The Benefits of Surround Sound in a Small Package

Here’s a unique little device that delivers surround sound home theater from existing two-speaker systems. Called Spatializer HTMS 2510, it’s about the size of a VCR, hooks up easily and doesn’t require additional speakers, amplifiers or decoders to create the illusion of 3-D sound from any TV, VCR or stereo system.

Music played through the HTMS 2510 sounds as if it is coming from all around the listener, sound effects from a movie as if they come from positions far outside speaker boundaries.

At $250, the unit is promoted as an affordable alternative to more complicated surround sound systems. It’s available through Spatializer Audio Laboratories, (800) 470-7281.

One for the Road: Nordic Rollers are roller skis for the road. These cross-country street skis are designed with in line skating technology and are constructed to turn like snow skis do.

Users can cruise up to 20 miles an hour on Nordic Rollers, which are short (23 1/2 inches) and light (2 1/2 pounds including the bindings) because they’re made of composite glass-fiber-plastic. Rollers come with breathable mesh boots and lightweight alloy poles with carbide tips.

Nordic Rollers--including skis, bindings, boots and poles--cost about $320.

For more information call (800) ROLL SKI.

Right on Time: Casio’s new Twincept watch looks like a regular analog watch, but just press a couple of buttons and the watch crystal turns into a digital “screen” that can display 50 names and phone numbers and tell the current time in cities from all 24 time zones.

Twincept ($l99.95) also has an alarm and will display the day and date and serve as a stopwatch. It will be available nationwide in May.