Gadget Guide

The Nintendo Wii seems to be the system for casual gamers, but it's also infamous for being hard to get. Is it worth the bother?

To find out, I recently borrowed my goddaughter Virginia's Wii during her college break. Part of the success of the Wii is ts ability to draw people together. It did this effortlessly with our sprawling family together during the holidays. Unlike other systems that encourage you to focus just on the gaming, the Wii encourages human interaction. You can play it solo, but it really shines when other people are around.

THE SCOOP Though unlikely to satisfy the hardcore gamer, the variety of interest from casual users means you'll have to either pony up some extra dough, find a place that isn't trying to fish your entire wallet or just get up early and go to the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Center and hope they have one. I spoke with an employee there last week and he confirmed that Wii wannabes were lining up outside the store as early as 7:30 a.m. for just the chance to snag a unit. That's better than last month, when I was told people were lining up at 6 a.m. for the chance to buy one. Did I mention that Nintendo World opens at 9 a.m. and that they're sold out before the doors open?

THE DESIGN It's a simple white cube, weighing a bit under 4 lbs with a few neatly hidden places to connect the Wii to various controllers and the TV. A power button, a reset button and a slot for your CD-ROM grace the face of the unit, which takes up a bit more space than a cable modem. Its bright white case is a little like something from a creepy futuristic sci-fi movie, but is more charming, though (as I'll explain later) the Wii can hurt you.

WORKING IT The Wii passes the WRTFM (Why Read the Freakin' Manual) test pretty easily. A few cords to your TV and a couple of plugs out to the power and the antenna for the controllers and you're ready to go. For non-gamer fogies such as myself, the simplicity is attractive. Setting up the wireless Wii Remote (basically the game controller) just requires inserting a pair of AA batteries and you're pretty much ready to go.

To start the action, you just insert the CD-ROM of the game you're playing, switch your TV to the correct input mode and point your remote at the screen to move around the menus. There's an assortment of game titles available for the Wii, but I spent most of my test playing Wii Sports, which comes with the unit.

Wii Sports is a mix of pantomime and traditional gaming as you use the remote to control the action on the screen. For games that require two hands such as boxing, you'll also use the Nunchuck controller. Swing the remote like a bat and you can make contact with a virtual baseball; swing it like a tennis racquet and you'll be able to serve and volley to your hearts content, etc. The motion of your wrist and hand are mimicked and translated to the screen.

Just be careful how you swing that controller. My wife, while pitching baseball wound up giving herself a good crack on the knee. "I think I'm the first person to hurt their knee on the Wii," she said. Hopefully that's true, but using the Wii Remote can be a bit unwieldy at first as you learn how to coordinate your use of the controller. Besides transferring your motions to the screen, the remote also provides rumbling feedback depending on what game you play. Overall, the Wii's rich sounds, graphics and colors definitely draw the casual user in to a unique and involving experience.

You can even create a personalized Mii (an avatar for the games). Now, if you're really sensitive, you might want to do this by yourself, as your family and friends' opinion of your physical features might vary from yours.

PAINS It is probably the most physically strenuous gadget out there, so go slow if you've been a couch junkie for the last few years. Wii Sports boxing, for example, will definitely get your heart racing as you have to use both hands to throw punches. And if playing with others, keep an eye on the Wii Remote, as even well-coordinate people might flail about at first.

As for the unit itself, I've heard some complaints that the wireless controllers go through AA batteries pretty quickly, so you might want to take them out between uses.

THE PRICE A Wii lists for about $250, but it's difficult to get at that price. The lowest price for a used one on Amazon was $389 as of Thursday. Overall high demand for the Wii means that you'll find prices more than three times list at some stores. Additional accessories for the system can range for several dollars to about $50 for additional game titles. It comes with the console, cables, a stand and a Wii remote and a Nunchuck controller.

OVERALL The Wii is tons of fun, whether it's with a group or solo. You can burn a few calories while having fun. It can bring you news and weather reports and connect you to the Net. And recent news reports have even stated that the playing certain games on a Wii can actually improve the accuracy of medical residents on a virtual surgical training tool, so it might just be a boon you even if you never use one.

— David Flores

So you've got the digital camera... you've probably had it for a while now. And with memory cards available with gigs of storage space, you might take more pictures than you could possibly fit in your wallet (no matter how nice your photo printer is). So what's the solution? You could lug them around on your laptop, of course, but you don't always have it with you when there's a chance meeting at the mall with an old friend. The same goes for digital photo frames, of course.

But what if you could have a portable version of the digital photo frames? Something small enough to fit on your keychain, so you'll always have it around? Something so simple that great-grandma could use it to show off the latest generation of kids? And something inexpensive enough that you can load them up with pictures and give them as stocking stuffers this holiday season? I've done precisely that, and I selected Coby's DP-151 Digital Photo Key Chain.

THE SCOOP There are a number of these on the market, ranging from the really cheap (in more ways than one) "flea market or corner store" models from about $19, on up to super-nice ones that can run you $50 or more. I selected Coby's DP-151 as a simple-to-use, inexpensive model ($30 list price, Amazon's cost is $22.05) that comes with everything you need, including software and a USB cable! It stores 62 photos (JPG, GIF or BMP file formats) onto 16MB of flash memory built into a device that easily fits in your pocket, and the built-in Lithium-Ion battery (that's the good kind) has four hours of viewing time before it will need a recharge.

To use the included software app you will need a Windows-compatible computer or a Macintosh. The Macs should have OS X, and the PCs should use Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP "or newer" (meaning Vista). Your computer will also need a free USB port to get the photos onto the device using the enclosed USB-to-Mini-USB cable.

THE DESIGN The full-color LCD screen is 1.5 inches at 128x128 resolution (typical of this sort of device, and plenty big enough to show off most photos), on a white-and-silver device that measures 2 1/4 inches wide, 1 1/2 inches tall and half an inch thick. The keychain is around two inches long and pretty firm, so you don't have to worry about the chain breaking and losing your gadget. The mini-USB port is on the right side (opposite of where the chain is) and easy to access, without being in the way.

