The Entertainer // Apple ipod and Sonic Impact i-Fusion
You'll never get stuck staring at an airplane tray table again with Apple's fifth-generation iPod, a multimedia powerhouse that can serve up next-day prime-time shows like Lost and Desperate Housewives for $1.99 each, plus music videos and more offerings from NBC, USA, and the Sci-Fi Channel, among others. The unit can store up to 150 hours of video, 15,000 songs, or 25,000 photos, and the picture on the 2.5-inch, 65,000-color screen is crystal-clear. The new iPod does all this while somehow being flatter and sleeker than its predecessor. It also has a new stopwatch feature, a multi-time-zone clock, and enhanced voice recording. For the ultimate road-worthy entertainment center, pair it with Sonic Impact's i-Fusion ($150; www.si5.com), a travel-tough speaker system that also syncs, recharges, and stows your player. Reality Check > Already got an iPod with lots of cool accessories that attach to access ports on top? Be prepared to eBay some of those add-ons, because this iPod's only top port is for headphones. Buy It If > You want video and photo capacity in Apple's easy-to-use music workhorse. 60GB, $399; 30GB, $299; www.apple.com