Gifts for Gadget Hounds

Look out Kindle; Sony's third generation digital book reader is here, and it makes you look, well, second generation. The Sony PRS-700 Reader has a 6-inch touchscreen display that understands gesture-based commands (like the iPhone). You can highlight with your finger, make notes with the virtual keyboard or a stylus pen, and even adjust the font size. And the device, which weighs all of 10 ounces, holds up to 350 books. Our backs and shoulders are bitter this wasn't invented back when we were in school. It even has a built-in LED light for reading in the dark.

Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. Target now sells a gift card - for as little as $75 or as much as $1000 - that is also a functioning 1.2-megapixel digital camera. Or else it's a digital camera that's also a gift card. OK so that's not much resolution, but it might come in handy when trying to decide what to buy (at Target, of course). The card even comes with 40 free prints from the Target photo lab. The perfect holiday gift for the gadget lover on your list.

Big fingers (or long nails) can make typing on your iPhone or iPod Touch tricky. And even if you have small fingers and chewed-off nails, your iPhone is no match for the grease on your fingers after a bucket of KFC. Check out the Pogo, a lightweight stylus with a soft, durable tip that won't smudge or scratch your screen. It works just like your index finger, only better. The included clip keeps the stylus handy. Choose from 4 colors. More iPhone accessories.

How cool - or hot - is this LED shower light? It's an attachment for your shower head. When you turn the water on, the light shines blue. Once the water gets up to 89 degrees, the light turns red. All you need now is a disco ball. Anyway, the light doesn't require any special tools to install, fits a standard shower pipe, and might just make you want to take showers in the dark.

If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is reach for your laptop (without getting out of bed/off the couch), you might like the Chumby. The size of a large fist, the Chumby is a plush gadget with a 3.5" screen, speakers, and Wi-Fi that combines the basic functions of alarm clock, Internet radio, iPod speaker, digital photo frame, and Web browser. Note: It doesn't have its own browser; you get all the widgets you need, including news, blogs, stock quotes, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Gmail, eBay, and hundreds more at Chumby.com. Available in 3 colors, the Chumby might not be as cute as the Sony Rolly, but it's a million times more useful, and costs just $180.

If you've ever had a mouth full of nails or pins (because you had nowhere else to put them) then you need this Magwear magnetic wristband. It's essentially a bracelet with an adjustable strap and a large magnetic tray that keeps hardware, tools, or other metal objects in one place, at the ready, out of your mouth. Use it while sewing, working on cars or bikes, hanging pictures, or doing any other project that requires small metal pieces. Or fill it up with safety pins and relive your punk rock days. Choose blue or yellow.

A year ago, the Bluetooth headset with the best design and best sound was the Aliph Jawbone. But the new Aliph Jawbone 2 headset makes its award-winning predecessor look clunky and noisy. The Jawbone 2 is about half the size of the original, with US military-approved "NoiseAssassin" technology that detects when someone is speaking and eliminates all other noise. It comes with 4 ear loops and 3 ear buds so you can get a comfortable fit, and it recharges in less than an hour. CNET calls the Jawbone 2 "quite possibly the ultimate Bluetooth headset in terms of design and sound quality." More Bluetooth headsets.

Remember that 2GB SD memory card we told you about that lets you upload photos to your computer or Facebook page without a single wire? It just got even better. The new Eye-Fi Explore is the same 2GB card with geotagging. It automatically adds geographic location labels to your photos, and lets you (wirelessly) upload them - to Facebook, Flickr, Shutterfly, Costco, and lots of other sites - from more than 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the US.

"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 feel like a 1980s TV star.

If you've been thinking about getting a portable DVD player and a digital photo frame, you can get both in one device, the LG DP889. On the train to work, you can watch DVDs on the 8" screen. Once at work, you can display digital photo slideshows on the same screen. Or better yet: In the car, the kids stay entertained with Pixar DVDs, and once you get to Grandma's you can show off up to 250 photos. The device has audio/video input and output for flexible viewing, and a 3-in-1 memory card slot and USB connection so you can connect almost any digital camera. More portable DVD players. More digital photo frames.