All mySimon Computers Shopping Picks

At home we've got a 4+ year-old iMac (the one that looks like a lamp), which we still love except for its crummy fist-sized speakers that do not do justice to our brilliant Pandora radio station preferences. So we're thinking of upgrading to these Logitech Z-5 speakers, because 1) they're omnidirectional (the sound comes out of all sides of the speakers), 2) the sound, while not blow-you-out-of-the-water-amazing, is 1000 times better than what we... more

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... 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... more

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... more

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... more

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... more

"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... more

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... more

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,... more

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... more

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... more

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... more

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... more