F E T I S H    Issue 2.02 - February 1996
Edited by Dave Green and David Jacobs



  Channel Master

No mere onscreen TV listing, the VideoGuide sold by RadioShack is actually a wireless pager service for your television. VideoGuide provides full-screen program listings and lets you record to your VCR by selecting the desired program and simply hitting Enter. An optional, up-to-date online newspaper provides regional, national, and international news, sports, and weather updates from the Associated Press and United Press International wire services.

VideoGuide: US$99.99 (£63.30; available in US only). Radio Shack: +1 (817) 390 3011.

  Going Mobile

You can't hit the road these days without high-quality sound capabilities. Not if you expect to get any respect, that is. If your laptop's in need, jazz up your presentations with Panasonic's mobile multimedia upgrade kit. The kit adds a portable CD-ROM drive with a PC card connector, two battery-powered speakers, and a 16-bit SCSI sound card. It'll add less than a pound to your load, but you'll thank yourself twice the next time you're stuck in the airport and desperate for a quick game of Descent.

KXL-D721 multimedia kit: around £250. Panasonic UK: +44 (1344) 862444.8086, +1 (201) 348 7000.

  Surf Support

Your wrist is killing you, but you've still got four more hours of work to get done. The folks at Ergolink have a solution. The Ergowrist is a simple device that slips behind and over your mouse to support your wrist. By placing your hand in a resting position at a 20- 30-degree angle over the mouse, Ergowrist helps alleviate the stress that can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome as well as neck and back strain.

Ergowrist: US$9.95 (£7.00; available in US only). Ergolink Inc.: +1 (604) 682 4145, fax +1 (604) 682 4104, email: ergolink@mindlink.bc.ca.

  Smooth Operator

If you want to master the hill, you need command of your skis. Barring a move to Meribel, a little technology might be just the ticket. The K2 Four is the first ski with a built-in microprocessor. Based on the same vibration-control modules developed for F-18 jets and space shuttles, the K2 Four's sensors improve the ski's stability. A piezoelectric material converts low-frequency vibration into electrical energy, which provides the juice for the circuitry to counterbalance vibrations on the slopes.

K2 Four: US$625 (£391; available in US only). K2 Corporation: +1 (208) 463 3631, fax +1 (206) 463 5463.

  Start 'Em Young

The sandpit may not have a place in a child's formative years anymore. Get your toddler on the fast track with the Comfy Activity Centre, a kiddie keyboard that entertains and educates with the magic of CD-ROM. Designed for children as young as 1 year, the Activity Centre includes keys that play notes and evoke colours when tots press on them. It also has a phone for ringing up ComfyLand characters. Yes, you love your child, but are you willing to sacrifice your PC to the nursery?

Comfy Activity Centre: US$99 (£62; available in US only). Comfy Inc.: +1 (408) 865 1777.

  More Megs, Less Money

Everyone should have an affordable backup device. The Iomega Ditto Easy 800 tape backup system has a slower data-transfer rate than a regular disk drive, but its 800-Mbyte storage capacity and low price are what we like. Available in an external model that connects to the parallel port of your Macintosh or PC, the Easy 800 can be used on multiple systems without complex installation. Along with the Zip and Jaz removable drives, the Ditto rounds out a sensible trio of low cost storage options.

Ditto Easy 800: £130. Iomega: +44 (0800) 973194, on the Web at www.iomega.com.

  Print Without Cables

The worst thing about giving laptop presentations is printing materials out for your customers. You don't want to print through the fax, and you'd rather not get tangled in printer cables. Well, why not go wireless? Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet 340 is the first portable printer to feature an infrared accessory kit for cable-free printing: the wireless unit can receive data from a computer located up to 3 feet away. Accesories for the 340 include batteries, colour output kits, and sheet feeders.

HP DeskJet 340: £275. Infrared kit: £42. Color-Kit: £42. Sheet feeder: £76. Hewlett-Packard: +44 (1344) 369222.

  Jukebox Jewellery

Bose's Lifestyle 20 music system sports the world's smallest six-disc CD changer. In addition, the handsome brushed-chrome base unit also houses an AM/FM stereo tuner with 30 programmable channel settings and comes with a handy remote control. Lifestyle's Jewel Cube speakers pump out the audio in conjuction with a powerful bass module that can be hidden from prying eyes - and ears - anywhere in your home.

Lifestyle 20: US$2,400 (£1,500; available in US only). Bose Corporation: +1 (508) 879 7330.