Three buttons along the top are very easy to use: middle button held down for a second or so powers the unit on or off. If the unit's on, pressing the middle button starts a slideshow of all pictures loaded. The right button manually advances to the next picture, and the left button takes you the previous pic. Holding down the left or right buttons long enough will prompt the unit to either delete the current photo or all the photos. Don't worry; you have to confirm the request by then holding down the center button before it would do that. As you scroll through manually, pictures take a fraction of a second to load.

WORKING IT The included application used to load photos comes on a 3" CD (smaller than a typical CD, but works on any PC or Mac). Before using the cable to hook up the device, load the software onto your computer. Then connect the device, and presto! You're in business.

The "Photo Viewer" software is easy to understand and use. In the center of the application's screen you can browse through your computer's hard drive (or attached digital-camera memory cards) for photos to put into your collection. The collection, displayed on the right of the screen, has 62 slots and a counter under the gallery that tells you how many "vacancies" are left open. There are buttons nearby that allow you to change the order of photos in this collection, and to save and load collections.

Thanks to the latter, you can easily have entire libraries of photos you switch out for various purposes. For example, if you're going to visit some friends you haven't seen in a while, maybe you want to load up pics from that most recent vacation you went on, instead of having the normal pics of the wife and kids. In the bottom center is a simple cropping tool that lets you take a highly detailed photo and crop/zoom in on any portion of it you like. On the left of the screen, you can see the pics that are currently on the device. Moving the collection you're currently working with to the DP-151 is as simple as clicking the "transfer" button on the lower right corner of the screen. Yep, this one screen does it all for you!

BATTERY LIFE According to the documentation, this unit's built-in Lithium-Ion battery offers up to four hours of viewing time. Since I intend to give these as gifts for the holidays, I haven't had the chance to test that claim out yet. The intended method of recharging is to hook the USB cable (included with the unit) up to a computer. Since the photos are stored in flash memory, don't worry about them getting erased because you let the battery go dry; they'll still be there after the recharge!

PAINS None whatsoever, other than the small print in the included manual. And most of you are going to dive right in without reading the manual anyway. Am I right?

THE PRICE As I said before, this is a good mid-priced device at $29.99 SRP, and being able to order it from Amazon at a discount (currently $22.05 as I write this) is a nice bonus. The perfect price point for a neat gift for any loved one during the upcoming holiday season.

— Dave L.

Not too long ago, my old all-in-one printer/scanner/copier gave up the ghost. I wasn't surprised; it was at least 6 years old. My wife and I set out to get a new one on a spur-of-the-moment basis (after all, I had stuff to do!). With no chance to research it, I found myself in the store looking at sub-$100 modern versions of the same item I had been using. I was all set to pick one out when the missus commented that I should get one that can more easily be used with my laptop.

She was right, of course (isn't she always?). I was being thick and just getting the same-old, same-old that I was used to... including a clunky way of printing from my laptop should I need to, while using it around the house (I have two desktops wired to a wireless router, and then my laptop). Hey, there're wireless printers on the market, and I'm thinking (now that my wife made me think) that my laptop does Bluetooth. So I headed down the aisle to see what else was available for that situation, and I saw something I didn't know existed.

Wi-Fi printers. Yes, there were a handful of them there from various manufacturers. And, of course, my laptop does Wi-Fi, so I figured "Wi not?" But the best-looking ones in terms of price vs. performance for my price range, seemed to be the Lexmark line. So I focused in on those pretty quickly... and it didn't hurt my feelings to know (from a previous job experience) that Lexmark is a spin-off company of IBM and tends to have a culture of high-quality products and service as a result.

I saw one model that was similar to what I used to have, printer/scanner/copier, but with Wi-Fi ability. Plus it also had photo printing. But for just $20 more at the time, thanks to a sale price, I saw that the next model up added fax capability to all of that, and because of this feature it then also added a paper feeder for the scanning plate, plus a more robust-looking button panel. And it did two-sided printing as well! Very cool! I decided to go for the Lexmark X6570.

The scoop: The Lexmark X6570 Wireless All-in-One with fax, to sum up its features, offers wireless printing via Wi-Fi, faxing (if you need it; I don't, so I am not reviewing that aspect of this unit), wireless photo printing (can be borderless), wireless scanning (48-bit color), and copying. The unit can print or copy "double-sided" (on both sides of the same sheet of paper). It has two slots on the front for your digital camera cards: one for CompactFlash and one that will take SD, MMC, XD or MS (memory stick). There's also a USB port below those, which can be used for connecting a thumb drive or for PictBridge straight from your digital camera. Using these ports, you can plug in your media and print straight from them, or transfer files wirelessly to your computer.

It uses Lexmark's ink cartridges No. 41 (multicolor) and 42 (black) for the most part, and No. 40 for photo printing ink. Cartridge Nos. 41A, 42A, 43 and 44 are all compatible as well. From what I've seen so far, these should be readily available in most areas and aren't too expensive. Printing speed is stated to be 28 PPM for black and 24 PPM for color printing. The unit comes with the printer, one black cartridge and one color cartridge, setup sheet, user guide (a too-simple booklet and a more in-depth guide on a CD), installation software (on a separate CD), power supply, phone cord, and a USB cable needed for installation and setup (since your PC can't see the Wi-Fi on the printer until setup is complete).

The design: Is it bigger than a breadbox? Of course it is, but it's not as big as my last all-in-one printer. This one measures 1.5 feet wide, and a foot from front to back. Allow for about a foot and a half height, if this is going under an overhang. I'll admit that the exterior of the unit has a "cheap plastic" kind of look to it, but that's just the look on first impression, I'm happy to say. It's been pretty solid so far... and I haven't exactly been gentle with it.

