Ideapad U1 - 4/5
Like the Doublemint twins, here's a two-for-one deal we can really get behind. Imagine a tablet PC (read: touchscreen notebook you can scribble on like a pad of paper) that can also double as a fully-featured 11.6-inch laptop. Sounds crazy, but this curious hybrid works as a 1.6-pound, Linux-powered handheld slate on its own, yet functions as a 3.7lb Intel Core 2 Duo system running Windows 7 when docked. The only downside: the iPad.
www.lenovo.com / $999
QUE proReader - 3.5/5
Never mind that there are sixty million alternatives (Kindle, nook, Skiff, Alex, etc.) competing for your virtual newsstand dollar. The most advanced eReader (digital tablet capable of displaying eBooks, newspapers, magazines, etc.) for professionals knows how to read between the lines. Credit a 10.7-inch shatterproof plastic touchscreen that doesn't just display believable grayscale reproductions of publications like The Wall St. Journal and USA Today, but also email and calendar appointments. The only downside: the iPad.
www.plasticlogic.com / $649 (4GB, WiFi) / $749 (8GB, WiFi, 3G)
Boxee Box - 4.5/5
For years now, enterprising geeks have enjoyed the pleasure of wirelessly transmitting Internet pr0n or the latest Vampire Weekend album from PC to TV. Thankfully, casual audiences can finally do the same, as this streaming media extender makes beaming music, photos, and video via high-speed broadband or home network a snap. Pandora tunes, Facebook updates, YouTube clips-it's all fair game. We especially dig options to plug in USB keys and SD memory cards, plus a spunky QWERTY keyboard-sporting remote.
www.d-link.com / $199
Bloggie MHS-CM5 - 4/5
Yes, the name makes our skin crawl. Happily, said value-priced portable video camera's tech specs also do so, albeit in a very good way. Consider its 1080p high-definition filming and 5MP photo-taking capabilities, which also provide top-quality video output at a reasonable price. Or, while we're at it, 5X optical zoom features and a 2.5-inch swiveling LCD for easier recording in addition to an HDMI port that lets you output cinematic masterpieces to HDTV. In Diana Jones and the Temple of Poon, here we come.
www.sonystyle.com / $199.99
BlackBerry Presenter - 3/5
Giving PowerPoint presentations is painful enough without having to worry about how the hell to screen them. And while it can't alleviate public speaking anxieties, yon accessory (designed to work with BlackBerry smartphones) at least makes controlling and displaying slides a snap. Just connect your mobile handset via Bluetooth, attach the widget to a projector or monitor, and voilà. You can set automatically timed slide transitions, freeze images while lecturing, and even preserve most mindlessly cheesy animated special effects.
www.rim.com / $199.99