Top Tech Picks

For this post I am deviating from my usual political economic subject matter and will cover my favorite technical gadgets acquired over the last year.

1) Digital Video Recorder (DVR) - A DVR essentially performs the same functions that a VCR does except it records TV programs to a hard drive (same thing that your PC stores files on) rather than a tape and consequently offers a number of additional functions. Some of the most noteworthy functions are that it can a) record up to 170 hours of programming on the hard drive versus 6 hours on a tape, b) while the DVR is recording a program you can watch a program previously recorded on the DVR or a live TV broadcast, 3) all programs recorded are saved on the DVR as separate digital files much like on your PC so you can add a program name for easy identification or edit the program file to remove commercials, 4) the DVR has a DVD recorder so you can copy programs that you want to keep to a DVD, 5) you can "rewind" a live TV program which in essence gives you your own instant replay function and 6) if you have an old style analog TV (tube TV), you will be able to watch digital programs without needing a converter.

Tivo and most cable providers sell or rent DVR hardware but you need to pay a monthly subscription to use these DVR's. The only DVR that doesn't require a monthly subscription available in the US is a Magnavox H2160MW9. Don't bother looking for it at Best Buy because they will tell you that no such machine exists and will try to sell you a unit that requires a monthly subscription. Surprisingly, as far as national stores, I have only found the Magnavox DVR available from Walmart and Target and only through their web sites. Walmart's price, at the time of this posting, is about $50 less than Target.

2) U3 Launchpad with Allway Sync Software - I have always done backups (copies of my PC files) to protect against the loss of my data should my PC break or be stolen. The concerns I had with this is that I could not password protect the files on the backup media and backups took a very long time. Using a Sandisk flash drive, you can install the U3 launchpad from Sandisk at no charge which enables you to install and run applications from from your flash drive. The U3 launchpad allows you to encrypt the date on the flash drive so someone who gets your flash drive can not look at the files unless they enter the correct password. The Allway Sync software handles the copy of the files on your PC to the password protected flash drive. The backup is much quicker than usual because, after the first full backup, it only needs to copy/change/delete files to reflect the changes you have made since your last backup. It will also copy your Outlook contacts and mail message and your Internet Explorer favorites.

3) MP3 player - A Music Player 3 (MP3) device does much more than play music. A typical MP3 player will have an FM radio built in and will play any audio file. I am an NPR talk radio fan and I can not always listen to my favorite radio programs live. Most talk radio stations allow you to download what is called a podcast which is a file which contains the full audio of their shows. You can load the podcast onto the MP3 player and then listen to the radio program whenever you want with the additional benefit of being able to fast forward or rewind the program. I walk for exercise and if I was not able to listen to a podcast on my MP3 player I'm sure that walking would become so boring that I'd quit. Yes, you can also copy music albums or individual tracks to the MP3 player if you like.