Heart monitor’s got the beat
Whether you’re running, jogging or walking, Yamaha’s BODiBEAT keeps pace with your workout. The combination heart-rate monitor/digital music player measures the steps per minutes of your workout and then selects and plays songs with a matching beats-per-min-ute tempo. When you finish exercising, a log displays your average pace, the calories burned and your maximum heart rate. The device also can be programmed to tell you when to pick up the pace or slow it down. The package includes a music player with 512 megabytes of memory, a heart-rate monitor that clips to your ear, software that sorts the downloaded tunes and an armband that holds the music player in place. It will go on sale this fall for $299. (www.bodibeat.com)
Service lets phone e-mail
Teleflip’s free mobile e-mail service can turn a no-frills cellphone into a smart phone that can accept and respond to e-mail messages through the phone’s short messaging service (SMS) channel. To sign up for the company’s flipMail service, you first need to register your cellphone number and e-mail address on its website. You then can instruct the service to send e-mail messages to your phone from specific people at preset times. You can, for example, turn the service off during the day while you’re at work and turn it on when you’re at home. You also can limit the size of messages sent to your phone.
Sony DVD recorder skips PC
Sony’s newest DVD recorder lets you transfer high-definition videos and digital photos to DVDs without using a computer. When connected to a Sony hard drive or a compatible Sony camcorder, the VRD-MC5 DVDirect DVD recorder can create high-definition DVDs (1080i) that can be played back in Blu-ray Disc devices. The new model also can create musical slide shows from data on popular memory cards and transfer standard-definition videos to DVDs from most any camcorder, VCR or digital video recorder. The recorder features a 2.5-inch color screen and stop-timer recording. Cost: $230.
Device eliminates tangle of TV cords
Tired of tangled wires in front of the TV? Aluratek’s AVT200 Wireless Audio/Video TV Viewer can reduce the clutter. Designed to work with DVD players, video-game consoles, camcorders, notebooks and other electronic gear, the wireless device can transfer audio and video to a TV up to 20 feet away. Priced at $100, it ships with a TV antenna, a power adapter, a 3.5mm audio cable and an audio/video cable. (www.aluratek.com)
