LOGITECH SPEAKER LAPDESK N700

You’re already using your laptop to listen to music, play games and watch movies. You’re already using it on the couch and on the bed but how comfortable is that? This all-in-one accessory provides a theater-like experience on your laptop for all the comfort in the world. The Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N700 has integrated stereo speakers, a built-in fan and a wide, padded base. Whether you’re on the couch or in bed, the viewing angle of your screen and the padded base help you sit in a more comfortable position. Meanwhile, a quiet, efficient fan circulates air under your notebook, and the heat-shielding design helps keep laptop heat off your legs and lap. Best feature: set-up is as easy as plugging in a single USB cable.

$79.99 | www.logitech.com
KLIPSCH LIGHT SPEAKERS

This is one of those “how come I didn’t think of this” products: speakers that hide in your light bulbs. A perfect item that should appeal to haters of wires and unnecessary gadgetry. Screwing into any normal Edison socket, the Klipsch Light Speakers fit seamlessly into a can-style light or into any old lamp. Yes, every lamp in your house could, in theory, be a speaker. The Light Speaker kit comes with a transmitter which connects to a PC, CD player or iPod and sends the audio to up to eight of the light bulbs with two separate zones. Needless to say this is a bright idea!

$599 for complete kit www.klipsch.com
SAMSUNG CL80 CAMERA
Point-and-shoot cameras are great for the “technically challenged.” They keep getting smarter and easier, with features to quickly email and upload photos to the Internet. Samsung just released a winner with the CL80 model. The bottom of the camera has a 7-degree tilt to it so that the camera angles up when placed on a flat surface. That little bit of an angle makes it much easier to get good self and group portraits. Smart. You want quality shots? You got them here with 14 megapixels, 7x optical zoom and 720p HD-quality movie capture. It also has built-in Wi-Fi for direct uploads to sharing sites or sending to e-mail addresses.

$499 | www.samsungcamera.com

PHILIPS ACTIVA MP3 PLAYER

Wishing that your MP3 player would act more like a personal trainer? Me neither, but Philips is banking on finding an audience of motivation-starved fitness types for its newly announced Activa MP3 player. To put a new spin on working out with your MP3 player, the Activa gives gym rats real-time voice feedback on their performance. The voice can be switched off (for those who prefer not to be nagged) so you can play music that matches the tempo of your workout. The device has a clip-on design and comes preloaded with a collection of up-tempo music, sport headphones with ear hooks and cable clip management.

$129.99 | www.activa.philips.com

Michael Garfield is known as “The High-Tech Texan®.” His radio program airs on The 9-5-0 weekdays from 9am-11am and Saturdays 11am-2pm. Visit his website at www.hightechtexan.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter @hightechtexan.

By Michael Garfield

Energizer Flat Panel Induction Charging System
So you got a Nintendo Wii for a holiday gift? Very cool, but how are you going to play all those hours and keep your Wiimotes charged? No need to keep buying batteries with this smart device. Energizer makes a sleek, flat panel induction charger to keep those Wii wireless remote controls constantly charged. Plug the device into an outlet and place it flat on a table. Then simply lay the Wiimotes on top of the flat glossy black panel for wireless charging. A red light signifies a charge is in progress and green means you’re ready to go. My fave feature: This system works with any variation of the controller. You can have the protective condom jacket on, a Nunchuck or Classic Controller plugged in and it will still work. Game on! $29.99 (charges 2 Wiimotes) | $49.99 (charges 4 Wiimotes) | www.energizer.com

Spot Satellite GPS Messenger
We all know what a GPS can do but here is one with a twist. The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger lets users send location-based messages using satellite communications virtually anywhere. Why is this important? If you are climbing a remote mountain or hiking through a rainforest across the planet, cell phone signals are tough to find. A quick push of a button on this can let people know where you are and how you’re doing. And it’s obviously great for emergencies. Outdoor lovers and travelers need peace of mind when on remote locations and the SPOT is always on the spot. $150 (with $100 annual service fee) | www.findmespot.com

Nook e-Reader
Electronic reading devices continue to be among the hottest gadgets. Barnes & Noble finally gets in the game with its own device aimed squarely at Amazon.com’s Kindle. B&N’s Nook has been getting many headlines and was set to tear up holiday sales. A production glitch pushed back the release date to mid-January but here it comes. This device not only has a color touch screen (sorry, Kindle) but also a second screen along the bottom to browse book covers.
Downloading books can be done two ways – through the built-in AT&T 3G network adapter and Wi-Fi. That service is free when sitting inside one of the ubiquitous B&N stores around the country. This device makes perfect sense being offered by the Internet’s largest bookstore. All looks good for the Nook in a head-to-head match with the Kindle. That said, Beta had a much nicer picture than VHS. Stay tuned… $259 | www.barnesandnoble.com

Corel Digital Studio 2010
I usually tell people ‘good luck’ if they want to use a complicated software program like Adobe Photoshop to edit photos. While that is a great program it is very tough to learn and is quite expensive. An easier solution I found is Corel Digital Studio 2010. For the first time on the PC, Corel brings together photo, video, DVD burning and playback within a single, consistent user interface that makes it simple for anyone to get amazing results. This software suite lets users automatically fix and improve photos while also creating photo books and calendars. Videographers can trim and enhance videos while making polished movies within minutes. And once these photos and videos are ready, a few simple steps can create DVDs and convert them for play on portable devices like your iPod and PSP. $79.99 | www.corel.com

Michael Garfield is known as “The High-Tech Texan®.” His radio program airs on The 9-5-0 weekdays from 9am-11am and Saturdays 11am-2pm. Visit his website at www.hightechtexan.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter @hightechtexan.