As you can see from the picture above, it has a vertical paper feeder at the top rear for your main paper stock (it adjusts easily from standard paper to photo paper to envelopes), a horizontal feeder across the top for faxing/scanning (holds up to 25 pages), a flip-up top (copier-style) to access the scanning glass, a good control panel (with readout) on the front that you lock in at a 45-degree angle during setup, and below that is the catch tray for printouts (with extendable arm). Card slots are to the right of the panel, along with a lightable Wi-Fi symbol that shows status (green is good, red or dark not so good). The entire top half rises at midsection to change ink. On the back are ports for power, phone and line jacks for fax, wired USB connection (needed for setup, as mentioned above), and a duplex cover for the two-sided printing (it comes off to clear paper jams).

Working it: Setup is most certainly the worst pain about this unit. The fault is clearly that the printed material doesn't tell you enough, and since I managed a computer-related retail store for over a decade in a prior career, I can assure Lexmark that no one is going to take the time to go through the manual on the CD disc first. They need to add more depth to the printed setup info, even if it adds $10 to the cost of the unit (trust me, it would be worth it). Let me try to save you a bit of trouble: If you have a home network, you will only need to hook the printer up to one of your PCs via the included USB connection. Don't do it yet, though! Wait until you've put in the installation CD, and followed the on-screen directions. It will ask you if you're doing the initial network (Wi-Fi) setup. If this is the first PC you're putting it in, say yes, and when the proper time comes, you'll hook up the printer via the USB cable.

After that initial network setup is done, the unit will work on that PC, and only that one. And only with the USB cable connected. Take the cable off, then start the setup all over again with the same install disc, but tell it "no" when it asks if this is for the initial network setup. After that's done, then the unit works wirelessly! At least that's how it worked for me; your mileage may vary. Following all that, do the same on the rest of your home network computers that you want to be able to use this printer with. It won't matter if the PC doesn't have a wireless network card in it, as long as it is wired over to a router that has wireless capabilities. Don't forget that you'll need to input your network security codes at the proper time. It encourages you to gather the info before you start the installation (I recommend that you do that). Allow around a half hour for each run of the setup software (which means around an hour just for setting up that very first one).

Sound like a pain in the you-know-what? Yup, but after all, it's only a onetime effort; once you take care of all that, then it's very easy from there onward! I can sit in the backyard with my laptop and print away... wirelessly. Nothing special to it for printing; it's just like printing anything else is with a wired printer. Inserting the proper paper (or ink, if you switch to photo ink) for the task at hand is a piece of cake.

Beyond printing: For scanning, there's a minor gripe in that I cannot just go straight into my favorite graphical software and scan straight to it. Let's say you use PhotoShop, for example: for a wired scanner you can launch the PhotoShop application and scan straight into a window there, and then manipulate if you need to. You can't do that with the Wi-Fi unit, though. Nor can you insert a memory card or thumb drive into it and read them directly like it was any other drive on your PC. That's a side effect of the way this gets networked in.

But never fear, Lexmark provides the solution with the Lexmark Productivity Studio, installed as standard during the setup. An icon sits in your system tray for it, so you can quick-launch it whenever you need. Once up, you can control the printer from there (test print, clean heads, change setup, etc.) but you can also use it to scan, to control copying of something in the feeder (or on the glass), to scan and send something as an attachment, to send something as a fax, to convert a scan or picture to a PDF file, to "OCR" scan a document (so that you can scan a printed page of words and then edit it as text), to put together "photo packages" (like a portrait studio might), and to easily transfer files off of the memory cards (or thumb drives, or PictBridge device) in the printer's front slots.

This Productivity Studio is a nice, slick application that does more than I have room to describe here. But let me focus on the scanning: I can put something in the feeder, scan it wirelessly from my laptop, save it directly to file, or e-mail it, or save it as a PDF, or tell it I want to transfer the file to any other application I choose. It gives me a nice list of every application on my hard drive that can possibly work with the file, and lets me easily open the scanned document in that application! From there I can do my manipulation. Or, I can do basic manipulation in the Lexmark Productivity Studio app, such as rotating or cropping, etc. The gripes above are a minor trade-off, considering what this does for you.

Pains: Setup, as described above, is obviously the biggest pain. There are also the gripes I mentioned about having to use Lexmark's special application to do scanning, or to transfer files from memory cards placed in the unit's slots... but the coolness of the application they give you is a trade that works in your favor, so we can leave the complaints at mainly being the setup (the lack of good printed documentation to assist you, and the long amount of time it takes to get it done). It would also be nice if there were a readout on the unit that shows the pictures on memory cards inserted, but then again the idea of "Wi-Fi" is that you're not staying in front of the unit while you use it, right?

The price: List price is $149.95, and that's what you'll pay in most places. I got mine for $10 off, thanks to a timely sale, but I would have absolutely no regrets if I had missed the $10 savings. Since your local stores are packed with holiday shoppers, avoid the crowds and just order it from Amazon, where it qualifies for free shipping.

I'll take it!: I've had this unit for several weeks now, and I believe I've really put it through it's paces for printing, copying, scanning, file transfers and all sorts of things (except fax; as I mentioned I have no need for it). I can't believe that I'm printing and scanning so effortlessly from my notebook computer now! How did I ever live without this? The cost is well worth it. If you have a home network that includes a laptop, or any wireless aspect, then don't wait for your old printer to die (like I did!) to treat yourself to an upgrade. This is a great way to go, and an ideal gift for the entire family to use, one way or the other. Or, get it before the holidays and print off some great "photo packages" to enclose with the greeting cards. Or use it to print the greeting cards. It's wonderful.

— Dave L.

I've been married to my lovely wife for 11 years, and I love her more than anything else in the world. Having said that, she's the very first to admit that sometimes she has to check which hand her wedding ring is on to figure out her left from her right. Yes, it's true! And since I do love her so much, I wanted to make sure she would always find her way home again. So I decided to get her a GPS navigation system for her pickup truck.

