Multi-use "Portabowl"

Tired of carrying a soaking foldable canvas water dish as we explored the neighborhood dog parks, I set out to find a lightweight, quick drying bowl for my Great Dane.

Boy did I land on the target. Orikaso makes these amazingly light, origamish bowls that work perfectly, and are very easy to carry. Each bowl comes in a flat, reuseable envelope like this.

The bowl in its folded and unfolded forms. It measures about 3" across the base, 6" across the top, which makes it great as a water dish because it is very easy for a dog, even a big one, to drink out of. When you are done using it, you just unfold it, shake the water off, and put it back in your pack/purse.

Now for the good part. It is perfect to throw in your carry-on luggage to use as a cereal bowl for that late night snack in your hotel room! I bought mine for $2.69 online at Sierra Trading Post.

Simple, elegant, and extremely functional design. Love that.

One Headset to Rule The Calls

Voyager 855 headset from Plantronics

Anyone who has one set of earbuds for a cellphone and another set for a music player, all spooled up in a briefcase or pocket, has been waiting for the Swiss Army knife of headsets.

The Voyager 855 from Plantronics, which works as both a hands-free headset for the phone and a stereo headset for the music player, may be that multifunction tool for the plugged-in set.

Extending the 855's boom microphone pauses the music played on a phone and answers a call. Ending the call restarts the music. Both earbuds are activated for listening to music in stereo by plugging a detachable cable to the main unit.

But the 855, available next month at most electronics and office supply stores for about $150, works only with phones that are A2DP compliant. You can check whether a particular phone supports this standard for playing stereo through a Bluetooth wireless connection by going to Plantronics' Web site, www.plantronics.com . Now, if only it came with a screwdriver and a can opener.