Steve Bass's Home Office: Essential Gear for a Home Office

Comfy chairs, business-card scanners, multifunction devices.

Steve Bass

Quick, what three words do computer magazines overuse the most? That's right, hot, cool, and new. ("Read our cool tips for your hot new upgrade!") Okay, I know, biting the hand that feeds me (and pays the mortgage) isn't a great idea. So how's this? In this week's column, I've rounded up some nifty gear and slick products for a well-equipped home or small office.

PC World editors are inundated with products to try. Tripping over all those FedEx boxes is a serious occupational hazard. But despite it all, we aren't too jaded to create our own wish lists. You know, things we'd really like to own. So one of the PC World honchos dreamed up "PC World Editors' Holiday Wish List," which features more than a dozen products to drool over.

My two favorites from their list? Tracey Capen's pick--the Nikon Coolpix 5000--is right on target if you yearn for a high-end 5-megapixel digital camera. Go to our Product Finder for details on pricing.

Gizmo aficionado Richard Baguley grabbed the Handspring Treo, a slick personal digital assistant and cell phone combo. I tried this puppy at Fall Comdex and thought it was one of the show's highlights. It crams lots of features into a comfortable package.

Dig this: You're walking the streets of [insert name of a big city here]. (What, you think I'll say something dumb, like Manhattan, and get a jillion angry e-mails?) It's late at night and you're feeling a little jittery. Just pull up your sleeve, look at your watch, and feel a sense of well-being. Caution: Do not show this watch to airport security people.

My Own Wish List

I have some favorite gadgets, too, things that fit right into a home office.

If you're short on desk space, you'll love Keyspan's tiny 4-Port Mini Hub. Get the details in "Great Gifts for Your PC."

Are you still using an old dining room chair at your computing desk? If you plop your tush into a comfortable chair your productivity goes way up--and your co-workers will have more respect for you, too. I've got three in mind.

The first chair is the Steelcase Leap Chair Coach Edition, which Senior Editor Michael Lasky raves about in "A Chair You Wear."

Michael, whose buns have adorned more chairs then even he remembers, also likes the Allseating Vector Command Chair.

Moi? I've had my buttiski planted in a BodyBilt Chair I bought 7 years ago. You can see what I have to say about the chair, as well as other home office products, in "How to Keep Your PC From Killing You." The article's old, but like me, still valuable.

Now that you have a chair, how about a new desk, something that's actually designed for a PC. You might like the one in "Green Designs Computer Desk."

Don't even try to kid me, I know that in the bottom drawer of your desk you have a stack of business cards wrapped with a rubber band. Get the data off those cards and into your PC, and you'll have useful contact info that's easy to retrieve. The best way to do it is the Corex CardScan, a business-card scanner. Michael Lasky loves it; he'll tell you why in "Bring Order to Business-Card Chaos."

Dig this: Do you suffer from acronymphobia? It's a disorder that strikes when co-workers talk in acronyms. "XP can't handle NETBUEI, so use IPX or TCP/IP." Or, "The IO on the USB hub is FUBAR." Your only hope for recovery? Befuddle them back! For instance, ask them if they've tweaked the ZUD (Zero-Usage Device). Or what about taking a look at the DWEEB (Distributed Word Erasable Equipment Bit)? (Make sure you sound exasperated when you say that.) Just head for the Acronymer site and enter any combination of letters you like, from two to six. You'll get a watertight acronym that sounds technically feasible but is absolutely meaningless. Have fun...

Small-Office Solutions

If your home office is as small as mine, you can find relief with one product that does lots of things, like a combination printer, fax, scanner, and copier. That's just what Associate Editor Lisa Cekan tackles in "All-in-Wonders," a thorough look six of these products. If time's tight, go straight to the comparison chart.

The multifunction device that caught Lisa's eye (and got the Best Buy) was HP's PSC 950. This combination ink-jet printer, scanner, fax, and copier fits into a 14-by-18-inch spot and isn't much bigger than a traditional laser printer. What's cool about the PSC 950 is that you can print out images from your digital camera by just sticking in a memory card.

You can find a good price for the PSC 950 at our Product Finder.

One downside to owning a fax machine is having to wade through fax spam. A buddy of mine got on a fax spam list and he's flooded with junk. If your home or small office is plagued by these troubles, there's relief in sight. We found a gizmo that heads off unsolicited faxes at the pass. Check out "FaxFilter Blocks Unwanted Spam Faxes."

Get on the Road

Some of you spend as much time on the freeway as you do in the office. We have the gear to make that time safer, more productive, and maybe turn it into a pleasant experience. Among other things, Jim Martin's "Mobile Computing Tips: Work From Your Car" briefs you on hands-free docking stations for your mobile phone.

Dig this: Quick, while you're thinking about freeways, you really have to watch "405: The Movie." It's a movie created for the Internet showing a jet plane landing on a freeway in Los Angeles. You'll be laughing out loud, playing it repeatedly, and passing it--along with this newsletter--to your friends.

Look Into the Crystal Ball

I think it's helpful to get a sense of what's coming down the computing pike. Contributing Editor Daniel Tynan prognosticates in "20/20 Foresight," and it's a worthwhile read. Why? If you're thinking of upgrading your small office's network server, Dan's explanation of hyper-threading is essential info. If you're a privacy buff, learning about presence technology can help you decide which handheld products to buy.

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