Hot new tech gadgets

Shhhhhh. What I'm about to tell you is secret. Well, not exactly secret, but I found out about these brand-new tech products at a private press soiree, and that makes it feel top secret. Really, it was just a preview to an event that introduces what's new in the world of TVs, home networking, gaming and the other areas in our lives that you and I don't even realize are digital. And now, to steal from Maria of "The Sound of Music," here are just a few of my favorite things:Smart Pen: Ever write something down, and then can't read your notes later? Is that laughter I hear? Well, with the SmartPen, you don't much need to rely on your handwriting. This pen (which writes in ink, just like a normal pen) records and links audio to what you write, and then plays the audio back when tapped on your notes. Wild, huh?What's more, you can transfer these notes and audio to your laptop and then search the handwritten notes that are saved on your computer. For some, it can mean leaving your laptop at home, which can be a beautiful thing. You need to use special "dot" paper, which starts at a pretty reasonable $5 a notebook. The pens themselves are $149 for 1 GB and $199 for 2 GB at livescribe.com.Swanky Theater: Remember summer nights at the drive-in? Yeah, neither do I; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't start a new tradition of outdoor movie viewing. Welcome the CineBox Home, which comes equipped with everything you need for a backyard movie night, including the 9- 10- or 12-foot inflatable movie screen. Don't worry, you don't need a truck to cart your screen around; it folds down to a duffle-sized package.At $1,499 for the complete package (screen, projector, DVD player, sound mixer, etc.) or $399 for the screen alone, it's pricey, but if you live in the kind of neighborhood that has weekly summer parties, it might be right for you. Particularly if you're the kind of family who likes to host the best parties. Look at Amazon.com.Pre-Schooled Kid: Want to give your kid a leg up on learning? Of course you do, because you're the best parent/aunt/brother-in-law out there! New from Fisher-Price, this Computer Cool School helps preschoolers get familiar with reading, writing, science, art and music. Just connect the keyboard to your computer and let the games begin. I liked the parent-friendly features like the password-protected print (so little Suzy can't print 600 copies of her science experiment) and password protection that prevents little ones from having access to the computer's hard drive and Internet. It should go for about $59.99 and comes out later this month.I hope this written tech-product preview did for you what the real-life preview did for me: wet your whistle for what great new products will be unveiled in September to enhance our work, home and play lives in ways we haven't yet imagined.(Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for Shopzilla.com, an E.W. Scripps company, and the largest comparison shopping search engine on the Web. E-mail Helen at askhelen(at)shopzilla.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.net.)