Personal Tech: Holiday Gift Guide

The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro was online to discuss the 2005 Tech Gift Guide and answer your questions.

In that annual special report, Rob offered ground rules for buying digital cameras , mp3 players and home computers . He also filed three audio reports on the same topics. Listen to shopping tips for: digital cameras ; mp3 players and home computers .

A transcript follows .

Want to know what upcoming topics are being covered? Sign up for the Fast Forward e-letter -- get updated information on personal technology news and product demos.

Read today's e-letter here . Past editions of Rob's e-letter are online here .

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Rob Pegoraro: Good afternoon, and welcome to the Rob's Holiday Gadget Shopping Question-o-Rama (first in a series). Yesterday, I wrote about things to consider when shopping for a home computer, a digital camera and an MP3 player, so we've got plenty of queries on those topics--and a lot more. Let's get started...

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Indianapolis: Indianapolis: I am thinking of a new camera for a point and shoot photographer who ants to be able to carry the camera in a pocket. Are the Canon SD models a good choice, and if so how would you chose the right one, if you weren't going to shop by price alone?

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: digital camera

Rob Pegoraro: Mrs. Fast Forward got a Canon SD-series camera for her birthday from yours truly, so, yes, I can endorse that particular line of cameras.

If I were shopping now, I'd go by the guidelines in yesterday's column (of course). Once I'd narrowed down the selection to a handful of models, I'd also set aside time to read the reviews at the two enthusiast sites I cited in that piece.

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DC: Hi Rob.Can I use my old firewire adapter from my old iPod mini for a new iPod? I'm not sure if my 12-inch, 1.33 ghz powerbook has USB 2.

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: No, the new iPods can't transfer songs via FireWire at all. However, you don't need to try that--your model of PowerBook (you got it in 2004 or later, right?) has USB 2.0 on board.

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Chattanooga, TN: After all this recent Sony CD DRM craziness, do we need to be fearful about any similar features they might have planned for their Bluetooth discs?

washingtonpost.com: Security Fix: Texas Attorney General Sues Sony (Nov. 21, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: I think you mean Blu-Ray, not Bluetooth :)

Yes, this Sony DRM fiasco--in which it turned out that the copy-control software embedded on some Sony audio CDs acted as bad as some of the worst spyware in installing itself on Windows PCs--is EXACTLY why you should be skeptical of all these copy-"protection" schemes. When somebody at a movie studio or record label says you'll never notice them in effect, you're wise to watch your wallet.

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Strasburg, Virginia: Hey Rob, would you know if the PS3's hardware is going to be any better quality than the PS2's?

Rob Pegoraro: I would hope it would be, since Sony's had five years to work on a successor the PS2. But not having seen, much less tried out, a PS3 in any form, I can't tell you that for sure.

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Vienna: I've got an iPod mini and I'm trying to burn some CDs from the songs in my iTunes library. When I do, the volume is signicantly lower than other CDs. There doesn't appear to be a way to adjust the volume within iTunes. I understand there are some complementary software products that can do this. Any recommendations for safe, legitimate choices for my PC? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: Actually, iTunes does have the feature you're looking for, but it's a little hidden. Open iTunes' Preferences window, click the Playback tab, and make sure "Sound Check" is enabled.

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Mt. Lebanon PA: How about telling your online java script guru dude/dudette to slow down the delay on the Weekly Schedule popup. It comes and goes so quickly that it doesn't hang around long enough for the user to hit the Printed-Friendly Schedule link. It's not governmental affairs - it's supposed to be consumer friendly.

When you get older and more responsible, your reflexes slow down and your tastes mature. And we're not all IPod-cruisin' bubble-gum-popping doodahs out here, after all.

Thanks much. Professional Engineer in private practice

Rob Pegoraro: Consider your suggestion duly forwarded...

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Ocala,FL: MP3 players: Rob,

Something rarely mentioned is how an MP3 player stores its content: via proprietary software or the standard mass storage definition.

With the former, you're stuck with whatever the manufacturer ships (itunes, for instance). With the latter, you just plug your device in and your computer sees your player as an extra hard drive. You can easily drag and drop music.

In this DRMed age, I think this is an important factor. There's no real technical reason why you should have to jump through software hoops to load and unload your device.

Rob Pegoraro: I have to disagree with you here, Ocala. Devices that rely only on mass-storage transfers are no good to people who haven't already put their MP3s into some rigorously organized hierarchy of folders. They also make it much more complicated to transfer over playlists.

