Stray pets can plug in to make their way home
The Micro I.D. Rescue Collar, a high-tech pet collar from PetSafe, can help lost pets find their way home. Hidden inside the pet collar is a USB flash drive that can store vital information about your pet, including its name, your phone numbers and its vet records. Should your pet get lost, anyone who finds the lost animal can plug its collar into a computer’s USB drive and quickly discover the pet’s identity. And if someone without computer access discovers your pet, the collar also contains a toll-free number to the PetSafe Rescue Service. The collar costs about $40. www.petsafemicroid.com
Play on in private
Need to play a “noisy” Nintendo DS game on the sly? Try on a pair of Turtle Beach’s Ear Force D2 stereo headphones. Designed to work with Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite portable gaming systems, the headphones have built-in stereo earphones and an adjustable microphone, so you can pump up the volume and perform voice-related tasks without disturbing others. You can, for example, use the microphone to issue voice commands to your Nintendog or chat with fellow gamers in “Metroid Prime Hunters.” Available in black, white or pink, the headphones cost $20 each. www.turtle-beach.com/site/products/earforce/d2
Never miss a chance to be in the picture
With a little help from Quik Pod, you can take your picture and be in it too. Designed to hold compact still cameras and camcorders, the hand-held extendable tripod has a self-positioning mirror so you can easily frame your shots. Weighing less than 3.5 ounces, the pocket-sized Quik Pod comes with a carrying bag, a hiking clip, a pocket clip and a wrist strip. It costs about $25. Another package, the Quik Pod Pro+, also includes adapter legs for $30. www.quikpod.com
More options to move data
The Kingston DataTraveler Reader can improve your memory, or at least your access to it. Not only does the device contain a USB drive but it also has a slot that can read Secure Digital (SD) and Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) cards. It also can read other SD formats and MultiMediaCards (MMC) with an optional adapter. When the drive is plugged into a computer’s USB port, one drive letter is assigned to its internal storage and another to the inserted memory card, allowing you to easily transfer files to the computer and between the USB drive and card inside the device. A 1-gigabyte drive with a card reader costs $20 while a 2GB model is $35. A 4GB model is also in the works. www.kingston.com