But which one to get? There are many devices on the market, at a variety of prices and capabilities. And screen sizes! They range from the rather small to the nice and large, and there's even some "flat screen"-type models out there. And prices... whew! You can get 'em for not much over a hundred dollars (and get what you pay for), or easily clock into the four-figure range. I wanted something in-between: functional and feature-packed, but not necessarily a Rolls Royce. Not that I'd mind spending the money, but this is a device that's supposed to be in a vehicle, so I didn't want anything that would be too tempting to thieves.

I ended up getting the Garmin StreetPilot c550, and after both of us have used it, I doubt I could have made a choice we would be much happier with... this one is excellent!

THE SCOOP Garmin's been in the GPS business for about 17 years, starting with a marine version and soon after making a handheld system for the military, used in the desert during the first Gulf War. They are one of the better-known names out there for after-market systems in cars. The StreetPilot line is their most popular, and the c550 model claims "portable, affordable car navigation". It not only gets you where you're going, but it helps you avoid traffic getting there (more on that later), plays your MP3 music files, and has Bluetooth for hands-free cell phone usage if your mobile phone supports it. Maps are provided by NAVTEQ, the same highly-accurate source that is used by GoogleMaps, YahooMaps, MapQuest, XM, Sirius, and Microsoft's Flight Simulator software. Maps are updateable by download at Garmin's site.

THE DESIGN "Small and light, yet with a large screen" just about sums it up. It fits in the palm of your hand (4.4" x 3.2" x 2.2"), weights less than a standard loaf of rye bread (0.59 lbs), yet has a 3.5-inch screen (larger than one of the screens on a Nintendo DS). The casing feels sturdy, so I'm not worried if it gets dropped on the pavement (not that I'd recommend trying it), but the manual is careful to mention that it's not waterproof.

There is a mini-USB port, an SD card slot, stereo speakers, a power input, built-in microphone (for hands-free phone use), ports for optional external mic and audio out, and more. The device comes with an easy-to-use mounting system that lets you put it wherever you like in your vehicle. The system comes off the mount quick and easy, so you can bring it inside with you (to keep it from getting stolen, or to protect it on very hot or below-freezing days).

WORKING IT The anti-glare touchscreen is bright and colorful, with 16-bit graphics and a good 320x240 pixel resolution. When you turn it on the first time, setup is easy by following the on-screen prompts. Once that's done, going somewhere is as simple as starting your car, then starting the device and pressing the "Where to?" button on the screen (hint: it's the upper of only two choices that fill the screen). The indicator on the top left tells you if you've got a good satellite signal (bar-style, just like a cell phone). Top right has the current time (it figures out the correct time zone for you based on GPS position) and next to that is the battery charge indicator. Plug in the car lighter adapter that's included, and the charger also acts an FM "TMC" traffic antenna! That means your StreetPilot can find out local traffic obstacles in 68 major US metropolitan areas (Garmin's site lists them), and re-route you around slow-downs. This traffic service has a free 3-month trail period, then costs $60 for a 1-year subscription.

Now, let's click that "Where to?" button. From there we can type in an address that you know you need to get to. It's very smart about recognizing these; you'll be amazed. Or you can click on a button that provides lists of local Food, Hotels, Banks/ATMs, Fuel, Shopping, Entertainment, Attractions, Community, Hospitals, Auto Services and more! Note that my wife and I were astounded at the accuracy of these lists. True, a few restaurants were shown that had closed up a while back, but it wasn't bad. The Where To? menu also has a "Go Home" button that's easy to set up while you're parked in your customary spot, plus you can store "Favorites" and "Recently Found" locations. There's also a button for "Extras" that you can download from Garmin's site.

So pick your destination, and then hit the big green GO! button on the resulting screen. A nice voice (you pick the one you like from many language/dialect/gender choices in setup; we like "Australian English - Karen") tells you where to go. So put the car in gear and listen to the voice. It's a bit tricky at first to get used to "listening out of the corner of your ear" while paying attention to the road, but after one trip you'll get the hang of it. It's easy to glance at the nice, bright display and make sure you're on the right track. It doesn't chatter at you constantly, but rather gives you reminders as you're approaching key points to prepare for a turn or an exit ramp, and then tells you again exactly when you've reached that point. A checkered flag on the screen will mark your destination, and the voice will tell you "now arriving at such-and-such, on the right" (or left) when you get there. Sometimes it pronounces names a little bit wrong ("school" is pronounced "shule", for example), but it won't steer you wrong. If you aren't paying attention and make a wrong turn, then it automatically re-calculates the new route and gets you back on track.

While you're driving, it shows the map in either 3D or 2D (you pick during setup) and on the bottom right shows you the amount of distance before your next turn. Touching the distance-remaining screen button pulls up a temporary close-up of the next turning point, and the voice gives you a quick update ("continue straight for 5.4 miles," etc.). On the bottom left of the map it shows the approximate time you'll arrive at your destination. Touching that pulls up a dashboard showing your current compass direction, speed, distance from destination, your average speed, your average speed while moving, your maximum speed (parents can check later to see if the kids were speeding!), total time on the trip, and time moving vs. time stopped. There are also buttons to reset the trip info, and to reset the max speed amount (sorry, parents).

After sundown, the screen colors automatically change to a dark-appropriate color scheme, so that your device isn't blinding folks in the next lane over with a bright light in your vehicle's cab. Plus and Minus buttons are visible to let you zoom the map in or out, as needed to see further ahead in the route or get more detail about where you are. The unit defaults with a "safety" engaged, so that you can't use the touch-screen navigation while the car's in motion. You can disable that, but it's obviously less safe because your eyes need to be on the road, not navigating this device. Recommend you pull over to use it.

