OTHER TECH

HANNspree HANNSlounge 32-inch LCD HDTV $1,499 hannspree-usa.com Like most LCD TVs, the HANNSlounge is black and not very deep, but the external similarities end there. For one thing, it's simply rounder - the top and bottom edges of the cabinet slope subtly toward the edges, and even the gently ribbed speaker grille sports rounded-off corners. Meanwhile, the back is clad entirely in plastic that looks like wood, which wraps all the way around the sides. But the most prominent design touch is also the most retro: a pair of legs that protrude from either side, supporting the TV like a sawhorse. Sure, a generic, pedestal-like stand might be more practical if you don't have much space on your table, but those legs sure look cool.

Features-wise, the HANNSlounge loses nothing to less distinctive-looking HDTVs. It has one HDMI and two component-video inputs and a PC input. Three front-panel slots that encompass nearly every variety of flash media let you watch digital photos. There's even an RS-232 control port for wiring the 'Slounge into your customized home of the future, if that's your thing.

The medium-size remote distinguishes itself with its clear plastic keys - alas, they're not backlit, and the layout is a bit cluttered. Clicking into the menu system, I appreciated the wide array of picture controls, including a two-step backlight and a trio of color-temperature presets. But I was disappointed to find that most of the picture controls were disabled with the HDMI input.

Overall, I loved the HANNspree's picture. Black areas looked a little lighter than on some other 32-inch LCDs, and very dark areas had a slight blue tinge. But most of the shows I watched, like a soccer match between New York and New England, looked as sharp as HDTV should, from the clearly rendered blades of grass to the crisp onscreen graphics to the pattern on the distant ball. Still, the TV itself looked even sharper. - David Katzmaier

RIM BlackBerry Pearl cellphone $199 blackberrypearl.com They can't really cram a BlackBerry into a cellphone chassis, can they? Well, yeah, they can, and they have - and with oodles of high-tech style to spare. The Pearl has too many features to list them all, but here are some highlights:

An excellent (for a cellphone) MP3/AAC music player. (There's a heaphone jack, and the 'buds are supplied.)

A tiny trackball helps you navigate the surprisingly large (1.5 x 1.6-inch) and readable (240 x 260-pixel) TFT display. The menu button left of the trackball takes you through the multitude of applications. Both the trackball and keyboard are backlit.

A decent 1.3-megapixel camera with flash and a 5x digital zoom - and that large main display makes it a cinch to compose shots.

Alright, you have to be unusually light on your thumbs to speed-type on the QWERTY-style keyboard (this is not the place to be writing up a last-minute term paper), but, unlike a lot of cellphone keypads, this one is very easy to navigate and great for doing short e-mails.

It seems like, as cellphones have gotten more sophisticated as multimedia devices, they've gotten crappier as phones. But the Pearl - which uses T-Mobile - fits comfortably in your hand, is easy to dial, gets great reception, and lets you actually hear what the other person's saying, so no problems here.

Having all those features crammed into it doesn't cause the Pearl to bulk up. At 2 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches and just over 3 ounces, it slides into your coat pocket easily and lightly. - Michael Gaughn