Home Office: Hot Gifts for a Cool Home Office

"It's almost December," I said to my editor, "can I write about a bunch of cool gifts? I was ready to start pleading but he was snoozing at the wheel. "Make 'em practical," he barked. So here are my recommendations for (mostly) practical gifts, things that'll make a good fit for any small office ... including mine.

But First--Home Office Gadgets

Before I start, I have to tell you about my latest Home Office column, "Great Gadgets Make the PC Livin' Easy." I mentioned a few gifts in the magazine and want to briefly elaborate on two of them. So you'll understand what I'm talking about, first read the column.

For $20, the Plantronics' Audio PC Headset Speaker Switch is a brilliant little gadget that does just what the name says--it lets you switch between your PC's speakers and headset. I can't imagine why it's taken so long for someone to invent it; I use it all the time and everyone who visits my home office wants one.

One of the pleasures of owning a digital camera is that I can shoot as many pix as I want without worrying about the cost of film or waiting to see the pictures. And now I'm not even concerned with carrying extra batteries. The product that makes me grin is DigiCom's very cool $30 Digital Camera Auxiliary Power Pack. There are versions for 3-, 5-, and 7-volt cameras; it's imperative you choose the correct one (check your camera's manual). The Power Pack's not easy to find. I bought mine at TigerDirect--and no, don't consider this an endorsement for that particular vendor.

Dig This: You're tooling down the expressway when a jerk pulls in front of you. You're the better person and just let it go, which is the right thing to do. But you'd love to get even, right? There's a little something to fuel your fantasies at the High-Performance Stealth Vehicle site.

Now a Word from the Gadget Champs

PC World's Michael Lasky teamed up with Dennis O'Reilly to find (and scoop me on) some great gadgets that cost less than $100. The most intriguing? The USB SanDisk Cruzer, a pocket-size USB flash drive. You can check out their 15 favorites in "Cheap Champs."

Sometimes I lose track of the latest in digital camera technology. Two trends that grabbed my attention (and made me reach for my wish list) are decreasing size and increasing megapixels. Start by reading Lincoln Spector's "Focus on the Incredible Shrinking Digital Camera," to see some incredibly slim cameras. Then pop over to "Konica Unveils Digital Cameras for All Budgets" to get the skinny on a 5-megapixel camera.

Whatever you're considering buying for the holidays comes with a warranty. But how valuable is it? And is an extended warranty worth considering? Our Anne Kandra takes you on a warranty tour in "Consumer Watch: Bulletproof Your PC's Warranty."

A Few More From Bass

My list of products goes on for pages. So instead of big descriptions, I'll just give you my short takes--and provide links for you to dig deeper.

Peepers, Keepers: In 1994 I started wearing prescription computer eyeglasses. I went for a special eye exam, took off my old spectacles, and stuck on a pair of special PRIO glasses. Last week a user group buddy asked if I'm still wearing my PRIOs. I sure am; in fact, I take them along when I work on Mom's computer. I just can't imagine sitting in front of a computer without them. It's easier to focus on the screen than with my regular glasses, images are sharp, and my eyes don't get tired.

Turn on the Camera: Serious Magic's Visual Communicator is the slickest way to produce near-TV-quality video presentations.

Hello, Good-Bye: I fell in love with TeleZapper, a telemarketer jamming gizmo, so much so that I got one for my parents. I've used the $40 TeleZapper since last February and I swear, folks, it works. You can read my full description in "High-Tech Tricks to Stop Pesky Telemarketers."

Quick Tip: Do you have a pop-up stopper? You'll really need to get one before you visit X10's site for info on the product below--that company has great products but the dumbest marketing people around. I know folks who boycott X10's site just because of its infuriating pop-up and pop-under ads. However, X10 lets you reset its cookie to stop pop-under ads for 30 days. To try it, go to X10's advertising page. But what if 30 days isn't long enough? You'll want to set the cookie to 10,000 days--that's 27.4 years. (You can ignore the note that says you've got only 30 ad-free days.) [With thanks to Daron Olesch-Williams for this gem.]

Light 'em Up: X10's FloodCam is a nifty combination of floodlights, a motion detector, and an X10 wireless camera. At night (heck, even during the day), I get to see who's coming up my driveway. The downside? You'll probably need an electrician to install the $130 gizmo. And if you're really gung-ho about wireless cameras, try X10's Ninja Pan 'n Tilt Camera Kit, a remote control video camera system with 240-degree viewing. The camera sits on a robotic base and comes with a receiver and remote control unit. The kit's $170, or $100 if you already have an X10 camera.

Dig This: When the tech support person tells you to press any key, you know what to do, right? Unfortunately, not everyone does: One company wants to make sure their users know the score. [With thanks to Jeff P.]

I'm not finished with gifts, gizmos, and gadgets. Come back next week for more of my favorites.

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