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Annapolis, MD: My wife has shelves full of old VHS tapes. We no longer even have a VHS player. Is there a device I can buy that will allow us to seamlessly convert from VHS to DVD?

Rob Pegoraro: Sure thing: Get one of those DVD recorders that has a VCR built in. Either DVD-RW or DVD+RW will do for this archival purpose; just don't burn your archived tapes to DVD-RAM, as those discs won't be recognized by the huge majority of players out there.

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Clinton, MD: Thanks for including my son Nicholas Bonds in yesterday's guide... I may not know what to get him, but at least i have some ideas.

Kevin

washingtonpost.com: Gift Recommendations: Teenager

Rob Pegoraro: We're all about personalized reader service here!

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Tina in Falls Church, Ipod shuffle: I bought a 1 gig I Pod shuffle for my nephew for Christmas. I want to give him music to start with....is there a music site prepaid gift card I get buy that's compatible w/I Pod shuffle? I do not want to go the subscription route, Mom and Dad can do that if they want, just want to start him with a selection of songs he can choose. I understand Big Box has some kind of cards but do I need to use the Apple site/store for this cool little machine? Thanks as always, Tina

Rob Pegoraro: Hello again... just about any electronics store in the USA these days should have gift cards for the iTunes Music Store.

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Falls Church, VA: Hi Rob. I've read your article & listened to your comments about MP3 players. As many people, you recommend the iPod Nano if someone is looking to purchase an iPod today. What's up with the press about the scratching of the case - and much more importantly, the screen? I was ready to buy the Nano for my 10 year old son, but now I'm not so sure. Any advice? Is the Nano defective in your opinion or are there "just" some lemons out there?

Rob Pegoraro: The latter. Apple said that "less than a tenth of one percent" of iPod nanos had a problem with their screens that left them vulnerable to failure, and anybody with one of those models can return it for a full refund. Complaints about scratches on the surface of a nano are a separate issue. Apple says the nano uses the same coating as other models--which in my experience have been just as vulnerable to scratches, aside from the iPod mini. In any case, Apple is now including a soft plastic case with the nano.

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Vienna, Va.: What do u think about the xbox 360? One of your associate Mike did not think highly of it right now. Graphics are improvement but not mind blowing. While the regular xbox is half the price with twice as much games available.

washingtonpost.com: Xbox 360 Discussion Transcript

Rob Pegoraro: I'm going to have to associate myself with my esteemed colleague on this one--he's spent *way* more time with the 360 than I have. (My sole in-depth testing was a round or two of Project Gotham Racing at some Microsoft reception on Capitol Hill; as I recall, I managed to avoid embarrassing myself too much, but that was mainly because nobody was watching me try to play the game.)

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Washington, DC: About this whole Sony mess, wasn't there anyone at the company--be it a lawyer, programmer, or even just someone with a bit of common sense--who said, "Hey, guys, not only is this a really bad idea, but it'll almost certainly get us bad press and maybe even sued"? I sympathize with the industry's problems with pirates, but has it really gotten to the point where Sony feels they have carte blanche to do absolutely anything to protect its property?

Rob Pegoraro: Yeah, but look at all the other horrifically bad decisions Sony has made over the last decade. Remember, this is the company that decided its first venture into the MP3-player genre was going to be designed according to the RIAA's wish list--it couldn't even play MP3 files, so you had to wait for Sony's own horrific Sonic Stage software to transcode each MP3 into ATRAC format.

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Help me please!: I am in a nightmare. I live in a big house that cannot have a wireless network (too much interference). One person uses a PC, other has mac w/airport express. Wants mac to be wireless in that part of the house, which WILL work. however, Verizon says that we cannot have one DSL account hooked up to two computers in the same house--the computers will fight for the internet connection they say. True? What can we do, short of paying for two accounts? Can't I just plug the airport express directly into the DSL phone jack?

Rob Pegoraro: I think Verizon is trying to say that you can't have two DSL modems in one house. That would probably be true. But you could still run a wired connection--get an Ethernet router, plug that into the DSL modem and connect the AirPort Express into one of its ports, then run some Ethernet cable to the other machine (hope you're comfortable with running cable along baseboards or inside walls).

