Tech toys and fun stuff

SMART RODENT A friend who pops her dirty contact lenses into her mouth to clean them does the same disgusting thing with the little rubber trackball on the bottom of her mouse. ''I don't always have alcohol handy,'' she protests. What's she getting for Christmas? An IntelliMouse Explorer from Microsoft, sans mouse ball. An optical sensor takes ''pictures'' of the surface it's gliding over - 1,500 per second - and sends them to a digital signal processor that converts them into on-screen cursor movements. As for our friend,there's always her thumb. $74.95, due out in September		DIGITAL GRAFFITI Forget ''Kathy loves Gerry'' scribbled on the girls' room wall. Cool kids are sending e-messages via Playmates Toys' friend.link, a beeper-sized device that lets you send and receive messages up to 48 characters long to anyone who also has a friend.link. Target a specific pal, or broadcast to just girls, just boys, or everyone. Pass within 25 feet and zap! An infrared ray beams the message. Punch in what you like to do (shopping, use computers, etc.), and find others with similar interests. Love at first beep? $19.99, at major retailers, www.playmatestoys.com
I SPY Have that nagging feeling you left the stove on? Download a snapshot of the kitchen. Kids doing their homework? Look over their shoulders from your office PC. All this digital snooping can happen via FoneCam, a digital camera that comes with its own modem and software that you install on a PC to dial up the FoneCam and view the pictures it has snapped. The FoneCam itself isn't connected to a computer, just a phone line. It transmits still images only, but they're in living color. $399, www.fonecam.com		OFFICE CARPET The IntelliMouse and devices like it will make the mouse pad obsolete, but until then, spruce up your desk with a fancy MouseRug pad, in international patterns and complete with real fringe. The maroon Bokhara, shown here, is one of the most popular Oriental rug designs, but make High Voltage Graphics of Colorado also sells Earthtone Southwestern, Emerald Celtic, and Iranian Isfahan, to name a few. Mice never had it so good. $24.95, www.mouserug.com