I'm one of those shoppers that researches everything to death before I buy. Maybe it's an occupational hazard, but I'm always thinking, "There's gotta be one more site I can get info from, one more magazine review I can read, one more buddy I can get advice from..."

And price? Forget about it. If I find out I paid $1 more than some other guy, I'm pissed off for a month.

I don't always get a chance to do research though. Sometimes I'll be out, see something, and have to buy it right then. (Another occupational hazard. I gotta have all the latest toys. Now.)

So what do you do when you're out, find something you want, but the compulsive researcher inside won't let you buy until you exhaust all other options? Or, even more importantly, what if you desperately need to get the hot, new whatever-it-is and need to find a retailer that has it in stock? Try Slifter.

Started a couple of years ago - when the founder was shopping for a vacuum cleaner in NYC and decided it was way too cold to walk around the city looking for a store that carried what he wanted - Slifter lets your mobile phone access info on over 50 million products in over 20,000 retail locations. Yeah, 50 million. Chances are good what you need is listed.

Companies like Best Buy, Radio Shack and Modell's are signed on, and several big online retailers as well. So you can even complete your purchase via your phone. (And if you don't want to - or can't - use your mobile phone, you can head to www.slifter.com and search from your computer.)

Enter in your zip code from the phone's keypad and you'll get local retailer information. There are product images and street maps too. Plus, you can save a personal shopping list and email your search results to friends. And it's free. (Depending on your personal phone package, your carrier may charge for data transfers, so check with them first.)

So now when you're staring down that big impulse buy, and the sales guy gives you his best price, tell him you can get it cheaper 2.7 miles down the road.

Text "Slifter" to 75438 or point your mobile browser to www.slifter.com

For more info go to www.slifter.com

I'm a huge iPod fan. I take mine wherever I go, and have it loaded with almost the full 30 gig worth of music and video. The only thing that pisses me off about my iPod is the lockdown Apple put on it, and the content I can, and apparently can't, put on there.

Yeah, I know, there's a workaround for everything. My chief tech geek figured out how to get rented DVDs ripped, compressed, and loaded. (And I deny having any knowledge of how it's done, or how those movies got onto my personal iPod. As far as I know, one day, they were just there.) So while I can get what I need to on it, sharing stuff is a bit of a problem.

You PC users now have a legitimate app that'll let you unlock your iPod, and allow you to get some good stuff on there, off there, and let you share what you want.

Podmaxx '07 was just released and while I haven't used it, it looks like something you PC iPod users will want to check into.

Podmaxx '07 was designed to fill a long list of demands from frustrated iPod owners and it's key features include:
• Shop for music at any online store
• Copy music from any iPod
• Make any iPod song your ringtone
• Rip DVDs directly to your iPod
• Burn audio CDs straight from any iPod
• Burn files to CD straight off their iPod
• Protect music collections from loss with full PC backup
• Carry news, weather, movie info
• Backup an entire PC

And at $29.99, it seems like a good deal. You can download it from their site, or buy it at Circuit City, Fry's, Comp USA, Micro Center and other major retailers, which is a good sign. And some of the online tech blogs have given it good reviews. I say give it a try. Let me know what you think.

www.podmaxx.com

"Size doesn't matter." "Bigger isn't always better." "Good things come in small packages." If you've ever heard this from a woman, I have only two things to say: 1- I am truly sorry. And 2- That's a very nice Hummer H2 you're driving.

There are, however, times when very small is very good. The iPod Shuffle is a good example. Small cell phones? Sure. Even better are small bluetooth earpieces, so you don't look like you're on your way to a Star Trek convention. (Those earpieces are a perfect example of something necessary that I just won't use, because there is no way to not look like a dork wearing one. If anyone knows of a good, small, decent looking one, tell me immediately.)

Any camper or hiker will tell you the smaller the gear is - and the lighter - the better. That's where Lightload Towels come in. Originally developed for camping, they are a 12" x 24" reusable towel made of 100% viscose packed in a 2-inch diameter disc. Toss a bunch in your pack and go. And they're disposable, so no having to pack them for the trip home.

They also make a portable beach towel that expands to three feet by five feet. Either one can be used for just about anything from a picnic blanket to a head wrap to an emergency flag. They can be rinsed out and used over and over, or just tossed away. The cost is so low you can keep several around just in case. I have a few stashed in my glove compartment to clean up spills on road trips.

Hikers, campers, cyclists, hunters, travelers... all swear by them. And it's one of the only times you can pull something out and have her say, "Wow, look at how small that is!" and be OK with it.

Towels about $1 each, Beach Towels - 3 for $6

www.ultralighttowels.com

Their watches are on the wrists of every sportsman (and wanna-be sportsman) out there. Now, the same people who protect you from being late want to protect you from UV rays and flying debris. In style.

Tag Heuer just launched a line of sunglasses last month, designed with the sportsman in mind. What kind of stuff did they add in? They are lightweight, have 100% UVA/UVB protection, and have lenses that are about as distortion-free as I've seen.

OK, good. I'm thinking perfect for fishing, hunting...

