Holiday Gift Guide

TAKE ONE TABLET, AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING
Nokia N810
$479 Nokia's N810 is hard to categorize but easy to like. It doesn't have the power or features of supercompact PCs like the FlipStart, but at $479, it also lacks their price tags. It's larger than a smartphone and has no cellular connectivity, but it is capable of VoIP calling, even video chats, over Wi-Fi. Nokia calls the 810 an "Internet tablet," and the device certainly provides a capable Web experience thanks to its integrated Gecko-based browser--the same engine that powers Firefox--and flexible media player.

The N810 is set apart from its N800 and N770 predecessors primarily by its integrated keyboard and GPS capabilities, which make it the perfect war-walking tool for surreptitiously mapping Wi-Fi access points. Not that we'd know anything about that.

The real power of the N810, though, is its open design. It's the antithesis of the "don't hack me, bro" iPhone--this baby wants developers to jump in. The underlying Linux OS handles Perl, Python, and Ruby easily, and for the Windows admin, the available Remote Desktop client really cooks on the 800-by-480 resolution screen. So stop lugging a laptop for on-call duty or quick code tests. Your back will thank you.

--Jordan Wiens

FOG? NO PROBLEM!

Garmin Mobile XT GPS
$199.99 / $267.85

Rudolph can take a break this year thanks to two Garmin Mobile XT GPS receivers that connect via Bluetooth to the Man in Red's smartphone.

The Mobile XT 10 is a portable, battery-powered receiver, while the car-mounted Mobile XT 20 (shown) also functions as a hands-free talking device and can power your PDA. We tested both models on a Treo 700P using a Garmin miniSD card containing the software for Palm OS and Windows Mobile, plus maps for North America. We just plugged in the card, installed the application, and connected via Bluetooth. Easy. Navigation is simple as well, and, with the exception of once directing us into a pasture--hey, it's Syracuse--we found route calculation flawless.

Integration with Palm's contact list is a bit kludgy, but the Mobile XT can call out to get updated weather, traffic, and construction info. Garmin's nRroute and MapQuest software, which may cost extra, give more control over mapping, and you can import and export routes to your PDA. The Garmin Mobile XT 10 is priced at $199.99, while the Mobile XT 20 model costs $267.85.

--Mike Fratto

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Ultimate Holiday Tech Gadget Buyer's Guide 2007