Sharp(er) shooting.

• Position: What's New? - Sharper Image Corp. - Brief Article

One of the best things about going through the Sharper Image catalogue is the wide variety of items that you never had any idea you needed, but, once ordered, you find you can't do without. A trio of recent acquisitions fits this description to a T.

Looking like a compact safe, the Hot+Cold Snack Box ($99.95) measures 10.5" x 7.75" x 11.75" and weighs a mere 5.5 pounds, and somehow manages to keep food either hot or cold at the flick of a switch. The secret is Peltier Effect electronics--whatever that is--which allows you to chill items to 42[degrees]F by selecting the "cold" setting or keep them at 140[degrees]F by switching to "hot." The latter setting is ideal for transporting takeout food in the car (simply plug the box into the dashboard lighter socket) or for keeping it hot once you get back home or to the office (plug it into any electrical outlet). This wonderful split-personality appliance can stand upright like a minirefrigerator, with a removable shelf to make room for, say, tall bottles, or lie on its side to assume a cooler-like guise. Either way, the locking latch on the door keeps the box perfectly sealed, allowing the insulated interior to maintain a constant temperature, whether hot or cold. The light weight makes it easily portable, so you can bring it anywhere in the house you are working (cellar, desk side, etc.) or relaxing (next to your easy chair while you have your feet up watching television).

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The Now You Can Find It Wireless Electronic Locator ($49.95) is a savior for the absentminded, constantly in a swivet over having mislaid the cell phone, TV remote, eyeglasses, car keys, or even--oh irony!--one's palm organizer. The key here is a quartet of colored beeper discs attached to keyrings that, in turn, are clipped to the item you're constantly mislaying. The control panel, meanwhile, has four correspondingly colored buttons, each of which can be labeled to match the item in question. The base is magnetic, so it can be attached to any metal surface. When needed to search for what you're missing...