(MONEY Magazine) – Best invention that'll change life as we know it. Enjoy your home? Sure you do. But how about one that turns on lights, heats your dinner and tells you the neighbor stopped by while you were out? It's a gee-whiz scenario that's closer to reality because of a new IBM silicon germanium chip component that reaches dizzying speeds of 210 gigahertz. The component (a transistor that's thinner than a human hair) basically reduces electrical friction, and that could help chips run up to 100 times faster than those inside today's desktops. "What IBM has done is invent a better engine," says Frank Gillett of Forrester Research. "What kind of car will it go into? That's still not clear. But don't forget, the first transistor was invented to make smaller vacuum tubes for radios. Who'd have thought they'd be used to make computers carried under an arm?" IBM expects communications-equipment makers like Alcatel and Cisco to be using the part within the next two years; a few years after that, the company predicts, these energy-efficient transistors will power smaller and faster personal computers and phones. After that? Well, those sci-fi-like "smart" homes could be here sooner than you think. --L.H.G.

Best new drug. If medicine can be compared to weapons, then most cancer treatments would be sawed-off shotguns, blasting healthy and mutated cells alike, and Gleevec by Novartis would be the first laser beam, targeting abnormal enzymes that cause various forms of cancer. Approved in record time by the Food and Drug Administration in May to treat a type of leukemia, Gleevec is first in a new class of strategic treatments that Novartis and other drug companies hope to develop to fight all sorts of cancers. "It's given me my life back," says cancer patient Sandi Merriman, 55, who's using Gleevec for a rare form of tumor in clinical trials. Taken in a four-pill dose once a day (a month's supply costs around $2,200), Gleevec has limited side effects. Although it restored blood-cell counts to normal levels in virtually all the leukemia patients undergoing tests, experts stop short of calling it a cure. They're still waiting to see if it merely delays the onset of later stages. Merriman isn't waiting. She has returned to work--and will soon head to Spain for a vacation. --L.H.G.

Best new baby product. Inventor Greg Nieberding came up with the Baby B'Air--a safety vest for pint-size air travelers--after his niece was slightly injured aboard a plane: The girl, sitting on her mom's lap, was tossed headfirst into an overhead bin when the flight hit turbulence. Nieberding devised a vest with a rear tether that secures a child under two to a parent's buckled seat belt. "A great alternative for parents who can't afford to buy an extra seat for their baby," says Alan Fields, co-author of Baby Bargains guidebook. The flight vest sells for $29.95 at Babies R Us. Or call Baby B'Air at 800-417-5228. --J.B.

Best new way to watch TV. The digital-recording service TiVo can capture every soap, Seinfeld rerun and croc-hunter show you desire at the push of one smart little programming button. Jointly made by Hughes, Philips and Sony, the TiVo recorder works with an antenna, cable or satellite signal and presents a menu displaying two weeks' worth of programs. Press a button to let TiVo know which shows to record--and that's it. Your schedules are downloaded by TiVo through a phone line once a night, and the recorder digitally stores 20 to 60 hours of fare. And with the additions of two new features last January, the service is smarter than ever. Enter your favorite shows into the "Season Pass" option and TiVo will grab every episode (even if the time slot or day suddenly changes) and automatically skip repeat recordings. Or punch in your favorite actors, sports teams or news topics: TiVo finds the matching programs for you--and suggests additional shows based on your tastes. Access to the TiVo schedules costs $10 a month or $249 for a "lifetime" fee per unit. Recorders sell for $200 to $600, depending on storage capacity. Visit www.tivo.com. --K.Z.J.

Best new DVD feature. The day will come when, rather than watching a movie's sappy ending (or worse, its self-indulgent director's cut), you'll be able to re-work scenes to make them your own. That's a ways away. Meanwhile, there's the Die Hard Five Star Collection ($29.98). So, okay, we know that when it comes to content, the forthcoming Godfather collection beats 'em all. But Die Hard is the first DVD that, with the help of on-screen menus, lets you rework three sequences using previously unreleased material. Play back your new shots to learn how your choices affect the tone of the finished product. Editing Bruce Willis turns out to be fun in a yippee-ki-yay kinda way--certainly good practice for the day Coppola allows us all a whack at The Godfather, Part 3. --N.P.

Best new fabric. Silver's healing powers have been noted since Pliny the Elder. Now manufacturers are rolling out fabrics that use silver's antimicrobial properties for a very practical purpose: to curb b.o. The most promising version hails from DuPont, which has teamed up with a company called Noble Fibers to weave fabric with minuscule strands of silver that kill bacteria and diminish stink. Called CoolMax/X-Static, it continues blasting germs even after 380 test washings. Champion recently launched a Silver line of sports bras, leggings and such using CoolMax/X-Static, with retail prices ranging from $27 to $36, and Salomon sells an Advanced Skin line of thermal underwear, winter jackets and other cold-weather gear that costs from $10 to $550. --L.H.G.

Best new household product. Planets circle the sun. Electrons zoom 'round the atom's core. And paper towels spin on cardboard tubes--until, that is, the folks at Procter & Gamble decided that after 36 years on a roll (anchored, presumably, next to the kitchen sink), it was time to stick Bounty in a box. Time for consumers to snag one paper towel at a time. With one hand. Without all that spinning and splaying of too many sheets. Without racing back to the kitchen for more. Who could've imagined so much freedom in a box? "The vision was to bring Bounty where you are," says a P&G spokesman, speaking as only a spokesman can. A box contains 40 sheets and retails for $1.19 ($3.79 for a pack of three). Yes, that's more expensive than the original on a roll. Consider it the price of progress. --L.H.G.