The Buzz: tools, trends, and gizmos

With a twist of its body and a flap of its wings, the i-Buddy will alert you to an incoming IM message—and convey some of its meaning. Designed for Windows Live Messenger (MSN) users, the three-inch tall figurine is a physical representation of your buddy. You can even program it to recognize a particular contact. With a USB connection, the smart little guy “reads” emoticons and reacts—glows, shimmies, or flaps—accordingly. $24.95. www.firebox.com.

Olympus has released the E-420, a fully-featured 10-megapixel digital SLR that comes in a highly portable, lightweight package. Weighing a mere 13.4 ounces, the E-420, with a large, 2.7-inch LCD, is 20 to 40 percent lighter than competing DSLRs. Features include on-screen autofocus and Live View, which enables users to hold the camera away from their faces while shooting. E-420 with 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko zoom lens: $599.99. olympusamerica.com.

Are stacks of CDs just lying around, not earning their keep? You might consider a handy new tool called the Ripserver. Simply plop a CD into the stand-alone device and your music is converted to MP3 or FLAC and added to your hard drive, no messing with iTunes required. With up to 1TB of storage, the Ripserver is compatible with almost any media player or device, including iTunes. The 1TB version: $995. www.ripstyles.com.

OK, this isn’t a classroom item. But we all know how a good night’s sleep aids job performance. The Starry Night from Leggett & Platt is one teched-out bed. There’s anti-snore technology—with sensors that tweak sleep positions if your partner starts sawing wood. Not ready for sleep? The bed is fully Internet wired with an iPod dock. “Read Mode” will raise the head of the bed to a comfortable lounging position, turn on the bedside lamp, and turn off the TV. All this luxury comes at a price, of course. $20,000. 

A new task force on child safety online will be led by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. The Internet Safety Technical Task Force includes Berkman Fellow danah boyd (above), who seeks “a solution that will work for [stakeholders] while not further disintegrating the rights and freedoms of youth,” she wrote in her blog.

WildCharge is a wireless powering solution for mobile gadgets. Place your enabled phone or other device anywhere on the WildCharge pad—currently compatible with only the Motorola RAZR V3—and it will power up. With adapters in the works for the Apple iPhone and iPod, the system can charge multiple devices at the same time. An accompanying adapter with contact points attaches to or outright replaces the device’s back cover. Pad and Adapter bundle for the RAZR V3: $90.

Lego Universe, the first MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) based on the popular little brick, is expected to debut in 2009. To be produced by NetDevil, a CO-based game company, it’s a unique twist on online gaming, with a kid-safe environment, where players can order a physical version of what they have designed within Lego Universe.

A unique, nonprofit venture will allow anyone to reprint public domain (PD) works. Created by IT pro Yakov Shafranovich, the Public Domain Archive and Reprints Service has about two million available titles, which come from the Internet Archive, Google Books, and other resources. How does it work? Request a title and the service will prep the file. Users then have the option of purchasing the copy (soft-cover only) from a print-on-demand service, like Lulu. Reprints cost about $5–19, before shipping.

Love ’em or hate ’em, Crocs—those rubberyclogs favored by toddlers and chefs—are a shoe fad that doesn’t want to go away. Now, the colorful slip-ons have been adapted as a mobile phone case. Complete with vent holes, the cell Crocs are universally sized, and come in eight colors from black and fuchsia to cotton candy and turquoise. The “heel strap” keeps your phone secure, and an internal sleeve can stow cash or credit cards. Accessorize, if you must, with snap-on charms. Available in May. $15. 

What are the most annoying mobile phone habits? Well, there are 10, actually. SpinVox, a voice-to-text company, recently polled their users on antisocial cell practices and devised a list of the top offenses. Among the obvious picks: talking too loudly, taking a call at the dining table, and blasting one’s musical taste through a ringtone. And then there’s the co-worker who texts nonstop during a meeting. SpinVox also cited people who take calls in public bathroom stalls. Now that’s taking multitasking too far.