By Michael Garfield


TweetDeck
I have a hard time keeping up with so many online social network sites and trouble keeping up with my and my friends’ status. One of the best “aggregator” sites I found is TweetDeck – call it a social dashboard. This is a free application that shows multiple columns of data from several popular sites including Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. Each column gets a different slice of your online account. You can set up columns to monitor just particular people or groups of people that you follow and columns that monitor all of Twitter for keywords no matter who says them. TweetDeck handles the step of creating short Web links automatically and it will work with the picture publishing service, TwitPic, to make posting images easier. The software is available for both Mac and PC but don’t forget the iPhone app. Perfect for tweeting on-the-go! www.TweetDeck.com
Free download

myTouch 3G
Sometimes good things come to those who wait. Almost 10 months after T-Mobile launched the G1 “Google phone,” the carrier’s second Android phone is now on the market, the myTouch 3G. With its sleek profile and attractive display, some users may miss the physical keyboard of the G1 but the on-screen keys are simple to use. The interface can be customized to your liking and the handset itself comes in glossy white, black or merlot. The Google operating system is quite speedy and, of course, integrates many of that company’s online features like maps and search engine. I would prefer the device have a universal charger and headset jack but like the previous version the myTouch 3G uses a proprietary charger connection. Standard features such as stereo Bluetooth and Outlook email syncing make this a useful phone for personal and business users.
www.T-MobilemyTouch.com
$149 with a two-year service agreement

Amzer Solar Charger
Extra batteries, cords and car chargers can be invaluable for your gadgets especially during emergency situations. Instead of buying all these accessories, a universal power charger is a simple solution. Check out the Amzer Solar Charger from Fommy.com. It is a multi-functional solar-powered battery charger and – luckily – we have no shortage of sun here. Its design resembles an iPhone making it lightweight and able to tote most anywhere. To ensure it is never without power it comes packaged with a charging cable ready to plug in to a computer, AC adapter or car charger. One touch of a button lets you see the internal power with blue LED lights. While this is a perfect device to keep in your car or office for extra power, this comes in most handy during electricity outages when power is needed to run cell phones, digital cameras, GPS devices, mp3 players or even Bluetooth headsets. www.Fommy.com | $69.95

Zune HD
This portable entertainment gadget may never be the “iPod killer” it wants to be, but Microsoft’s new version of its Zune got a bit sexier and carries more features than its previous incarnation. The most striking feature about the Zune HD is the device itself. Its slender body (0.3 inch thick) and anodized aluminum construction has a futuristic look. Like any touch-screen device, most of the functions are controlled by pressing or swiping your finger on the responsive display. A built-in HD Radio tuner is a nice feature and subscription music integration guarantees non-stop content. Full-length movies can be downloaded from the online store while battery life is impressive at 33 hours of audio and 8 hours of video playback. The Zune HD delivers one of the best portable music and video experiences money can buy. But at a time when many people have shifted their focus to games and applications, providing a killer media experience may not be enough for potential Zune buyers.
www.zune.net | $219 (16GB); $289 (32GB)

Michael Garfield is known as “The High-Tech Texan®.” His radio program airs on The 9-5-0 weekdays from 9am-11am and Saturdays 11am-2pm. Visit his website at www.hightechtexan.com. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter @hightechtexan.

Squeezebox Radio
Radio is a great thing (reminder: tune in to my shows). The Internet is delivering thousands of radio stations across the world, you just need to find a device to tune them in. Put a Squeezebox Radio in your hands. This compact device from Logitech fits on your nightstand or kitchen counter. The Squeezebox uses your WiFi network to stream a world of crystal clear music to any room in your home or office. Songs can be played from your personal digital music collection, and you can connect to online services like Pandora or Rhapsody. The 2.4-inch color display makes it easy to dial-in the settings and the alarm clock has 7 days of settings.
$199 | www.logitech.com

Tweakers Mini Speakers
Listening to music on a laptop computer does not allow for hi-fidelity sound. If you aren’t into headphones, here is a set of speakers small enough to travel with and great sound to boot. Tweakers pull ‘n play mini speakers provide monster sound no matter where you are. Simply give the speakers a twist and the top portion expands upward. It’s that extra space that gives these speakers bass you can feel. All the connections are retractable so there are no messy cords to untangle. The built-in Lithium batteries last several hours and quickly recharge from a USB port.
$20 | www.officedepot.com

Digital Photo to DVD Converter
With the advent of digital cameras, snapping photos is an easy task, but archiving and processing those photos afterwards can be quite a pain. Here’s a remedy… The Digital Photo to DVD Converter has a direct method to make copies of your favorite memories onto a DVD without the need for a PC. Photos are converted into MPEG format and burned onto a CD, which can be placed in a DVD player for slide show viewing. It also doubles up as a DVD player and can hook up directly to your TV via S-Video inputs. Perfect from the elderly folk who can’t tell the difference between left and right clicks.
$199 | www.hammacher.com

Nantucket Diddy Bagg
Everything needs fixin’, as we say in Texas. And we need tools. The Nantucket Diddy Bagg is something that every home, car and man cave needs in case of hardware breakage. The bag’s coolest features are its straps and zipper. The adjustable straps allow you to carry it in a variety of ways – including as a backpack – and the zipper allows you to lay the whole thing out flat for access or cleaning. You can even attach it to the wall as a permanent, yet portable, means of tool storage. Everything feels indestructible, from the thick, poly rope to the rigid canvas. And it delivers on its multipurpose claims, working just as well when used as an art supplies bag, a gardener’s bag or, honestly, any kind of bag.
$60 | www.nantucketbagg.com

By Michael Garfield

Michael Garfield is known as “The High-Tech Texan®” to millions of radio listeners and TV viewers. His radio program airs in Houston on The 9-5-0 weekdays from 9am-11am and Saturdays 11am-2pm. Visit his website at www.hightechtexan.com.