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Gizmos for your gift list

These high-tech wonders can help your favorite traveler preserve memories instantly, stay organized or just call home.

Gone are the days when a simple film camera was the most complex device vacationers took with them.

Now, ads for a plethora of portable, high-tech gizmos promise wireless communication and sophisticated ways to capture and instantly replay memories. You don't even need to wait to get home to show friends where you've been: You can send them a picture from your cell phone.

A lot of seductive stuff is out there, and much of it is sure to be appreciated as holiday gifts.

Beware, though: Technology has its drawbacks. There is the specter of hauling around battery chargers, spare batteries and power adapters in addition to the devices, plus concern about theft or damage, and the philosophical question of whether you can really get away from it all if you're schlepping so much civilization with you.

Still game? Here are some basic tips on what to consider when buying these devices. After that, we offer recommendations for the best in portable electronics, with price options to satisfy basic, midrange and splurge budgets. Prices listed are common listed retail; savings may be available online or from discount stores.

Do you want a camera you can carry in your pocket or a bigger, full-featured one with interchangeable lenses and lots of bells and whistles? Travelers, and their gift-givers, should go for the widest range of zoom capabilities, at least 3 megapixel resolution (more for enlargements bigger than 4 by 6 inches), a slot for high-capacity digital film cards, a built-in flash to reduce "red eye" and shadows, and, if possible, a "hot shoe" that accepts a powerful external flash.

BASIC: Canon PowerShot A75. $200. This 3.2 megapixel compact camera has a large, sharp, 1.8-inch LCD monitor (on which to view the images taken), a flash and a zoom lens that goes from a respectable 35mm to 105. Twelve shooting modes offer preset parameters for common situations, such as portraits, landscapes, night scenes and sports. It also has manual options.

The technology called burst mode lets this camera click off 11 frames in 6 seconds. A print/share button and an included cable allow easy printing via a direct photo printer; you don't need to download the images to a computer first. Or you can print from a CompactFlash card (a 32 megabyte card included). Runs on AA batteries. Size: 4 by 2.5 by 1.2 inches. Weight: 7 ounces.

Go to www.usa.canon.com

MIDRANGE: Olympus C-5060. $600. This 5.1 megapixel camera offers one of the widest lenses available in a compact - a 27 to 110mm zoom lens - as well as a built-in flash and full system capability for add-on lenses and an external dedicated flash. It's also one of the fastest compacts.

A 1.8-inch LCD screen swivels in several directions to capture shots at different angles. Special software allows users to "stitch" together up to 10 frames to create panoramic shots. You can even get an optional underwater housing that's watertight to 130 feet. Dual media slots accommodate either CompactFlash cards or Olympus brand xD-Picture cards. It comes with a rechargeable Li-ion battery and charger. Size: 4.6 by 3.4 by 2.6 inches. Weight: 15 ounces.

Go to www.olympusamerica.com

SPLURGE: Nikon D70. $1,300 for a package including Nikkor 18 to 70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens; $999 without lens. The D70 has 6.1 megapixels and a 1.8-inch LCD screen, with most of the capabilities of Nikon's much more expensive pro models.

This camera is compatible with the full gamut of AF Nikkor lenses, from a 10.5mm fisheye to a 600mm zoom. A plus is the built-in, pop-up flash, and there's a hot shoe for an additional flash. The D70 model can capture three frames per second, for up to 144 jpegs in a single burst. Users decide manual or automatic settings, or a combination.

Comes with a rechargeable Li-ion battery and charger. Media: CompactFlash card. Size (without lens): 5.5 by 4.4 by 3 inches. Weight: 32 ounces.

Go to www.nikonusa.com

How big is too big? Look for image stabilization, a long battery life and conveniently placed controls. All these camcorders use mini-DV tapes, the most popular media type on the market.

BASIC: Sony Handycam DCR-HC20. $449. The Karl Zeiss lens has 10X optical zoom. Shot image stabilization and infrared lighting functions make for excellent image quality. The 2.5-inch swivel touch-screen LCD is a cool feature that's easy to master. Best of all, the HC20 is a pocket-size 2 by 4.5 by 3.5 inches and weighs 13 ounces.