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Alexandria, VA: Rob,

Adobe's Web site tells me I need a Intel Xeon, Xeon Dual, Intel Centurion, or Pentium III or 4 processor to run Photoshop CS2. They don't really mean Photoshop won't run on an AMD processor, do they? They wouldn't do that... er, right? (I'm a photographer, not software engineer.)

Thanks for your help.

Rob Pegoraro: I don't spend any time in Photoshop myself, but I'm pretty much near absolutely sure that Adobe's marketing people were just being daft. If you couldn't run Photoshop on an AMD chip, people would be screaming about it.

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Gaithersburg, MD: Is there any chance Apple will make a Nano with more than 4GB of storage--maybe sometime next year? I really want a 30GB iPod, but I also want a Nano (I can't afford both!). What to do?

Rob Pegoraro: I rate the chance of a nano with more storage next year as being about 100 percent, give or take 0 percent. Not 30 GB more, but it is as inevitable as anything gets in technology that you'll have more storage for the same price within a year.

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Clarksville, MD: I find the earphones included with iPods to be too large for my ears. Do you have any recommendations for an alternative pair of earphones?

Rob Pegoraro: Any one you like--the iPod has a standard headphone jack, so any old pair will work.

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Severna Park, MD: You mentioned that the ipod nano is shipping with a plastic case now. I bought mine a few months ago at an apple store. Are they providing these cases to people who have already purchased the nano or am I out of luck?

Rob Pegoraro: You are out of luck. (But these new cases--they're the same design as what comes with the "don't call it video" iPod--look really cheap anyway. There are plenty of better-looking cases out there that also let you operate the nano while it's protected.)

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Webster, NY: Rob:

Can you please comment on TiVo's announcement of conversion of programming for iPods and PSPs.

The conversion time is ridiculous and this is more bark than bite. It would take more than one FULL DAY to put a season of "CSI" or "The Apprentice" on an iPod. It would take roughly the equivalence of one FULL WORK DAY to transfer an amount of video that one might watch on a vacation.

washingtonpost.com: TiVo Inc. Expands to IPods and PSPs (Nov. 21, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: Oh, I'm sure Intel or AMD would be delighted to sell you a faster processor to fix that problem!

It is, unfortunately, true that transcoding video takes absurd amounts of time. It doesn't help that Tivo ToGo itself transfers video as slow as humanly possible from the TiVo to the PC.

(If you want to see the DVR-to-handheld video thing done much simpler, take a look at Dish Network's Pocket Dish lineup. I should be writing about that in a couple of weeks.)

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Hammondsport, NY: I need to buy a HDTV. I am confused rather to get a Plasma or LCD. Herb

Rob Pegoraro: It's not that complicated, actually. The size of TV you want will usually make that determination for you: Nobody makes plasmas smaller than 37 inches, while almost all LCDs bigger than 32 inches cost way more than plasmas.

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Washington, DC: Please help! My husband wants a hand held GPS system (at least I think that he wants the hand held, vs the car one). I have no idea where to even start looking. I would love to just get him a gift certificate to a store or a dealer that makes GPS systems. I know that Magellean is one, but that's about it. Can you give me some ideas on where I could get him a gift certificate to so he can pick out exactly what he wants? Thanks so much. I apologize for my cluelessness!

Rob Pegoraro: If he does, in fact, want a handheld GPS model (for hiking, biking, geo-caching, whatever), REI stocks those, and carries a great many other outdoor-geek gadgets.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you know what is the best poker program for either a computer or playstation 2? I need a program with a really good AI program because want to be able to do tournaments (with no limit betting) by myself - I am not looking for being able to hook in other people - I want to be able to play for 15 - 30 minutes at a time and then quit and come back later. I just don't have time to play for hours at a sitting.

Thanks

Rob Pegoraro: Anybody who's played poker with me knows that I'm not exactly an expert on the finer points of this game. Can anybody help D.C. get ready to lose his money online? :)

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Broke and it's no joke!: I want to buy a computer for a xmas gift--will be for very basic usage, no photos or music or anything (just internet, wordprocessing, maybe games with lite graphics). Are used computers safe to buy, like off E-Bay? What about the ones advertised as "like new"? Are PCs really so volatile that I should stay away?

Rob Pegoraro: The big reason not to buy a used machine is that the new ones are already so cheap. The other big reason is that you can still save money off the new-PC price by buying a refurbished or closeout model direct from a manufacturer, which ensures you still get a new model's warranty.

If you are going to buy used directly from an individual, shop locally, so you can inspect the hardware yourself and can easily return it if things go wrong.

