Say what you want: Why use a tiny keypad to communicate when the human voice can do the job? NTT DoCoMo last week launched a new mobile phone from Fujitsu, the F884i, that will put the joy back into talking to your e-mail contacts. Employing the new FOMA Raku Raku Phone Premium system, users enter their e-mail text by talking to their phone instead of exercising their thumb. Pressing the phone's "voice input" button activates the feature and the user simply says their message aloud. The words are then sent to a server where voice-recognition software, created by Advanced Media Inc., works out what it thinks the user said and the text is then sent back to the phone to be displayed for a final check. A major downside to this tech is that the common places where people now send e-mail are those where talking into your phone is frowned upon: the office, on a train. The clamshell handset has a screen that can swivel into a horizontal position, enhancing its 1Seg TV viewing capability. The F8841 also supports both W-CDMA and GSM technologies, allowing it to be used for international roaming. www.nttdocomo.co.jp

Tiny computing: Sharp and Willcom have crafted an eye-catching bit of technology in the form of the Willcom D4, a tribute to technology's relentless pursuit of miniaturization. This UMPC, an acronym for ultra-mobile personal computer, uses one of Intel's heralded new Atom chips. These chips are dedicated to lowering power consumption for mobile computing. The sleek new UMPC weighs 470 grams and fits a 1.33-gigahertz processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, 40-gigabyte hard drive disk and 5-inch touch-screen into a tiny 84×188×25.9 mm. The D4 also sports a full-featured keyboard, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth abilities, and uses Windows Vista Home Premium as its operating system. It comes with Willcom's W-Sim card, so you can even use it as a phone. It is slated for a mid-June release priced at ¥128,600. www.willcom-inc.com

The power of simplicity: Peripherals-maker GreenHouse is trying to brighten up the electronic morass with its new Eneplug line, which allow you to recharge your USB-powered devices directly from an AC outlet. You simply plug your device's USB cable into the small, colorful Eneplug and then connect it to the wall socket. The plugs come in white, black, yellow, green, orange and pink and cost ¥980. www.green-house.co.jp/products