On Computers

We don’t know if the new PBS TV special, “The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot about Christmas” will rival the Peanuts Christmas special, but the PBS website has a free kids’ game to tie in with the show.

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Getting people to pitch in and fund a new project is commonplace, but here’s something new. Using crowd funding to develop a scientific breakthrough.

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The “doxie one” is a portable scanner that needs no computer. Push a button and your piece of paper is digitized and saved to an SD memory card. The device sells for $149 and it can also save the scan directly to the web. The “doxie go” sells for $50 more and runs on a battery.

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Here’s something for the person who hates typing. It’s the LiveScribe “Sky WiFi Smartpen,” and it digitizes your handwriting, records the lecture you’re listening to and stores it all in the cloud.

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The number one item kids want for Christmas isn’t an iPhone or tablet, it’s a laptop computer, according to a survey at eBates.com.

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“Encyclopedia of Electronic Components, Vol. 1,” by Charles Platt; $25, oreilly.com.
This book is an education. We thought it would be just a long list of parts and what they’re called, but it is an explanation of the major pieces used in making electronic equipment. For instance, we’ve all heard of diodes, but the book explains eight kinds, what they do and what they’re used for. It even explains what to do if something goes wrong

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Our favorite device so far this year is the Chromebook, a laptop that is neither Windows nor Mac but uses the Google Chrome operating system. It’s light, it’s fast, it’s half the price of an iPad, and people will know you are on the cutting edge. We mean, if they ask. Samsung and Acer just came out with new versions.

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Our second new Tom Tom-powered device is the Nike Plus SportWatch GPS. Joy’s been walking and jogging up a storm with it. The watch comes with a tiny sensor you put in or near your shoe. Nike even makes shoes with a small pocket in the heel to hold the sensor.

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We got two snazzy gadgets that seem like good bets for holiday gifts. One is a new TomTom GPS device and the other a TomTom-powered sports watch.

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“The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide, 2nd Edition,” by Allan Bedford, $25 from NoStarch.com.
Boy, is this a book suited for Christmas. That’s assuming that someone in the family is going to get a LEGO set. The guide shows all the projects in full color and is full of great building tips.

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