Best Of Show

Along with all the serious hardware on display, there were plenty of fun gadgets to enjoy at last week’s Comdex. A few of my favorites:

TWISTED The Origami, a “concept” (read unfinished) device from National Semiconductor, combines a removable digital video and still camera, MP3 player, videoconferencing terminal, cell phone, mini-keyboard, Windows PC and wireless Internet browser in a single plastic case the size of a paperback novel. It changes function by twisting into seemingly endless positions and should be available late next fall.

3-IN-1 If all you really want is a cell phone, pager and Palm-style PDA, look out for the Handspring Treo. This slim device is about the size and weight of a regular cell phone, with a protective flip-top and large screen. It comes in two flavors–with a keyboard or with a Graffiti writing pad. A switch at the top mercifully silences the whole thing instantly. Look for it in early 2002.

BOWWOW That perennial Comdex favorite–Sony’s Aibo, the robot dog–arrived this year in two new incarnations. The 220 model, instantly dubbed the Terminator by showgoers, is a sleek and scary-looking hound with a built-in flashlight and a host of programmable robo-features. At the other end of the spectrum stand Latte and Macaron, cute little round-faced puppies with entirely touch-sensitive heads. Both models just went on sale, and to Sony’s surprise, the pups are already outselling the Terminator. Go figure.

–C.T.