Go to www.sonystyle.com

MIDRANGE: Canon Optura 40. $899. In addition to mini-DV video media, the Optura 40 also takes 2.2 megapixel stills and can record video in a special mode for Web use. There's a 12X zoom lens and built-in flash for low-light situations, plus special shooting programs for sand and snow, sports and night scenes. The 2.5-inch LCD screen provides an unusual feature: You can monitor audio levels on the screen while shooting. Size: 3 by 5.3 by 3.2 inches. Weight: 20.6 ounces.

Go to www.usa.canon.com

SPLURGE: Panasonic AG-DVC30. $1,900. This model packs an exceptional range of professional features usually found only in much larger, costlier pro models. Images are captured on three 1/4-inch CCDs. The Leica lens has a 16X zoom range and solid optical stabilization.

The big, 3.5-inch LCD display is sharp and bright, and the stereo microphone system captures sound crisply. There's an impressive selection of image controls, programmed and manual. There are three modes of Infrared Super Night shooting and extensive digital zoom options. Size: 10 by 4.3 by 4.6 inches. Weight: 2.3 pounds.

Go to www.panasonic.com

Today's camera phones are no match for real digital cameras, but some of them are better than others. Look for a sharp image, a zoom lens, a flash, a self-portrait mode and easy image messaging.

BASIC: LG VX6100 ($149.99; $99 with one-year Verizon service contract). It has a built-in flash, self-portrait capabilities, 4X digital zoom and a gallery for storing images and using them as wallpaper and as caller ID.

It includes valuable phone functions that are hard to find together: speakerphone, vibrate mode and tri-mode (which switches automatically to analog roaming when there's no digital signal). There's also voice command dialing and driving mode, which activates the speakerphone and lets users instruct the phone to call contacts or recite voice mail, hands-free. "Get It Now" technology lets users download (for a price) a slew of ring tones and images, and receive news alerts and other fun stuff.

Go to www.lge.com

MIDRANGE: Nokia 7610 (due in stores before the end of the year). Estimated price: about $400. Service provider not announced.

Enter the higher-resolution camera phone world with the 1 megapixel 7610, which also offers 10 minutes of video recording. The tri-band phone has Bluetooth wireless technology, USB connectivity and an MP3 player.

It offers multimedia messaging and access to e-mail. It provides loads of organizer features, plus there's a neat "Lifeblog" that lets users store all their text messages and images on their computer in the form of an electronic diary.

Go to www.nokia.com

SPLURGE: This one will let you get a jump on next year's gift list or maybe plan for a birthday, because these choices won't be available until 2005. They are 2 to 5 megapixel camera phones, some of which may rival regular digital cameras in image quality. Expect to pay big bucks but finally get cell phone shots worth printing. Phone makers leading the way: Samsung, Sharp, Casio, Sony Ericsson and LG.

Make sure you have all the power you need in your PDA, and that your fingers can manipulate the tiny keypads. List prices can drop by as much as half with a wireless service contract, so look for deals.

BASIC: PalmOne Zire 21. $99. It does not provide for Internet surfing and is not a phone, and it has just a monochrome screen. But this is a solid choice for multitasking at an unbeatable price. It has all the standard organizer features: datebook, notepad, to-do list, expenses, calculator, address book and scheduler, plus some expense-tracking applications and a few card games.

The 126 MHz processor is speedy enough, considering this is not a multimedia device. And the 8 megabytes of memory are sufficient for the tasks at hand. One quibble: no backlight.

It includes an AC adapter for recharging the internal Li-ion battery, a USB cable and Palm Desktop software to synch the Zire with a Mac or PC. Size: 4.4 by 3 by 0.6 inches. Weight: 3.8 ounces.

Go to www.palmone.com

MIDRANGE: RIM BlackBerry 7100t. $200 with a monthly $59.99 wireless subscription from T-Mobile including unlimited Internet and 1,000 "any time" phone minutes.

This svelte new handheld is Blackberry's first to work equally well for e-mail, instant messaging and Web browsing, and as a phone. The 7100t uses the standard "QWERTY" keyboard layout but places two letters on most keys to slim the device. Predictive software turns the resulting gibberish you type into the words you want. Mistakes can be corrected, and the system "learns" these corrected words as it goes.

