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2002 Holiday Gadget Guide
By DAVE GUSSOW
It's gadget time. You want something that stands out from the crowd. The choices look pretty familiar this holiday shopping season. Still, if you look hard enough, something unique will show up. Take, for example, the cell phone from Vertu (www.vertu.com). Did we say cell phone? Not at more than $20,000. That's "the world's most exclusive personal communication instrument." At that price, it had better be special. (It's hard to tell from the Web site just what makes it so much better, but it does comes in platinum, gold or silver, a clock appears on the screen when you're not talking and the keys have jewelled bearings.) Of course, most people won't spend that much for their holiday gadgets and won't have to. Prices for consumer electronics generally continue to come down. Even some DVD players, still one of the hot technologies, are less than $100. It will be a sprint for holiday gadgets this year. They should be in plentiful supply unless some item becomes a sensation. But with only 23 days to go before Christmas and Hanukkah already three nights old, time is short. About 78 percent of U.S. households will purchase at least one electronic device this year, according to a survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association. But can we choose only one? In addition to DVD players, digital cameras are expected to be big sellers. And that's just the start. Digital cameras
While everyone loves higher numbers, most consumers don't need that kind of resolution, nor the price tags that come with them. A general rule of thumb for the megapixel count that's right for you: 1-megapixel cameras are good for photos for Web pages or to be sent by e-mail; 2-megapixel models are good for family snapshots and modest print sizes (4 by 6 inches); and 3 megapixels and up are good for crisper photos and bigger prints. Of course, the higher the pixels, the higher the price. The attention on megapixels seems to distract people from other features of the camera that are just as critical. For example, make sure the lens you're buying will do what you want. Zoom lenses will give you more flexibility. The good news for consumers is that digital camera prices continue to come down. A year or so ago, getting a 3-megapixel digital camera for $500 was considered a good deal. Now, some 4-megapixel models have fallen below $500, and 3-megapixel models can be had for less than $400, according to Alan Stafford, a senior editor at PC World magazine. PC World has a Buyer's Guide on its Web site (www.pcworld.com), rating cameras and giving buying tips. The Olympus C-4000 Zoom and Fujifilm FinePix 2800 Zoom are rated best buys this month. Steve's Digicams (www.steves-digicams.com) in Clearwater has a good holiday wish list feature. Just choose a price range, and the digital photo site recommends models.
One of the main complaints people still have about digital photos is getting them from the camera to the computer. With Visioneer's PhotoPort TV 100 ($100, www.visioneer.com) you can view and edit the photos on your TV. It works with cameras that use Compact Flash or Smart Media cards or the IBM Microdrive. It comes with a wireless keyboard and a remote control. Granted, the editing is basic and you can't e-mail the photos from the TV (you can copy the images to a different memory card or put them on a videotape if you have a VCR). But it's a start. Another problem is having enough storage when you're traveling without hauling around a laptop. The eFilm PicturePAD ($549, www.delkin.com) is a portable device that lets you store photos when your camera's memory cards start filling up. It comes with either a 20- or 30-gigabyte hard drive, has a color LCD screen and can connect to a home computer or TV. Geek gear
Mice that roar: It would seem to be a pretty simple part of the computing process, but the mouse got some muscle this year. Start with a flying mouse. The Ultra Cordless Optical Mouse ($79.95, www.gyration.com) can be used in the air, up to 25 feet from a receiver plugged into a computer's USB port. Using a gyroscope, motion-sensing technology and a proprietary radio-frequency protocol, the device needs no surface, though it does work on a desk. Logitech's MX 700 Cordless Optical Mouse ($79.95, www.logitech.com) lets you forget about batteries with no worry. The base station for its radio signal doubles as a charger. When not using the mouse, just put it in the cradle. Keyboards: For a software company, Microsoft produces some interesting hardware, such as themed keyboards. We've been testing the Multimedia Keyboard ($34.95). It has specific buttons for everything from My Music and My Pictures to surfing the Web and opening e-mail. Microsoft also has a keyboard themed to Office XP, a Natural Keyboard and wireless models (www.microsoft.com/hardware). Retro CDs: My son often teases me about the days of vinyl records and 45s. Now I have a comeback. The Digital Vinyl CD-R disk ($12.99 for 10 pack, www.verbatim.com) looks just like a 45 rpm record. Its black vinyl-like surface comes complete with grooves and a label just like in the old days. DVD burner: Now that DVD players are everywhere and affordable, this seaon's hot device is a DVD recorder. For your computer, the Sony DRU-500A ($349.99, www.sony.com) has been getting rave reviews because it eliminates the mystery of different DVD formats. And it's reasonably priced. This model handles all four formats -- DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD+RW. The drive can burn disks that can play in almost any DVD player or computer DVD drive. Storage: The Thumbdrive (www.trek2000.com.sg/) is aptly named for two reasons: It's a tiny data storage device, and you use a fingerprint to unlock it instead of a password. Up to four people can access one device, which plugs into a computer's USB port. Versions hold 32, 64 or 128 megabytes and will be sold for $119, $159 and $229, respectively. Handheld organizers: Bargains can be found almost everywhere. Palm came out with the $99 Zire, and Dell Computer came out with its version of the Pocket PC starting at $199. VideoA recent excursion to buy a new TV sent me scurrying for information. It takes more than just looking at sets in a store to choose one. Prices are down on all fronts, including digital models. But, as Consumer Reports magazine notes in its December issue, traditional analog sets cost less and offer very good to excellent picture quality. The magazine has an electronics gift selector available for free on its Web site (www.consumerreports.org), including a section on buying advice for TVs.