THE EXTRA FEATURES While you're driving, you can go back to the main menu and hit the music note button to pull up MP3s. You can load them on an SD memory card (the same kind of card used for digital cameras), or you can use a USB cable to hook up the StreetPilot to any PC (it's plug-and-play, and acts like any external drive) and transfer files onto the unit's internal memory. MP3 functions are standard skip ahead or back, fast forward or rewind, shuffle, repeat, etc. Sound output is nice via the stereo speakers on the unit, and sound can be routed to headphones or many advanced car stereo systems.

It's easy to tie a Bluetooth-capable cell phone to the unit for hands-free calling. Standard Bluetooth security is in place, unlike other car-based handsfree devices (meaning that noone can sneakily tie in and eavesdrop on your calls!). It's easy to place calls and answer calls with the device. If your cell service includes voice dialing, the StreetPilot supports it via the Bluetooth. Any stored numbers in your phone can be accessed via the GPS system. It's excellent, and provides a nice, clear connection to whoever you're talking to.

If the car is driving while you use the MP3s or you're on the phone, and the unit needs to give you direction, it interrupts briefly and cleanly, gives the info, then returns you to exactly where you were in the song or conversation. If you turn off the unit while MP3s are playing, it remembers where you were when it turns back on.

Other features include cool stuff like customizable vehicle icons (download more from Garmin's site) and a vital "Garmin-Lock" anti-theft feature, which basically forces the user to either enter a personally chosen code or else be at "Home" in order for the device to work. Neat. You can configure miles or kilometers, a large variety of written and spoken languages, time format (12HR, 24HR, UTC), screen colors, routes based on "faster time" vs. "shorter distance" and more.

BATTERY LIFE According to the manual, the unit takes four hours to charge and lasts for eight hours, according to how it's used. In my experience, it took between three and four hours to charge it up, which can be done by the included car lighter adapter or by hooking it up to a PC via the included USB cable. We haven't driven eight hours straight yet, but from what we can tell so far, the unit's charge lasts at least that long. But you're probably going to use it on the car lighter adapter in any case.

PAINS Not many. Sometimes after first turning the unit on, it seems to take a bit long to load the maps and then acquire a satellite signal (but once it acquires it, it rarely seems to lose it). Also, this is something you tend to want to keep in the car, and it fits in the glove box, but they warn you that it's not safe to leave it out in temperatures below freezing or above 140 degrees (60 degrees Celsius). You might think the latter is more rare, but many vehicles can indeed heat up like an oven in the summer heat and reach those temps in the car. The below-freezing temps are rather common, though, so be prepared to take it inside during wintertime. At least it comes with a nice zippered carrying case!

THE PRICE Like I said at the beginning, this isn't the most expensive GPS navigator on the market. On the other hand, it's not cheap with a list price of $857.13... at least according to Amazon. I'm not so sure that's accurate, though, because I've seen other material that says the SRP is currently $482.13. Maybe there was a recent markdown? Possibly, but still, what matters is that you can buy it from Amazon for $329.99 at the moment. Yes, that's a little bit pricier than the average unit at Wal-Mart or Costco, but...

BRINGING IT HOME ... the Garmin StreetPilot c550 is totally worth it, in my opinion. I've already said it: this one is excellent, and I doubt we could find something else that would leave us any happier. The system does a LOT for the money, functions very well, and is extremely accurate. I had originally intended to give this to my wife as a Christmas gift, but when we had a wedding to go to in an unknown area outside of town a few weeks ago, I broke it out early and we've been using it ever since. We had no problems getting to the wedding, then to the reception (equally far out), and then back home. We've had a couple of other occasions to use it so far, and it worked great. In our own neighborhood, it taught us a new shortcut through the back streets to get to a main boulevard with less traffic. We're super happy with it, and we can't recommend it enough. If you need an after-market GPS navigator for your vehicle, give this one a good look. It won't leave you lost!

— Dave L.

The question plaguing everyone who is thinking about stepping up their TV game from the old-school CRT (cathode-ray tube) technology television to something current is all about what flat-panel to get: "LCD vs. Plasma?" So, what to do?

To answer that query, I trekked over to have a little conversation with the very savvy Best Buy BlueShirt home theater expert Andre Sam. He was really engaging and proved his expertise in dealing with dumb questions. Perfect for me.

Since everything is pretty much HDTV — sorry, poorly aging newscasters! — we’re just talking HD here, so I’ll stop repeating that term.

The TVs look a lot alike at first glance, but you should know that choosing between LCD and plasma is actually choosing between two different technologies.

LCD, aka liquid crystal display, is best known as the stuff of computer monitors. Thanks to advances in technology, those screens have gotten bigger. LCD technology works by having two glass sheets on either side of the liquid-crystal stuff, which is composed of a lot of pixels. When an electric current goes though it, the crystals work like a shutter. From that we get the images on screen.

Plasma-screen technology is a bit different. With a plasma, a picture appears because the hundreds of thousands of tiny gas plasma cells react to the electric pulses.

Below are some factors to consider:

VIEWING If you’re buying it to watch sports, then plasma is better, says Sam. The pixels on the LCD may not be able to reflect the actual speed of, say, the baseball being thrown. So a lag might be created. The plasma has a better reaction time.

The black levels and contrast ratios — how black and white contrast — are better on the plasma. Generally, color is better in a plasma, too, but the best way to judge how a particular TV will look is to go to the store and seeing how the colors come through. That’s why retailers have TVs all on the same show, so the consumers can compare. The different televisions all have different "definitions" of how various colors look.

If glare is a factor in your viewing area at home, then consider the LCD. Plasma has glass over the screen, which can up the glare. So if the room is too bright already, having an LCD is better.

Also, consider size in picking a TV. You don’t want the room to be engulfed by a TV and you need to be far enough away from a big screen to see the picture well.

SIZE If you want to go for a bigger TV, then plasma is your choice because LCDs have been hamstrung by their technology to come in the smaller sizes. That’s changing, though. Right now, says Sam, the most popular size is the 42-inch for the plasmas and the 40-inch for the LCDs. The LCD gives the most variable size options as plasma just comes in bigger sizes. LCD runs from about 15 to 56 inches.

