Gillian Shaw
Sun
XPERIA X1, Sony Ericsson
Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000
MHS-PM1 Mobile HD Snap camera, Sony, $230 Cdn
Pocket HD camcorders are the must-have beach accessory this summer and Sony’s Snap offers both five-megapixel stills and high-def video. Geared for the growing social networking market, the Snap takes stills and videos and makes it easy to upload them straight online. It doesn’t just link to YouTube, it also offers direct uploading to Shutterfly, Picasa, Dailymotion and Photobucket. You can drag and drop files from the camera to your computer. Five selection modes including low light, sports and landscape. Video and photos are recorded straight onto Sony’s Memory Stick Pro Duo, which you have to buy separately. www.sonystyle.ca
XPERIA X1, Sony Ericsson, $250 Cdn with Rogers on a three-year contract
What with the arrival of Google Android phones to Canada, followed shortly after by the iPhone 3GS, you might be excused for thinking there are no other prospects in the cellphone market. The XPERIA X1 is one. It is a little like the Android-powered HTC Dream with its QWERTY keyboard. The XPERIA X1 also has a touch screen, a three-inch (7.6-cm) VGA display. It runs on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system and has Microsoft Office. Also has a 3.2 megapixel camera. www.sonyericsson.com
Micro Auto Charger and Dual Auto Charger, Belkin, $15 US and $30 US
I like to charge up my iPhone and BlackBerry in the car, usually because I’ve run out the door only to find the batteries sinking fast. Belkin has a couple of handy solutions: the compact Micro Auto Charger that sits almost flush with the dashboard, and its powerful sidekick, the Dual Auto Charger, which lets you charge two devices, including BlackBerry models, using a mini USB connection. A charge-and-sync cable lets you charge your iPhone, iPod, BlackBerry or other cell phone. One USB port powers at one amp and the second at 500 milliamps. www.belkin.com
Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000, Microsoft, $50 Cdn
I don’t mind using a trackpad with a laptop or netbook computer, but I have colleagues who find it a nuisance. And with Microsoft’s new Mobile Mouse 4000 with BlueTrack technology, which works on virtually any surface, I might also be tempted to throw a mouse in the netbook bag. Targeted by Microsoft at the growing netbook market — with some 35 million shipments of the mini-notebooks expected this year — the 4000 is made to be used on the go. It can be used on surfaces that would defeat other mouse technology, from smooth and shiny like granite or marble to uneven surfaces like carpet and unfinished wood. It connects to a PC via a tiny nano transceiver, sticking out less than a centimetre from the USB port so it can be left plugged in when you pack up and go. www.microsoft.com
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