Hi-tech Frontier

iPod Plush Pal Speakers If you’re into plush gadgets like the Monkey USB Webcam with Pen Holder or the Monkey USB Speakers, this new one for iPod should be right up your alley. The iPod Plush Pal Speakers are available from the PBteen website in two different models: Kangaroo, Black Painted Dot ($35) and Polar Bear, Pink Rain Drop ($39).

GE's G3WP waterproof point-and-shoot snoozefest Of all the 12.2 megapixel cameras we've seen from General Imaging this week, this is certainly one of them. But that ain't all -- it's waterproof up to 10 feet! Pretty awesome, right? The G3 WP fits in nicely with the rest of the new GE-branded lineup, including 4x optical zoom, auto scene detection, and pan-capture panorama. This guy sports a 2.7-inch LCD and ambient light sensor, with no word yet on price or availability. And to its credit, it does look more like a camera than our other waterproof offering this week.

Pixavi wireless Xcaster ST 5000 video conferencing camera Video conferencing cameras generally aren't the most exciting devices out there, but Pixavi certainly looks to be a decent job of standing out from the pack with its new Xcaster ST 5000 camera, which packs some built-in WiFi (802.11n, no less) and about as catch-all a feature set as most anyone could ask for. That includes HD video recording using the h.264 codec, a 4x optical zoom, MEMS image stabalization, a "high resolution" touchscreen, built-in Bluetooth to accommodate a wireless headset, 16GB of onboard flash plus both SD and CompactFlash card slots, a full range of line-in and AV-out ports, and a promised six hours of use from the camera's 6600 Ah battery, to name just a few features. As you may have surmised, the camera is also fully ruggedized and waterproof, though it expectedly doesn't come cheap. Look for it to run $7,950 when it lands in May.

Sigma DP2 Sigma has been doling out bits and pieces of information about its new DP2 camera since last fall, but it's just now letting folks use it to actually take some pictures and, judging from LetsGoDigital's results, it doesn't look to disappoint. Of course, the camera is still in pre-production form, but LetsGoDigital certainly seems to be plenty impressed with its abilities so far, with the "Super Multi-Layer Coating" on the lens helping to reduce lens flare, while the 41mm f/2.8 lens and 14-megapixel FOVEON X3 image sensor combine to deliver some great depth of field.

Onkyo E702A9 media PC Looking for something a bit more all-in-one than Onkyo's HDC-1L nettop / HTPC? Then you may want to consider the company's new Sotec-branded E702A9 media PC, which keeps things relatively inconspicuous while packing some decent specs all around. That includes a 1080p 21.5-inch display, a Core 2 Duo E7400 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a 4x Blu-ray drive, a built-in TV tuner, an included iPod dock, and some seemingly slightly better than usual 8W speakers. No word on a release 'round here just yet, but folks in Japan can apparently pick one up now for ¥179,000, or just over $1,800.