If big — in terms of TV size and wallet — is your thing, take note: There’s a 142-inch plasma coming up that’ll only be a few hundred thousand dollars.

USES For multimedia, LCD is a better bet. The gas technology of the plasma generates more heat. That’s not good for gaming, for example, or for use as a PC monitor, which already would make things hotter than a normal TV. The heat is a factor because with plasmas it literally makes the static images, of, say, the icon, etch into the screen; this is called “burn-in.” However, the plasma TV makers are quickly moving to improve this.

OTHER STUFF The plasma TV is much heavier than the LCD. So if you’re going to hang it, the plasma will require extra supports.

PRICES Costs are about the same, but it looks like if you buy around Thanksgiving there will some significant savings. This New York Times piece quotes Colin McGranahan, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, at the DisplaySearch HDTV Conference, saying that prices for LCD sets should be about 15 to 19 percent lower than a year ago, and plasma sets will drop in price by 25 percent. The article included the speculation that a 42-inch plasma set will go for less than $600 on Black Friday. My purse is poised!

I hope that this has been helpful. Happy viewing!

— Caroline, Team Gadget

I've purchased many gadgets and electronics over the past year, but there's one thing that I use many times a day — my
Logitech Harmony 880 remote control.

My girlfriend used to call me and say, "I can't get any sound from the TV!" She was trying to watch a DVD, but she didn't turn the receiver input to "DVD," and the TV was set to the TV tuner, not the "DVD" input. I wrote out step-by-step instructions on what to do to watch a DVD, TV or something on the PVR, but pressing even one wrong button would lead to, "Gord, it's not working!" The Harmony 880 solved all my problems.

THE SCOOP The Harmony 880 is an advanced universal remote control. Sporting a slick LCD screen and 45 programmable buttons, this remote will control up to 15 items, assuming there's an IR port (infrared port) on the product or products you want to control.

THE DESIGN The remote fits comfortably in my hand, and measures 8 inches long and 2.5 inches at its widest. I hold the remote in two different places depending on the buttons I want to control; in the middle for the middle (volume, channel or cursor keys) or top buttons (which are set up by the user), and at the bottom for the number keys and the dedicated stop/play/skip/menu/exit/guide/info buttons. You'll probably find yourself shifting the remote in your hand as well, or holding it with one hand and hitting keys with the other.

WORKING IT This isn't your standard remote control that's set up by entering commands written down in the back of manuals. I've found that those remotes always leave out one or two commands that I always use, or I would become frustrated as I tried one of the 20-something commands given for my brand of TV/receiver/DVD player. This remote is configured using software installed on your computer, and then a configuration file is uploaded to the remote via a USB cable that plugs into the front of the remote. It sounds scarier than it is, though getting the remote working perfectly will require some time.

The software walks you through adding a component to your online profile, then loads the codes associated with the product. I recently bought a Panasonic DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player, so I selected "Add Device" from the menu, then I was asked what type of product I wanted to add. I selected "DVD," which covers DVD players, HD-DVD players, Blu-ray players and other associated products, and a screen popped up with a list of manufacturers. I selected "Panasonic" from the long list of companies, then entered the model number in a box. The IR codes are automatically mapped to common buttons (like play/pause/stop and the number buttons). Of course you can edit those buttons, adding common buttons that may be missing (the eject button), and removing ones you don't use. I have the channel up and down buttons set to advance a frame forward and backward, which is handy when I'm checking the quality of a DVD for a review; you can map any command you want to almost any button on the remote. The LCD screen allows you to access eight commands at a time (using the buttons to the side of the screen), and can contain multiple pages of commands, accessed by pressing one of the arrow buttons at the bottom of the LCD screen (these are two of the buttons that can't be mapped to something else, with the "device," "media," "Activities" and "Help" buttons being the others). The Blu-ray player showed up in my list of devices, and I could add it to an "Activity."

Activities can include "Watch TV," "Play a Game," "Listen to Radio" or "Watch DVD" (plus many, many others), and are a series of things that enable you to perform functions (they can also be renamed to whatever you want). Setting up an activity is easy, as the software walks you through a series of questions. When I set up my "Watch DVD" activity I was asked what items are used when I watch a DVD. I told the remote I used my TV, DVD player and receiver. Then it asked me what input my TV had to be on (that's the DVD input, though it could have been "Input 2" on an older TV), what input my receiver used, and whether I controlled the volume with my TV, or my receiver (I use the receiver). When I sit down to watch a DVD I press the "Watch DVD" button on the remote (the label shows up on the LCD screen), and my remote starts sending commands to my devices. The TV is turned on and changed to the "DVD" input; the receiver is turned on and set to "DVD," and the DVD player is turned on. It can take a series of complex tasks using multiple remotes and reduce it all to a single press of a button.

The software allows you to tweak the remote for any circumstance that pops up. My TV takes a while to warm up before it can accept an IR command, so I set the delay to five seconds, while my receiver takes three seconds before it can accept a command. These options are set up using the software, but it's part of an advanced settings area, not the regular setup wizard. I can also have one button perform multiple things, which can be handy when a setting isn't available through an IR command, and multiple menus have to be navigated, though that's extremely rare (it happened to me once on an old TV). In the unlikely event that your remote has an IR command that isn't in the database, you can have the Harmony 880 learn the command using the IR port in the bottom of the remote. It's a handy feature, and one that ensures your new toy can do everything, and more, that the original remote could do.

BATTERY LIFE The Harmony 880 has a built-in battery and a nice charging station. Battery life is displayed in the upper-right corner of the remote, with the current date and time in the upper left. I charge my remote once a week, and I've never had it die on me. The LCD screen indicates that the remote is charging when it's placed on the cradle and the remote lets out a quiet "beep." Battery life can be extended by reducing the display time of the backlit LCD screen; the keys also glow when the remote is picked up.

