I may have cross-country skiied in high school, but the slopes scare me. If you're anything like me, you'll prefer the snow in the safety of your own home. That's why Hammacher Schlemmers' Virtual Reality Snowboard is totally my thing.

All you do is put your foot through the strap of the board, place the wireless headset on your head, and you're ready to perform cool tricks on a snow-capped mountain. You'll experience sound effects and full-color 3D graphics. The virtual reality game features multi-level play for competing against other boarders, as well as a volume control and automatic scoring and timekeeping.

The board and headset are made of ABS plastic and include earbud headphones. Purchase the Virtual Reality Snowboard for $59.95.

BusinessWeek is out with a scoop that could have a big impact on the ebook business. According to a story that posted today on its Web site, Sony will be launching a new ebook reader at CES next week and plans to sell ebooks from its Sony Connect online store. I have been reading ebook on my Treo since I got it, and I think the screen is just bearable for reading text. A larger display would be great, but I am not sure I would pay $300-$500 for dedicated eBook reader, especially if Sony follows it pattern of offering only DRM-protected content for its devices. Still, it is something I will have to check out at the show next week.

If only that iPod display was just a little bit bigger....

Electroplankton. It's not a game, precisely, though you do play with it (or on it, or through it...). Essentially, it turns your DS into a music creation tool -- but that's not quite right either, since you create rich and colorful visualizations as you play, and that's a huge part of the experience. So I think Nintendo has created a new category; MusiCreatiVisual? Kudos to the spunky game company. 

I was thrilled when the title arrived yesterday, and I spent an absorbing hour and a half last night just noodling around with the different plankton types; there are 10 of them, and each makes sounds in a novel way. (Pictured is Lumiloop; you trace the circles with your stylus at different speeds, and they emit varied colors and tones.)

In the booklet that comes with Electroplankton, you'll find a charming letter from its creator, media artist Toshio Iwai. At different times in his life, he variously used and loved a microscope, a tape recorder, a synthesizer, and a Nintendo NES. These devices were the combined elements that sparked the idea.

Electroplankton will be available online and at the Nintendo World store on January 9, for $34.99.