Belkin
TuneCast II Mobile FM: $39.99
www.belkin.com

Here’s the idea: A user plugs his portable player’s headphone output into TuneCast, which broadcasts the audio on a weak FM radio frequency of his choice—essentially just enough to get a strong signal to his car’s stereo. Note that this isn’t an iPod-only product. You can use it on anything from a portable DVD player to a guitar amp. My unit generated very little hiss, no noticeable static, and delivered quite good, FM-quality audio on my factory Toyota stereo. Some users in major cities have reported trouble because their FM spectrums are stuffed with stations, but I had no problem, and the unit also ships with a DC adapter for in-car use. Can you think of a better gadget to stick next to your register for point-of-sale impulse buying?

Navman
PiN: $399.99
www.navman.com

Based on Windows Mobile 2003 OS, the PiN is a compact reasonably rugged Pocket PC featuring a 300 MHz Intel processor and an excellent quality 3.5” transflective LCD screen. The unit has 64MB of internal memory plus an SD slot for expansion. On the back, you’ll also find a flip-up GPS antenna that serves double duty as a kick stand for tilting the PDA up on flat surfaces. Some have criticized the PiM for not integrating Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. I’ll tell you what. I’m still not sold on Bluetooth, and I have a Wi-Fi-enabled PDA sitting next to me (HP’s rx3715). You know how often I use it to surf the Web and check email? Never. A PDA’s screen resolution is too small and entering text is too slow. I’d rather save $100 on my device.

The PiN’s two weaknesses are its SmartST software, which made it challenging to enter a location every once in a while, and the lack of distance information from your current location to nearby points of interest. That said, the stationary 3D maps make for great accompaniment to the moving 2D ones. If you go astray from the PiN’s directions, it can recalculate a new path based on your present position. Navman even throws in a DC car charger and windshield mounting arm. I’ve used add-on GPS devices for PDAs, not to mention GPS solutions for laptops, but Navman’s integrated approach is definitely superior in terms of size and cost. For a gift sure to please any road warrior, the Navman PiN is a terrific answer.

Logitech
MX1000 Laser: $80
www.logitech.com

I thought that the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer with black faux leather grip was the sweetest thing you could plant on a mousepad. And it was...until Logitech’s MX1000 arrived.

Based on Logitech’s Fast RF wireless technology, the mouse’s latency is almost nil, which will come as welcome news to anyone who’s ever made a quick mouse move then been shot down while waiting for the on-screen pointer to respond. I was amply impressed by Logitech’s MX700, which still sits beside my primary PC, but I have other machines that simply rest on folding tables with glossy surfaces for easier cleaning. Optical mice just don’t work on this surface. Or on my couch. And paper is sort of hit and miss. The LED sensors that fuel today’s optical mice are good, but they definitely have limitations.

The MX1000’s retail box boasts that "optical is obsolete." Ignoring that lasers, like LEDs, are also optical devices, this is a pretty bold claim. Fortunately, Logitech delivers. The company claims that its laser engine is 20 times more accurate than a standard optical mouse engine. The MX1000 processes 5.8 megapixels of imagery every second, and the level of detail the laser sensor is able to record is vastly sharper than LED. Imagine looking at a street map in front of you, then looking at the map through your grandma’s reading glasses. LED is just a blurry mess, and the engine can only track on vague blobs. The MX laser engine tracks on actual details. It can see the nearly invisible texture in my tabletop and track it to 800 dpi of resolution. This is where all but the cheapest mice are headed. Logitech just got there first.

Of course, the MX1000 carries forward all of the old MX advantages and adds a few new ones. The contouring is incredibly comfortable, and the base station/charger is even more attractive and less obtrusive than before. The MX1000 features a 4-level battery indicator, which is a great step up from the MX700's blinking red warning light. Similarly, the scroll wheel, like the Intellimouse, now tilts from side-to-side for easier viewing of large Web pages and spreadsheets. Personally, my favorite new perk is the task switching button that rests between the forward and back buttons, thus putting an end to much of my ALT-Tab shuffling.

Logitech never ceases to awe me with how it can make commodity products incredible. The MX1000 is a perfect example.