PHOTO COURTESY OF SHARP    SHARP 13-IN. AQUOS LC-13B4U-S   Suggested Retail: $650   www.sharpusa.com

FLAT-PANEL LCD
Size Range: 10 in. to 40 in.
Price Range: $500 to $10,000

The flat panel that's sweeping the computer world will soon revolutionize the dumber half of your life, too. Already prices are dropping to the affordable, and LCDs are replacing chunkier TVs in space-conscious areas like kitchens and, seriously, bathrooms. LCDs still have contrast problems when compared to plasma, and can't yet be stretched as large. But because they're back-lighted, they shine brighter. There are plenty of indications that LCD will continue its rapid evolution, and in a few years we'll forget plasma ever existed. In the meantime, however, think small.