New Products

Spring's turning into summer faster than you can say, "I wanna go outside!" Looking for the middle ground between your home theater and the local multiplex - but you're nowhere near a cozy drive-in? Direct from Germany comes "the original inflatable movie screen" by The Airscreen Company (for U.S.

BACK IN BLACK The Optoma HD7100 front projector takes contrast to a new level with Texas Instruments' DarkChip3 DLP technology, providing an impressive 5,000:1 rated contrast ratio. So no matter how dark things get onscreen, the picture stays sharp and detailed.

ALL IN ONE Of course it has seven amplifier channels at 85 watts for each speaker - that's a given. The reason you get a flagship receiver like the Harman Kardon AVR 745 is the bells and whistles: automatic speaker setup, outputs for two subwoofers, and a USB port for digital music streamed from your PC.

SAVING GRACE In 2006, how can a DVD recorder - even one as snazzy-looking as the Toshiba RD-XS55 - justify a $600 price tag? How about a 250-GB hard disk for starters, giving you enough space for at least 300 hours of shows? Then there's its compatibility with DVD-R/RW and -RAM.

SPIN ZONE Handy and fun! That's the Cableyoyo Pop, a stick-on spool that you can attach to most MP3 players. If you can bear making your iPod a bit thicker, the Pop adheres to its backside and serves as a place to roll up your headphones, which stay in place thanks to a tiny clip.

Thanks to their portability, personal navigation devices (PNDs) are finding their way into the hands of more and more drivers of multiple vehicles. PNDs not only assist in getting you from point A to point B - as well as locate every ATM and Starbucks in between - they also offer features such as MP3 compatibility and real-time traffic info.

Watts... uh THE DEAL Promising 75 real-world watts for each of five channels, Rotel's silver giant has the power to justify its heft. And 7.1-channel home theater buffs needn't fear - you can add an extra two channels with an optional upgrade. Bring on those action flicks!