Word: gadgetized
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Some products respond to consumers' needs; others, like Sony's airboard, seek to create them. Like sending e-mails from the pool, or curling up in bed with your favorite sitcom. This futuristic gadget combines the functions of a television, a dvd player and the Internet into a portable tablet the size of a place mat. If it catches on, it could change the concept of being digital at home...
With the possible exception of the electric nose- and ear-hair clippers, there is no device in my gadget-heavy house more consistently and surprisingly good at its job than the TiVo box. As you really should know by now, TiVo is the personal video recorder (PVR) that learns the kind of shows you like, saves them on its internal hard drive, zips through commercials and pauses live...
...universal remote cannot control a pet rock, much less a satellite dish. First you have to take it around and introduce it to each gadget in turn, punching in the proper code for each make and model, so that the remote knows what signals to send to which device. With some remotes, this phase is sheer torture. The extremely fancy Philips Pronto ($399), for example, forced me to watch 20 minutes of Chains of Love before I could figure out how to change the channel on my TV. No one should have to go through that...
...even the more passive folks, sitting in their living room in front of that new magic gadget, got a world view. ABC's weekend movie slot was frequently filled with British product; I keenly recall an airing of the 1949 "Blue Lagoon," with 20-year-old Jean Simmons as the most thrilling mermaid. The Sunday afternoon show "Omnibus" presented classical concerts, up-and-coming comic talents (Mike Nichols and Elaine May) and foreign films, including the U.S. premiere of Laurence Olivier's "Richard...
HANDY BAR SRAM, a high-end bicycle-component maker based in Chicago, has created a gadget that does for the humble handlebar what utilities did for belts. The SRAM SmartBar is adjustable, lightweight, funky looking and ergonomic--and you can trick it out with a galaxy of gizmos, including headlights, rearview mirrors, gear shifters and even a bicycle computer. It's not yet available on its own, but you can purchase it with bikes from Trek...