Great Gadgets for the Holidays

Brighter Image for Combo Phones

By now, nearly everyone on your shopping list has a cell phone, but a new camera phone makes a compelling choice for anyone who'd like to spice up their communications with digital pictures. Many newer cameras are Internet- and e-mail-capable, so you can do some basic browsing, and shoot and share pictures from the same device. Don't expect museum-grade prints, although picture quality is definitely on the upswing. Look for wireless connectivity, and compare battery life from one product to another before you make a buying decision.

The Nokia 3650 is a tri-band phone with voice dialing, a voice recorder, and an integrated speakerphone (very handy in some situations). You can browse the Internet, and play Java and Symbian games--these games are specially formatted for phone users. With Nokia's PC Suite software, purchased separately, you can sync the phonebook, calendar, and to-do lists with your PC.

You can also download an endless variety of polyphonic ring tones--snatches of songs, sounds, or sayings--which can be downloaded over the Internet for a fee. America Online, for example, offers cell phone users hundreds of ring tones, logos, and screen savers for $2 apiece, through its AOL Mobile Download Center and AOL Entertainment for Mobile (AOL keyword: mobile downloads).

The 3650 offers wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and infrared, but don't look for thoroughbred performance from its low-resolution camera (640 by 480 pixels), which takes both still pictures and video. Users can share stored images with friends using built-in multimedia messaging technology. List price is $350, but the phone sells for as low as $49 with bundled wireless service, depending on the carrier's offerings in your region. The phone package is currently offered by AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile.

Check out PC World's cell phone camera review.