[ Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave ] [ Kodak 5300 Printer ] [ Brookstone ] [ Piano Made Easy ]
[ The Best of Toy Fair: TykeLight, Princeton Review Prep SAT-ACT, 10 Days in Asia, iFly Vamp, Bendomino, Brighter Minds ]

HE new Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave mouse and keyboard combo won’t strain your productivity. Shaped like a wave, the desktop provides a comfortable platform to cradle your hands as your fingers stroke the keys. The cushioned contoured palm rest makes it easy to rest your palms as you tap away.

The function keys have dual duty. F1 through F12 are labeled with alternate function icons to quickly access common programs and tasks.

The mouse’s laser engine provides precise navigation. Both right-handed and left-handed operators will find the soft rubberized sides easy to grip. And the keyboard has three tilt options.

You won’t find a more comfortable computing experience. It’s perfect for everyone, both touch typists and hunt and pecks typists alike. SRP $90.

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HE Kodak EasyShare 5300 All-In-One Printer is quite convenient for scanning, copying and printing crisp documents and sharp pictures. A 3-inch LCD display lets you see your images, and crop them if desired, before you print them out as vibrant borderless photos up to 8.5x11 in size. Print documents up to 8.5x14.

Its Bluetooth wireless technology enables you to print from across the room. It has memory card slots so you can print without a computer.

But the best feature is the dirt-cheap cost of the ink. Kodak’s pigment-based black ink cartridge costs just $10; five-ink color cartridge is $14.99.

Purchase the 5300 for $199.99 at Best Buy or www.kodak.com.

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ROOKSTONE offers some of the most innovative products for the sophisticated consumer. One that came our way is the 5-Day Wireless Weather Watcher for $85. We put in two AAA batteries and this weather forecaster automatically recognized our location and brought up the day’s temperature, both high and low. It also has an up-to-date forecast for the next four days received via radio signal from AccuWeather. The clock is also self-setting.

The Weather Watcher has a built-in stand for your desk. You can also mount it on the wall or place it on any metal surface with its internal magnet.

The backyard or tailgating chef will welcome the 4-in-1 BBQ Multi Tool, $9.95. The tool includes four grilling essentials: spatula, fork, knife and thermometer. Constructed of stainless steel. (Don’t forget to remove the thermometer before putting the tool in the dishwasher.)

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ERE’S an innovative program that will help you to learn to play the piano without the drudgery and dullness. Piano Made Easy is a piano keyboard that will inspire anyone from age 7 and up to learn with enthusiasm.

Attach the 49-key battery operated keyboard to your computer (in place of your regular QWERTY keyboard), install the software and you’re good to go.

On the CD, you play along with Bill and his dog Wannabe as they take you through different areas of the zoo and introduce you to various aspects of the piano program. For instance, an elephant taps with his foot the steady beat of quarter notes.

As you explore the zoo, different animals pop up to help you learn piano keys, note values, music concepts, and how to count rhythms. There are 10 rhythm and keyboard games, so you’ll have lots of fun.

This is one way to learn piano without getting bored. SRP $99.99. www.pianomadeeasy.com.

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TykeLight is the perfect nightlight for babies and children. This innovative light-up emits no heat so little hands can hold it to make them feel secure. Available in pink, blue and green. Runs on 10-hour built-in rechargeable batteries or AC. It has three light modes: bright, low and dimmer. After 15 minutes, when the child is asleep, the dimmer automatically turns off. MSRP $17.99.

Princeton Review Pocket Prep Interactive Handheld Tutor for the SAT-ACT comes with a test system that helps one improve SAT and ACT scores. This interactive handheld tutor includes practice drills, test timer, flash cards, instant scoring, diagnostic reports, calculator, dictionary and thesaurus links, carry case and batteries.. It helps you prepare for both SAT in the three areas of verbal, math and writing, and for ACT in the five areas of English, math, reading, science, and writing. $149.95. www.Franklin.com.

10 Days in Asia allows you to tour the continent by train, plane, ship or on foot. Use destination and transportation tiles to chart your course. The first traveler to make connections for the journey wins. A challenging game for players ages 10 and up. Out of the Box, $24.99.

iFly Vamp turns you into a pilot at the radio control of a flying machine – in this a bat. This is an ornithopter (from Greek ornithos "bird" and pteron "wing"), an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings, according to Wickipedia. (In the 1970 film Brewster McCloud, a guy tried to build a manned ornithopter. So there!) Inter Active Toy Concepts of Toronto has designed a bat with flapping wings that you can send in flight indoors or outdoors, guiding it by radio control. A single charge keeps the bat up for a 10-minute flight. In the dark it has glowing LED eyes. See more at http://interactivetoy.com/ifly. $39.99.

Bendomino is a variation of Dominoes, with more control. As the creators at Blue Orange Games of San Francisco would have it: "Life isn’t a straight line; be creative, have fun." In other words, play the game curving one way or the other; not just straight. You’ll see, it’s more fun being innovative. For ages 5 and up. $15.95 at www.blueorangegames.com.

Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor will turn girls 10 and up into a veritable Nancy Drew, solving a daunting mystery. You don’t a computer to play; it works with your TV, DVD player and remote. Immerse yourself in the Manor, search for clues and solve the mystery. Brighter Minds also has two other DVD games (among many others) geared for ages 6-106 (as they say). Marvel Heroes Breakout has seven original activities enabling you to battle the enemy alongside your sidekicks, Wolverine, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Instruction sheet included so I needn’t tell you more. Just that you’ll have loads of fun. Also I heartily recommend Jurassic Park Explorer for one to four players and teams. With clips from all three movies, 300 questions and 25 dinosaurs to recreate, you become part of the action. All three games are $24.95 each at www.brightermindsmedia.com.