Wave a hand, and voilà, mundane chores like opening trash cans and lighting candles are accomplished effortlessly. Wireless sensor technology is making its way into our everyday lives.

Fitted with wireless sensors, Tung Hing Industrial's Touchless Trashcan and Brookstone's Flameless Wax Sensor Candle automatically open and light, respectively, after detecting hand motion. Wireless sensors in Hammacher Schlemmer's Voice-Activated R2-D2 robot--a replica of the droid from the popular Star Wars movie series--can guard a room and sound an intruder alarm.

Also worth a look, is Samsung's SGH-ZX20 cell phone, which enables high-quality streaming video with its support for super-speedy HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) networks. For photo aficionados, Edge Tech's Digital Picture Frame can combine digital images with sound to create multimedia slide shows.

Clone Wars

Like other geeks, I'm a big fan of Star Wars' R2-D2, so I couldn't resist ordering Hammacher Schlemmer's Voice-Activated R2-D2, a robot that looks and behaves like the short and stout original.

This R2-D2 moves and responds to more than 40 voice commands, including "turn around," "turn right" and "turn left." It also displays emotion: For example, it cries when upset, but you can shout "behave yourself!" to calm it down.

R2-D2 uses infrared sensors to detect motion, allowing it to play tag, follow people, or guard a room. It sounds off an alarm when it detects an intruder.

For Star Wars enthusiasts, plenty of movie memorabilia is programmed into the droid. It replicates dialogue, sounds, and dance steps from the films. The robot is 15 inches tall and weighs 6 pounds. It is available for $120 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Not Garbage Technology

Swing a hand across the top of Tung Hing's Touchless Trashcan, and its lid opens automatically. This is beneficial for users who find step-on lid openers challenging--or simply boring. The lid flips open after an infrared sensor detects hand motion within 6 inches. It closes 3 seconds after the hand moves away from the sensor, which is installed next to the lid.

The steel bin, with a capacity of 13 gallons, operates for one year on four D-cell batteries. You can buy it for $99 on the Touchless Trash Can Web site, which also sells accessories such as liner bags.

Sensor-Activated Candles

Two LEDs pose as a candle flame in Brookstone's Flameless Wax Sensor Candle. Move a hand over the candle, and an infrared motion sensor detects the motion and switches on the LEDs.

The 6-inch candle is made of wax and emits a rich scent without posing the fire hazard of a real candle with an open flame, according to the company. Four AA batteries power 100 hours of light, according to the company. The Flameless Wax Sensor Candle costs $20 on Brookstone's site.

Multimedia Picture Frame

Digital music and images blend to create multimedia slide shows on Edge Tech's Digital Picture Frame. The 7-inch frame lacks internal storage: It plays MP3 audio files, displays JPEG images, and plays MPEG-II and AVI video files stored on either flash cards (Compact Flash, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard or Secure Digital) or an IBM Microdrive.

The Digital Picture Frame sits on a table or hangs on a wall, but it must be plugged into a power outlet to operate. It is available only in white and comes with a credit card-sized remote control that can adjust audio volume, image size, and display brightness (the same controls are on the frame as well). The $190 device is available at Edge Tech's site, where you can also download a form for a $40 mail-in rebate.

Better Video Phone

Samsung is raising the bar for performance in mobile handsets with its ultra-thin SGH-ZX20 clamshell phone, which it bills as the first commercial cell phone to support HSDPA, a high-speed data network technology that is the 3G successor to UMTS and EDGE technologies on GSM/GPRS networks. (Cingular has begun deploying HSDPA service in the U.S.)

The handset is rated by Samsung to receive data at 1.8 megabits per second, allowing users to enjoy high-quality streaming video on its 262,000-color LCD. Where HSDPA service is not available, the phone connects to previous-generation EDGE networks. The SGH-ZS20 also supports Bluetooth 2.0, according to Samsung.

The handset has a built-in 1.3-megapixel digital camera and a MicroSD memory card slot for external storage. Samsung says it should be available in the U.S. in a few months. As with most phones, carriers typically determine pricing; Samsung had no information on the likely price tag for the SGH-ZX20.

Agam Shah is an editor with the IDG News Service, based in San Francisco. Questions or comments? Write to Agam Shah.