Beam It Down, Doggie
An easy and inexpensive way to enjoy Sirius Satellite Radio in car and home, the Starmate Replay ($99) lets you record up to 44 minutes of Sirius programming to listen to later. With the Sirius Seek feature, you can program your favorite artist names and/or song titles and the Starmate Replay will alert you whenever they're playing. Use this in conjunction with the Game Alert, which works the same way but for your favorite sports teams. When driving, the unit's big, fat and easily located buttons are a boon since you can change stations and hit presets without taking your eyes from the road. Its FM transmitter isn't the strongest we've encountered, but it does the job, even amidst our crowded LA airwaves. Strangely enough, our favorite part was the mounting device. It's not as long as we'd like, making you reach farther up the dash, but it's easy to snap the unit into place and swivel it back and forth between driver and passenger.
Soaked In Sake
Sure you can drink it (we sure do), but you can also use the ricey libation to prep wood before forming it into cones. JVC's EX-D5 system ($605), with exclusive wood cone speaker technology, offers superb sound among its numerous features.www.jvc.com
Just Wanna Watch Tv!
Watching a movie at our home requires memorizing a complex pattern of universal remote buttons. Perhaps we should switch to a Monster Central AV100 controller ($350). It's simple yet powerful enough to control all our components (for lighting, too, upgrade to the AVL300)www.monstercable.com
Wear It, Love It
Whether you're a member of the Scion subculture or just appreciate a fine set of rags, you'll welcome Scion's Release line to your wardrobe. Check out the thin S pattern overlapping the birds on the Birdie shirt ($90)www.scion.com/releaseline
Be Your Own EverythingDigital music makers should check out Open Labs' MiKo ($1,999). This portable digital music, video and animation system combines a Windows XP-based computer, synthesizer, video mixer/recorder and a broadband Internet hub. www.openlabs.com
Play It All
Upgrade your clock radio, or possibly your entertainment system, with Polk Audio's I-Sonic ($599). Its small casing contains an AM/FM and HD Radio, DVD/CD player, XM Satellite capability, auxiliary inputs for a PMP and powerful speakers.www.polkaudio.com