One gadget that will get more attention this year is the DVD recorder that replaces your VCR in the family room, with prices falling to about $700 on some models. The Panasonic DMR-HS2 DVD recorder ($999.95, www.panasonic.com) can record up to 52 hours of programming on its hard drive. For the Tech Times' report on DVDs, check our archives at www.sptimes.com /2002/08/26/Technology/Time_to_catch_DVD_fev.shtml. Another interesting device is the Sony Personal Entertainment Display ($999), which shows how entertainment and computing may converge one day. The 17.1-inch monitor can be used as a digital TV, as well as being plugged into a computer, video game console, DVD player and speakers. Speaking of devices that do more than one thing, the portable Sony MPD-AP20UCD ($299) lets you burn CDs, listen to the music and watch DVD movies on a home computer. Fun with DVDsTake some movie trivia, turn on your DVD player and ask some really challenging (and frequently obscure) questions. That's the formula for Scene It? The DVD Movie Game ($49.99). The object is to move your game piece around a board, answering trivia questions to advance. The questions come either from game cards or the included DVD, depending on the roll of the dice. And, trust us, you have to be a real movie buff to know some of the answers. The DVD format has a great advantage over CD-ROM trivia games, which can repeat questions and answers too quickly. While you may see a movie scene more than once, the DVD will track and shuffle questions so it doesn't repeat the same question often. (One hint when watching the clips: Look at everything -- even the background.) The clips come from five major studios (among others, we saw clips from Steel Magnolias and Say Anything). The company says the game will be rolling into more stores, but for now the only retailer handling it in the bay area is Nordstrom. For a game demo and list of retailers, check its Web site (www.sceneit.com). Music
Other players in the "jukebox" category, which means the units have a hard drive or other built-in storage good for hours of music, include the Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox (www.americas.creative.com). It has a 20-gigabyte model that can hold up to 8,000 songs ($299.99). Another 20-gigabyte model is the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 ($279.95, www.archos.com). For the car, take a look at the Sony MEX-HD1 ($1,500). You can rip your CDs to the unit's hard drive as you drive. It holds up to 165 hours worth of music. The PhatBox (www.phatnoise.com) is a small device that sits in the car trunk and stores thousands of digital music files. It's called the Music Keg by Kenwood ($900, www.kenwoodusa.com). It doesn't work with all models of car stereos, so check the site for specifications.
It's in the bag
It's tough lugging around all these gadgets. The Pod ($49.95, www.roadwired.com) makes it easy. With 20 pockets and compartments, this high-tech carrying case has room for everything from MP3 players to digital cameras and their accessories. It's also padded to protect those delicate instruments from bumps and bruises. For students
The Olympus DW-90 digital voice recorder ($79.99, www.olympus.com) is a nifty little device. It fits in the palm of a hand and records up to 90 minutes, perfect for interviews or lectures. Then you can transfer the audio to your PC through a USB connection. The included software makes it easy to organize and find the sound bites. The Logitech Io electronic pen ($199.95, www.logitech.com) looks like a sleek silver and black pen, but it's more. Sure, it writes in ink on one end. But using included digital paper that contains tracking dots, it records your moves and captures everything into its memory. Put the Io into its cradle, and it connects to your computer via a USB connection and downloads your handwritten notes into the computer in their original handwritten form. The included software automatically sorts the notes into folders, based on how you mark it on the paper. For writer's cramp, the Massage Pen ($19.95, www.excaliburelectronics.com) may help. On one end, it's an ink pen. On the other, it has a small ball that vibrates when pressed against the skin. Do-it-all phonesCell phones with cameras. Cell phones with personal organizers. Cell phones with MP3 music. And now disposable cell phones.
