Devices to put the spark back in summer

Jonathan Takiff from the Philadelphia Daily News writes:

HAVE THE mid-summer doldrums? Gizmo Guy's got some great entertainers to put the bounce back in your step, and a smile on your face.

WALK THIS WAY: In the world of video games, nobody's been doing more to get us up and moving than Nintendo. One new motivator is the "Personal Trainer: Walking" game ($49.99), which works with a DS or DSi portable game system.

Clip on one of the two supplied Activity Meters (a glorified, high-tech pedometer) and start strolling. At the end of the day, point it at your DS for a second to download an accurate report of when and how many steps you've taken, with a graph and moving clock showing peaks and valleys of activity.

Your on-screen avatar offers fitness tips, comparisons to previous efforts and plenty of encouragement to pick up the pace. (FYI, while the game cheers for less, folks in the medical community suggest a daily goal of 10,000 steps, about 90 minutes of walking.)

Staycationers can still get away from it all with their Nintendo Wii system and the new "Wii Sports Resort" casual game package ($49.99, available Sunday).

Exercise your Wii remote and Nunchuck controllers to bike around an island, water ski on a beautiful blue waterway, golf on a variety of courses, master eye-hand coordination at archery, sweat it up at the ping pong table, chill in a bowling alley and more.

The game comes with that new WiiMotionPlus accessory, which wraps around the conventional remote to enhance motion sensitivity and add extra grip with its soft silicon skin. Extras sell for $20 each.

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU: On a train, riding in a car or sitting on a porch at the Jersey Shore, I've enjoyed the Internet pleasures of my portable computer.

All it took was the Verizon Mi-Fi 2200, a credit-card-sized Web access device that connects to the Verizon Wireless network and becomes a mini Wi-Fi hub with a 30-foot send/receive range.

Up to five devices (computers, iPod Touch, portable game systems) can simultaneously feed off one Mi-Fi, which I've clocked downloading at 500 kbps.

Made by Novatel (and also available in different packaging from Sprint), Verizon sells the Mi-Fi for $99.99 after a $50 rebate with a new, two-year customer agreement ($39.95 or $59.95 a month).

Or you can buy one outright for $399.99 and sign up for a 24-hour DayPass, as needed, at $15 a pop.

RADIO: Two high-tech digital radio formats are looking more attractive with new portables for your entertainment pleasure.

Just arriving at Best Buy stores is the Insignia HD Radio Portable Player ($50). It's the first battery-operated radio that tunes in the new breed of digital FM radio stations carried alongside conventional analog FM (also received on the device).

Primary HD channels mirror but sound better than conventional FM stations. Plus, many broadcasters are splitting their digital signal space to offer extra channels, too, most commercial-free to lure converts.

In Philadelphia, I've counted 18 new HD FM additions!

The small, lightweight Insignia virtually disappears in a shirt-pocket. When the radio locks into an HD channel, the sound can be pretty sweet. But because of potential interference issues with analog FM, HD channels are limited to run at just 1 percent of the analog station's power. That can really throw a kabosh on the signal when challenged by high-rise buildings or dense foliage.

Portable satellite radios also can have reception problems, even when users wear special earphones with built-in antennas. The Pioneer GEX-XMP3 works around that by offering DVR-like recording of XM and Sirius programming on its internal, 100-hour memory.

While one-button recording can be done on the fly, it's best to dock the radio with AC power and a solid signal from a connected antenna.

Up to five channels can be recorded simultaneously.

This small, sleek device also stores MP3- and WMA-coded music, either on that internal memory or (better) on a microSD card with up to 16 GBs capacity.

FYI, I just spotted this little beaut with a bonus pack of car accessories for $149 (after rebate) from JR.com. And radio subscribers can enjoy a bunch (but not all) XM and Sirius channels on their iPhones and iPod Touches for an extra $3 a month. The app is free, and so's a free week's trial.

EARPHONE PLEASURE: Want to get more entertainment and hands-free talking pleasure out of your music-storing mobile phone? Try dual-purpose, high-end stereo headphones from Bose and Altec Lansing/Plantronics.

The uncommonly comfortable and audiophile-grade Bose mobile in-ear headset ($129.95) offers pleasurable listening and talking for hours (and yet more hours) on end.

The excellent in-line microphone and easy, one-touch switching between music and calls likewise underscores serious design effort.

The Altec Lansing/BackBeat 903 ($65-$90) uses Bluetooth technology to cut the cord between your multimedia phone and the headset. The rubberized, wraparound earpieces with soft silicon tips sound swell and feel secure even when jogging. These rechargeable phones don't play really loud, but hey, that may be a blessing.

Enjoy.