In Brief

GEEKS WHO WEAR GLASSES They're smart, they're pasty faced, and they know their way around a RAM cache. Now the geeks have their own beauty contest. Would-be contestants (of both genders) in the Sexiest Geek Alive pageant take a technology quiz, then compete in a series of nationwide events. Would-be judges can ogle the geeks and cast their votes at www.sexiestgeekalive.com .

IN LIVING CALLER We love our cell phones (except when we hate them), but nobody likes squinting at those murky little gray-and-black screens. Now we don't have to. Sanyo's new SCP-5000 phone ($500, available only from Sprint PCS) is the first in the U.S. with a screen that displays colors--256 of them, to be exact. Download tiny digital photos of your pals, and when they call, the SCP-5000 will show you their smiling faces. It also surfs the Web, stores 500 phone numbers and 300 e-mail addresses, and plays an incomprehensible game called Crab Catcher.

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 and