• PC World
• »Components

Electronic Entertainments

So you've digitized your entire music library and ripped every CD into MP3s to play on your iPod. But there's one thorn in the side of your plan. Those vinyl records are collecting dust, and you don't really feel like shelling out for another copy of the White Album. Don't fret! Just get the USB Turntable. It plugs right into your computer and comes with handy software for ripping your records to MP3s. The perfect combination of old and new!

Portable devices are great, until they run out of juice. A dead battery may be portable, but it's decidedly useless. The good news is that there are ways to recharge without plugging into the wall. The USB battery is probably the most useful, and wonderful, USB-based device on this list. Simply pop off its top, plug the battery into the nearest USB port, and the unit will charge right up. Why didn't anyone think of this before?!

Do-it-yourself was never so techie. The USB VersaLaser--that's right, a device based on a real laser--will etch words and images into wood, plastic, stone, glass, or just about anything. So if you have a roommate with sticky fingers, you can put your name, or even your face, on everything you own.