Quotes of the Day
Nintendo DS
WHO: Nintendo, maker of Game Boy and GameCube
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WHY: New systems are always required for developing handheld games that take advantage of the latest technologies, in this case touchscreens, wireless networking, voice recognition and picture chat.
HOW IT WORKS: The stacked screensa regular LCD and a touch-sensitive oneallow for a new breed of games. Play can be controlled with a PDA-type stylus in addition to buttons. Two kinds of wireless networking, including industry-standard wi-fi, mean that you'll be able to play some games head-to-head in a room or — with the right programming — seek combatants out on the Internet.
APPLICATIONS: Expect many new games, including ones with familiar faces like Mario and James Bond. Game Boy Advance titles are also compatible.
HOW MUCH: $150; due in late November.
MP3 Sunglasses
WHO: Oakley, makers of extreme eyewear
WHY: With computer parts getting smaller and smaller, it was only a matter of time before someone dreamed this up.
HOW IT WORKS: The sunglasses, dubbed Thump, plug into your computer's USB jack so that you can zap MP3s from the computer directly to them. Then, just put on your shades, stick the earbuds in your ears and head out to the slopes.
APPLICATIONS: For snowboarders and mountain bikers who want to tune out the great outdoors, the glasses mean one less gizmo in the fanny pack. Plus, they come with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to six hours, with either 128 MB or 256 MB of storage.
HOW MUCH: $400-$500; available in December.
Wireless Videophone
WHO: Motorola and AT&T Wireless
WHY: The latest cell networks make videophones possible. And who doesn't want to see exactly where a spouse is calling from?
HOW IT WORKS: Motorola's A845 comes with a small video camera mounted above the display and can send moving images over a high-speed wireless network that can deliver data at speeds almost as great as basic DSL.
APPLICATIONS: Provided that your friends have identical phones (or next-gen models not yet unveiled), you can share a two-way live video feed. Raunchy uses will no doubt proliferate.
HOW MUCH: The A845 costs $300 in five cities currently testing the high-speed service, with national roll-out planned over the next few years.
Antimicrobial Countertops
WHO: Microban International and countertop maker Cosentino USA
WHY: Until now, antimicrobial agents that fend off bacteria and mold have been limited to cleaning supplies and products made of plastic.
HOW IT WORKS: Cosentino's Silestone is made by compressing natural crystal quartz at the molecular level. In the process, the microbe-resistant agent is bonded to the rock so the countertop has a germ-fighting property when cut, shaped or even chipped.
APPLICATIONS: Antimicrobial countertops make sense because food is prepared on them. Still, makers warn, they're no substitute for cleaning.
HOW MUCH: In April 2005, Home Depot will begin selling Silestone with antimicrobial protection for $40 to $95 per square foot.
Money-Scanning ATMs
WHO: Bank of America
WHY: Precisely verifying what you've deposited into an ATM has always been tricky. This machine produces an accurate record of the deposit in real time.
HOW IT WORKS: Instead of adding up your money, stuffing it into an envelope and shoving it into the ATM, you slide each check or bill individually into the machine. It scans them, producing a receipt with an accurate tally of the cash and even color snapshots of the checks. Another feature on the horizon is a Windows-like interface for moving money from one account to another or paying bills.
APPLICATIONS: Every so often, customers key in the wrong amount when they make a deposit at an ATM. The goal here is to avoid disputes and costly errors.
HOW MUCH: Due next year, the ATM service will be free to Bank of America customers.
Everywhere Display
WHO: IBM
WHY: Touch-screen kiosks have taken off, but it's not always easy to find space to install them. This invention removes the physical screen so that interactive images can be cast onto almost any surface.
HOW IT WORKS: A wall-mounted projector, paired with a camera, shows images on the floor or wall. The camera tracks people's interactions with the visuals, and the system interprets them the way it would a moving mouse or a tap on a screen.
APPLICATIONS: Retailers could lure shoppers with interactive window displays. Airports might offer visually aided instructions and directions throughout terminals. In a lab or office, collaborators might use it like a high-tech dry-erase board that displays Excel spreadsheets and other interactive material.
HOW MUCH: The display won't be sold in stores and will be priced according to its corporate customers' specifications.
Blue-Laser Disc Players And Recorders
WHO: Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and others are developing the Blu-Ray format. Toshiba and NEC are working on the competing HD DVD
WHY: Today's DVDs may look good, but they're not true high definition. An HD movie would fill up three or four DVDs. HD DVD and Blu-Ray have far greater data-storage capacity.
HOW IT WORKS: Employing a blue laser instead of a red one, these disc players can read and write data that are more finely packed onto a multi-layered optical disc.
APPLICATIONS: The new formats can hold full-length feature films with a resolution six times as sharp as today's DVDs, plus goodies such as uncompressed surround sound.
HOW MUCH: Due in the U.S. by late 2005 or early '06, the first models may cost more than $1,000.
IntelliClean Toothbrush
WHO: A partnership between Sonicare and Crest
WHY: The toothpaste-releasing brush is efficient — and means no more crimped-up tubes.
HOW IT WORKS: The brush holds a packet of special Crest formula, designed to liquefy in your mouth as you brush. For deep cleaning on back teeth — where it's needed — you can squeeze out extra paste.
APPLICATIONS: Though no dentist would ever tell you not to floss daily, the combination of the brushing technology and the new toothpaste is shown to get between teeth better than anything other than string.
HOW MUCH: Priced between $100 and $200, it will be available from dentists this fall and in stores next spring.
- WILSON ROTHMAN