Gadgets

The television is being revolutionized. Last year, consumers saw high-definition digital TV become the standard in homes across the nation. And now 3-D TVs are for sale. The next step may be a moving television set. A coalition of broadcasters and other companies are putting the finishing touches on new technology that would bring digital television directly to cell phones, laptops and gadgets embedded in automobiles. The mobile devices would receive TV signals, not Internet video you can watch now. The new technology is being tested in the Washington-Baltimore area and in several other regions across the country.

It may have been Easter Saturday, but for the handful of people lined up outside the Best Buy store in Timonium, the morning's anticipatory atmosphere made it feel more like Christmas Eve. The Apple iPad was about to go on sale and fans of the tablet computer that allows users to read books, browse the Internet and enjoy videos and games, didn't want to go home empty handed. Confusion as to when the store actually opened may have accounted for some of the early arrivals. Even when Matt Dawson, the Timonium store's day manager, came outside and informed the crowd that the store would not open at 9 a.m. but rather 10 a.m., few showed signs of yielding their place in line.

C ertain shiny little things make me weak in the knees and the wallet. I am helpless in the face of that perfectly designed something that performs beyond its weight class. Tiny diamonds that sparkle big. My previous car, a little silver Miata with a big, throaty throttle. Sliders. Which is why Steve Jobs should have had me at, "So, let me show it to you now," when he unveiled Apple's newest sleek sliver of desire, the iPad. But all I could think of during Wednesday's rollout was: iCan't.

Name: : ReSource Power Station Traveller What it is: : A soft carrying case that hides a power strip for your car, boat or RV. Charge as many as three hand-held gadgets while you drive (you can use the devices while they charge). When you reach your destination, the lightweight Traveller easily hauls your gear and the messy cords to your hotel room, where you can continue to charge your gadgets if you buy the optional DC-to-wall-outlet adapter. How it works: : You will need to buy a car adapter for each of your gadgets.

Baltimore County's newest library branch is offering the public the newest way to read on the go. Playaway, a self-contained audiobook that allows readers to listen while tackling many other tasks, is available at the Perry Hall Library. The branch, one of 17 in the county's system, is circulating 340 Playaway titles and lending out all a reader needs to listen. The entire book, regardless of length, is housed in a pocket-size black box that resembles a cassette tape. "It is great for all ages, and it can be a wonderful distraction," said Darcy Cahill, Perry Hall's manager.

Never before had I even considered streaming music from the 48 advertising-free music channels on my cable TV box to a bedroom stereo system about 70 feet down the hall. But after installing Audioengine's AW1 Premium Wireless Audio Adapter, Buddy Guy's "My Time After Awhile" was coming through loud and clear on the bedroom stereo. "You don't need a computer to move audio - just power for the sender and receiver," says Brady Bargenquast, Audioengine's co-founder and director. "Some people seem to think that the only way you can use the AW1 is with a host computer."

It was finally time to let go. So Emily Stuart posted an ad on Craig's List: "Overzealous bride registers for too much kitchen [junk] and as a result has a BRAND NEW, never opened Oster Breadmaker for sale to a more ambitious bride who will actually make her family hot, fresh, homemade bread!" Stuart explained that the three-year-old wedding gift just didn't work out the way she'd planned. "I thought I was going to be Martha Stewart every day in my kitchen. But here I am heating up Amy's organic pizzas for dinner," said the Pasadena resident, adding that it was difficult to finally get rid of the appliance.

There are few sights sadder than a kid with a new robot, truck, talking doll or hand-held poker game that won't play because Mom, Dad or Grandma forgot one simple thing: the batteries. Sadly, millions of youngsters will be disappointed Christmas morning by this or some other glitch that makes electronic gift-giving a source of parental peril as well as pleasure. But whether it's a battery-powered toy, a computer, a camera or a new high-def TV, there's still time to make sure it works when the family unwraps it - and you'll spend your day enjoying the gift instead of debugging it. First things first.

Eight Carroll County children were asked the question: "What do you do when you hear a strange noise in your bedroom at night and think that there may be a monster in the corner?" Their answer - build a contraption that turns on the light without having to get out of bed. So they did. They dubbed the massive, wacky, machine "The Illuminator" and constructed it using items such as a baseball, easels, pipes, cones, a remote-controlled car, wood scraps, plywood, mousetraps and a bowling ball.

Sure, bark-control collars and self-cleaning litter boxes may make your life easier. But does such pet-tech really do right by your four-legged friend? "More than looking at `Are they cheap?' or `Are they expensive?' or `They don't live up to the hype,' it's more important to look at the device from the animal's welfare, from that point of view," says Nancy Peterson, an issues specialist with the Humane Society of the United States. It's tempting to indulge in some sort of automated pet sitter, especially if you have summertime vacation on the brain.