Videophones might be the future of communication, but there is more than a whiff of narcissism about them. After all, whose self-image is such that they believe the person at the other end actually wants to gaze at their visage? Thanko is appealing to the powers of the ego with its Mirror WebCamera. It is a deceptively simple but clever concept — a Web Camera positioned behind a small circular mirror. You simply connect it up next to your computer, and looking in the mirror you get to see just what the person on the other end is privileged enough to see. It operates with both PCs and Macs, is USB-powered and even includes lights around the edge of the mirror to brighten up your image. More information is available at www.thanko.jp/mirrorwebcam/ and the camera is on sale for 5,980 yen. For many of us it might be advisable to disconnect it in the early hours of the morning.
The color of individuality: Apple and, rather fitfully, other computer makers have managed to create computers whose style marks them off as a creative cut above the standard gray box. But the ability to personalize our computer's appearance, to make it as much an extension of ourselves on the outside as it already is on the inside, remains elusive. Plastering a few sticks on the case only goes so far. Digital Cowboy opens up the options with its Acrylic Cowboy range of PC cases, including various shades of translucent plastic, among them an arresting orange that may appeal to fans of the Dutch soccer team in particular. More details are available at www.digitalcowboy.jp/products /ac/index.html
Gadgets for the blind: PDAs are probably past their prime, the good old days when the Palm was a premium asset. But they remain useful gadgets, at least for many. One group that never really had a chance of enjoying the faded fad is the blind, as PDAs are generally reliant on using their nifty little screens. GW Micro is living up to its name with the VoiceSense, a PDA designed for the visually impaired. Looking rather like a fancy remote control with extra large buttons, the gadget runs on the Windows operating system for PDAs with the standard features for its class of device like Internet browser, calculator, MP3 player, schedule, WiFi connection, memory cards and so on. But it also employs a vocal guiding system and its own specialized keyboard to allow the blind to write documents and otherwise get the most out of their gadget. It weighs in at just 266 grams and hits local shelves this week. More information is available from www.gwmicro.com/Voice_Sense/