It integrates with existing business and personal e-mail accounts. A Bluetooth transmitter allows instant communication with other Bluetooth-enabled devices, including wireless headphones. There's a built-in speakerphone and polyphonic ring tones.

Includes AC adapter and USB cable. Size: 4.5 by 2 by 0.8 inches. Weight: 4.2 ounces.

Go to www.blackberry.com

SPLURGE: PalmOne Treo 600. $350 (plus wireless service contract through several carriers starting at about $50 for Internet and phone service).

This is perhaps the ideal blend of PDA and cell phone, with top-notch operations for voice calls, e-mail, Web surfing and keeping organized. The tiny but all-letter "QWERTY" keyboard takes some practice, but dome-shaped buttons help, and intuitive software fixes errant thumb strokes.

The five-way navigational pad lets users operate all the unit's functions, making for efficient, one-handed navigation. A stylus is provided for touch-screen management. A Secure Digital expansion slot accommodates memory cards or a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi card, though Bluetooth is not built in. The low-resolution camera is mainly fun for picture messaging.

Includes AC charger, USB HotSync cable, hands-free headset. Size: 4.4 by 2.4 by 1 inches. Weight: 6 ounces.

Go to www.palmone.com

There's no need to haul along all those bulky adapters for charging laptops and other portable electronic devices. The iGo Juice Auto/Air/Wall Power Adapter from Radio Shack ($119.99) works with car, airplane and wall outlets.

Add iGo's optional DualPower15 accessory cable (14.99) and you can simultaneously power and charge a mobile phone or PDA in addition to your laptop. The secret is interchangeable adapter tips that are specific to the make and model of the device (you specify what you need when ordering).

Size: 5.5 by 2.2 by 1 inches. Weight: 6.8 ounces.

Go to www.radioshack.com

The advantage of digital film is that it can be reused, but where to store all the images you've taken if you're not carrying around a notebook computer? Two options in portable storage devices can download and store digital images in the field: small, portable hard drives and portable CD burners.

Portable hard drives keep all the images internally and can hold from 10 to 80 gigabytes, an enormous amount of memory. CD burners can transfer images to a succession of CDs if necessary. You can give picture CDs to new friends made during your travels or mail a set home for safekeeping, but you have to lug around a stash of CDs.

Here are the best bets in each category:

SmartDisk FlashTrax: from $399. Just slide a CompactFlash card into the slot, press copy and your images are saved on the 20 to 80 gigabyte internal hard drive. (An optional $50 Media Adapter supports Secure Digital/MMC, SmartMedia and memory sticks.)

View and zoom in on the photos on the 3.5-inch, flip-up color monitor. Slide show and album creation also are available. Images can later be transferred to a computer using the high-speed USB 2.0 port or viewed on a TV using the included A/V cable. Battery power can get eaten up fast, so better carry along a backup battery ($60) and maybe a car power adapter ($30).

Includes remote control, AC adapter, rechargeable Li-ion battery, USB cable and carrying case. Size: 5.6 by 3.6 by 1.3 inches. Weight: 12.5 ounces.

Go to www.smartdisk.com

Apacer Disc Steno CP 200; $260. Using four buttons on its front panel and a simple embedded operating system, users can easily transfer files onto CDs from CompactFlash cards, SmartMedia, Microdrive, Secure Digital/MMC and memory sticks. You can copy from a high-capacity memory card onto multiple CDs using the CP200's CD spanning technology. The USB 2.0 port allows for high-speed transfer to another device, such as a computer.

The CP200 has an LCD panel for monitoring progress (though images are not displayed) and includes a Li-ion rechargeable battery, an A/V cable for viewing JPEG and MPEG files on a TV, a rechargeable Li-ion battery, an AC adapter, a USB cable and a remote control. An optional car power adapter is $35; extra battery, $50. Size: 6 by 7 by 1.25 inches. Weight: 1.5 pounds.

Go to www.apacer.com

-- Freelance writer Judi Dash writes the monthly Gear and Gadgets column for the St. Petersburg Times and other newspapers.