Great Gifts for the Holidays
A musical keyboard? A stylin' Bluetooth cell phone? A handy perch for your laptop? Here are ten great gift ideas for your friends--or yourself. All but one cost $100 or less.Frank Thorsberg and PC World Editors
A Keyboard You Can Play
Depending on how you look at it, Creative's $100 Prodikeys is either a PC keyboard that plays music or a music keyboard you can type on. Either way, it's great fun for kids who are learning to play--or adults who never did.
The oversize unit plugs into your PC's keyboard (PS/2) port and sports both a standard 104-key QWERTY PC keyboard and 37 touch-sensitive, piano-style keys. (A cover protects the keys when not in use and doubles as a wrist rest.) Slick bundled software lets you practice songs note-by-note or simply show off with a mode that does much of the playing for you, in styles from Latin to hip-hop. Multiple voices mimic a piano (naturally), but also a clarinet, accordion, and other instruments, and you can record your performances for later playback.
The sound you get will depend on the quality of your sound system. I tested the Prodikeys using basic Altec-Lansing speakers and a Sound Blaster Live card (superior to the audio card bundled with the Prodikeys), and the sound quality was good. Once you tire of the songs built into the software, you can import any MIDI tune--thousands of Web sites offer them for free--and learn to play it. True music geeks can even attach a neck strap (not included) and play the Prodikeys guitar-style.
This clever keyboard's only real downside? A few of the PC key choices are peculiar: The Esc key is positioned off by itself, and it sits low on the surface. I found I had to stretch my hand more than usual to press both Ctrl and Esc at the same time, for instance. In addition, three keys exist only to take you to various Creative Web sites--you can't reprogram them. But all in all, Prodikeys is uniquely entertaining, and a good deal at $100--which includes a Sound Blaster audio card.
Harry McCracken
Recharge in a Flash
Who has time to wait for rechargeable batteries to power back up? Rayovac's 1-Hour NiMH Charger will get your battery-powered devices back online by the time you return from lunch. The $35 device can recharge four AA, four AAA, or one 9V nickel-metal hydride or nickel cadmium battery. In our unscientific tests, the NiHM batteries were back to full power in 50 minutes. For a recharge on the go, just plug the device into your car's lighter using the included adapter.
Dennis O'Reilly
A Table to Go, Please
If you depend on your laptop while you travel, you've probably found yourself working in all kinds of uncomfortable scenarios: airport departure areas, hotel lobbies, and conference halls, for instance. For $50, you can make your life on the road a lot easier--and give your (hot) lap a break. PC Tables' Table Tote is a very handy portable workstation, designed for your laptop.
You get a tabletop, four lightweight adjustable legs, and a useful document holder. The whole kit folds up neatly into a compact, laptop-shape box measuring approximately 13.5 inches by 10.75 inches and just over an inch thick. Plus, weighing about 3 pounds, the Table Tote is pretty easy to carry around. It should fit into most backpacks and briefcases, although it might be a bit of a squeeze to get it in your laptop case along with your laptop.
Setting up the Table Tote is straightforward. You adjust each aluminum leg using the 'telescope' design to the height you want--from 20 inches up to 36 inches. Then you insert the four legs into the sockets, turn the table upright onto the floor, and slide on the work surface lid. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up, but it might take a little longer to adjust the legs for sturdiness. For laptop lovers who are constantly on the go--and need to set up shop--the Table Tote could be your handiest companion.
Aoife McEvoy
A Handy Headset for Your Wireless Phone
Logitech's corded Mobile Earbud Miniboom for wireless phones is a great choice for on-the-go communicators who want to keep their hands free. The $40 sleek gray unit packs an earful of features in a one-ounce package, and it's comfortable and lightweight. The Earbud Miniboom comes with a noise-canceling microphone, which helps cut background noise while talking in crowds, and a clip-on holster with retractable cord for quick-draw access. It also has a nifty answer/hang-up button on the 3.5-inch stem.
After a few minutes of use, I just about forgot the headset was there. The sound quality was good--a bit better than the phone's internal speaker--but not as good as a standard wired phone headset.
Extra-large or extra-small ears are no problem. Slide one of the four different-size flexible rubber loops over the earpiece to hold it snug inside the outer ear. Choose from four models, compatible with nearly every mobile phone on the market. The Earbud Miniboom is a good match for any frequent traveler on your holiday shopping list.