SUPPORT There's a built-in "Help" button on the remote that can solve some of your problems if devices aren't functioning properly, but Logitech also offers toll-free numbers to call if your problem can't be answered in the help files found in the configuration application. I've never had to call them myself, but I've heard their telephone support is excellent.

THE PRICE The suggested price of the remote is $249.99, though you're crazy to pay that price. It can be found for much less online. Amazon.com currently sells a new remote for $147.86, or a refurbished
one for $99.99.

It may seem like a lot to pay for a remote control, but I quickly realized its worth when it replaced my pile of remotes sitting on my coffee table. Even my girlfriend, who exclaimed "That's the price of a pair of shoes!" when I told her what I paid, ended up liking it so much she now refers to it as "my remote."

I read about someone who had a "Watch Movie" activity that would close the drapes, dim the lights, start a popcorn popper, turn on the projector, turn on the receiver, and open the DVD tray so he could put a movie in. If your device has an IR port on it then the Harmony 880 remote control can interact with it, and you can clear another remote from the coffee table. The Harmony 880 isn't just a universal remote, it's the remote to add to your home theater system, no matter the size. It's one of my favorite gadgets, and something I recommend any chance I have.

CROWBARS (to the Wallet) Five out of five. I bought it. And I'd do it again.

More information can be found on the
Logitech Harmony 880 page.

— Gord

I've already established that I'm what I'd like to call "not exactly tech-savvy" or, in evangelical religious terms, tech behind. That's why I'm probably the only one in America without a smart phone. Mine's not even a dumb phone. Let's put it this way: When I was having trouble with it and brought it to the AT&T repair shop to get it fixed, they started laughing. Not only did they not make this phone anymore but they didn't even know how to fix it. Nice.

Did I mention that I've never really used a PDA? (I was given one once but never used it, so I'm not sure that counts.)

So, when my colleagues started buzzing about the (then impending) AT&T Tilt phone the other week, I was intrigued. And, when it arrived in stores last week and in a colleague's office here, I was even more intrigued.

THE SCOOP Billed as the most feature-packed smart device available in the United States — how Donald Trump does that sound? — this is the first AT&T-enabled Windows Mobile 6 smart device. (The blognoscenti — aka the guys in my office — tell me that this is a huge deal.) I love that it has wi-fi, Bluetooth, a 3.0 megapixel camera, and the newest TeleNav GPS navigation (but that one will cost you extra). Also, this phone can read Office 2007 document formats. Plus, it runs on AT&T's fast, fast, fast 3G system. Then there's also a microcard SD card memory expansion slot in there. Now, I don't know what exactly that means or how to use it, but I'm told that is very important and has something to do with video. I'm going to figure that out in a future column and write about it.

On the frivolous side, it has games, video (more on this later) and mobile music.

THE DESIGN This isn't the most stylish, or feminine, device — it's really kind of geeky and male in its appeal — but I feel like in this case its substance over style, and that's OK with me. There's a QWERTY keyboard that slides back, and the screen, at 2.8 inches, sits up at an angle. Sound familiar? (Think laptop.)

WORKING IT As previously stated, I'm clueless. Let's just say it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to put the battery in before my colleague Dave had to come over and show me. But once I got past that obstacle, it was pretty simple to use.

The QWERTY keyboard is easy and any idiot — even me!— can use the stylus to touch things on the screen. Bonus: There are some touch functions, too, just in case I lose the stylus.

THE VIDEO When it comes to watching TV on the phone, there are some good points to the Tilt. It offers both MobiTV and its own CV (Cingular video), which has video clips such as segments from TV shows, as well as music, sports, weather, you name it. You can also subscribe to premium services like HBO. The MobiTV offers sports on 99 channels, such as ESPN, NBC and Bravo. The programming was kind of random, though, like when you turn on USA it doesn't match the USA that's on my regular TV, and a bunch of the stations just gave clips. It reminded me of the TV options offered on airplanes. Not my dream, but a great start.

THE COLORS Comes in just one: silver and black.

PAINS Heavy. For ladies, especially those who are already carrying everything and their dogs — literally — in their purse, this thing isn't light. It weighs 6.6 ounces — think of it as a little bit smaller than a small bottle of water. But when you consider that the Tilt acts a lot like a computer, you could be saving yourself some shoulder strain from carrying around both a phone and a computer.

Other things: You can only use Internet Explorer and it's not as good for checking out websites as Safari is. So don't plan on seeing the full version of the site. Battery life is supposedly none too good — I understand that it's just a few hours.

BUYING AT&T TILT VS. THE iPHONE Succinctly put by my boss Paul: "No way am I getting an iPhone. 1) Doesn't work with Exchange servers, so no work e-mail. 2) Only works on AT&T's 2G (slow) network. 3) No external keyboard (deal-breaker for me). 4) No way to install third-party programs or tweak the settings. Yick." Well said. (Or written.)

THE PRICE $300 with a two-year contract

CROWBARS (to the wallet?) Four out of five. I'd buy it. Not cute like the iPhone, but I like it. Plus, I'll look all techy the next time I'm in an airport. (Very important.)

— Caroline

I bring you a grand heresy in the Church of Gadgetry: Not everyone wants or even needs an iPhone.

Those of us who grew up in the Stone Age when phones had one ringtone, were tethered to the wall and came with a bill that was decipherable by those without a degree in astrophysics are pretty content to just have a cell phone that acts as a, well, phone.

That doesn't mean that we'd refuse to try some of the new stuff. With that in mind, I purchased a new phone this summer. Debuting in the shadow of the iPhone, the Sprint LG Muziq actually lets you do a good chunk of what the iPhone does, but at a fraction of the price.

THE SCOOP The Muziq (built by LG for Sprint) is the successor to its first-generation-iPod-shuffle-looking Fusic (they've got to work on those names). But while the name is Muziq, the phone, when coupled with Sprint's TV package, offers some good video options.

