Hi Tech / Lo Tech
The Creative Zen Vision:M is truly an MP3 worth checking into. It's a 30GB gadget with top-notch features that will make you wonder how you got along without one. As a portable video player (PVP) it has a 2.5 inch 320x240-pixel LCD screen that displays a whopping 262,000 colors. The video and photos absolutely explode off the screen, with excellent brightness and viewing angles. If the screen makes the device, the Vision:M has what it takes. It also lets you browse and view your photos (all tens of thousands of them) individually and mark your favorites for a customized slide show while you listen to tunes.
Playing tunes is the Vision:M's first mission, and it does it so well. It will hold up to 15,000 songs (and 120 hours of video) and is Janus compatible, so you can fill it with tunes downloaded from many subscription services such as Napster To Go. Or record from Vision:M's FM radio. There are 32 available preset radio station slots (such as Classical, Rock, etc). You can manually add presets, give names to the stations you set and record broadcasts. All FM recordings are saved as four-bit, 22KHz WAV files, while the voice recordings become four-bit, 16KHz WAV files.
The Smart Volume feature keeps a consistent volume level through all your tracks. Another cool feature is the Lookup Artist option, which takes you to the artist listing for whatever track is playing; you can also purchase the tune (if you're on a subscriber basis). Your foam-padded earbuds let you to listen to your tunes in comfort, too. You'll be able to listen for hours- the rechargeable internal battery is rated at 14 hours of time for audio. Video fans will love the 4 hour battery life for video. The Vision:M has lots of options yet is easy to operate. It has just four function buttons: Play/Pause, Menu, Back, and Shortcut. The buttons light up blue so you won't be fumbling in low light.
Other neat features include a customizable main menu, calendar, sleep and wake timers, contact and task lists, album art recorder, Bass Boost and more. All in a trim package only 4.1 by 2.4 inches. The Vision:M weighs just 5.7 ounces and fits neatly in your pocket. Great Bonus: the Creative Zen Vision:M is available in five fabulous colors- Black, White, Blue, Green or Pink. You'll want to see the Creative Zen Vision:M at your local electronics retailer, or on www.creative.com
For those who think things have gone too far with gadgets dwindling to the size of a peanut, the Retro Phone Handset is for you! It's a new production replica of the Western Electric 500-series model, which was the classic handset for several decades. It will fit in the 2.5mm headset jack of most cell phones, or with a hands-free adapter kit, available in electronics stores. It works with a Blackberry, too. The Retro Phone Handset doesn't use batteries, and it even has the classic curly phone cord. Now that phones have become way too serious and James Bond-ish, your newest cell phone accessory should be one that we used to break open peanuts with. Discovered on www.thinkgeek.com.