Frank Thorsberg
Cell Phone Goes Bluetooth
Sony Ericsson's T68i tri-band mobile phone overflows with cool features and hot functions. The capabilities of this slender unit (it's about the size of a pack of Virginia Slims, only slimmer) can really make your head spin. From its full-color display (1 by 1.4 inches) to its Bluetooth wireless capabilities and audio-enabled call list, the T68i will slip smoothly into the pocket of any high-tech cell phone fiend who doesn't balk at the $500 price tag.
You can use it to keep in touch via e-mail and instant message or to access the Internet, but don't expect broadband-level velocity. The tiny screen, coupled with tiny keypad, tries your patience if you need to tap out more than a few words or commands. Sony Ericsson offers a keyboard attachment called Chatboard, with a suggested retail price of $11. An external keyboard might be worth a try if you must send long messages or make numerous detailed calendar entries.
It was easy to sync up the phone with my PC calendar via Bluetooth or infrared connection. The calendar search and reminder functions were great, too, but I had one beef. I'd prefer the U.S. date format (month/day/year) on the calendar instead of the European format (day/month/year) used by Sony Ericsson. Fourteen ring tone options are included. One suggestion: How about sending the keypad sounds (click or tone) to the headset speakers?
Last, but not least, you can really talk on this phone, and it keeps track of exactly how much talk time (12 hours maximum) and standby time (390 hours maximum) is available. The T68i weighs a shade under three ounces and sports a built-in microphone, an internal speaker and a wired earbud headset, which worked okay but wasn't very comfortable. Plus, it tended to slip out unless it was jammed tightly into my ear. I'd recommend upgrading to a Bluetooth-enabled wireless headset like Jabra's $100 FreeSpeak or Plantronics' $250 M1500.
Using a Bluetooth headset to call out commands with my voice, I made calls walking around freely in my office while the phone was tucked away inside a drawer, in my pocket, or even sitting on a table in the next room. The range was about 30 feet, standard for Bluetooth devices.
Sony Ericsson offers a wide range of accessories for the T68i. Check out the two CommuniCams, mini digital cameras that you snap onto the bottom of the phone. You can take and send pictures via e-mail with just a couple of clicks.
AT&T and Cingular both offer the T68i with various service plans, according to a Sony Ericsson spokeswoman. At AT&T, the CommuniCam costs $130. Cingular offers it bundled with the phone for an extra $200 with a two-year contract.
Frank Thorsberg
Chameleon Computer Case
The versatility of Kensington's Liberator laptop case comes from its clever design. Like the company's pioneering Saddlebag, the $80 Liberator offers four ways to carry a notebook computer: its hideaway backpack straps, its nicely padded shoulder strap, its Velcro luggage strap for sliding on wheeled luggage, or its comfortably padded grip handle.
The adaptable, snug notebook compartment handles PCs with screens as large as 15 inches, and with the expansion zipper open, you get 40 percent more internal space to store other things. A nifty hard-shell, sliding "Junk-It" drawer on the bottom of the case is great for keeping cords, mice, toiletries, and other small items out of the way. Now that's liberating.
Michael S. Lasky
The Show Goes From PC to TV
X10 may have created a wireless monster with its ShowTime. The same breed of amateur photographer who tormented friends with photo albums of boring vacation trips in another era will delight in this wireless system for digital photo viewing.
The $70 system uses radio frequencies to transmit images from a computer to a television screen. It's designed to handle most digital picture and video formats.
After downloading the software and hooking up the transmitter to my computer, I used the provided coaxial cable to connect the ShowTime receiver to my TV. You can also connect through A/V inputs on a cable box or other component system.
In my case, it was a bit of a hassle to set up. It took a while because I had some unidentifiable problems with the original transmitter, which finally cleared up after switching USB connections. In general, though, the setup for the ShowTime system shouldn't take more than an hour.
My computer sits about 10 steps down a short hall and around the corner from my big-screen TV. The signal got through my thick plaster walls okay, but cranking up the microwave in the next room made the image flicker and the TV buzz. Cell phones, cordless phones, and even other computers can (and do) interfere, too.
