Review: High-tech gift ideas for PDAs, gadgets

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The Jornada 568 uses a replaceable rechargeable battery.

By Russell Kay

(IDG) -- It's that time of year again, and for the IT person looking for a gift, we've assembled a gallery of high-tech gadgets, gizmos and good things to have or give. Some of these things are slightly far out, of course, and you may consider one or two overpriced, but that's part of the fun.

Cool stuff 2002: PDAs

Toshiba Pocket PC e570
Manufacturer: Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Irvine, Calif.
Web Site: www.pda.toshiba.com
Price: $569

This new entrant in the Pocket PC world has a lot going for it. Besides the standard Pocket PC applications and features, the e570 has two built-in expansion card slots: one for a compact flash card, the other for a secure digital card. This allows the simultaneous use of added memory and an externally attached device like a wireless network adapter or Global Positioning System (GPS) card. All this comes in a fairly slim package with a bright, clear screen.

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Jornada 568
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard Co.
Web Site: www.hp.com/jornada
Price: $649

With its second-generation Pocket PC, HP shows it listened to users. The Jornada 568's screen is much brighter than those on 540 series models. The processor is faster and is Flash-upgradable. A more conventional stylus has replaced the older machine's rather odd flat stylus. But the real news is the battery. Pocket PCs are criticized for short battery life and long recharge times -- especially by people used to monochrome Palm devices, whose AAA batteries last for weeks. The new Jornada uses a replaceable rechargeable, so you can have a second battery ready when your Jornada goes dead. It's the only Pocket PC that can do that.

Cool stuff 2002: Gadgets


Puppies Latte and Macaron are the latest additions to Sony's line of robotic dogs.

Latte and Macaron
Manufacturer: Sony Electronics Inc., Park Ridge, N.Y.
Web Site: www.aibo.com
Price: $850 each

Remember Aibo, Sony's $1,500 robotic dog that we mentioned in last year's Cool Stuff (see "Cool stuff 2001: Robots," link below)? This year, there are two new puppies, Latte (white) and Macaron (gray). Where Aibo was mechanistic and futuristic-looking, the puppies are adorable, with bodies made up of simple round shapes.

Latte and Macaron have lots of interesting aspects; they recognize 75 voice commands and will take digital pictures -- and software is available to teach them new tricks. In Japan (though not yet in the U.S.), they react to TV programs with a show of emotion -- news coverage of a disaster will produce sad expressions. But perhaps the most novel thing is that you can get them either as puppies that you have to raise and train or as fully trained adult companions.


This new V-807 projector weighs just 2 lbs.

Smallest Digital Projector
Manufacturer: Lightware Inc., Beaverton, Ore.
Web Site: www.lightware.com
Price: $2,295

About half the size of a magazine cover, this new V-807 projector weighs just 2 lb. -- nearly a full pound less than its nearest competitor. With 700 lumens of brightness, this is a full-featured unit. It has picture-in-picture, four-way digital keystone correction, a short-focus lens and remote control, and it supports the latest video standards, including 1080i High Definition imaging. It will automatically detect input signals and project both red-green-blue and video signals.