The boom is back, so far as personal tech is concerned. Boosted by new breeds of gear - phonecams, smartphones, MP3 everythings - 2003 has seen the return of the gadget. With so many new products and new levels of performance on the shelves, we sent our Test lab staff into overdrive to sort out the must-have - and must-avoid - products of the year. We churned through scores of laptops, minidrives, and other devices to bring you the definitive guide to the gear you need now.
Pocket Digicams
Tiny digicams with 3-megapixel resolution can easily replace a disposable camera or even your heavy, high-end digi-shooter. But you'll have to make sure that the display is big enough and the controls are easy to access. - Seth Feman
SPLURGE
Minolta DiMAGE Xi $599, www.minoltausa.com
A periscopic lens keeps the 3X zoom internal so the camera is always 0.8 inches thin even when you're in close. And the 1.5-inch display leaves plenty of room for graspable controls, which means you'll spend your time snapping shots, not fumbling with buttons. You can tote this little objet d'art while you make some of your own.
BEST BUY
Casio Exilim Z3 $400, www.exilim.casio.com
It's a fraction of an inch thicker than the DiMAGE, but the spacious 2-inch LCD beats many full-size cams, and makes it easy to control the graphic interface for numerous functions, like a cool photo calendar. And with only a 1/100 of a second shutter lag, you'll snap the birthday girl before the candles singe her ponytail.
OVERRATED
Pentax Optio S $399, www.pentaxusa.com
A 3X zoom in a 3.5-ounce package is impressive, but the badly implemented joystick navigation will bring you no joy.
Portable Photo Printers
A compact portable digicam is great - until you have to schlepp it home to make hard copies. Battery-powered printing of commercial lab-grade photos puts the immediacy of imaging right at hand. Don't postpone art - or invoicing. - Marty Katz
SPLURGE
Canon i70 $390, www.usa.canon.com
This laptop-sized, 3.9-pound inkjet has the same features as Canon's flagship photo printer, the S330. It quickly and quietly spins out very pleasing 4,800 x 1,200-dpi photos (from borderless 4 x 6s to 8.5 x 11s), plus sharp documents and even transparencies. The small-footprint charging cradle readies batteries for 450 pages.
BEST BUY
HP 450Cbi $349, www.hp.com
At 4.6 pounds with its battery, the 450Cbi fits in a messenger bag yet it can print documents and photos of exceptionally high quality all day without a recharge. It uses the printheads of HP's top-of-the-line 7550, and can do finely resolved six-color printing. It also supports camera cards, Bluetooth cards, and parallel and USB hookups.
OVERRATED
Sony DPP-MP1 $350, www.sonystyle.com
Small enough to fit in your shirt pocket but it only makes 2 x 3.25-inch pictures. Great for itinerant passport photographers.
Tablet PCs
Harried corridor warriors, rejoice. Tablets have built-in Wi-Fi capability and are far less obtrusive than laptops. Microsoft's handwriting recognition software is excellent - you can even do text searches of your jotted notes. - Chris Baker
SPLURGE
NEC Versa LitePad $2,399, www.necsam.com
With about the same dimensions as a clipboard, and at a mere 0.6 inches deep, the aptly named LitePad (2.2 pounds) is the only option for people who scribble as they stroll. Just 2 1/2 hours of battery life is a downer, but button configuration is smart, and dual band wireless (802.11a/b) means more hot spot options.
BEST BUY
Fujitsu Stylistic ST4000 $1,999, www.fujitsu-siemens.com
It's a quarter of an inch thicker than the LitePad, but the ST400 is still a smooth character. The ultrasuede backing keeps it from sliding - and at only a pound more than the LitePad, it also rests comfortably on your lap. Three hours of battery life will get you through all but the most arduous meetings.
OVERRATED
Motion Computing M1200 $1,699, www.motioncomputing.com
The touchscreen entry is sluggish, the power switch is badly placed, and after an hour of use it gets too warm for your lap.
802.11g Wi-Fi Routers
Wi-Fi's great, but if you've outgrown the 11-Mbps transfer speed of 802.11b, you may want to upgrade to a 54-Mbps router - which delivers more speed with the same signal range (around 70 feet indoors). - Seth Kaplan
SPLURGE
Linksys Dual-Band A+G Router $299, www.linksys.com
This router provides wireless coverage in both the 2.4 GHz (802.11b and 802.11g) and 5 GHz (802.11a) bands, and it can recognize and connect all three standards simultaneously. The dual-antenna router includes a firewall and Norton Internet Security 2003. What's more, the Web interface is extremely intuitive and the setup hassle-free.
