What’s New This Week in Tech Gadgets?

As new tech gadgets land like a swarm of locusts on an already crowded marketplace, it can be pretty difficult to keep up with all the latest toys. Each week, I’ll provide a wrap-up of some of the best tech gadgets to hit the market – gadgets you gotta have and some maybe that you can do without. Let’s see what’s going on this week.

Your old Swiss Army knife could do anything, right? All it was missing was the ability to play music. Problem solved. Swiss Army just released a brand new version of this perennial favorite and this time, you can take 240 songs with you while you slice and dice or file your nails. There’s even a tiny little LCD screen that shows the title of the song you’re listening to and the artist. It’s a little pricey at $170, but you’ll certainly get your money’s worth. When was the last time you used your Nano to open a bottle of beer?

For the Star Trek… (how do I put this politely) fan in your household, check out the latest model of the Enterprise E – but this one really will fly. Ok, maybe it can’t make it quite to where no man has ever gone before, but just about. When you get sick of flying it around your house, it even comes with a handy posing stand that will fit right on your desk. You won’t even have to mimic Patrick Stewart, this little gadget comes loaded with sound, flashing lights and a real deflector dish.

The Bionic Wrench may not have been reconstructed after a horrible accident, but it sure will tighten things better, stronger and faster. This fun little techy/mechanical hybrid is a little bit plier, a little bit wrench, and a whole lot easier to use. Popular Mechanics gave this puppy their Editor’s Choice Award and their Red Dot Award Best of the Best 2006. One of the best features about the bionic wrench is that it cuts down on slippage, and prevents your bolts from being damaged. I bet the Bionic Man couldn’t do that if he tried.

The other mere mortals on your block can’t harness the power of the sun, but you’ll come close with the new Hand Cranked Mini Sun from Dynamo Spotlight. In a strange marriage of old fashioned cranking and new fangled bright LED’s, your slack-jawed neighbors will be blinking in disbelief. Really, you’ll just about blind them if you shine it directly on them. No batteries will ever be needed, making this better than that lousy flashlight you’ve been meaning to find batteries for since the last time you lost power. It’s even weatherproof and if you’re just too tired to crank, it comes with a handy car and wall charger.

Sick and tired of a huntin’ and a peckin’ on that teeny tiny little laptop keyboard? Or poking that funny little stick at your PDA? Try out the new Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard that will display a full size, albeit virtual (hence the name) keyboard on your desk’s surface. You’ll get 63 (almost) keys and a full QWERTY layout. And just in case you get lonesome for your little laptop’s keyboard, you can even hear reassuring “click” sounds as you type. Its small size makes it perfect for travelers, and with the ability to up to get near natural speed, you’ll have that email done in no time.

That’s it for this week!