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Ocean View, DE (a recent emigre from Bowie, Md): I am still using Adobe Acrobat 6 because every time I am induced to upgrade to #7, looks like I have no choice but include a "yahoo toolbar" that I suspect is just spyware masquerading as a toll. Any way around that? Other than doing the download and then uninstalling it? Thanks, Mary from Ocean View

Rob Pegoraro: You don't have to download or install Yahoo Toolbar to get Adobe Reader 7. Just uncheck the box next to "get the Yahoo toolbar," and you'll get just the reader.

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Ballston, VA: Looking for a rear projection TV that displays 1080i or p. Which is better TI DLP or Sony's SXRD? Looking for a 50 to 60 in screen. Since DVD-HD is almost here finally time to bite the bullet and get HDTV now that Tvs can display all of the HD pixels at a reasonable price.

Rob Pegoraro: You've gotta eyeball the hardware yourself. DLP (digital light processing) screens can look outstanding, but some people find they notice rainbox effects around areas of high contrast. The SXRD sets I saw at CES last year looked fantastic themselves, but they also still cost quite a bit more than DLP sets.

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Arlington, VA: Rob-I read your column on Sunday and I'm still confused. I'm a lifelong mac user. I use PCs at work. I have 4 and 6 year old boys and want to get them a computer that they can use for basic CD-Roms and internet. Money is entirely the object here; they are likely to be hard on the machine and won't need a lot of memory. I also plan to buy a better computer in 3 years. I personally prefer Macs, but the options there seem too expensive. Can I get by on under $500? Suggestions?

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: home computer

Rob Pegoraro: The Mac mini goes for under $500. But you should also make sure the CD-ROMs your kids enjoy are available for Mac OS X (they should be, but it doesn't hurt to check).

If you do get a PC--and the software you'll install will run in this manner--set it up with a "limited user" account, which will stop most viruses and spyware from getting anywhere. (It will also stop your kids from installing most software, which may put you in the role of tech-support parent.)

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Kiev, Ukraine: If I buy a Mac mini to replace my ancient Dell desktop replacement laptop, how can I use it to edit work documents at home?

My office currently uses Office 2000 and Office 2003, and I routinely bring home Word and Excel files. I have heard that Word for Mac isn't very good and I don't even know if it's compatible with the Windows versions above.

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: You heard wrong--Word for Mac, at least if you ask me, is a lot better than Word for Windows. It is also just about 100 percent compatible with Word for Windows.

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Merrimack, NH: I'd like to move from recording TV shows on a Sony Betamax to a digital, DVD format, but can't find one that gives me similar flexibility - ie allowing live backing up and restarting recording after all the ads have passed. I assume I will need one with a hard drive. According to the user manual for the new HD Sony unit, it no longer allows one to A-B erase, further limiting its utility. Any models you suggest to look at or to request for Christmas?

Rob Pegoraro: You're still using *Betamax*? Whoah... (cue Betamax-was-really-better-than-VHS flamewar)

A DVD recorder with a separate hard drive will offer the most recording flexibility, but you can get close to that level of utility with a DVD-RW or DVD-RAM (note my earlier comment about its compatibility problems) recorder that provides that's sometimes called "chasing playback."

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by "A-B erase."

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Rockville, MD: I have been working on this question for a few years and I won't really have time to work on the solution for another year.

However, I have about 50 Beta tapes that I would like on DVD. Since Beta was better than VHS (a bit anyway) it ought to make better DVD's.

Question - should I get my Beta player fixed and run the video into my computer to make DVD's.

Or, give up on finding a place to fix a Beta machine and buy another one on eBay and then do the above?

Or give up and send it all out to a service company to make the DVD's for me?

What do others do? Give up on Beta? This used to be a big area for Beta even when others were strong for VHS.

Thanks

Rob Pegoraro: Another person using Beta?

Get your player fixed, connect it to an analog video-input on your PC and transfer that video. Plan B would be paying a service bureau to do that for you (one example that comes to mind is a firm called YesVideo). Whatever you do, however, do *not* put any more money into new Beta hardware.

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Austin, TX: The new 5th generation iPod doesn't come with the accessories data port next to the headphone jack anymore. When can we expect to see new accessories that will work with the new video iPod?

Rob Pegoraro: Very soon or already, depending on the manufacturer.