THE DESIGN As a flip-phone, the Muziq's tidy, but it's not a small phone. At 3.80 x 1.94 x 0.61 inches, it's a good candy-bar sized phone. But its shiny exterior is efficient and attractive. There's a scroll wheel on front to control your tunes with the cover closed and a 1.1-inch screen for call and phone status information. The inside features a layer of metallic-looking plastic and a large, flat keypad. All in all, it looks and feels sturdy, good for those of us with fumble fingers.

WORKING IT The aforementioned scroll wheel controls the music applications from the front and there are side controls for scrolling, using the phone's 1.3 megapixel camera and music. I ignore the side buttons for the most part, as you have to unlock them to use them first and it's not a big deal for me to open the phone and deal with Sprint's menus. Once there, a few clicks get you to the Sprint TV application.

THE VIDEO The Muziq's 2.2-inch, 176-by-220-pixel color LCD screen is small, clear and while it could probably stand to be a bit brighter, it does a fair job of displaying video, especially in full screen mode. The downside is there are occasional breaks in the video. On the other hand, Sprint TV offers access to a variety of content such as full-length shows from ABC, History, Discovery, plus NFL shows, music videos and even full-length movies, making the occasional hiccup less of a drag. I was able to watch the David Letterman interview with Paris Hilton in its entirety.

BATTERY LIFE In standard phone mode the battery is pretty good and will give you about four hours of talk time. I'm guessing you'd get about half that to watch video. (But I haven't tried so, again, this is only a guess.)

THE COLORS A cool gloss black. And even though it's shiny, it seems to resist scuffs well.

THE PRICE Again, it's no iPhone — but this time that's a good thing. Sure, Apple dropped the price on an iPhone to $400 recently, but at $99 (and free shipping for new subscribers), the Muziq is a bargain. In addition, if you really need your tunes, you can purchase a 4GB microSD card for less than $50 and take your music collection with you. And, like an iPhone, you'll have to purchase data plans to take full advantage of the phone's capabilities. Many Sprint TV packages offers groups of channels such as ABC, Comedy Central, MTV, Cartoon Network and more for an additional $7.95 a month; some movies cost $4.99 for a three-day rental.

David F., Team Gadget

Man — and woman — cannot watch TV alone. We need gadgets, gizmos, and stuff to help us do that. So we at TV Guide thought that we'd, well, give you your own guide for TV-related (mostly*) technology and gadgets. The bloggy guide will come out every Thursday, written each week by one of the Gadget Guide team members, with a review of whatever we think is cool or interesting or something you should know about. So keep reading to stay informed and (better) tuned in.

(*Spoiler alert: Sometimes we might write about things that don't totally relate to TV, but we just think are worth noting, like if there's a new iPod shuffle or something.)

So... I'm a little late to the iPod party. Embarrassing, I know. But, for various and silly reasons, I don't have one.

Now that's changing.

My colleague, Kevin, who does a smashing job in business development, was showing off his new iPod Nano at the office the other day. I totally want one. I played around with it and my friends' various versions of iPods, researched, soul-searched and came up with this review for you.

THE SCOOP This is the third generation of the iPod Nano, released a few weeks ago. This one has whole bunch of new features, including video, which is why we're including it here.

THE DESIGN It looks horrible on the website. Fat, stubby, like it's going to be thick as a notebook. It's not. Very slim and easy to carry around. At 2.8 by 2.1 by 0.3 inches, it fits in my palm. You can easily put it in your pocket and forget about it. It weighs 1.75 ounces. Both a good and a bad thing, for those of us who may have, in the past, just thrown our jeans in the wash without emptying out the pockets....

The back is stainless steel. It looks sleek but it does scratch, as Kevin sadly pointed out, so be careful.

WORKING IT This puppy has a scroll wheel — not the touch, which is part of what's making the iPhone so hot — so keep that in mind, in case you're a touchy kind of person. There are advantages to the wheel, however; for one, you don't have to be looking at it to change tunes, say if the iPod is in the aforementioned jeans pocket.

Menu-wise, this one comes with a split screen for a menu system. Because this Nano is so wide, this makes it more navigable. On the left is the iPod menu, on the right is an album cover. Everyone is all excited by the new Cover Flow, which is a graphics interface that lets you scroll through your music libraries via the album covers. A nice thing, I think, but nothing to go crazy about. (If I'm wrong, please let me know: TV-Now@tvguide.com)

THE VIDEO The screen may be just 2 inches (it is called a Nano, after all), but with the 320-by-240-pixel resolution, at 204 pixels per inch, the highest pixel-per-inch density of any iPod, the images look good. The screen is brighter and the colors come in looking very sharp.

Note that with wide video, it does get letterbox bars or, without it, in full screen, the sides of the video get cut off.

When the aforementioned Kevin was doing a demo, we watched parts of the pilot for the new Gordon Ramsey show, Kitchen Nightmares. (Fox is offering seven season premieres, including Gordo's show, through iTunes.) The video was compelling enough to make me want to watch more of that show and more video on the iPod. And when I saw a girl on the subway watching it today — with no fear of it being stolen (!) — I was further convinced.

PAINS It sometimes freezes up, but if you play around with it and hold the menu and the center button, that will take care of the problem.

Battery life is not great. I've heard when watching videos, we're talking under four hours.

THE COLORS All very fem for the most part. I was looking at them and thinking which would go best with my apartment decor. But for the most part, I think the black one is the sleekest. The black is part of the 8GB version, which also comes in silver, teal, red and lime. (Though the black one is the only one to have a black scroll wheel; the other ones have a white one.) The 4GB version comes only in silver.

THE PRICE It's totally cheap! Maybe that's why subway chickie didn't care. At $149 for the 4GB version and $199 for the 8GB version, it's not completely criminal if it gets taken. Well, OK, it's criminal, but you know what we mean.

THE TV AD Can't decide if it's cool or annoying. Check it out here. It does offer hipster goddess Feist and her cute song, "1234," so I guess I'm supposed to think it's cool.

Caroline, Team Gadget