Home Office: More Nifty Gifts for Your Home Office

Fast battery rechargers, TV phones, and a shameless plug for my book.

Steve Bass

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This week I have more gifts to tell you about. You can't kid me--I know you're hungry for them and can't get enough. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little; but your e-mails seem to show you're finding my picks valuable.

The products I've picked are practical (mostly), and I've kept the descriptions brief so I can jam in lots of them.

Gifts for Your Office

Without a doubt, you need to read through my "Hot Products for a Cool Home Office" column, wherein I collect six things you could really use. For example, there's a PCMCIA 4-in-1 Adapter that lets you read assorted memory cards on a notebook, and a 20GB external drive that'll fit into your pocket.

I want to briefly elaborate on two of my picks.

The first is the gizmo from Rayovac that puts the zip back into the company's rechargeable batteries. The 15-Minute Rechargeable System works as advertised. But after I submitted the column, I learned about the $30 Digipower DPS-5000, a 1-hour recharger for AA and camera batteries. The Digipower Solutions site shows more than 50 compatible camera battery types; prices start at about $15.

For the latest prices on Digipower batteries, adapters, and chargers, go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

The second is Maxtor's OneTouch, a fast external 120GB USB drive designed for no-brainer backups. A good alternative is Iomega's Rev drive, an internal or external USB storage device that stores 35GB (or 90MB compressed) on a $50 removable cartridge. The product won't be out until March and will cost less than $400 (the internal drive will be cheaper). One cool feature: As far as I know, this is the first bootable external USB drive, making emergency restores a snap.

More From the Experts

I'm not the only one talking about gifts. We have a whole flock of good stories about products that might tickle your fancy; here are a couple of my faves.

Start with "Tokyo Edge: Gadgets That Trick and Treat" and be amazed at the array of TV phones (or should that be phones with TVs?), super-thin cameras, and digital amplifiers. One proviso: Some of the things won't be available in the States for a while, so you won't see them anytime soon--unless you're heading for Japan this week, that is.

Then dig into "Great Gadgets for Kids of All Ages" and see if you need a new radar detector or want to buy your teenager a computing backpack.

Short Takes on Goodies

APC Panelmount Surge Protection Device: If you live where lightning strikes, you may want to look at APC's Panelmount Surge Protection Device, a surge suppressor for your entire house. The one I'm going to get is rated 208/120V 80KA/PH. I plan on using it as a first line of defense and still have a surge suppressor or uninterruptible power supply on every electronic device in the house. Note: An electrician needs to install the device on your home's power panel.

APC's Panelmount Surge Protection line starts at about $250. You can use our Product Finder to troll for the best price on the model you want.

Dymo LabelWriter: For a few years now, I've used a Dymo LabelWriter to crank out shipping labels. Just recently I've started using it for printing really small labels for the CDs I burn. I've also been able to easily print professional-looking mailing labels directly from Intuit's QuickBooks, something that's always been a difficult chore.

For a list of LabelWriter models, go to the Dymo site. While you're there, look at labels for your CDs and DVDs by entering the numbers 30886 and 30854 into the search field.

Belkin Hi-Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub: Belkin's slim 7-port device has a neat design: Two ports face upwards, a smart idea that lets me easily connect a keychain USB drive. It'll cost you about $55.

Logitech Pocket Digital 130. If you're looking for a super-small, unobtrusive, almost-as-thin-as-a-business card camera, check out Logitech's Pocket Digital 130. It's got 1.3 megapixels and 16MB of memory (good for 44 hi-rez and 130 medium-rez pics); and it recharges via a USB cable. When you whip it out, you'll be the hit of the holidays. It'll set you back about $70; check our Product Finder for the best deal.

Dig This: Some really imaginative developer put together this way cool animated GIF. I promise you'll play it a few times and then send it to a buddy.

Flip Through the Pages

A Great Deal on a Great Book. PC World's online bookstore is open for business, and we've got ten Super Guides for you to peruse. In connection with these guides, my publisher's offering a great deal on my book, PC Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer. For $16.95, you get my book plus any PC World Super Guide.

A Brief History of Doom. I've enjoyed shot-'em-up games for years (the latest Wolfenstein Platinum is installed and ready to go once I file this newsletter), so reading Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic (McGraw-Hill Osborne Media, 2003, 800/227-0900) was a total pleasure. The book's an easy, one or two-day read, with practically no fluff and plenty of insight into the culture and history of John Carmack and John Romero, creators of Doom. I found a used copy for about $17 on Amazon.com.

Dig This: Have you ever wanted to play the drums? Here's your chance (and please, turn down the volume):