Ready, set, Mario Kart Wii; bigger, better screen play for vids and pics; all-in-one podcast tools; a land-line phone for IM junkies; and rockin’ headphones for your (you guessed it!) head and phone.
Nokia BH-604
$189.95; nokiausa.com
Now that music-playing cellphones are everywhere, it’s time
to get a decent pair of headphones – because those crappy freebies don’t really do your tunes justice. Nokia’s wireless noise-canceling headphones operate on A2DP Bluetooth – mostly found in cellphones – and produce stereo sound. They also work as a headset, automatically pausing your music when you get an incoming call and resuming when the call ends. Take heart, iPhone users, you too can enjoy wireless stereo sound if you get a Bluetooth adapter like Oakley’s iCombi. (Make sure it’s A2DP Bluetooth, though.)
Behringer Podcastudio
$149.99; behringer.com
If you’ve ever thought you could do a better job than that guy on the radio, here’s your chance to prove it. Behringer – makers of public-address systems, amps and mixing consoles – has put everything you need to create a professional sounding podcast into a box, including a USB audio interface, mixer, microphone, headphones and audio software for both Macs and PCs. It even comes with an illustrated quick-start guide on “How To Podcast.” The only thing you’ll need to do is find a nice quiet place to yammer.
Vtech IS6100
$99.95; vtechphones.com
Land lines may be passé, but they’ve long been your only option for making calls without a cellphone signal. To prove that you’re not a total technology Luddite, give your phone an update with Vtech’s new instant-messaging cordless phone – the first of its kind. Its high-resolution color LCD and QWERTY keypad give you free access to MSN Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger, provided you plug the base unit into a USB port on your PC. You can text and IM to your heart’s content, all without being chained to your computer or cellphone service.
Mario Kart Wii
$49.99; gamestop.com
Gentlemen, start your engines! Mario Kart is almost here for the Wii, and if you thought you looked ridiculous pretending your Wii Remote was a baseball bat, just wait until you plug it into the wireless steering wheel that’s packaged with the game. You and up to three friends (11 via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection) can race through new and old tracks with all your favorite characters, plus some fresh faces. And this time you can ditch your karts and race around with motorbikes. Pre-order it now, the game hits stores next Sunday.
Philips DCP 951
$199.99; philips.com
Sometimes bigger really is better, especially when it comes to watching portable videos. This new DVD player and iPod dock – compatible with video, Nano, the classic iPod and the iTouch – bumps up your paltry screen size to a satisfying 9-inch wide-screen LCD display, all while producing Dolby Digital sound. No iPod? No problem. It’s also got slots for SD and MMC flash media cards. And, if that wasn’t enough to convince you, it doubles as a digital picture frame.