TalkBlaster phone moos when it rings

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Tired of hearing the ringing of the telephone? Maybe you'd rather hear it moo.

The Nickelodeon TalkBlaster Telephone introduced at Winter CES makes four fun sounds: It moos like a cow, honks like a Model-T, rings like a bell or says "Nick Nick Nick," like the Nickelodeon network's promotional jingle. And, it flashes when it rings.

The list price is $49.95 and the phone will be available in the first quarter from Long-Hall Technologies of Farmingdale, N.Y.

MULTILINGUAL MICROWAVES -- LG Electronics U.S.A. introduced GoldStar Microwave Ovens featuring a custom choice button which sets English, Spanish or French on the control panel.

The unit will then display cooking instructions in the language of choice. The custom choice button also tailors other aspects of the cooking process. Consumers can decide if they want to measure food in pounds or kilograms, set the panel's scroll device for fast or slow and choose if they want the unit to emit a sound or remain silent.

The Model MA-1505M measures 1.5 cubic feet and offers 1,000 watts of cooking power. Its suggested retail price is $229.95 and it should be in stores in April.

LOST NO MORE -- A Sarasota, Fla.-based company introduced a device that combines a cellular telephone with the Global Positioning System.

Bartizan American Communications has developed the BART system which can pinpoint a vehicle's precise location and direction of movement and transmit that data to Bartizan's central monitoring station via cellular telephone links.

That provides motorists a vital link to emergency services and travel information while on the road. The device will be available to consumers in May and retails for around $1,200. The purchase price includes a Motorola mobile cell phone as part of the system. The monthly monitoring fee is about $22.

EASY EYE -- LG Electronics is showing a new large-button microwave oven that makes preparing a meal easier for people whose eyesight isn't what it used to be -- including the Baby Boomers.

Available to consumers this month, the Easy Eye retails for $129.95 and like all GoldStar microwaves for 1997, features the new recessed turntable system. Designed to prevent spills caused by containers bumping into an elevated edge, the recessed turntable also eliminates dishes tottering and sloshing on top of the carousel. Easy Eye offers 700 watts of power and is supposed to cook food evenly.