Dennis O'Reilly, Michael S. Lasky

I have to give SoundTech credit: The company's new Vocal Trainer Kit has taken my singing to an entirely new level. What was previously limited to the shower is now good enough to let me sing at any karaoke bar without embarrassment. The package--the SingingCoach software, a hefty microphone with a tripod desk stand, and one of the company's LightSnake Intelligent XLR cables to connect the mic to your PC--is designed to help singers of all skill levels improve their abilities. Despite the software's simple animation and limited vocal instructions, it does a more than competent job.

To use the kit, you hook the LightSnake cable, which is a garden-hose-size USB cord, to your PC on one end and to the microphone on the other. This took some doing. The cable's ends cleverly light up at the USB port and the microphone connector when sound is transmitted to let you know when the software is recording your voice. But, as I learned, the lights won't work if you plug the cable into a USB hub; it must be connected directly into a PC port. Also, the nearly-one-pound mic was too heavy for the spindly tripod, which broke in half within minutes of assembly.

USB thumb drives have declined in price recently, making now a great time to start using them for your daily backups. Unfortunately, not all USB drives support automatic backups.

Look for devices labeled 'USB Smart Drives'; these are enabled with U3 functions or with Lexar's PowerToGo, either of which offers a self-contained operating system that lets you access the files and programs on the drive from any USB-equipped PC, without leaving remnants of your session on the system when you remove the drive. Currently, 4GB U3 drives such as SanDisk's Cruzer cost about $55, and the Lexar 4GB JumpDrive Lightning costs from $70 to $100 online. Most of these drives come with trial or full versions of backup and syncing software, but you can download a free copy of SanDisk's CruzerSync for U3 follow the download instructions) or try Migo Software's $30 Migo Personal for U3 (free trial).

Admit it: You're secretly humiliated by those TV commercials with the two guys pretending to be a Mac and a PC.

Don't let your Mac envy get the better of you; download FlyakiteOSX, which goes beyond skinning to transform your entire XP interface into a near-perfect replica of Mac OS X. FlyakiteOSX converts sounds, cursors, title bars, icons, startup and log-in screens, and more. It even has an OS X-like dock for launching and managing running applications. And it's free!

--Dennis O'Reilly

As the saying goes: Trust your friends, but cut the cards. So even if you trust your auto mechanic, consider using the $90 CarMD to make sure you're not being charged for unnecessary repairs.

Just a little bigger than a standard cell phone, CarMD plugs into the On-Board Diagnostics II port of any 1996 or later model car or truck. (In most vehicles, the OBD II port is under the dashboard.) The unit gave my wife's 2001 Honda Civic the green light just minutes after I unpacked it. The device shows a green check mark if your car passes CarMD's diagnostics, a yellow question mark if it finds a pending problem or inconclusive results, and a red X if the vehicle needs service. CarMD says that a yellow or red light means that a car might fail a state emissions test.

If you're tired of guessing which Alt-Tab window you want to jump to, try this freebie, which presents you with a thumbnail of the selected window, as well as a list of all open windows. You can show your open windows as icons, or as text links. Switching between tasks has never been faster!

--Dennis O'Reilly