mySimon Computers Shopping Picks

Multitaskers on tight budgets might like this small Acer Aspire desktop PC. The space-saving and energy-efficient desktop has an AMD Phenom X3 triple-core processor, HDMI port for expanded connectivity, 320GB hard drive, Vista Home Premium, and media card reader. It even comes with a keyboard and optical mouse. And it's only $480. More budget desktops.

The new HP Mini 1000, like the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, isn't just a tiny laptop. It's a "netbook," which is loosely defined as a small, lightweight, affordable, energy-efficient laptop that's geared for Web surfing and emailing. The Mini 1000 is less than an inch thick but its keyboard, according to HP, is 92% as big as that of a full-size laptop. The netbook starts at $400; the base price includes Windows XP Home, an 8.9" screen, 512MB DDR2 system memory, mini webcam, 8GB hard drive, and Wireless-G card. But you can upgrade components if you're willing to pay a bit more.

CNET says the Gateway T-6330U "combines an attractive case design and movie-friendly display with lengthy battery life for a thoroughly decent entry-level laptop." Specs include a 14.1" screen, 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor, Windows Vista Home Premium, 250GB hard drive, HDMI output, 5-in-1 media card reader, and webcam. The laptop weighs 5.7 pounds and costs just $650. More budget laptops.

There are some people in our office building who like to work in the dark. (GameSpot, we're looking in your direction.) We don't understand that. We need bright lights to a) keep us awake, and b) see what we're doing. But if you're one of those computing vampires, Logitech just came out with an illuminated keyboard you might like. The 9.3 mm-thick keyboard has a sleek, minimalist design (no USB ports or any other bells or whistles) with laser-etched keys that have adjustable backlighting. And it's black, so when you spill food all over it (because you can't see what you're doing because you're working in the dark), it won't show that much dirt.

PC Magazine mentions the Webble Active Footrest in its "10 Futuristic Technologies for Your Office" feature. The Webble is essentially an ergonomic footrest - on wheels - that wobbles, so your legs move around under your desk, thus giving you the physiological benefits of increased leg activity while seated. Because when you sit at a computer for 8+ hours a day like we do, there's not a whole lot you can do (without distracting your colleagues) to get your blood circulating. Coffee doesn't count. We just wonder if having our feet "surf" under our desks would distract us from actually working, and if we should use it while watching TV instead. Speaking of footrests, has anyone tried these roller ball ones?

Attention students, journalists, and anyone else who takes lots of notes: PC Magazine says "Livescribe's Pulse Smartpen may be the best way of digitally capturing synchronized written and audio notes." The Smartpen is essentially a computerized pen, but this device captures handwriting and audio at the same time, so if you miss (or misunderstand) a few words you can tap on your notes and hear what you missed while you were writing. We wish we'd had one of these in college. The pen works with special Livescribe dot paper, and ships with a 100-sheet notebook of it.

Dell calls its new Inspiron Mini 9 laptop "your new best friend." The petite laptop is an ideal travel companion if you want to blog, keep a journal, surf the Web, send email, and listen to music while on vacation. The Mini 9 has a 9" display and 4 hours of battery life, and weighs all of 2.3 pounds. Under the hood, the $349 base configuration will get you an Ubuntu Linux OS, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB hard drive, but of course you can spend a little more if you want additional upgrades (Bluetooth, Windows XP, more memory, webcam, larger hard drive). It's not something we'd want to spend 8 hours a day with, but for vacations it sounds like it has everything we need.

"Michael, where would you like to go today?" That's how K.I.T.T. greeted David Hasslehoff in "Knight Rider," and that's how the Mio Knight Rider GPS greets you when you turn it on. In the exact same voice, thanks to Mio's partnership with Universal Studios. (You can then change it to one of 300+ other names.) K.I.T.T. (William Daniels) will give you voice guidance and turn-by-turn directions (accompanied by LED synthesizer lights), and make you feel like a 1980s TV star.

Introducing the Peek, a handheld device for email and only email. No phone, no text messages, no Web browser, just email. Designed for "everyday people," or people who don't want all the bells and whistles of an iPhone, Blackerry, or Treo, the Peek is super easy to use, has a well-designed QWERTY keyboard, a full color display, and supports Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, and other major email clients. The fee is $20 a month for unlimited emailing - with no contract. We're wondering if we can get our grandmother, who's a bit scared of "computers," to use one.

