PRODUCTS TO WATCH
(FORTUNE Magazine) – HAAGEN-DAZS FROZEN YOGURT Is the search for the ultimate low-guilt treat over? Haagen-Dazs, a unit of Britain's Grand Metropolitan in Teaneck, New Jersey, has unveiled a frozen yogurt. Like its ultracaloric sister dessert, the yogurt will sell by the pint in groceries and in 300 Haagen-Dazs outlets (flavors include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, peach, and vanilla almond crunch). Other premium brands have offered frozen yogurt for years, but Haagen-Dazs wanted to develop a version that has no artificial additives yet tastes sufficiently sinful. The company claims the product slaughtered other brands in blind taste tests. But beware before you gorge: Though far less flab-inducing than ice cream, the yogurt still packs a wallop: A three-ounce serving of vanilla contains 130 calories and three grams of fat. PORTABLE ANSWERING MACHINE Hate having to rely on hotel operators for messages? Take your answering machine on the road. The Cobra Traveler hooks up to any hotel phone and works just like your answering machine at home. You can call from any push-button phone to retrieve messages or turn on the machine. To help cut down the number of gadgets in your suitcase, Cobra Electronics Group of Chicago designed the Traveler to serve also as a dictation machine and an alarm clock. It weighs / less than a pound and runs on four AAA batteries or an AC adapter. Price: $229.95. TURN YOUR PC INTO A TV So much for having to tape As the World Turns. With DesktopTV you can watch your favorite soap on your computer at the office. DesktopTV is an add-in circuitboard that transforms a PC into a full-fledged television controlled from the keyboard. The package includes software and a speaker; if the demands of the job intrude, viewers can switch the screen back to word processing and listen to their TV programs while they type. (Those who don't want to disturb co-workers can use a headphone jack.) The unit works with most color-monitor- equipped PCs and can receive up to 119 channels. It even boasts a sharper picture than standard TV sets because most monitors have higher resolution. DesktopTV sells for $395 direct from AView Technology of Toronto. VANITY CHASE Ever since vanity license plates became a sensation, drivers have been trying to translate those on fellow motorists' cars. Now aficionados can test their wits without leaving the house. Vanity Chase is a $24.95 board game by Select Creations of Milwaukee in which players try to drive the length of California by deciphering license plate cards drawn from three decks. White plates are the simplest: IOWNDRD, for example, means ''I own the road,'' and JOBNJOB translates as ''in between jobs.'' Blue plates are harder but are divided into categories that serve as clues: RUN2RT, in the hobby/occupation category, means ''are you into art?'' Black plates, such as CCCCCCC, are the most difficult: Players must guess both category and solution (sailor and seven seas). The first to figure out a black card at the end of the road wins. |
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