Hop-On Wireless (www.hop-on.com) boasts that its phones avoid the hassles of traditional wireless: no contracts, no roaming charges, no long-distance fees. The phones come with 60 minutes of prepaid calling time and a suggested retail price of $39.95. Once the time is used up, the phone can be recycled, thrown away or recharged by going to the company's Web site. It has been a busy year for the cell phone industry. It rolled out faster data services and a wave of new products to take advantage of the speed. Ads touting the capability of taking a digital photo and sending it with the same phone have blanketed TV. Yet the public has been slow to respond. So bargains can be found. Sprint, AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and T-Mobile USA have effectively cut the prices on their data services in recent months. And, assuming you're not going to spring for the $20,000 to buy a Vertu, you still have a growing number of choices in cell phones. Even the phones with cameras can be had for less than $100. Among those are phones that also include a handheld organizer, such as the Handspring Treo ($499, www.handspring.com). It has gotten generally good reviews as a phone-handheld organizer combo. But we found the service from Sprint slower than we expected. It took 90 seconds to open the Times' home page, and a minute for Sprint's. On a desktop with a dialup connection, it took only seconds for each. We found it a bit too big to comfortably use as a phone, a problem with many of these combos, but the included keyboard made typing messages easier. Another device with an included keyboard is the Hiptop ($199, www.danger.com), a wireless Web device with a built-in phone. It's being marketed as the Sidekick by T-Mobile. No instrument requiredWe could hardly pass up a pitch that claims "Karaoke meets steroids." MusicPlayground (www.musicplayground.com) is software that lets users virtually play the guitar or drums, even if they know nothing about music. Load the software, plug in the V-Pick virtual guitar pick or V-Stix drum pad to a USB port and play away to one of four music packages the company offers ($19.95 to $69.95). The pick or stix comes with the software, and they work on any surface.
If you have an actual electric guitar, you might want to check out Line 6's (www.line6.com) GuitarPort and Pod XT. Both are devices that re-create a number of guitar amplifiers and sound effects. The GuitarPort ($229.99) is a hardware-software combination. You install the software, then hook up a little red box between your computer and your guitar. Using controls on the computer screen, you can pick from literally dozens of different sounds. Van Halen? Clapton? Jimi Hendrix? No problem -- as long as you can play the notes, the GuitarPort takes care of the sound. And you can get even more experienced by joining GuitarPort's online community. There, you can play along with a number of remixed and re-recorded classic songs. Pod XT ($549.50) is the newest incarnation of Line 6's series of guitar amp modelers. It's more flexible than GuitarPort because it doesn't require software. You can just hook up your guitar to the Pod, then hook up speakers, a guitar amplifier or headphones and start twisting knobs to get the sounds you like. And if you enjoy using your computer to record yourself playing, the Pod really shines, with more options and better sounds than ever before. The game beatIt's the first holiday season in years without a new video game system being introduced. But gamers don't have to do without. For example, how could mere TV speakers do justice to the new high-tech games? They can't, according to Microsoft and Bose. So for $499, the Bose FreeStyle speaker system (www.bose.com) can be yours to take advantage of the Xbox's Dolby surround sound. (Note that the Xbox costs only $199.) Fun with robots
Sony's AIBO robotic dog learns a few new tricks. Adding a Memory Stick card ($99, www.us.aibo.com/), the pet robot will automatically know when its batteries need to be recharged and go over to the Energy Station all by itself. Its improved speech recognition will let it pick out its owner's voice from a crowd. The Energy Station, of course, is sold separately -- $170, but then what would you expect for a $1,500 gadget? Hitting the roadAdmit it. There have been times when you've been driving when you've wanted to send another motorist a message. Now you can do it without lifting a finger. The PowerTale ($29.99, www.powertale.com) attaches to a trailer hitch and works like a little lighted billboard. The messages are on LTDs -- Lighted Tail Displays -- that attach to the PowerTale. Messages can include college logos, patriotic themes or holiday greetings. One LTD comes with each PowerTale; extras are $7.95 each. For those who thought riding a bike was for exercise, think again. The Zeta III ($179.99, www.zapworld.com) is a 10-pound bicycle motor kit that gives you a little boost when fatigue sets in. The company claims it attaches easily over the front wheel of 24-to-28-inch bicycles. Its top speed is about 10 mph, and its rechargeable battery will last up to 50 minutes. If you don't want to fiddle, the company sells a complete electric PowerBike starting at $399.
You likely won't get it in time for the holidays, but you can at least place an order for the Segway computerized scooter at Amazon.com. You have to put down a $495 deposit for the $4,950 scooter. It's not scheduled for delivery until March, though 30 lucky buyers could win a contest to get theirs by Christmas. - Times staff writers William Lampkin and Christopher Ave and correspondent Jules Allen contributed to this report, which also includes information from Times wires. Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4228.
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