OTHER TECH

Ojo videophone No, this isn't another high-tech false alarm. Every year, some company announces it's achieved the long-elusive goal of a real videophone, and every year we end up with something that makes people look like they're characters in an old Charlie Chaplin short. Well, the future is finally here, in the very stylish form of Motorola's Ojo ($800). The 16:9 screen - a generous 5.625 inches (diagonal) - produces sharp, colorful pictures free of herky-jerky motion, and the tiny built-in camera captures an equally impressive picture for whoever you're calling. But that's the first hitch - for this Jetsonian exercise to successfully play out, the person on the other end has to have an Ojo, too. (Web and cellphone cams need not apply.) Not surprisingly, you also need a cable-modem or DSL connection to handle all that video bandwidth. (You're not obliged to broadcast your mug when using the Ojo, though, since you can use the 6.25-inch-long handset - which snaps out of the support and functions like a typical cordless phone - to make traditional voice-only calls.) The Ojo is more indulgence than bargain, but if you're solvent and savvy enough, you'll have yourself a ball. - Michael Gaughn broadband.motorola.com

Back to Intro Audio (Music/Sound) | Video (TV/DVD/Camera) | Gaming iPod | Phones | Remote Controls Storage/Gear | Stocking Stuffers CDs, DVDs, Video Games