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Bethesda, MD: Apparently, one of Sony's motivations was to put pressure on Apple to buy in to Microsoft's DRM standard. But I bought one of the Sony DRM'd CDs-- fortunately I have a Mac, so the ripped music files are now sitting quietly in my iTunes library. And how, exactly, is this supposed to put pressure on Apple? D'oh.

Rob Pegoraro: Nobody said Sony was being very smart in its digital-music strategy :)

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Earbuds too large: I think the person who wrote in about the ipod earbuds being too large was looking for a recommendation for earphones that are smaller. I had the same problem (so painful!) and bought a pair by Shure with mushy earbuds. They came with three sizes and have made me very happy! But they aren't cheap - I think I paid 90 bucks for them.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, 'bud!

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20036: Thanks for the informative guide, which will prove helpful as I prowl the malls this Friday. I'm interested in digital cameras -- specifically, digital SLRs, which weren't really covered in the guide. I'd like to get a good, professional-type camera, one that can create large prints and accommodates different lenses, etc.

My questions: Does digital now compare equally (or favorably) to film SLRs in terms of image quality and features? What is the difference in price between digital and film? What features should I be looking for? And do you have any recommendations for cameras that are user-friendly for the budding photo-enthusiast?

Rob Pegoraro: Film SLRs still cost less, but the difference is shrinking all the time. As for image quality, you will probably see a bigger variation in quality from the varying skills of the

humans operating any one camera.

Canon and Nikon's D-SLRs have been pretty well-reviewed when we've had writers check them out.

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Annapolis, Md.: submitting early because of a meeting - I've got a two-part question about a gift to MYSELF! I want a small notebook (14-15" screen) to keep in my kitchen, linked by wireless to the desktop upstairs. Email, internet, photos (dvd burning capability a must) would be the main use, maybe some lower-tech games. Doesn't have to be very light. I'm really only familiar with Dell, from work and also my home PC, but their notebook prices seem a lot higher to me than some of the machines I've seen at office depot, etc. What kind of machine should I be looking for, and should I look beyond Dell?

Rob Pegoraro: First, a 14 to 15-inch screen is only small compared to some of the 17-inch behemoths out there.

Second... at the start of your question, it looked like you needed just a Web-access machine, but really you need a pretty full-featured laptop. I don't know if you'll see that much variation in price between different manufacturers once you add in things like the DVD burner and the roomy hard drive.

Third: If you are going to keep this in the kitchen, think about buying one of those extra-protection plans. The regular warranty definitely won't cover repairs when the laptop shows up at the repair center smelling of the vinaigrette you just splashed into the keyboard.

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Washington, D.C.: Rob -- Help

I'm getting ready to get comcast cable. I'm planning on getting rid of my telephone line in favor of VOIP. The catch is, I have Directv with TIVO, and am getting mixed signals as to whether I can dial out to get necessary software updates, etc.. from DirecTV. Any suggestions?

Rob Pegoraro: Check with your VoIP provider; some say they offer dial-up compatibility and some don't. But before you go that far, you should also look at the prices for what's called naked DSL--a connection without an analog phone line. Speakeasy Network, for instance, sells this for $55, which would still be less than Comcast's non-TV-subscriber rate for its cable-modem service.

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Sherman Oaks, CA: Hey Rob, Thanks for all the good information.

Why is it that even though I live in a city with one of the 'top five' newspapers, I have to read the POST to get good tech information? No, that's not my question.

A few months ago you wrote about how to delete text entries in Web forms on browsers. I'm using Firefox and I've tried the 'select the entry I want to delete and then do a Shift-Delete. It doesn't work for me. It erases the 'last character' in the string, but not the complete 'auto-entry.' Has the command changed; or am I missing something simple?

Happy holidays, Valley Driver

Rob Pegoraro: You need to use Shift-Del when you've got the suggested auto-complete entry selected: Hit the down-arrow cursor key to move the focus from the input form to the suggested text, then hit Shift-Del.

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Small earhole Sue: If your earholes are really small, just give up and get those geeky over the ear phones. It beats sitting on Metro shoving the in-ear thingy back in all the time.

Those Shure thingies were too big for mine.

-been there, done that

Rob Pegoraro: More on small-gauge earphones...

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Appleton, Wisconsin: How do i view a live streaming video coming at 300-400kbs on bradband onto desktop, a tv which is in another room?

