Bytemarks
With gadgets, it's coolness that matters most

By Burt Lum

It was only a matter of time before the gadget bug caught up to me. It is arguable that I have always had the bug, but over the years I've learned to resist. Lately resistance has become futile as I find myself drawn to electronic shops wherever I go. While in Okinawa, my excuse was that I needed a replacement battery for my Sony Vaio so I ventured into Best Denki. If it wasn't for my cell phone, I might have been lost in there for days.

Although Best Denki had a rack-full of Vaio batteries, it was the vast assortment of electronic gear on display that caught my attention. If you can imagine five department store levels of electronic rice cookers, TV, radios, MP3 players, personal recorders, cameras, game consoles, computers, etc., you will get an idea of what a small store in Okinawa is like. To graduate, you have to go to Tokyo.

As I plot my next trip to the land of electronic miniaturization, the Web offers a suitable substitute for satisfying my gadget craze. While rummaging through www.fatwallet.com looking for a good bargain, I stumbled on a gadget haven at www.gadgetuniverse.com. As far as strategies go, I have concluded that there is no strategy for buying gadgets. Throw necessity out the window. It's whatever looks the coolest that wins the award.

The gadget of the day was a miniature hard drive that plugs into your USB port on your computer. It requires no external power supply and no software. The unit holds 8 MB worth of data and is not much bigger than your thumb.

Another cool item is the Torchlight flashlight. Ever since I got my Proton LED micro light, I've been mesmerized by how bright those LEDs are.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Seiko Secret Agent watch or the Blue Glow Atomic Clock. This brought all the fun back into window shopping, and I didn't even have to find parking. ;-)

Burt Lum, cyber-citizen and self-anointed tour guide to the Internet frontier, is one click away at burt@brouhaha.net.