Adapter lets you take games on the road

Fri., July 9, 2004

Heather Newman Knight Ridder

My family and I were on a bike tour last week, camping out at middle and high schools. That made handling electronic devices challenging, and even though I was driving a support truck, electrical outlets were few and far between.

Fortunately, I had a new DC adapter that kept me playing “Sumo Wrestling” (no, I’m not kidding) on a wireless phone and Game Boy Advance videos throughout the trip.

The Xantrex XPower Micro Inverter 175 is about the size and shape of the top half of a bottle of motor oil (but better looking). It has a tiny fan inside, so it does make noise while running, but no more than the AC on high.

The narrow end plugs into a cigarette lighter, while the fat end has a three-prong plug for just about any small electronics device up to 175 watts, which pretty much handles anything up to and including laptop computers and small televisions. It worked like a charm on the trip, quickly charging my devices with their standard wall-plug cords, and it didn’t drain the truck’s battery, even when left plugged in while we stopped.

It retails for $44.99. For details, check out www.xantrex.com.

Give it up for ‘Sumo Wrestling’

The quirky game of the week award goes to “Sumo Wrestling,” new for some wireless phones this month from Mitsui Comtek Corp. and Swing dot BSI. I played a version on Verizon Wireless’ LG VX6000 phone, where it costs $1.99 for a month’s play or $5.99 to own.

Yes, I know, you wireless phone owners have a lot of choices out there. Just about every new movie title (“Van Helsing,” “Around the World in 80 Days,” “Garfield”) comes with its own wireless game title, and some old classics have been recently reintroduced.

But “Sumo” is worth clapping and stomping for, thanks to its teeny but detailed graphics, smooth controls and funky moves.

You don’t even have to know or like anything about the sport of sumo wrestling to figure out how to disable and defeat an opponent with a combination of simple one-button taps plus the occasional rapid-tap meter for holds and take-downs.

This is the perfect waiting room game, thanks to its short matches and easy pick-up-and-play style. Get it through the software download menu of your wireless phone.

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