Rob Pegoraro: Are you trying to get the TV stream from the computer to the TV? There are some TV tuner cards that offer that feature--Snapstream's BeyondTV, for instance. Doing the same with Internet video streams gets more complicated, since a lot of them don't allow that kind of forwarding. You could try setting something up with the VideoLAN project's software, but please don't ask me how to go about that :)

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Rosslyn, Va.: Have one computer on a cable modem. Want to enable a second computer to also use that cable connection. What gizmo needs to be given at Christmas to allow this to happen?

Rob Pegoraro: You need a router--wireless if the second computer is a laptop), wired if PC no. 2 is a desktop in the same room.

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Washington, DC: What do you think about buying iPod specific speakers? I have been wanting to get speakers that also have a dock for my mini, but now that the mini is discontinued and the nano doesn't dock the same way I have been thinking that I should just buy regular speakers and get a mini dock. That way in a couple of years if I want to get a new iPod I just buy whatever the new dock is and I don't have to worry about the speakers not being compatible.

If so, do you have any recommendations for how I go about choosing speakers?

Rob Pegoraro: In fact, the nano has the same dock connector as the mini. It comes with a little plastic adapter that ensures it won't wiggle in the recessed area around a standard-size dock, but I'm told you don't need that to plug one in.

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Cambridge, MA: One point I think you missed in the "gifts for granny" guide was that those old floppies she's got her data on are not only obsolete, but unstable - the data risks becoming unreadable very soon. A great gift for such a person would be taking care of transferring all of their files to new, more stable storage - maybe an external HD or flash drive plus another copy on CD/DVD. Similarly, you could offer to transfer beloved VHS recordings to DVD. Give of your time and skill, not just your cash!

washingtonpost.com: Gift Recommendations: Grandparent

Rob Pegoraro: But it's easier to throw money at the problem!

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Anonymous: What's the easiest and cheapest way to hook up my Dell 5100 laptop to a yet to be bought Dell desktop and also install dsl? I've looked at crossover cables as well as power line plugs.

Rob Pegoraro: WiFi.

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Washington, DC: Please, please just tell me a couple of MP3 players (that are not ipods) to consider buying. I can't face the thought of doing all the research required to find the "right" one. I need something that will hold lots of songs, is compatible with some nice smallish speakers so I can listen at home, and can also be used in the car w/the right accessories. Thanks!

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: mp3 player

Rob Pegoraro: There are far more makes and models than I've had time to try. The ones I have tested most recently were from Creative and iRiver, and I liked the Creative models better.

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Washington, DC: Rob- I want to listen to enigmatic radio stations like WFMU from New Jersey on my home stereo. I'm looking at the Roku Soundbridge and the SlimDevices Squeezebox. I noticed there was little innovation between Xmas 2004 and 2004- what do you think the market is like for these wifi-to-traditional stereo devices? Are the kids just buying media center PCs and disposing of big stereos altogether? I have 800 lps and 1300 cds and thought I wanted a traditional stereo.

Rob Pegoraro: Both SlimDevices and Roku have come out with newer wireless adapters, but in general this category hasn't gone nearly as far as I'd thought. One reason may be that people are just putting small-form-factor PCs next to their stereos. Another reason may be that nobody has been able to add one of the more necessary features: compatibility with downloads bought at the iTunes Music Store. Apple's only solution to that problem is the Airport Express--no remote control and no display included--but it's not allowing anybody else to step in and fill the obvious gap in its product line.

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Severna Park, MD: Rob, our AA county library offers e-books for D/L to MP3 players. They specify "Not ipod." What recommendations can you make, generic-wise? Charlie

Rob Pegoraro: I don't know of any libraries around here offering e-books in an iPod-compatible format--they're all using one version or another of Windows Media (since that format allows tracks to expire at a certain date). Look for a Windows Media-compatible player with that Plays For Sure tag I mentioned; the tag should mention that the device is subscription-compatible.

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Washington, DC: Back to your OpenOffice review from November 13. Did you get to try out the database that comes with OpenOffice? You mentioned it only in passing. I am sorely in need of Access or an Access clone for my home PC (WinXP) for my professional group's membership database. I'm tired of staying late at work to use the copy of Access I have at work. Thanks in advance.

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Office Suite Software Without the Sticker Shock (Nov. 13, 2005)

Rob Pegoraro: I spent very little time in OpenOffice Base, the database part... that's just not a category of software that I've seen get any use at home. For most people, Excel or another spreadsheet is more than enough. I've never had to use Access at all (hey, my job has *some* perks :), so I can't tell you if Base can replace that program.

