If you listen to Peter Semmelhack, he will tell you that Bug Labs name is derived either from system software bugs or the Hemiptera (aka bugs) order of insects. Based on the open source Web-enabled modular software & hardware nature of Bug Labs BUG, I feel that a viable alternative definition might be more synonymous with the term bug used in the vernacular of circuit designers to represent todays integrated circuit (IC)--the basic building block for all digital consumer electronics. Regardless, BUG is one of the most anticipated DIY products of 2007.

Consisting of a brilliant platform of modular components that simply plug together, BUG can quickly become, within reason, any product of your dreams. Although not quite ready for prime time (YET), the BUG lineup for 2007 is scheduled to include:

BUGbase - the ARM-based Wi-Fi Linux computer brain which acts as the foundation for building all BUG mashups
GPS
Touch-sensitive color LCD screen
Digital camera/videocam
Accelerometer

Also, slated for release in the first quarter of 2008 are these BUGmodules:

A 2x, bigger touch-sensitive color LCD screen
Mini-QWERTY keyboard
Teleporter - …beam me up, Mr. Scott.
Audio speaker

Acting as the lifeblood to make a BUG creation work is a Java-based programming environment known as the BUG Module Interface or BMI. Under the hood, BMI relies on a service-oriented component runtime called OSGi.

Get ready to be BUGged. As soon as BUG comes to retail life, we will have a more in-depth look at this modular DIY product lineup. In fact, maybe a GPS-enabled digital camera Google Maps project would be a great demonstration of BUG. Stay tuned.—Dave Prochnow

(Image: Bug Labs)

Youre walking down the street, and you know something isnt right. People keep giving you that look. Is your fly unzipped? Hilarious Kick me sign taped to your back? Perhaps people are just staring at your brand-new video belt buckle.

Yes, thats right. No longer is the giant brass Texas-shaped clasp the pinnacle of belt-closure fashion. Now we have the EgoKast—a belt-mounted video player that displays music clips, slideshows of photographs or ripped DVDs on a 3.5-inch screen mounted right above your crotch. The wearer of the EgoKast (Disclaimer: This gets more attention than some people can handle, warns the devices Web site) can load video, music and photographs via the built-in SD-card slot. If you're feeling a bit more modest, unclip it and use it as a standard portable music and video player. 

I personally cant imagine someone walking down the street with a color LCD screen on their belt buckle broadcasting highlights from the recent family vacation to SeaWorld. But rocking a waist-mounted 50 Cent video in the club? That just might work. —Carla Thomas

Related:The Goods: July 2006

Forget AT&T and the like. The only phone company you need is Skype, which routes your calls over the Internet and, as of May 15, 2006, costs nothing for outgoing calls made by users in the U.S. and Canada. And now you can almost forget your cellphone provider too-with this new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gear, you can make calls using Skype (or Vonage, another VoIP provider) from just about anywhere.