TV Guide Online "TechGuide" Columns (2) - 2002

8/13/2019 TV Guide Online "TechGuide" Columns (2) - 2002

1/5

Experience the award-winnilWaveD radio/CD,

March 10,2002wusnxcsYODATS TVlrErTS & 603StPHOT,ffiCUI)FSATURE99oAntrElct tDErufi&cArgA3I( T}Ig EXPf,NTgTGdr H.tthTrch L.fi.IYCUIDHAOAZfiETvCUDf, CHAM'ILTV CUIDE ST?EnITIVEwouDtrrcnf,wcuFEto@

I 2 rntnr':st' f .i-.i pay rc nas

New on MondaysTelematics: K.i.T.T. CarSo fhaf's what they're called,those automotive emergency-response buttons, onscreennavigatioh guides and talkingstock-market and road-condition reports: telematics.And judging from the suddeninterest in these wireless in-carservices, car-owners seemabout to go lelemanic.

Don and Patricia Swanson already have. ln 1999,driving their new Chevrolet Venture on an lowacountry road with three family members, they were hitby an out-of-control van. The force knocked theVenture into a ditch, where it rolled more than two-and-a-half times before coming to rest upside down.Four family members, including two children, were invarious states of injury, and the ejected Patriciapinned beneath her vehicle. Don was unscathed, butthey were in the middle of remote farmland - and, which reported the story,made no mention of the errant van-driver stopping.So why was Ihe Washington Posf reporting on agarden-variety accident in lowa? Because of thepioneering nature of the rescue: As the side-impactair bag was being deployed, the vehicle wasautomatically broadcasting wireless signals to acommand center hundreds of miles away. Police and

More Tecl


2/5


3/5

February 3,2002' Ugntlcg100Av3tYll[t3 t co33rPilovtgGUDcffltuftESl$Pl- - :rttoulrftls&cArE5liKnfrgxFRT3nAt l*ft1tdrfrfi.wSurDf rilAotzfirTVCUtDgCItAfOtwcuDE nrrEi4lttvf,tYcuroc stongwcutoE tooo

-EESF Flll yeur nroilt rlSt *ound.Own thc UUrreO :rd&ulGB,t}.rti, ti'J* ?.t 'll notr:* rarlF *i: i'e* g

New on Mondays2001 Holiday Guide'Tis the season to goelectronic. And why not? Eventhe least-expensive high{echgear will give virtually anyoneon your gift list a charge (so tospeak) And so, from eco-friendly radios to compactnavigation devices that put thewhole world in your hand,here's our list of representativedoo-dads, gimcracks and goo-gaws in a host of price ranges for gift-giving... andmaybe getting, if you show up in the "good" columnon Santa's PDA.

Soltronix HR-1 Solar-Powered Headphone Radio($+01Recharge your radio the way the Space Shuttle does- with solar panels. (Hey, it works and the energy'sfree.) This AM/FM tuner offers good sound, accordingto audio-buff magazines, and its sturdy andlightweight solar panel charges an Ni-Mh AAA batteryon just 30% of full sunlight; it plays 18 hours on a fullcharge, which you can keep topped off. Sold in somestores but mostly online (for retailers, click on"Consumer Links" at the manufacturer's website), thiseco-friendly innovation will make you a regular SunnyJim. 800-421-1972

More Tech


4/5

(it's water-resistant) or, with its included stand,anywhere you want a portable party. t973-315-5000Mini-Yepp YP20T MP3 Player ($99)The letters in "MP3" do nof stand for "mini-player,"but they might as well: These relatively neMangleddevices - which record and play music files youdownload from your computer via common USBcables - make CD

players look like bulldozers. Thislatest in the Yepp line is only 1.7 inches wide by 2.7inches high by less than one-inch deep, and weighsjust two ounces - with a AAA battery. The PC- andMac-compatible unit has limited playtime (32 minutesof music at 128K bps), but it's half the price of othermodels.

800-726-7864FRl428 Family Radio Service (FRS) Two-WayPersonal Radios (990)"Reading you loud and clear. Roger. Roger? This isyour mother, Roger You meet me in the food courtright now " Wrether you're in a parking lot or just in alot of park, keep track of your kids without buyingthem cell phones. These souped-up walkie-talkieswork in the recently instituted FRS radio frequency -no airtime fees or licenses required. This model (soldin a two-pack) has a typical maximum range of twomiles. So unless you're in the Mall of America...800-290-6650

mc3 Digital Camera ($230)


5/5

800-669-4r'-77DSR6000 DirecTV Receiver/TiVo Hard-DiskRecorder ($+001OK, you splurged and got your folks alast year since they still don't knowhow to program their VCR. And hey, it turned outthey liked how easy the device made it toautomatically "tape" their TV shows and sportingevents on a computer disk that bypassescommercials, lets you control slo-mo and instantreplay of live events without missing any action, andcrn even learn your tastes to record on its own(which, granted, is a little scary). Now this year,upgrade'em to this unit that combines a TiVorecorder and a 200-plus-channel DirecTV satellitereceiver (a monthly subscription applies) and,chances are, they'll give their old hard-disk recorderto you. 800-260-7032RC5400P "Laptop" DVDMidescreen TV ($SSO1Sure, there's something ironic about watching awidescreen movie on a 5.8-inch screen. But isn't itcool that you can watch lhe Matix on the subway?This laptop DVD/CD/MP3 player and color monitorhas built-in stereo speakers and both Dolby Digitaland DTS sound technology. Of course, you'll get theoptional headphones if you want to avoid your fellowpassengers subjecting you to the same subway fateas The Matix's Agent Smith.877-326-6601

- Frank Lovece

lllMe,Jla l

Documents

TV Guide Online "TechGuide" Columns (2) - 2002