The most dramatic moment on most doctor dramedies is when the MD holds the paddles of a defibrillator against a dying patient’s chest and yells, “Clear!” But in reality, most heart attacks don’t occur under klieg lights—or in a hospital. About 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.

Philips recently demonstrated the product for us and showed us how the lunch box-sized device takes users carefully through the process of reviving and maintaining a patient until medical personnel arrive. The HeartStart gives spoken instructions, for example, reminding you to call 911 immediately and then takes you through the steps necessary to check the victim’s breathing and pulse. Of course, it also tells you where to place the electrode pads on the person’s chest.

Once the pads are in place, HeartStart can determine whether or not the patient needs defibrillation to jolt their heart into a regular rhythm. If a shock is needed, the HeartStart machine doesn’t yell, “Clear!” but it will instruct you to step back before pushing a button on the defibrillator to deliver the shock. Furthermore, the device tells you how to perform CPR until help arrives.

HeartStart is extremely simple to use, even in a panic, and it’s available without a prescription. However, at $1,300 it’s not a discretionary purchase. But if you live far from a hospital or own a small business—and you are not a doctor—it could help you save a life some day.

If you do decide to purchase the HeartStart, we recommend that you and your family take a course in CPR and familiarize yourself with the device’s operation.

. J-Q.com

This week, Dyson, the man and the company behind the vacuum that really sucks, introduced the Dyson Airblade, which really blows.

The wall-mounted device is a high-speed air blower that pushes moisture off your hands when they are inserted and slowly withdrawn from the device.  Dyson’s machine is different from existing hand dryers in the U.S. and elsewhere in that it doesn’t require any hand wringing and doesn’t use heat.

World travelers will probably compare the Airblade to hand air dryers in Japan (an amazingly civilized country where there are even computers in the toilets). However, as one Dyson engineer explained, the Japanese models rely on air volume, whereas the Airblade utilizes air velocity—400 mph versus the 180 mph stream from Japanese models--to push the water off and vaporize it.

So what does it feel like? It’s remarkably gentle, given the air velocity involved, and it does make your hands feel softer (please, no “you’re soaking in it” jokes). It’s tad loud, at about 85 db (normal conversation is about 75 db), but it’s relatively quick, taking about 12 to 15 seconds on average to dry your hands. Just don’t try to stick your face in it.

Expect to see the silver Airblades first in select AMC theaters around the country. Initially, it will be marketed to restaurants and similar venues, but you can order one for your own home online for $1,400.

Oh, and the Airblade is green. According to the company, the machine uses 80 percent less electricity than traditional dryers, and of course, no trees are harmed in the process.

. J-Q.com

We’re fans of HD Radio, but it has been slow to catch on, in spite of the fact that over 2,000 stations will be broadcasting in the pristine digital format in the U.S. by the end of the year. However, new products from consumer electronics companies may give HD Radio the final push it needs. 

The biggest boost will come from Sony next month when the consumer electronics behemoth introduces its XDR-S3HD, a $200 tabletop AM/FM radio. The radio will pull in traditional analog stations, as well as the new HD versions, which offer superior music fidelity. For the car market, Sony will also introduce an add-on HD tuner box that can be connected to existing car radios. The new tuner, the XT-100HD, will cost about $100.

Other recent HD Radio introductions include Sangean’s tabletop HDT-1X, for $250, and Radiosophy’s HD100 for $160. We’re betting that high-end tabletop radios, such as those from Tivoli, won’t be far behind with announcements.

 For more about HD Radio, read our feature, “Local Radio Goes Digital, Finally.” J-Q.com

Admit it. You’re not thinking about work, you’re thinking about the long weekend and getting away. For most of us, that means getting behind the wheel…and having to call folks to tell them you’re stuck in traffic.

But before you do that, make sure you’ve got one important electronic tool in your car: a wireless headset that lets you talk on your cell phone, hands free. It won’t completely prevent you from being distracted by a conversation, but at least you’ll have both hands on the wheel.

Bluetooth wireless headsets and earphones are the easiest solution. Headsets cost as little as $25, and most cell phones have the Bluetooth wireless feature.  However, many earphones are uncomfortable to wear and are not designed specifically for in-car use. The $130 Plantronics Discovery 665 Bluetooth Headset is an exception.

The pinkie finger-sized device is small enough to put in your pocket yet delivers excellent sound quality, including the ability to cancel out distracting wind and road noise thanks to a built-in digital signal processor. It also includes something most headsets don’t: a charger that works in a cigarette lighter socket. Most models require you to plug them into a standard power outlet when the rechargeable battery runs dry—which isn’t very convenient when you’re bombing down the road, miles from home.

If you need further impetus to go hands free, remember that many states have laws against using a cell handset while you’re driving. For a list of such municipalities and more on headsets, see “Avoiding a Ticket.”
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Spring in New York is the time when the major television manufacturers take their last shot at impressing reviewers and critics with new TVs the companies plan to debut in late summer and early fall. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve squinted at new monitors from Westinghouse, Panasonic, Pioneer, and this week, Mitsubishi. So what is likely to be the next set you’ll buy?

Westinghouse has made a name for itself—or rather re-introduced the name for itself—by offering relatively inexpensive but solidly built LCD-based, high-definition TVs. And it continues to apply price pressure on all the other companies. Within a few months it will offer, for example, a very sharp and very bright 52-inch LCD set, the TX-52F480S, for just $2,400 (list). That price may still sound high, but it will strike fear into the hearts of companies like Sony and Sharp; and it represents a good value (if you happen to have the money to spare).

