Best Of Show

By Chris Taylor

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.