Innovative Products, #17-#20
17. RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100
Photograph: Marc SimonWe've seen business-oriented smart phones and multimedia phones, but the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 brings those two worlds together and backs everything up with RIM's network, which is still the best for always-on connectivity. The sleek Pearl ($350 from T-Mobile) adds a 1.3-megapixel camera, an audio player, and a video player to the usual BlackBerry features. Caveats: The unit lacks a full QWERTY keyboard, and its trackball navigation and compact keys can be awkward.
18. Rhapsody 4.0
The most evolved of the music streaming services, Rhapsody has added two features that further liberate it from the PC. With the Sonos Digital Music System, you can connect directly to Rhapsody, no PC needed. And if you tell the $10-to-$15-per-month service which kinds of music you like, it'll load new songs in that genre when you connect a compatible portable player.
19. Logitech NuLooq
Photograph: Marc SimonThe $70 NuLooq (check latest prices), a heavy hockey puck-size dome that sits stationary on your desk, gives you lots of new ways of moving around your PC. Though it's targeted at design pros, it can help anyone who needs more control than a mouse and a scroll wheel offer.
20. Shure E500PTH Sound Isolating Earphones
Photograph: Marc SimonThese in-ear, sound-isolating headphones nestle themselves in your ear canal and block 20 dB of outside noise, leaving you with a remarkably quiet listening environment even on a crowded bus or plane. Though that's great for listening to music, it can be a pain if you have to talk to someone for a bit. In the $500 E500PTH (check latest prices), however, Shure found a unique way around the problem by embedding a small microphone in the cord. Flick a switch on the Push To Hear module, and the outside world is piped in through the headphones--you have no need to remove them from your ears.
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