consumer electronics makers

While much attention on Sept. 29 was fixed on the failed bailout vote in Congress and its impact on the Dow Jones industrial average, tech stocks also came under pressure.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq dropped 199.61 points, or 9%, to 1983.73, the third-largest percentage decline ever. The Sept. 29 tech-stock rout was eclipsed only by the Black Monday crash on Oct. 19, 1987, when the Nasdaq plummeted more than 11%, and Apr. 14, 2000, when it tumbled 9.7%.

In a move that could give a welcome, if short-lived, boost to consumer electronics makers and retailers, consumers up and down the West Coast are snapping up headsets that let them talk on cell phones while driving -- and stay in compliance with a law that took effect in California and Washington state on July 1.

So many Bluetooth headsets look silly -- especially when they are not actually being used and instead are worn as fashion statements.

Still, the easy connectivity and the wireless, hands-free convenience are worth looking like a cyborg wannabe, especially if the earpiece works as well as the new Jawbone from Aliph.

The newest incarnation of the company's flagship headset went on sale recently through AT&T Wireless, and it's compatible with the most common versions of Bluetooth mobile phones.