Sun
VOYAGER ROCK SPEAKERS, BOSTON ACOUSTICS
U.B. FUNKEYS, MATTEL
CANON PIXMA IP100 MOBILE PRINTER
PINNACLE VIDEO TRANSFER, $130
Transfer analog video to your iPod or USB flash drive or USB hard drive with this USB 2.0 device. It records straight from your television, DVD player, personal video recorder, camcorder or set-top box with three different recording levels to choose from for video quality. Works for iPod Video, the third generation iPod nano and iPod classic as well as other USB mass storage devices. As a bonus it recharges your iPod battery while it’s transferring video. At www.pinnaclesys.com.
VOYAGER ROCK SPEAKERS, BOSTON ACOUSTICS, $225 TO $450
Boston Acoustics has brought new meaning to the term rock music with its new solution for ‘outdoor soundscaping.’ Disappearing into the garden in versions ranging from river rock to sandstone to New England granite, these weatherproof speakers come in three configurations, the Voyager RK5 with a 5 1/4-inch bass unit; the Voyager RK6T2 with a 6 1/2-inch bass unit; and the Voyager RK8T2 with an eight-inch bass unit. Part of a lineup of outdoor speakers, find them at www.bostonacoustics.com
U.B. FUNKEYS, MATTEL, $25 FOR A STARTER KIT, $7 FOR ADDITIONAL FUNKEYS
Arriving in Canada in mid-May, Funkeys inhabit a virtual world called Terrapina and let kids play games, collect coins and not surprisingly expand their online world with the more Funkeys they get. There are 42 of them, so we’re guessing this could be the next birthday gift of choice for the harried parents of social butterfly kids. Geared for ages eight to 12, this junior networking site lets players (or their parents) stipulate different viewing levels so they can limit their contact to other users they know. www.UBfunkeys.com
CANON PIXMA IP100 MOBILE PRINTER, $280
Canon’s latest portable printer brings new features to mobile printing including increased colour resolution to a maximum of 9600 x 2400 dpi and increased print speeds up to 20 pages-per-minute for black and 14 for colour. It also adds auto image fix technology to the mobile printer category and can print photo-quality prints in sizes up to eight-by-10-inch as well as letter size. It can print wirelessly from a built-in irDA port3 or from select Bluetooth-enabled cellphones and computers with an optional Bluetooth Unit BU-304, at $80. It also has an optional lithium ion battery that will churn out 290 pages per three-hour charge — an extra $100. Also available is the automobile power unit adding another $90 for charging through a car socket.
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
