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TECHNOLOGY
Your Next DVD Player
Introduced in 1997, the DVD format has reshaped the way we watch movies at home. Now that basic DVD players cost well under $100, many movie buffs have one for every TV in the house. But for people with a sophisticated home-theater system, it makes sense to look into pricier models that offer advanced features and superior video. These players do a lot more than show movies.
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The Toshiba RS-TX20 ($600, toshiba.com) is basically a TV production studio in a box. It contains a 120GB hard-disk drive and TiVo service (subscription optional) for recording programs. And it can record DVDs as well as play them. That means you can make DVDs of your favorite movies and shows. There's even a video input upfront, which lets you easily transfer camcorder footage to the hard drive or directly to a DVD.
For those with large libraries of VHS home movies, the Pioneer DTR-500 ($499, pioneer electronics.com), available in September, will make the transition from analog to digital simple. This unit even lets you record from a DVD to a VHS cassette. Why would you want to do that? So your summer festivities can be savored by your less digitally enabled friends and relatives.
Serving double duty as a five-disc DVD/CD changer, Sony's DVP-NC675P ($150, sonystyle.com), available in August, features progressive-scan output for improved picture clarity and playback support for the Super-Audio CD (SA-CD) format. In fact, it plays almost every music format you can think of: DVD R/RW and even MP3 music tracks on CD-R/RW discs.
We also liked the slim, multiformat Yamaha DVD-S1500 ($450, yamaha.com). It's compatible with both the DVD-Audio and Super-Audio CD multichannel-music-playback formats. Yamaha's model also features Faroudja DCDi processing, which helps eliminate jagged edges that often appear during DVD movie playback.
When you hit the road later this summer or take to the skies this fall, the Panasonic DVD-LS55 ($500, panasonic.com) will make long trips easier to endure. This portable player features a 17.7cm-wide screen LCD display, which can be rotated for easy viewing. With extended battery life of up to 10 hours, the LS55 can keep you entertained even when you get rerouted through Frankfurt. If you run out of movies to watch, the Panasonic also plays DVD-Audio discs and has an FM-radio tuner.
Taking a DVD player on the road doesn't mean you'll have to squint the whole time, either. The Samsung L1200 ($1,200, samsungusa.com) is a mere 2.54cm thick for easy transport but features a 30.7cm wide---screen high-resolution LCD display. And since this larger screen allows for multiple viewers, the player even has three headphone jacks so you can share the cinematic experience.
For the discount flyer, Audiovox's D1501 ($300, audiovox), with 14.7cm widescreen LCD display, not only lets you skip the edited airline movie but also supports CD and MP3 playback. When you land you can catch up on some local TV with Toshiba's combo DVD and portable TV. The SD-P5000 ($800, toshiba.com) has a large full-frame 38.1cm LCD screen and DVD drive that supports a range of formats including DVD-R/RW, MP3, WMA and even JPEG. An optional battery pack will let you take it on the go. So kick back and plug in!
BALKANS
Rebuilt Ruins
Now may be the time to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, ravaged by civil war in the 1990s. The beautiful Old Bridge in Mostar, destroyed by shelling, has just reopened, connecting the Croat and Muslim sides of the city. And Sarajevo, under siege for 1,395 days, is now buzzing with energy.
SEE Orthodox cathedrals, Roman Catholic churches and mosques standing side by side. Hike the hills above Sarajevo with Green Visions (greenvisions.ba). Or head to the War Museum Tunnel, a replica of the 800-meter supply-transport tunnel dug beneath the airport.
EAT at the underground Restaurant Jez, offering Balkan meat specialties and one of the city's best wine lists. Inat Kuca, on the scenic Miljacka River, serves up yummy spinach pie.
STAY at the Holiday Inn, the only functioning hotel during the war. The Guest House Halvat (www.halvat.com.ba) has five cozy rooms.
SHOP in Sarajevo's old Turkish quarter for coffee sets--or engraved grenade-shell casings.
LITERARY TOURS
Mystery Solved
Readers of Alexander McCall Smith's popular mystery series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" know Botswana as a principled, easygoing country where justice always triumphs. Now they can see firsthand the places where Smith's "traditionally built" heroine, Mma Ramotswe, solves mysteries using a blend of intuition, common sense and plenty of red-bush tea. A company called Africa Insight (www.africainsight.com) now takes fans to Ramotswe's ancestral home, in Mochudi, and the exact spot where Smith met the woman who inspired the character: a villager who tried to sell him a chicken he didn't want and who didn't give up until he had it in his hands. Fans can also see the kind of home Ramotswe was born in, the railway crossing where her mother died and the orphan farm where she adopted two children. And no tour is complete without a cup of tea on the terrace of the President Hotel, where the detective often ponders her cases.
HEALTH
Eye, Robot Surgery
More than 8 million people have had Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomeliusis (better known as Lasik) surgery to correct their vision. The operation is considered safe, but a number of complications--such as blurriness, night glare and halos--can occur. Most problems crop up in the first part of Lasik treatment, when a small metal blade called a microkeratome is used to slice open a flap in the cornea. Now a new bladeless form of Lasik is being marketed globally by IntraLase, which claims its "all-laser" technique is safer and 100 times more accurate than the blade. Doctors say the IntraLase procedure has never caused a deep, invasive corneal incision. Plus, clinical studies indicate that more patients using IntraLase achieve 20/20 vision than those using the traditional method. It may cost a few hundred dollars more, but when it comes to good vision the advantage seems clear.
STYLE
Take It With You
Gone are the days of tossing a wallet and keys into a petite purse. Today's bags have to equip us for the gym, the office, the playground and the dinner party. tip sheet prefers giant totes like these:
Coach's largest tote is a colossal 51-by-37.5-by-17cm with a water-resistant lining, perfect for lugging post-workout wear ($228; coach.com).
With pockets inside and out, there's a spot for everything in Francesco Biasia's 35-by-32-by-11cm Islanda tote ($340; biasia.com for stores).
Ripstop nylon makes LeSportsac's 30-by-47-by-13cm Boat Tote lightweight--until you fill it up, of course ($60 to $78; lesportsac.com).
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