Paul Hochman TODAY gear and technology editor

If you don’t think you’re really computing unless your laptop has leather accents, Swarovski crystals or feathers, you’re in luck. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, the engineers and product managers at huge tech companies, like HP and Dell and Sony and Samsung, are waking up to a new reality: According to some of the top electronics retailers, women now make more than 50 percent of the purchasing decisions for high-tech products like TV’s and cameras. Not surprisingly, according to my recent conversation with product buyers at big retailers and some broad hints dropped by Bill Gates during an interview I did with him before his keynote speech, companies have begun to snap to; they’ve hired designers whose understanding of the women’s tech-buying market, and of product design in general, can help them create tech that is more appealing to women and families. Here is a preview of some of the best stuff at CES. It’s high tech, but it’s not a men’s club any more.

Computer bags — with actual style
Acme Made “Courier” Bag
Finally, a bag that sits comfortably on the style spectrum somewhere between the standard black sack and the $12,000 Hermes über-bag for gajillionaires. The big trend at CES: Companies are starting to make elegant, nicely-designed computer and travel bags somewhere between the two extremes. The bags have tons of the pockets and slots you’d need for your stuff, but the utility is hidden by the beauty. Among the best are from Acme Made. The company makes theirs out of tough outer fabrics (including wool, which is durable and a bit daring but beautiful). Adios, black sack. (www.acmemade.com - $199-$275)

The price-smart solution for parents of IM-addicted teens
The Zipit Z2 Wireless Messenger
Sixteen million IM messages get sent every day by teens in this country, but because the IM function is often tied to your teen’s cell phone, the costs to you can be very high. Enter the Z2, a dream come true for the parent of the teenage IM fanatic. It’s a flip-open box with a screen and QWERTY keyboard (like the standard one you’d find on a typewriter) that performs the following magic trick: After you buy the Z2 (about $149), your teens can IM to their little hearts' content. Forever. No fees. No subscriptions. No plans. To which we say, “OMG!” Z2 users just need access to an open or free wi-fi hotspot, like the one you'd find in your home, or at Bryant Park in NYC, or at thousands of McDonalds around the country. The box works with IM software from Yahoo, AOL, and MSN. And you can even IM somebody who is at their computer (the no-good boyfriend, for example), also for free. (www.zipitwireless.com - $149)

Fashion for guys: It had to happen
Zegna Sport Solar Jacket
High-fashion meets high-tech. Finally. This is the softer (albeit pricey) side of technology, but it sure is a nice-looking development. High-end fashion designer Ermenegildo Zegna has included two discreetly-positioned solar panels in the outside collar of its outer fall/winter Solar Jacket. The reason: The panels turn sunlight into electricity which can power any iPod, MP3 player or cell phone you have in your Solar Jacket pocket, just by walking around. (www.zegna.com -  $995)

A touching retail experience
LG Philips Multi-Touch TV Display
The touch revolution is upon us, and it's a good thing. Starting with Microsoft's Surface and Apple's iPhone, now multi-touch screens are everywhere. The reason this matters: It represents a huge leap toward simplifying technology. All you have to do is reach out and touch what you want. No mouse, no keyboard, no code. LG Philips will be showing us a new version of this technology, in a 52-inch screen, which they believe will soon be the way we all interact with advertising in retail stores. Interested in a new coat? Reach out and touch it. (www.lgphilips-lcd.com)

Designer laptops
Here come the curves. People’s interest in rescuing their technology from the dull sameness of the gray box are about to have their day. Laptop makers from Lenovo, HP, Dell and ASUS, among others, are offering people the chance to make personal statements about themselves using their computers. In an interview before his keynote, Bill Gates talked to me about this big trend at CES and about how the gray box may be no more.

Botox in a printer
Kodak EasyShare ESP 3 Printer with Facial Retouch System
Kodak believes in new beginnings. Or at least the power of retouching software. The new EasyShare ESP 3 photo printer from Kodak uses sophisticated software to smooth out your skin automatically. In other words, if you take a lovely picture of your pal (who happens to be having a bad skin day), your lovely pal will be even more lovely after they get run through Kodak’s soothing algorithms. And it's a heck of lot cheaper than Botox — the black ink cartridges are only $9.99, and the colored ink versions are only $14.99. (www.kodak.com)

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Paul Hochman is the gear and technology editor for the TODAY Show and a Fast Company magazine contributor. He covered the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Athens and Torino, Italy, for TODAY. He was also a three-year letter winner on the Dartmouth ski team and has a black belt in karate. Paul's blog can be found at: Paulhochman.blogspot.com

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