BEST BUY
D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G Router $129, www.d-link.com
The D-Link has the best range and speed of any 802.11g device on the market. Its built-in firewall stood up well to our simulated intrusions. Setup, directly through a Web browser, is quick and straightforward. One sorely missed feature: The ability to bridge multiple wireless routers together to extend the signal.
OVERRATED
Buffalo AirStation 54Mbps Router $199, www.buffalotech.com
AirStation was first to market, and it shows. The setup and interface are perplexing, throughput is slow, and range is short.
Smartphones
If any two gadgets were meant to be combined, it's the cell phone and PDA. These color smartphones add 3-G data connections for Web and email access, as well as instant messaging. Light weight and a smart interface are key. - Joseph Portera
SPLURGE
Sony Ericsson P800 $649, www.sonyericsson.com/us
The 5.6-ounce P800 has a VGA color touchscreen, an integrated digicam, a memory expansion slot, and GPRS and Bluetooth data connections. The lithium polymer battery keeps you talking for 13 hours. The thumb scroll wheel lets you navigate the OS (Symbian 7) with one hand, and there's a translucent snap-off stylus for jotting.
BEST BUY
Danger Color Hiptop $300, www.danger.com
It's about 15 percent heavier than the P800, but this Star Trek-inspired box is a geek's treasure trove - complete with GPRS data connection, fully functional (and surprisingly fast) Web browser, integrated email, games, and AOL Instant Messenger. A spacious thumb keyboard and a 16-bit color screen sweeten the deal.
OVERRATED
Samsung SPH-i330 $500, www.samsungusa.com
Like having to sync every hour or so? Many third-party Palm apps cause the bulky i330 to crash.
17-Inch LCD-TVs
LCD-TVs are ideal for multitaskers looking for a computer monitor and boob tube in one. With their 21st-century take on picture-in-picture, these flat panels let you keep one eye on the show and the other on your desktop. - Mark Spoonauer
SPLURGE
ViewSonic n1700w $999, www.viewsonic.com
With a gorgeous 16:9 aspect ratio, HDTV compatibility, and two thumping 10-watt speakers, this unit brings the noise and plenty of eye candy. The TV tuner on the 1,280 x 768 display handles all video sources, including game consoles. A nine-screen multiview feature and a credit card-sized remote mean channel-surfing nirvana.
BEST BUY
Sceptre X7SV-Naga $599, www.sceptre.com
Two protruding speakers pumping out about 3 watts of power apiece accentuate this well-designed unit. With four picture-in-picture sizes that you can put in nine different positions, an easy-to-use remote, and component and composite connections, the Naga is a dorm room dream come true.
OVERRATED
Samsung SyncMaster 171MP $929, www.samsungusa.com
There's no DV input, the translucent onscreen menu is hard to read, and you have to mail away for the TV tuner.
DLP Projectors
Multiplexes across the country are upgrading to digital laser-projection equipment. Why should you settle for anything less? The latest home theater projectors mean incredibly sharp video images up to 20 feet wide. - Peter Suciu
SPLURGE
Yamaha DPX-1000 $12,000, www.yamaha.com
This unit's "tri-silencer" design ensures ultralow-noise operation, so you can enjoy the quiet interludes as much as the big action set pieces. The 5X color wheel provides lifelike reproduction with HD-compatible resolution of 1,280 x 720. Put off buying that new car - you're bound to enjoy this more.
BEST BUY
Sharp Theago $3,000, www.sharpusa.com
Experience bright DLP on a shoestring budget. The Theago is outfitted with a short-throw lens, making front projection possible in smaller rooms or even outdoors, and keystone correction that lets you place it anywhere in the room without distorting the image. Its lightweight design even lets you take this show on the road.
OVERRATED
Runco Reflection VX-5000ci $26,995, www.runco.com
Picture quality is very impressive, but get the Yamaha and save 15 grand to spend on fancy speakers and gourmet popcorn.
Handheld TVs
TV addicts never have to miss a show again. These tiny tellies run on standard AA batteries and feature built-in VHF/UHF antennas, speakers, headphone jacks, and A/V ports that can be hooked up to DVD players or camcorders. - Neil McManus
SPLURGE
Casio SY-4000 $350, www.casio.com
Stand before a lineup of portable TVs, and chances are you'll point to the groovy-looking SY-4000 and say, "Gimme that one!" Its 4-inch active-matrix screen is positively spacious in the realm of handhelds. You'll even forget you're watching a portable - until you have to feed it four fresh AA batteries every 2 1/2 hours.