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Lorton, VA: Any idea what scheme Apple uses for randomizing songs when using the iPod's shuffle feature? Is it maybe based on date/time? I've noticed a lot of repetition in the songs being played from one session to the next on my 60gig color screen iPod. The playlist I normally listen to has about 350 songs in it, so the odds of hearing the same handful of songs within the first 10-15 songs in different listening sessions aren't great, though possible I suppose...

Rob Pegoraro: Apple swears that this shuffle algorithm is completely random. They did, however, add some shuffle options to the latest version of iTunes--for instance, you can ask that no artist appear more than once in a shuffle playlist.

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Washington, D.C.: What do you think of the Mac Mini approximately a year after its intro?

Rob Pegoraro: Apple addressed one of my objections to it earlier this year, when it bumped the standard memory to 512 megs. I'd still like to see a second memory slot be available, along with a third and fourth USB port, but overall it's a remarkable machine.

While I'm throwing out wish lists, I'll repeat what I mentioned in my review of Apple's Front Row software: give me a Mac mini with Front Row and that remote control on board. I can see a lot of new HDTV owners getting a Mac mini to show off their digital photos and listen to their digital music from in the family room.

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Alexandria, VA: Rob,

I'm seriously considering getting a portable XM player for my husband. I already know he enjoys the XM service, which he listens to via the 'net at work, but I've read some user reviews of the portable players and some mention that the reception can be spotty when not docked at home or in the car.

What have you heard about the XM reception in the Washington area on the Delphi or Pioneer devices as portables?

Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: The problem with all portable satellite receivers is that you have to position a separate antenna where it can see the satellite. (Also, having to wear a separate antenna clipped to a shoulder or collar makes you look like an escaped science-fair exhibit, but I digress.)

In general, XM should deliver excellent reception around D.C. I tried out the service only weeks after it launched and had nearly uninterrupted coverage, thanks to XM's land-based repeaters.

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iPod and Sound Check: You misunderstand. It does record at the same volume...a much lower volume than my other CD's. There appears to be no way to adjust or normalize volume in iTunes. Is there or is there an add-on program to use?

Rob Pegoraro: Ah, that's a different problem, one I'm not familiar with. There are a couple of encoding/ripping options you can try out, but does anybody have more specific advice?

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Charlotte NC: What are your feelings on the future of laptops?

It seems everything is moving really fast in the direction of laptops all of a sudden.

Rob Pegoraro: Nah, this has been going on for a while. Laptop sales are approaching or past 50 percent of sales for a lot of companies now. I don't think laptops will replace desktops, period; I do think, however, that this trend is one way for people to say that they're certainly not interested in massive tower-case desktop PCs that offer expansion options they will never use.

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nightmare part 2: I can't run an ethernet cable arouond the baseboards--house is way too wind-y and large. I can't my airport express box directly into the wall jack?

Rob Pegoraro: No, you can't plug an AirPort Express right into a phone jack and get DSL that way.

I'm glad you sent in another question, though, because I realized another possible answer after I posted my earlier response. Try a "pre-n"/"MIMO" WiFi access point. These use a not-yet-official version of WiFi to offer much better range (in my case, as far as five houses down the block) than regular 802.11g or 802.11b WiFi.

Here's my review of some of these devices.

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Hermosa Beach, Calif.: Rob - Great sessions. A lot of good info.

Another option for the home networking is powerline adapters. I got tired of fighting with my Linksys Wireless and bought the Belkin base and a remote for my wife's computer. Painless to hook up and a solid 10 mbps link. Also, none of the wireless security issues.

Keep up the good work!

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks! (BTW, it's raining and about 40 degrees here. Can we borrow your weather for a day or two?)

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iPod nano question: After resisting the iPod cult for years, I've decided to drink the Kool-Aid. I'm thinking of buying an iPod nano - but I'm hearing conflicting reports on whether it can record or not. From my research, the nano CAN record. Am I right?

The only thing hampering the recording function on the nano is that we have to wait for Griffin (3rd party provider) to come out with its new iFM transmitter/recorders. Which was supposed to have come out this month, by the way.

Rob Pegoraro: As I understand it, the nano's hardware does support recording, but it's not enabled in its built-in software. So you'd need some third-party gadget to make use of that--again, if I've understood this correctly.

