Sometimes, simplicity wins the day. While other phones seek the prize for the slimmest profile, the lightest weight, the biggest LCD, or the loudest ring tone, LG’s VX6100 succeeds by offering a straightforward set of useful features in a sleek, if unremarkable, package.… Story continues … “LG VX6100”

Imagine that your digital camera developed cell phone envy and tried to transform itself into a hip, nightclubbing swivel-phone from Virgin Mobile. Next imagine that it fell in love with a Wall Street banker and decided to put on a sophisticated, charcoal-black finish reminiscent of a chunk of hematite.… Story continues … “Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1”

We’ve been looking for a way to beef up our music collections without dipping into the ramen noodle fund ever since the iron fist of the law came smashing down on the paradise of free file-trading that was Napster. That’s why we were excited to try Fogware’s Internet Radio Recorder, a Windows program that, for the price of a couple of CDs, lets us save internet radio streams to our heart’s content.… Story continues … “Fogware Internet Radio Recorder”

Sure, it may not look like much. But the Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go Pro has a lot going for it — not the least of which is its 6.8MB-per-second write speed, the fastest of any thumbdrive we’ve tested. When you’re rushing to get the last few files onto your virtual briefcase so that you can head home for the weekend, write speeds like this make a big difference.… Story continues … “Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go Pro”

Backups are boring. Backups are tedious. That’s why no one backs up — and why, one day, you’ll inevitably lose everything you own to a hard-drive crash. Maxtor’s OneTouch II can save you from that miserable fate by making backups as simple as poking a little blue button.… Story continues … “Maxtor OneTouch II”

If nothing matters but the megapixels, take a look at the Fujifilm FinePix E550, one of the few cameras of its size (or price) to top 6 megapixels. It delivers stunningly detailed, well-exposed shots with good color. Leather, fur, the nubbly texture of stucco — no matter what your fetish, the textures will look good in pictures from this camera.… Story continues … “FujiFilm FinePix E550”

Flexibility and ease of use are not mutually exclusive, though most camera makers don’t know that. You shouldn’t have to choose between pocket point-and-shoot cameras and larger, bulkier, and complicated models that let you make manual adjustments to ensure the perfect shot.… Story continues … “Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1”

Film-camera snobs, cower in fear. The Canon EOS 20D is a shot across the bow of your beloved 35mm camera. More than that: It’s the first digital camera we’ve tested that has the mettle to go head-to-head with high-end film cameras and come out on top.… Story continues … “Canon EOS 20D”

You know you’re going to burn your video to disc sooner or later. Why not do it the moment you record it? With DVD camcorders, you can browse, edit, and rearrange the order of scenes right on the camera. And once you’re done shooting, transferring videos to your computer or DVD player is as simple as popping in a disc.… Story continues … “Hitachi DZ-MV550A”

Some brand names transcend price: Rolex. Bulgari. Trojan. And some, like Ferrari, have a value that can easily be computed. In the case of the Olympus-built Ferrari Digital Model 2004, that value is about $400 — the premium you’d pay over a comparable 3.2-megapixel camera with more prosaic styling and branding.… Story continues … “Olympus Ferrari Digital Model 2004”