Good Gadgets

Got a little left over in your back-to-school budget? There are lots of computer extras that are fun and useful. Here's our top five.

1. T-Mobile Sidekick. This handy gadget fits right in your hand, with a color screen that flips open and a QWERTY keyboard for typing. You can use it to call people, surf the Web, send instant messages, read e-mail, play games--and even take pictures using an optional attachment. Lots of wireless companies tout cool Web-browsing mobile phones, but the T-Mobile Sidekick ($300, plus monthly service) really delivers.

2. RealOne Rhapsody; Apple ITunes Music Store. Steer the kids away from illegal online music swapping and show them the joy of legitimate download services. PC users should head to RealOne Rhapsody where a $9.95 monthly subscription gets you full access to a wide variety of music. And the kids can burn their own CDs for just 79 cents a track. Mac users need to head over to Apple's ITunes Music Store. There's no monthly subscription, and burning a song costs 99 cents. It's true, your kids won't find everything they want, but the catalogs are surprisingly large--and the more people use these legit services, the more record companies will open up their music vaults.

3. NEC Versa LitePad. There are desktop PCs, notebook PCs, and now Tablet PCs. If your student wants to take notes in class directly into a computer, but can't type worth a darn, take a look at the $2399 NEC Versa LitePad. You can use a special electronic pen to write on the computer's screen, then plug in a keyboard to use it like a regular PC. Granted, the screen is a little small; but in most other respects, it has the same features as a normal notebook PC.

4. Palm Tungsten T. When is that term paper due? What are the professor's office hours? Your student can keep this information and more at their fingertips with a $349 Palm Tungsten T personal digital assistant. It's got a cool color screen and built-in Bluetooth connectivity, a fairly obscure technology that lets the student wirelessly send phone numbers, appointments, and more to other PDAs or to mobile phones.

5. Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph. Whether they're taking pictures for the yearbook or sending home snapshots of campus life, students will look cool doing it with this miniature digital camera. The $499 PowerShot S400 Digital Elph is the size of a thick deck of cards, so it fits in a pocket. It has everything you need for taking high-quality photos, and it can even capture three-minute video clips.