At the other end of the scale, Pioneer continues to push the technical envelope in plasma HD sets. The company has improved the resolution—pushing it up to 1080p in some sets—black levels, and color fidelity of its models. However, Pioneer sets are still for the well-heeled, with its high-end, 50-inch HD plasma models coming in at around $5,000 (now the Westinghouse set sounds cheap, doesn’t it?).

Meanwhile, Mitsubishi—once the king of large, traditional CRT sets—has moved from emphasizing rear-projection DLP-based TVs to underscoring its fleet of impressive flat-panel LCD monitors. On the DLP side, new features in some models will include a special 3-D gaming mode for connected computer games (yes, you’ll have to wear silly glasses). The effect is a little gimmicky, but gamers will appreciate it.

More impressive are Mitsubishi’s top-of-the-line LCD displays, which feature not only the hallmark of LCD sets—superior brightness—but also better motion tracking and improved performance in dimly lit movie sequences (a.k.a., contrast ratios). The last two items are thanks to 120Hz image processing (which is twice the rate of standard 60Hz LCD sets) and dynamically adjusted brightness, which changes depending on the scene. Mitsubishi isn’t likely to threaten bargain builders, but its 144 Series 46-inch LCD monitor will list for just $3,899—and it delivers a stunning picture.

So what should shoppers look for this fall? Lower prices again, of course, with many of the numbers I’ve quoted falling further still before Christmas. For what Panasonic is pushing, and for advice on how to choose between the competing HDTV technologies, see below.
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As more of our daily lives transpire in the digital domain—financial records, kids’ birthday pictures, calendars and contact lists—the problem of protecting it all gets more acute. Consequently, there are a growing number of options for saving and sharing that essential data. And Microsoft is about to offer yet another solution: The Windows Home Server.

According to Microsoft, there are 34 million households in the U.S. with more than one PC, and many of those are networked together using a Wi-Fi network or router. But because of the hassle and complexity, few of us use that network to do more than simply share a high-speed Internet connection. The Windows Home Server is supposed to change all that by delivering a simple box with lots of storage that just plugs into a network router and allows everyone on the network to share files and do automatic backups…without hassle.

Initial demonstrations conducted again in New York last week look promising. The software is relatively easy to follow, with straightforward options to back up all photos, music, and videos (it will even recognized duplicate copies and only back up one version). Folders can be shared across the network (after all, how many copies of your daughter pulling Santa’s beard do you need?), and systems can be completely restored with a few mouse clicks.

For travelers, Microsoft will also offer a free online service that will allow you access your Home Server online from any location. Forgot an important report or spreadsheet while away on business? No problem. Just log on and download it to your laptop on the road. Want to show grandma all those photos you took at spring break? Just log on and show her the pictures from your Home Server.

Windows Home Servers, as the name suggests, will work only with Windows XP and Vista machines, and are strictly for sharing and backing up files—they cannot be used to share applications. (In other words, you cannot put a rarely used application like Photoshop on the server and share it among all the computers on your network.) The first model to appear in stores will be HP’s MediaSmart Server (pictured above), available in late August or early September. According to HP spokespeople, the system will hold up to 6 terabytes of hard disk storage space. The company isn’t sure how systems will be configured (possibly with a couple of drive bays filled and a couple of empty bays so you can plug in more drives later). However, HP says it’s aiming for prices well under $1,000.

Such price points may be too steep for many consumers, but if a lot of your daily life relies on a computer, it could be worth it. (If you’re looking for less expensive solutions now, see Preserving Your Digital Treasures.)
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Do you remember when the toy every girl wanted was the Easy Bake oven? These days, girls are into IMing, avatars, and digital music. So Barbie is changing with the times.

At a black and pink event in Manhattan,  Mattel  announced a new generation of Barbie Girls for tiny digital divas. The launch includes two main components, a Web site and an MP3 music player with a replaceable Barbie Girl doll façade.

The Web site is sheathed in pink (of course) and is a virtual world containing avatars girls design and dress themselves. There’s a café to visit, a mall, a park, a pet store, a cinema featuring behind-the-scenes Barbie documentaries, and girls can furnish their own apartments. Naturally, there’s a chat component that takes place in bubbles over the avatars’ heads. For security, certain words are not permitted (such as giving someone your specific physical address). Items, such as clothes, are purchased with B dollars, but rather than buying the online currency, girls “earn” dollars by playing games and watching videos (if life were only that easy).

The Barbie Girl music player won’t be available until August, but I tried out an advanced prototype. The player will retail for $60 and comes with enough built-in memory to hold about 120 songs. There’s also a slot for a mini SD memory card, so the device can be expanded to hold thousands of songs on a 2 gigabyte card (but you’ll have to purchase the card separately). The included Barbie Girl headphones can be accessorized with earring-like bobbles, and there are beads for the headphone wires and charms for the player (the first is a baby penguin).

The most inventive feature of the new player is that when it is connected to a Windows PC it will unlock new features on the Barbie Girls site. For example, girls can pick a pet to take care of and even make the poor little beast pink, if they so choose. So far, there are no announced plans for special music downloads, but you can be sure that’s coming.

J-Q.com