ShowTime let me set up photo albums by browsing through digital pictures stored on my hard drive. I categorized by subject, using a pre-set list of topics like birthdays and vacations, and also made up my own collections.
I liked the remote control. It let me zoom in and out, page through albums and switch from full-screen to partial-screen images. Too bad there's no automatic play feature, like the one on Microsoft's TV Photo Viewer. It would be great for a party if you could run entire albums without clicking each picture.
The ShowTime package includes an e-mail function for sending pictures to friends and family. Completing the online product registration form, which pops up the first time you access the software, automatically signs you up for ShowTime e-mail.
Final word: My lousy pictures didn't improve by beaming them to my 42-inch projection TV. In fact, picture clarity suffered noticeably in comparison to the display on my 21-inch CRT computer monitor. Still, ShowTime provided a relatively inexpensive wireless option for moving images from PC to TV.
Think I should invite the neighbors over to see snapshots of my Washington vacation?
Frank Thorsberg
USB 2 for the Money
Okay, so it's "one for the money, two for the show," but Belkin's $100 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Notebook Card will have you singing a new, faster tune. The 2-port CardBus device slips into any Type II PC Card slot and installs in a flash with the accompanying software (for Windows 98 SE and later). The result is a pair of USB 2.0 ports, each delivering a 480-mbps signaling rate, versus the 12-mbps speed of a standard USB 1.1 port.
Actual, real-world data throughputs are lower, but now numerous USB 2.0-ready external CD-R and DVD-R drives, as well as video cameras, scanners, and other devices, can operate at their top speed. (Note: At the time of this writing, Belkin announced that the USB 2.0 Notebook Card was temporarily out of stock.)
Need more than two ports? Belkin's $60 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Pocket Hub adds three more ports yet is only the size (and half the thickness) of a pack of cigarettes. It's backward-compatible, so all USB 1.1 devices will work with it as well. For the money, these two devices put on quite a show.
Michael S. Lasky
Give Your Laptop a Stand
Is your laptop the only PC you have? Your desktop replacement? Unless you're incredibly attached to notebook-size keys, you may have tried adding an external keyboard and mouse. With this scenario, the $80 Lapvantage Deluxe Dome by The Plasticsmith lets you set up a more comfortable--and more ergonomically correct--work environment. (It's also a lot better looking than a stack of phone books.)
The Deluxe Dome is a stand that adjusts to place your laptop at the right level for you. Except for adjusting it to the best height for your laptop (from 4.75 inches to 6.5 inches), the all-in-one stand is ready to use right out of the box--no need to futz with assembly. The 13.5-by-11.25-inch surface is made of thick plastic attached to a black plastic dome-shaped base (the unit also comes in white). The keyboard fits snugly under the edge of the stand and makes using an external keyboard and mouse very easy on the eye and neck.
The package also comes with two marble-size gel blobs, called gumdrop feet. You attach these feet to the stand surface to prop up your laptop slightly, allowing air to circulate constantly under the unit--important for all those laptops that tend to overheat. A nice touch.
The Deluxe Dome is designed to stay in one place; it's too bulky to move around. And at $80, it's a little pricey. But if you can settle for a fixed height--5.5 inches--you can save $30 and opt for the standard Dome, which is also available in white or black.
Aoife McEvoy
Take Charge of Your Appliances
You can control any electrical device that plugs into an outlet in your house with X10's ActiveHome system. Talk about plug and play! If you've got a morning routine, you can automate those mundane tasks: Let ActiveHome turn on the hall light, start the coffee maker, and open the garage door. Going out of town? Use the system as a security safeguard to turn on lights, radio, and TV--all at different times--and make the house look lived in. All for $50.
Load the ActiveHome software onto your PC, and you can choose individual devices or groups of devices and set on/off commands at will from an easy-to-use drop-down menu. The signals run through the wiring in your home; no wireless cards or extra cabling are needed.
The starter kit comes with only two plug-in modules, but you can buy more modules and switches ($13 to $40 apiece) for just about any electric appliance--from hair curlers, cable boxes, and VCRs to pumps, sprinkler systems, fans, and TVs. The most complicated piece of the system is the remote control. It requires 12 pages of instructions to describe how it works. ActiveHome fits anyone who yearns for greater control, even when they aren't around.
Frank Thorsberg