If you are hyper-organized, slightly OCD, and have tons of Stuff (we plead guilty to all 3) you might be interested in the Groqit. It's a handheld scanner that looks like a pen. Use it to scan the barcodes on all your books, CDs, DVDs, games, etc. (it can store up to a million barcodes). Next time you see something in a store and wonder if you have that item at home already, just scan it and find out. To add another level of geekery to the mix, connect the Groqit to your computer and use the Groqit website to "translate" barcodes into product names and make online inventories and wishlists. We're thinking this could be a useful tool for first-time eBayers who want to get rid of a lot of their stuff.

With an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a big 320GB hard drive, the Dell Studio S1535-125B laptop, at $980, offers students and mainstream home users some serious bang for the buck. The laptop has a 15.4" screen, a 2-megapixel webcam for Internet chatting, Bluetooth, 4 USB ports, and Vista Home Premium. And it's Dell, so you get toll-free phone support. The downside: It weighs 6.1 pounds and has just average battery life. See all Dell laptops.

This new Samsung 26" LCD HD monitor puts the "fun" back into "functional." It's got full 1920 x 1200 HD resolution; a fast 5ms response time; built-in speakers (less desktop clutter!); and VGA, DVI, and HDMI connectors so you can fully enjoy movies and play games while you're supposed to be working. And not only does it have an adjustable-height stand, the thing also rotates 360 degrees, so you can spin it around to face the wall when you see the boss approaching. More huge LCD monitors.

Even if there wasn't a tangled mess of cords behind our desks that descended into a dark and dusty Corner of Despair, we'd still have trouble identifying which plug belonged to which electronic gizmo if we needed to unplug anything. Maybe we should get these Kableflags. The "Computer" set includes preprinted labels for your computer, printer, scanner, monitor, speakers, network, etc., while the "Home" set has labels for your TV, receiver, DVD player, DVD recorder, set top box, subwoofer, game console, and other gadgets. You can also get blank labels if you want to make your own.

If Ikea made external hard drives, they might look like the SimpleTech (re)drive. Made from bamboo and recycled aluminum (hence the "re" in the product name), this 500GB low-power hard drive has an Energy Star power adapter, minimal packaging, and no noisy fans. As "green" as it claims to be, we're more impressed with its looks and plug-and-play feature set: Turbo USB 2.0 interface, automated backups, free technical support, and compatibility with PCs and Macs. And reasonable price tag.

We don't write much about "green" products here, because buying new things by definition isn't "green" behavior. But if you have to buy a new computer, take a look at the new Dell Studio Hybrid PC, a space-saving desktop computer that, according to Dell, uses 70% less power than a typical PC, and also meets Energy Star 4.0 standards. This is probably due to its diminutive size (it's not much bigger than a Mac Mini). The entry-level $499 version comes with 6 different colored "sleeves," 1.86GHz Dual Core processor, Vista Home Basic, 1GB shared DDR2 at 667MHz, CD/DVD burner, and 160GB hard drive. Of course, you can upgrade for wireless networking and better/faster processor, memory, and hard drive if you're willing to spend more

This HP printer doesn't look like much, and that's exactly the point. It can crank out 18 laser-quality black and white pages a minute, and 12 color pages a minute, and can also handle borderless 4" x 6" color prints, but its footprint is small enough (16.6" wide and 5.5" deep) so you can stash it on a bookshelf or under your desk, saving work surface area for more important things like coffee cups and Trapper Keepers. And you can get it for as little as $67. Shop for inkjet printers by price, manufacturer, and type.

Still using a big ol' CRT monitor that takes up 80% of your desk? This 20" Dell LCD monitor offers several good reasons to upgrade: Its 1680 x 1050 resolution, 2000:1 contrast ratio, and 2-millisecond response time deliver deep blacks and sharp edges while reducing blur from videos and games; it has a built-in 2-megapixel webcam that works right out of the box for video chatting, conferencing, etc.; and it has 4 USB ports so you don't have to crawl under your desk every time you want to plug something in. More LCD monitors.

Calling all students and laptop users on a budget: Sony has released an entry-level Vaio laptop that offers both strong performance and long battery life. The Sony Vaio NR430 has a 1.86GHz Intel Pentium dual-core processor, 15.4" screen, 160GB hard drive, built-in CD/DVD burner, and 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN. It ships with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium. And right now Best Buy has it for $600. More budget laptops.

We get so tired of telling people to mind their own business when we're trying to update our Facebook profiles in the coffee shop. Maybe we need these Targus laptop privacy filters. When you stick one of these screens, which look like "tiny vertical blinds," onto your laptop display, nosy neighbors won't be able to see what you're typing - or, ahem, what sites you're visiting. Targus says these screens also block glare and reduce eye strain. Choose from several different laptop sizes.