The BreezKit ($14.95-$34.95 direct) from DigitalFilmLabs is a do-it-yourself kit for creating those classy "photo books" that Apple began selling a few years ago and are now widely offered online. The kit includes as much, or as little, as you need to create and assemble the a book of your own photos, printed on your own printer. This should give the user better creative control than the online book publishers offer. I can't vouch for whether this is really "a breeze" to do, but I've asked the company to send a kit and will report back once I've had a chance to use it.
One limitation: All these books are the same size, 8.5x11-inches. The online companies offer more sizes. As for software, BreezKit recommends iPhoto or Adobe Photoshop Elements, which allow you to create pages containing photos and text. You can download a free trial of Elements, which is available for both PC and Mac, from the Adobe Web site.
I think these books make great anytime gifts for parents and grandparents.
As the cell phone guy at PC Magazine, I go through about 100 phones a year. What's scary is how many phones I don't get to. I tend to review more expensive, flashy handsets, on the principle that people probably need more buying advice before they plunk down $200 than before they spend $20. (Also, flashy handsets make fun reads, even if you're not in the market for a new phone.)
But that means many phones go unloved and unexamined. This week, I've picked five - one from each major US carrier plus one phone with no carrier - and I'll give you a quick rundown of the pros and cons of each one. Sure, it's not a review, but it's better than nothing, right?
LG VX5200 (Verizon) Lowest price: $49.99 after mail-in rebate
Key features: Flip phone, VGA camera with 32 MB of memory, speaker-independent voice dialing, speakerphone, dual color screens.
Pros: LG phones on Verizon have a reputation for quality. Great price for the features you get. Plenty of memory for photos.
Cons: Screen will seem dimmer than on phones like the LG VX6100. No V CAST, though I'm not sure that's really a "con."
Summary: A midrange Verizon flip phone with a great price and an impressive feature set for non-techies.
Would I recommend it if asked offhandedly at a cocktail party? Sure. I've personally carried Verizon LG phones for years now, and I find them well-balanced, reliable handsets. Our readers also chose LG as their favorite brand on Verizon.
Last week, Creative Technology announced its 30GB Zen Vision: M. This new, exciting player features MP3 and video playback, FM tuner, personal organizer, photo storage, 2.5 color LCD, and more.
The new Zen Vision is sure to compete with Apple's new video-capable iPod, considering it's chock-full of features--moreso than the iPod. Apple may be slow in the game, but hopefully they are cooking up something to beat out Creative.
What I really like about this device is the array of colors (black, white, blue, green, pink), the fact that it supports TiVo To Go, and its built-in voice recorder (for those days when I'm feeling verbose). Is it better than Apple's video iPod? Well, I'm sure PC Magazine will put it to the test, but what it really comes down to is which features are most important to you.
The Zen Vision: M is slated to become available for purchase online later this month. Of course if you don't want to wait around, you can sign-up for an e-mail alert. The player comes bundled with earphones, a power adapter, sync adapter, USB 2.0 mini-B cable and carrying pouch, and retails for $329.99.
In its December gift guide issue, Consumer Reports magazine ($5.99 on newsstands, $26/year online) rates Internet electronics stores. Here are the top five, all rated essentially the same overall:
Amazon, Costco, and J&R win on price, everyone but Costco on selection, and Crutchfied on having the most informative site. The magazine also rates retail electronics stores, but I'd feel guilty quoting too much from the magazine, except to say that if Costco has it, they win on price.
There are two organizations whose reviews I trust completely: One is Consumer Reports and the other is own our PC Magazine.
Basically, Anoto has created a sensor that reads barely visible patterns printed on special paper (LeapFrog calls their's "Fly paper") to capture handwritten documents in electronic form. LeapFrog's version not only writes but also works as a calculator, scheduler, music recorder, plays games, translates, and helps with homework. Additional applications cost between $5 and $35 additional.
While business adoption has been slow for the Logitech product (which would seem to be very useful in some applications), the LeapFrog Fly seems to be, well, flying off store shelves. The device is easy to learn and use, giving kids some neat computing features that their parents won't have.
One of the best sources for holiday shopping suggestions is the December "Best Gifts" issue of Consumer Reports magazine. You can buy the issue for $5.99 at the newsstand or subscribe to the online edition for $26.00/year. It lists the top picks from the 3,351 products tested during 2005. Included are HDTVs, DVD recorders, digital cameras, LCD and plasma TVs, computers and printers. and a host of other categories. There are gifts in all price ranges, including a large number for $100 and less.
Also on this issue are wine ratings, so you can buy a $10 bottle you won't be embarrassed by.
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