New York Times tech reviewer David Pogue has compiled a list of the 10 best gadget ideas of 2005–gear that offers “tiny touches of brilliance: clever steps forward and new spins on old features.” Following is a half-dozen of those gadgets.\r\n
\r\nThe SanDisk Ultra II SD Plus card takes a new angle on file transfer. Plugged in to your digital camera, it looks like any other memory card. To move your pictures to a PC, you don’t need a separate cable; just fold the SanDisk card in half to reveal a USB plug.
Palm’s upcoming Treo 700w smart phone isn’t just notable for running Windows. It will also have broadcast radio capabilities, photo-triggered speed dial and the ability to play back messages using VCR-like controls.
The Canon PowerShot S80 is an 8-megapixel digital camera that features high-resolution (1,024 by 768 pixels) video.
LG’s VX8100 cell phone puts buttons on the outside of the handset, along with a screen, so you can screen your calls and send them directly to voice mail.
The portable, battery-powered Audiovox Shuttle is a DVD player that can hang from a driver’s head-rest for the viewing pleasure of backseat riders. Or it can be mounted in a docking station in the house.
In self-timer mode, Casio cameras snap three pictures in quick succession to help capture just the right slice of the action. Shown here is the Exilim Zoom EX-Z57.
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
