New measure for measure

My home furniture, area rugs, and most of the art were bought during travels near and far. Always on the lookout for functional souvenirs that will fit my living spaces, I keep a tape measure ever at hand. Measuring potential purchases just got exponentially easier and more efficient with the new eTape16 Digital Tape Measure. As you pull out up to 16 feet of retractable tape from the tough polycarbonate housing, a digital display at the top of the housing shows the measurement in five ways: inches, feet, centimeters, fractions to 1/16th of an inch, and decimal units, all of which can be converted back and forth with the touch of a button.

The eTape16 provides dual memory functions for storing multiple measurements; a function that adapts for inside or outside measurements of an object, figuring the casing into the calculation; a neat midpoint calculation function that indicates the midpoint of a measurement (a great aid for hanging paintings), and a couple of other digi-tricks.

Measuring about 3 inches square by 1.25 inches thick, the eTape16 incorporates a blade lock and belt clip, and is powered by an included replaceable CR2032 lithium battery. A model with Bluetooth technology lets you import measurements to a dedicated cellphone app and create digital worksheets. The developers are working on longer tapes, and additional apps to let you virtually try out your finds on digital renderings of your living spaces.

eTape16 Digital Tape Measure is $29.95; Bluetooth model, $49.95; at www.etape16.com.