Whittling Down the Pile of Gadgets, Gizmos and Tech Toys

I'm surrounded!

Everywhere I look, there's a gaggle of gizmos and gadgets sitting in piles around my office. Although I had every intention to write about these tech toys, somehow they've found their way into one of these piles - - - sentenced to oblivion until I get the urge to free up more floor space.

So, in an effort to come clean (and clean up), here are a few new tech toys that have made my "gotta have it" list.

The Chargepod ($49.95) from CallPod can charge up to six devices at once. All you need is the base unit and adapters specifically designed for your devices. There are tons of adapters available so you can customize a unit to fit your needs. You can also get an optional power cord for your car.

I've used this to charge my phone, MP3 player, BlueTooth headset and hand held computer and it worked perfectly. And, since you're only using a single hub to charge all of these devices, you eliminate the clutter of plugging in separate chargers all over the house.

The new Flash Voyager ($159.99) USB 2.0 flash drive from Corsair can hold 32 gigabytes of data, which makes me wonder why I've been content with my puny 1 and 2 gigabyte flash drives.

To put this in perspective, this little gem can hold more than 9,900 digital photos (taken at 6 megapixels), 150 hours of MPEG-4 video and 8,000 MP3 files.

If you're worried about security (and who isn't) you might want to try the new StealthSurfer ($179 to $399, depending on capacity and software). This USB 2.0 flash drive ranges in capacity from 2 to 16 gigabytes and comes packed with preinstalled full-version software to protect your identity, including HushMail, Mojopack, and RoboForm.

Unfortunately the StealthSurfer is Vistaphobic, although the manufacturer promises a new Vista-compatible version will be available soon. Also, you'll need a USB 2.0 interface and at least 512 megabytes of memory to use it. USB 1.1 tends to slow it down.

EzGear has everyone seeing flying saucers with their new ezSpace UFO surge suppressor ($30.99). This device has six outlets and, because it's shaped like a flying saucer, it can handle any size plug or adapter without overlapping adjacent plugs.

Other than the obvious, UFO stands for "uniquely formed outlets" and, because it takes up less space than other power strips and surge suppressors, it can really cut down on the clutter of cords under your desk.

For more information, visit the companies' Web sites at www.callpod.com, www.corsair.com, www.stealsurfer.biz and www.ezgear.com.

Contact Michael L. Berman via email at jocgeek@earthlink.net or through his Web site at www.jocgeek.com.