See microscopic world on TV
Now you can transform your TV screen into a microscope viewfinder with EyeClops, a scientific toy from Jakks Pacific, which is known for plug-and-play TV toys that cut the PC out of the equation.
Looking like a baseball-size eyeball with a pistol grip, this $50 microscope plugs into the video port of a TV and is powered by five AA batteries. It will be available early next month at and major retailers.
When you aim the center of the eye at a target, like a scrap of fabric, your TV screen fills with a view guaranteed to draw young gawkers. Salt crystals look like something from a glacier, fabric like spaghetti. You don’t even want to look at the hair on your arm.
The subjects are illuminated by three LEDs, and the single 200x magnification setting is ideal for discovering the individual pixels on a cellphone screen or the dots of ink on a dollar bill.
Accessories include a holder for examining live bugs. Toys like this can help you persuade your spouse of the educational merits of that new big-screen TV. – Warren Buckleitner, The New York Times
Smart phone a multitasker
With all the talk of the iPhone, you might think that Apple was the only company creating fancy new cellphones. Remember Nokia? This Finnish company makes the N76, a smart phone masquerading as a high-fashion accessory.
The N76 has a 2-megapixel camera and can record audio and video. Music lovers can skip through their collections using the buttons on the front of the phone, and it can play back prerecorded video on its 2.4-inch display.
What makes the phone stand out from other similar clamshell devices is its powerful processor and its Symbian S60 operating system, which lets it run a number of programs, including one that reads Microsoft Office files. Many games and business tools are available for S60 devices.
The N76 has 26 megabytes of memory built in and can accept microSD memory cards of up to 2 gigabytes.
This $499 phone comes in black or red and is available online and at Nokia stores in Chicago and New York. Because Nokia is selling it directly, there are neither carrier subsidies nor any contract requirements – something that new AT&T customers with iPhones might appreciate. – John Biggs, The New York Times