Those lenses are also made from shatter-resistant Makrolon® polycarbonate, and the cool aerodynamic shape provides excellent eye protection at high speeds.

I'm thinking good for skiing, cycling, driving... or hunting with Dick Cheney.

But what I really like are the unique "temples" - or "ear pieces", as I call them. Take a look at the pic closely. There are no hinges. The temples are made of a flexible beta titanium, and are coated with an elastomer developed from the latest F1 racing formulations. You've got Formula 1 racing tire technology on your head. Good enough for the Andretti family, good enough for me.

And the flexible temples hold the glasses to your face snugly, without worrying about snapping or breaking when putting them on, or taking them off, over and over. As I have done with almost every pair of sunglasses I've owned.

There's a wide variety of styles (prescription too). Put some on, head out, and do something. I hear Cheney is still looking for a hunting partner.

From $200 at retailers nationwide.

www.tagheuer.com/sportvision

Every man's home is his castle. And we all know where the throne is.

Forget pimping your ride, the folks over at Roto-Rooter want to pimp your toilet. And it's about damn time. According to their research, the average person spends 11,862 hours in the bathroom, (Not counting the people who frequent Taco Bell. Including them would have blown the curve. Pardon the pun.), over a lifetime. For those of you bad at math, that's one year, four months and five days. On the toilet. (They need to contact the Preparation H people. I smell strategic partnership gold here.)

You can enter to win this one-of-a-kind contest, now through April 2, 2007. The lucky winner will be announced on April 25th, National Plumber's Day. (Kicked-off nationwide, as it is every year, with the celebratory plunging of the White House Presidential toilet.)

Want to know what you're crappy toilet is missing? (Again, pardon the pun. It's seriously just too easy.) This tricked out john is outfitted with every feature a modern king could want in a bathroom throne, and is fully loaded with the following "luxury enhancements": (Absolutely none of which I made up.)

-- Philips(TM) 20-inch flat panel LCD TV
-- Xbox(TM) 360 gaming system
-- Philips(TM) DVD player with Star Wars DVD
-- Gateway(R) EMachine(TM) laptop computer with fully articulated robot arm
-- iPod(TM) with stereo docking station equipped with toilet paper
dispenser
-- Roto-Rooter "emergency" button
-- Tivo(TM) digital video recorder (DVR)
-- Avanti(TM) refrigerator with beer tap, stocked with drinks and snacks
-- Magazine rack
-- Bike pedal exercise system
-- Electric cup warmer / cooler

I'm with ya on the LCD TV, the Xbox, even the DVD player. But come on... an electric cup warmer/cooler and REFRIGERATED BEER TAP??? Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a nice cold beer as much as the next guy, but I guess I'm pretty traditional. I like mine at a ball game, on the couch watching TV. Not while dropping the kids off at the pool. We're are talking serious drinking problem there. (I also have to wonder what a visiting chick has to think of a guy's mental state who has all this in his bathroom. I would bet she flees. Quickly.)

For those of you who just can't get enough gaming, net surfing, movie watching, or exercising, while you take care of nature's business, head over to Roto-Rooter.com and enter.

Good luck, and I've got the number to the Preparation H Emergency Hotline for you.

I'm sure by now you've heard and read about the new electronics advances and product launches coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). After spending all last week there I can tell you one thing: if I have to look at one more flat panel TV I'm going to drive my car into a tree.

Yup, this year it was all about HDTVs. Bigger. Flatter. Brighter. HDer. It seemed like every company, big and small, was showcasing their new flat screens. Which means a couple of things: 1. Hopefully prices are going to go down, and 2. You'd better get your ass on the bandwagon and get one soon, or you'll end up like the last guy who stuck by his black and white RCA set, when the rest of the neighborhood switched over to color. (And I don't have to tell you what it will be like bringing dates home to watch a movie on your measly little 27", 4:3 tube. You might as well wear a leisure suit out to the clubs.)

And it seems like bigger is better. At least that's what they are telling us. Evidenced by Sharp's 108" Aquos LCD. That wasn't a typo. One hundred and eight inches of LCD HD clarity. The most impressive piece of electronics I've seen in a long time. Maybe too impressive. The writer standing next to me said she was getting motion sickness watching it. Something to keep in mind.

Beyond all the flat screen hype there was the usual assortment of new tricked out cell phones, and more car audio equipment than a 19 year-old should be allowed to cram into a Civic.

But the real highlight for me (besides 3 Doors Down playing live and just flat out rocking in the ESPN booth... pic above) was the new gear coming out for home entertainment. I think there is now some very affordable options for integrating all of your electronics... your laptop, digital video recorder, home theater system... all talking and working together to give you some incredible options. I'll be posting more on specific stuff over the next few days and weeks. Because there is definitely some new additions you'll want for your Pad.

I also had some time to swing by and visit the Adult Entertainment Expo. Which is a euphemism for "Porn Convention". And if you've never been to one, I highly suggest going. You will see things you've never seen before, and may never see again. And some things you just can't unsee. Like three, six-foot-tall transsexuals dancing on a stage in bikinis.

Don't worry. BG got some video of all the good stuff for you, and you can look for it soon.