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Review: Digital photos and all the trimmingsCool stuff 2002: Digital photography, accessories
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. Toshiba PDR-M25 If you're thinking about a digital camera but don't want to spend a fortune, a new crop of affordable machines offers terrific performance. Consider this model from Toshiba, which offers a three-times zoom lens and 2.2-megapixel resolution for sharp, clear prints at a price that's half what you'd have paid a year ago. Olympus E20N This isn't the most expensive digital camera on the market, but it's likely to be one of the standards by which others are measured. A true single-lens reflex with a four-times zoom lens offering 5-megapixel resolution, this is the camera that many advanced amateur (and professional) photographers have been looking for.
Minolta Dimage 7 With a 5-megapixel resolution and a zoom lens equivalent to 28mm to 200mm on a 35mm camera, this will be a winner. Minolta has reduced the lag time between hitting the shutter and taking the picture to just one-eighth of a second, and cycle time between pictures is less than a second. AccessoriesKidstation Are you trying to raise a couple of future sysadmins, but you're worried about their posture and the potential for early-onset repetitive stress injuries from spending too much time at the computer? Tired of sharing your desk with the little ones? Here's a line of computer furniture designed by parents and built especially for children. The chair, desktop and monitor shelf easily adjust to meet the ergonomic requirements of your children as they grow. Colorful melamine surfaces resist scratches and spills. The desks come in single and double-wide models; the latter comfortably accommodate two children ages 3 to 8. The chairs each have two wheels that allow for mobility as well as stability. And don't forget the matching CPU-printer stand. Finally, if you think it's a good idea but the colors are just too much for your decor, the items are also available in white. Lap Wrap What color is your laptop computer? Unless it's an iBook from Apple, chances are it's either black, gray or silver. But if you'd like to dress your computer up, LapWrap may be just the ticket. This foam-padded, hook-and-loop-attached fabric cover will fit any laptop between 11.75 in. and 12.75 in. in width and is available in a variety of solid colors. If that's not fancy enough, you can also get it in fake fur (giraffe, zebra, tiger or leopard), camouflage, tie-dye or genuine leather. Mach 1 Speed Charger Most lovers of high-tech gadgets have a hearty appetite for batteries. Many devices use rechargeable batteries, but have you noticed how long they take to recharge? Now there's an answer, a high-speed, microprocessor-controlled battery recharger. The Mach 1 Speed Charger will recharge popular 7.2-volt lithium-ion camcorder batteries as well as batteries for popular makes of digital cameras in just 30 minutes. New models for different voltages, including popular nickel metal hydride AA and AAA cells, are on the way. What makes this unit work so quickly is a thermal sensor technology and microprocessor control that delivers maximum energy to the battery but prevents overheating. This technology can make batteries last up to five times longer than normal. It also works with 12-volt outlets, so you can recharge batteries while you drive. CardScan 600 Business-card scanners are a handy way to deal with a stack of business cards collected at a trade show. This newest scanner from the company that pretty much originated the category is twice as fast as its predecessor, and it scans in color. Equally important is the new software that comes with the unit, CardScan 6.0, which features improved recognition of address elements and the ability to store the actual card images (front and back, if you choose). As with the previous release, CardScan automatically updates your other address books, such as Outlook or Notes. Finally, you can sync your addresses to those stored online at www.cardscan.net. At that point, you can also click on an address and get instant maps and driving directions. All in all, it's a slick system. Office Keyboard Every computer needs a keyboard, and this may be the handiest one I've ever seen. I'm not excited by programmable buttons -- everyone's got those, it seems. But Microsoft has created a keyboard that's tailored for use with Microsoft Office XP. The usual 12 function keys now do double duty; each has a function or application mapped to it, and a lot of thought went into picking those functions. A push opens or closes the task pane in any Office application. Another button brings up the Windows calculator, otherwise buried beneath two layers of menus. On the left side, there's a large scroll wheel and Forward and Back buttons -- very nice for Web surfing. There's also a rocker switch that lets you move quickly between all open applications, and dedicated Cut and Paste buttons. All of these are programmable if you don't like the defaults.
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RELATED STORIES:
• Review: High-tech gifts for communication, travel
December 6, 2001 • Review: High-tech gift ideas for PDAs, gadgets December 5, 2001 • Review: High-tech gift ideas for music, storage December 4, 2001 RELATED IDG.net STORIES:
• Darwin's high-tech holiday gift guide
(Darwin) • Tech gurus predict what is coming soon (Darwin) • Emerging companies to watch in 2002 (Computerworld) • 100 best places to work in IT (Computerworld) • 'CG idols' mean no human is required (ITWorld.com) • Worst products of 2001 (PCWorld.com) • Wackiest products of 2000 (PCWorld.com) • CIO Magazine's Web Business 50 (CIO)
TECHNOLOGY TOP STORIES:
• Report: SUVs pose danger to cars • New telemarketer tool trumps TeleZapper • Terra Lycos logs $2.2B loss • AOL to offer song downloads • Microsoft seeks fiscal fountain of youth (More) |
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