Light is made from a material called Secret Sign, and bent into the shape of a book. Once switched on, the illumination reveals the ttle which is laser engraved on the inside. Another literary great, so to speak.

Via popgadget.net

Price: 85 pounds (US$149)
Availability: At Thorsten Van Elten
Device: Light fixture
Basic specs: 23 x 10 x 28cm, comes with clear cable, switch and plug

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