12-21-01
This special series of Holiday
Buyer's Guides is dedicated to the holiday shoppers that
also happen to be terminal procrastinators. Every day through
the 21st, we will post a new guide covering gift ideas from
a variety of categories and price ranges.
This is the last of our Holiday Buyer's Guides for 2001.
Hopefully you have found them useful. Today we have selected
a mix of cool gizmos for the Mac. There is no unifying concept
behind our selections other than the fact that they all received
glowing reviews and reflected gifts we would be happy to receive.
If you have avoided shopping until now, you are really down
to the wire. Be sure to check the current availability when
you place your order. At this point, I would also recommend
overnight shipping to be safe.
Notable Quotes
Digital Media Remote
MacNN
— "The
Digital Media Remote performed well with all the applications
we used it with and proved to be especially useful when listening
to mp3s across the room or watching a DVD movie through a
PowerBook hooked up to a TV. With a range of 35 feet the Digital
Media Remote also makes an excellent choice for presentations."
FlyLight (flexible USB powered light)
macHOME
—
"Don't be fooled by [the FlyLight's] serpentine looks--this
is no snake. Kensington attaches a USB plug at one end of
the flexible wand and a high-tech LED bulbless light, said
to last 100,000 hours -- for those really long projects --
at the other end. For every hour you use your PowerBook battery,
the FlyLight only draws ninety seconds worth of power, according
to Kensington. The FlyLight is a useful aid when you want
to work in bed, much like small reading lights used with books.
The light is bright and illuminates your keyboard well enough
to see all the keys easily."
ZiO (compact flash memory reader)
MacNN
— "The
beauty of the bus-powered ZiO lies in its simplicity and elegance.
Install the drivers from the included CD, plug it in, and
you're good to go. A small orange LED informs the user that
the device is ready for use. The ZiO also lacks an eject button,
instead leaving half of the flash media protruding from the
rear, making it easy to grip and remove. "
Macworld
— "The
ZiO is literally pocket-size. It's smaller than the palm of
your hand, which is ideal if you plan to take your card reader
on the road for use with a laptop computer. ... The CompactFlash
card mounts on your desktop similar to a hard drive or Zip
disk. You can drag files from the card and copy them onto
your desktop or into a folder."
Xclaim TV (USB TV tuner)
macHOME
— "Software
and installation discrepancies make the Xclaim TV the clear
winner. Its software was installed with little difficulty,
and the features could make a Mac better than the living room
TV. Favorites are the multi-channel scanning, which shows
a moment from multiple channels and the Closed Caption controls.
Most users won't need Closed Captions, but the Xclaim TV software
monitors their content for a practical twist. When a preset
word appears, you can trigger an alarm or AppleScript to take
over."
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12-21-01
