Mobile Computing Tips: Gifts for Mobile Mavens

Gifts for the Gadget-Obsessed

In these uncertain times, do you truly need a wristwatch that retrieves e-mail? A PDA that shows movie clips? A camcorder not much bigger than a Pocket PC?

In a word, no. But why should that stop you? The holidays are upon us; New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says it's our civic duty to shop; and you have to give your beloved some ideas for a holiday gift. So to get you started, we've come up with a list of the gotta-have gizmos most likely to set the propeller on your hat to spinning. And just for the heck of it, we've thrown in a few practical items as well.

Glamorous Gadgets

Coolest notebook: Apple iBook. Way too hip to be a Windows notebook, the latest iBook is versatile, affordable, easily tote-able, and just plain fun. The top-of-the-line edition includes a DVD/CD-RW drive and a 15GB hard drive for about $1700. For the latest, greatest prices, go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

Sleekest PDA: Sony Clie. With its high-resolution color screen, built-in MP3 player, and the ability to view color photos and short videos, the $430 Sony Clie PEG-N710C brings high drama to the otherwise staid Palm OS stage. For the latest, greatest prices, go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

Most stylish cell phone: Siemens S40. Whether in Europe, Asia, or the U.S., you'll look fabulous chatting on this lightweight, silver-and-gray world phone (which costs about $380).

Most futuristic gadget: Timex Internet Messenger. Is it possible for the human wrist to be spammed? You bet it is. This $99 wristwatch receives and displays e-mail messages of less than 100 characters as well as customized alerts for news, weather, sports, and more.

Most jammin' MP3 player: Archos Jukebox 6000. You'll be singing the praises of this silver-and-blue tune tote. With its built-in 6GB hard drive, the portable Jukebox (about $250) can play hours of MP3-formatted music and back up computer files as well. For the latest, greatest prices, go to the PCWorld.com Product Finder.

Practical Stuff

Cutest portable storage: Pockey. Weighing 5 ounces and measuring 3 inches wide and 5 inches long, the $250 Pockey portable hard drive makes 20GB of backup storage look positively precious.

Most practical PDA accessory: Electric Fuel Instant Power Charge. In our experience, battery power on a PDA or cell phone lasts about as long as a Seinfeld spin-off. Here's a solution that's both cool and practical: disposable zinc-air battery packs to power your PDA. Charges are available at $20 a pop for most Palms, Handspring Visors, Pocket PCs, and many cell phones.