Home Office: Even More Hot Gifts for a Cool Home Office
A port relocator, easier backups, more great PC audio products.
Steve Bass
The holidays are around the corner, and I know I'm pressing my luck doing another gift guide. [No lie. --Editor] So here's my last gift guide for the year, including short takes on products I think are cool enough for any home office.
First, Some Comdex Fun
Every year PC World editors head for Comdex and try to make sense of what's coming down the technology pike. We do serious business, sure, but we also enjoy the duds, the great parties, and other displays of trade show extravagance. You can read about all of it in "Comdex Fall 2002: Picks and Pans."
A Bit of Business
When I wrote "How to Fix the Biggest PC Annoyances," I got a ton of e-mail in response to the "Dialog-Box Dilemmas" item. Folks had more complaints along the same lines, as well as more solutions.
The problem I heard about most was Internet Explorer's inability to remember that most people want it to launch as a maximized window. The best solution? IE New Window Maximizer 2.2, a free utility that does just that, as well as handling a few other things like stopping pop-up windows.
A Few Practical Gifts
Port Relocators. In a recent magazine column about gifts, I mentioned the Multimedia Access Panel, a $30 gizmo that brings various and sundry ports to the front of a PC's case. Many readers had a tough time finding it. Try TigerDirect.com.
Subscriber Joe Wigman found what looks like a better device for port relocating, mostly because of its flexibility: You can choose the ports you want to move. Check out the various FrontX products at the company's Web site.
Backup Software. I harp like a parent but it's for your own good: Everyone should backup their system often, like every day. The boring job of backing up is easy with Dantz's Retrospect Pro, a no-nonsense utility that backs up to practically any device--Iomega drives, hard drives, CDs, and tape. (Or 4000 of those AOL promotional floppies you've been saving.) It runs about $80; you can find it with the PCWorld.com Product Finder.
Dig This: I'm sure you've been wondering if those photos you find on the Net are real. Stop worrying, and take the Hoax Photo Test to find out.
Turn Up the Volume
Digital Headset. A neat way to listen to the sounds emanating from a computer is with the Plantronics DSP-500, a digitally enhanced gaming/multimedia USB headset. It's great for folks who don't want to fiddle with a PC or notebook's old fashioned plugs. (Can you imagine? I just called sound-card inputs old fashioned?) The DSP-500 folds for easy storage, and has a noise-canceling boom microphone and comfortable ear pads. I've seen it discounted for a little over $60; go to the Plantronics site for details.
PC Speakers. If you have the bucks, check out Logitech's new Z-680 multimedia speaker system. The grabber? Built-in DTS hardware decoding and Dolby Digital, a 185-watt subwoofer, and the ability to simultaneously connect to four audio devices, say a PC, MP3 player, DVD or CD player, or game console. It's a great-sounding PC speaker set and runs about $290.
OTOH, if you're not crazy enough to spend more on computer speakers than I did for my first car (don't ask), take a gander at the Z-560 speaker system. Unlike the Z-680 set, it comes with four speakers instead of five, but the sound is just as enormous. And the cost is about $125.
MP3 Gadgets. Naturally there are other ways to listen to music. Xitel's $50 HiFi-Link lets folks use a home stereo system to listen to MP3s on a hard drive. You can gather the details in our "Cheap Champs."
There's also the Aerielle-1, a $40 gadget that works with a home stereo system's FM radio to play music from an MP3 player. Listeners can choose from four FM channels; the gizmo has to be within 15 feet of the FM radio. (At press time, I learned the product may go by another name as well, the not-very-compelling "Audio Bug.")
Toys for the Shutterbug in Your Life
Hot New Webcam. Is your loved one ready to debut on screen, or maybe make an appearance during an instant message session? You'll want to provide the latest technology, so check out the USB Turbo 2.0 WebCam from ADS Technology. The $55 Webcam has a glass lens, shoots 30 frames per second at 640 by 480, and captures uncompressed video at over 200 megabits per second. You can go to our Product Finder to get the best prices.
Snappy Digital Camera. I got to play with Canon's Powershot G3 camera at Comdex and I like the way it handles. It's a 4-megapixel camera with a 4X optical zoom and a 7.2-to-28.8mm focal length. For everyday shots, it's more than adequate. You can find the best prices at our Product Finder.
There are plenty of good cameras out there to choose from. We list a bunch in "Full Exposure: Today's Best Digital Cameras," just an autofocus click away.
Digital Photo Album. I've been using FlipAlbum 5 for the past year. I like the fact that I can dump images into the program and it creates an animated album with multiple photos on each page. The pages flip automatically (or with a click) and I can add music and videos. The standard version does everything I need, although I would like the ability to create a self-executing FlipAlbum to share with friends--something that's available in a more expensive version. There are three versions available (FlipAlbum Standard, the Suite, and Professional), and prices range from $22 through $115. You can use FlipAlbum's comparison chart to decide which one will do the job.
Something for the Budding Auteur
The Muvee AutoProducer (movie, get it?) is an amazing video product with a dumb name. This program takes raw video and automatically edits it, trimming low-quality video, adding transitions and special effects, and syncing music to video. If your loved one is feeling silly, they can edit the video using an MTV feel, a moody film noir, or an old-time sepia-toned style. The best endorsement? I asked the sales manager from a well-known imaging software program (yes, you'd recognize the name; no, I can't tell you) if he heard about Muvee. "Yes," he exclaimed, "it's phenomenal and we have to do something similar."
Muvee is cheap--about $50--and you can play with a trial version. But first check the samples online. Start with the Birthday Party and view the raw, unedited material. Then look at the straightforward fast-cut style with no special effects, which takes about 30 seconds. You'll be dazzled, I promise. The only downside is that once Muvee edits the video, you can't tweak the final product.
Dig This: You've probably wondered what computer geeks do when things are quiet around the office. They modify their PC's case, of course. And "Fatal Error" is one system you're just not going to believe.
And Just for Laughs
Handy Geiger Counter: Quick, look around your office. Is there anything radioactive, maybe some decaying radon, or kryptonite? Probably not--but wouldn't it be fun to find out? Okay then, turn your PC into a Geiger counter by connecting Black Cat Systems' $150 GM-10 to an available USB port. Hold the gizmo near an object and watch the reading on your computer's screen. If you can't find anything radioactive, for $10 the company will sell you a small glass bead that contains a safe--but measurable--level of uranium oxide.
Easy Animations. I discovered CrazyTalk at Comdex and it's a hoot. Take a photo, say of your dog, or a painting, and apply the program's wire frame mask over it. It takes about 15 minutes of fiddling to get the mask matched up with the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, and nose. Then record your voice. CrazyTalk melds the two and creates an animated talking head. With another 10 minutes of playing, you can give the animation any one of 20 emotions--including angry, happy, sad, or surprised. While the program's fun, if you use it in a PowerPoint presentation you've got a phenomenal way to capture your audience's attention.
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