BEST BUY
RCA LCD Color Television $150, www.radioshack.com
The 3-inch active-matrix screen displays colors vibrantly and is crisp enough to make scrolling movie credits readable. The TV held up well in our battery tests, lasting 3 1/2 hours on four AAs. It has to be propped up on its kickstand or it will fall over on flat surfaces, but the slim chassis makes it easy to carry around in one hand.
OVERRATED
Citizen ST-855 $150, www.cbma.com
The puny 2.2-inch screen uses murky passive-matrix STN (super twisted nematic) technology, making it impossible to read box scores.
Key Chain MP3 Players
These tiny drives offer 128 Mbytes of space at a relatively low price. About the size of a pack of gum, they plug into your computer's USB port for quick and easy uploads of several CDs' worth of music. - Neil McManus
SPLURGE
iRiver iFP-180T $140, www.iriveramerica.com
Sennheiser headphones deliver rich sound from ASF, MP3, and WMA formats. A built-in microphone does a fine job making voice recordings, and the device can even record from its built-in radio. But the star feature is its display, which lets you manage your music and recordings, read track info, and groove on animated waveforms.
BEST BUY
KanguruMicro MP3 $90, www.kanguru.com
MP3s sound terrific through quality earbuds. A single wheel controls the features, making it a breeze to handle. The device can act as a portable drive, and a write-protect switch keeps you from accidentally deleting your data. Plug in to your computer's USB port to recharge the built-in Li-Ion battery for 6 hours of music.
OVERRATED
NewMotion Muzic Aera $119, www.newmotiontech.com
The headphones are piss-poor, WMA files skip, and the power switch also triggers a silly laser pointer.
MP3 Car Stereos
Tired of restocking that CD changer in your trunk? The new breed of car stereos is equipped with full-fledged hard drives for easy ripping. Just be sure to watch the road while scrolling through hundreds of hours of music. - Peter Suciu
SPLURGE
Pioneer DEH-P90HDD $2,100, www.pioneerelectronics.com
Let the good times roll. Pioneer's high-end unit features a steering-wheel remote, a 13-band graphic EQ, a Memory Stick reader, and even playback support for CD-R/RW discs. The internal 10-GB drive will hold about 200 of your favorite CDs using ATRAC3 digital compression, and there's even a customizable image display.
BEST BUY
Alpine HDA-5460 $1,000, www.alpine-usa.com
This removable 16-GB drive includes PC desktop software for fast transfers of MP3, WMA, and even WAV files via a USB port. An autosync function lets you quickly update the drive, and Alpine's Biolite technology adds intuitive QuickSearch functionality for finding specific tracks by album, artist, genre, playlist, or song.
OVERRATED
Sony MEX-1HD Hard Drive CD Receiver $1,500, www.sonystyle.com
Rips at 8X speed but won't copy over existing MP3s. And while it holds 200 CDs' worth of songs, each one has to be manually labeled.
Shower Radios
They've grown up from static-plagued novelties to full-fledged appliances. Water-resistant CD players are now de rigueur, along with digital tuners and external antennas for the ultimate in aquatic audio. - Seth Kaplan
SPLURGE
Sharper Image CD Shower Companion $199, www.sharperimage.com
The Companion's large LCD display makes it easy to scroll through albums or use the digital tuner to lock in AM/FM or TV stations.Two aluminum cone speakers deliver surprisingly rich sound. And for those 12-hour showers, it plays MP3 CDs.
BEST BUY
Sony Shower CD Radio $80, www.sonystyle.com
This device makes a splash with its smart interface design. CDs load in back of this compact unit and are latched in to prevent accidental opening. Two handy knobs make it easy to change volume, CD track, or radio station. It also has dual speakers, a digital display, and an external wire antenna with a suction cup.
OVERRATED
Wet Tunes Shower CD/Radio $90, www.esalton.com
The single speaker offers tinny sound, the digital tuner gets bad radio reception, and no external antenna can be attached.
PLAY
The 17,000-Hit Wonder
Give the DJs What They Want
What's on Your iPod?
Feets of Fury
Cracking the Box Office Genome
The Hackers Cookbook
Easy Rider
Peer-to-Peer Pressure
The Polyester Pavilion
Paint by Rumbas
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Fetish
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