Expert: Noah Ouellette

I constantly want the latest and greatest technology out there, and in this post I want to share some of my current favorites with you. Whether it be using my Palm 700wx Smartphone or speeding along on my new Window Vista Media Center PC with Dual-Core, I just love new gadgets. With all the Smartphones, PCs and other devices that I use, I will expose my top list of cool gadgets and why they make my life a little easier to manage or make more enjoyable. Hopefully this post will help you decide whether or not you need it or not.

The Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC was sold by Dell but is now discontinued. Fortunately it is still available used online such as at our online store UsedHandhelds.com. This media monster is still one of the best Pocket PC’s out there if you don’t need phone functionality built-in (it is VoIP capable using third party software). The Axim X51v features a blazing 624MHz "Bulverde" Intel XScale PXA270 processor and has built-in 3d hardware acceleration thanks to its Intel's G2700G graphics processor with 16 megs of RAM. It can rip through the latest Windows Mobile 3d-enabled games and crunch through 2d as well thanks to the G2700G’s 2d Acceleration. It also features a large screen with a 640x480 resolution (rare for Pocket PCs) and the Windows Mobile 5 operating system which is broadly supported by third-party vendors. When you add it all up you can't go wrong with the Axim X51v.

This Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone with-Touchscreen is an excellent way to perform voice and other tasks with relative ease. My Treo has slight improvements over the Standard Windows Mobile 5 interface such as voicemail functionality enhancements which include icons pop-up and let you delete, pause, and skip ahead to the next voicemail. It is a bit on the chunky side but never feels too large and is easy to hold comfortably while on a call or checking your email.

For my sometimes power hungry needs Windows Vista is suprisingly capable amid all the flak it has been recieving. It works with all my apps, and has a pleasant and welcome new interface. Of course for you Vista may be a different story. If you have apps that don’t play nice with it and/or old(er) hardware/ peripherals with no driver support you may want to hold off a bit longer. The straight talk for me is I like Vista and once I upgraded I never looked back. On the hardware side of things my weapon of choice for slashing through emails while processing large Photoshop projects is a custom built setup including an Ultra ATA 240gb hard drive, 2gb 887 mhz high performance Corsair XMS memory sticks, and to top it off a speedy Intel Core 2 Duo E6800 processor running at its default 2.66 ghz frequency, which can be easily over clocked to 3ghz after adding a larger high-quality heatsink such as the Zalman which is available at Newegg.com. I haven’t over clocked my PC yet due to lack of need for the extra 300+ mhz… so far, although I am planning on it just for the fun of it! Once its all said and done you will want to use Media Center. I had a chance to run through the features and they are very appealing for watching movies or sharing your photos on a large LCD or Plasma display. While using your computer as a Media Center you don’t want to be hunched over a keyboard or have to use a traditional mouse, thats where a remote comes in handy, but not just any remote (drumrole please) you need one that is built specifically for the Media Center interface. Adesso makes an excellent remote that has shortcut buttons to Media Center menus and built-in mouse cursor with a round rubber thumb-driven control.

If you have any quesions or need further advice on a specific gadget feel free to comment and I'll do my best to help!

I recently had the pleasure of putting together a high-performance computer, and chose Vista Ultimate as my operating system. I must say, Vista’s install was even more painless than XP’s, and the install time seemed quicker as well, though this may have been due to my speed-demon of a system, which has an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz processor, higher-end Kingston memory, and 1333 MHz bus speed. Also note that I am comparing this install to my last, which I was using an AMD 2800+ to install XP, which is a lot less speedy of a processor. Once installed, I discovered that the "new" interface was very similar to XP's interface, if more polished. Vista has a new indexing system to quickly search for files which seems to work sigificantly faster than XP's search dog. Some useless Vista features, in my opinion, include a 3D program switcher which is more flashy than useful and a new scrolling Start menu. Thankfully Vista allows you to revert back to the drop down start menu by right-clicking on the Start "orb," choosing properties, and selecting "Classic Start menu". The more efficent way to switch windows, apart from using your left click, is the "alt" "tab" keys which still quickly scrolls through your active windows.

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Based on the core desktop version, this feature-rich Web browser has powerful capabilities. It’s can quickly load Web pages, and is able to interact with secure sites like banking and credit card companies. It has a nice status bar at the bottom of the screen showing how many images need to be downloaded and the amount of kilobytes that have been downloaded. Other refinements include multiple browser windows, file downloading abilities, full or fit to screen, and zoom, just to name a few.

Use With: Use With: P/PC 2003 (SE) and Windows Mobile 5 and Smartphone 2003.

Price: $Free
Download for P/PC 2003 (SE) and Windows Mobile 5
Download for Smartphone 2003
www.opera.com

The most advanced Sudoku puzzle generator and trainer available for Pocket PC. Generate millions of graded puzzles or enter your own, view board statistics, just play or be guided through all the techniques to solve Sudoku! Includes six subtle hints without giving the answer away; save and load multi-format boards, and options for the advanced player to bring you the best of Sudoku.

Use With: Pocket PC 2002, 2003, 2003SE, and WM5. Screens supported: Square (240x240), QVGA (240x320), VGA (480x640), and in Portrait and Landscape views.

Price: $12
Download Demo
www.spiralmile.com

This light-weight and rechargeable portable tubular speaker system for your Pocket PC or Smartphone lets you play your music without headphones! It features four (4) 2-inch drivers with dual neodymium magnets and MaxxBass technology using a subwoofer-like bass tube, which altogether produces more than 40 watts RMS audio output power. The speakers twist-on/off each end leaving the center subwoofer unit which contains the volume and bass controls along with the rechargeable battery. Battery life is approximately 5 hours on a full charge. The anodized aluminum housing resists stains and scratches and improves the audio quality. Its total length is12-1/2 inches and weights 3.2 pounds, which makes it easily transportable using the included cylindrical carrying case.

Price: $199
Think Outside Web Site