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Bethesda, Md.: (this is an augmented version of a question I posted earlier)

I'm thinking of streaming MP3s on my 802.11g network, and have a few questions:

1. What's some good and free or cheap software which can be used to rip CDs in both MP3 format and a lossless format, also doing a good job with the ID tags (which I don't know much about). Is there a way to rip in a non-proprietary lossless format using iTunes? I'm a PC user.

Ideally this software should be easy enough to use that I can employ by 7&10 year-olds to do the ripping - $0.50/disk!

2. I like the elegance of the Airport Express with Airtunes, but it's a bit pricey. Is there any sub-$100 device that you'd recommend which can receive data streamed from either iTunes or SlimServer (or both)?

3. In addition to streaming to my home stereo (#2 above) I'm also thinking about a bedroom radio which would look and sound nice and could receive streamed MP3s from an external device. I haven't come up with a complete solution yet which can also function as an alarm clock, preferably with the ability to play music quietly (but with increasing volume) in the morning and to fade out late in the evening.

Here are some solutions, none of which quite fit the bill:

Sangean WR-1 AM/FM Wooden Cabinet Radio

http://tinyurl.com/d4oq2

or a Tivoli Audio M1BLU Henry Kloss Model One

http://tinyurl.com/c2dqg

in conjunction with a SlimDevices Squeezebox (using the latter's display for the clock) or a Roku Soundbridge

- An iHome iH5 Clock Radio in conjunction with an Airport Express with Airtunes

- This doesn't look nearly as nice as the Sangaen or Tivoli, and I suspect that the audio isn't as good either. I don't have an iPod and don't plan to buy one since I use my Treo 650 as a portable MP3 player. But at least this has an input port for an MP3 player

http://tinyurl.com/apzzu

Suggestions? Wife approval factor (WAF) is a major component of this buying decision, hence aesthetics are key.

Rob Pegoraro: 1) If you want lossless and non-proprietary, the FLAC codec is your only real option. But there isn't any way to do that ripping from within iTunes. You could rip your music in Apple Lossless for now, then hope that the MacFLAC effort yields a working iTunes plug-in before long.

2) I think the AirPort Express is the cheapest wireless media receiver around (remember, it leaves out a display and remote). Otherwise, get a Squeezebox.

3) Roku just came out with the SoundBridge Radio, a clock radio with a Soundbridge built in.

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Denver, CO: I need a recommendation for a digital camera for an 88 year old. i.e, simple to use, not a lot of "menu", doesn't require extremely find hand coordination, can accept a little bit of shakiness on the part of the user, good size LCD screen. Don't care about lots of bells and whistles or ability to do large pictures.

Rob Pegoraro: Have a look at Kodak's digicams. In general, they're aimed more at beginners, and the menu system on them offers more coaching and explanations than most.

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Falls Church, VA: I recently bought a second computer to go with my first. I have connected both to a router and I am getting internet service through both computers but I am having trouble networking them so they will share printers and files. I am also concerned about e-mail. If I only have one account, and open the mail with one computer will that mean that all the new messages will download on the that computer and then be inaccessible on the second computer. Over the long run this would mean I will have half my email on one computer and half on the other which will make finding things a nightmare.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Rob Pegoraro: This is why I keep repeating my "Internet providers should offer IMAP e-mail" rant . The POP system most mail accounts run on just isn't built for your usage scenario. At best, you could set the mail program on each computer to leave mail on the server for a few days, then hope that neither application screws up its records of which messages have already been downloaded.

It might be easier to have one machine leave mail on the server for a few days, then only use Web-mail on the second machine.

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Louisville, KY: Rob,

I archive a lot of live music shows on CD. How important is the quality of blank CD-R? I've heard those made in Japan are best, but at the rate I which I'm buying CD-Rs, cost is an issue.

Also, is it possible to burn out a CD burner? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: I don't think you'll see any great variation in quality among name-brand CD-Rs. I'm sorry, but only buying those made in Japan sounds a little ridiculous--you're not buying fugu or Kobe beef, just slabs of polycarbonate plastic and metal substrate!

Sure, you can wear out a CD burner, just like any other mechanical device.

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Lorton, Va.: Is Apple planning on getting away from the need to download the entire iTunes program again everytime they upgrade than dang thing?? I know it's cleaner, but for the most part I haven't seen huge changes in the program that they seemingly couldn't accomplish with patches instead.

Rob Pegoraro: I'd like to second your feature request.

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Arlington, VA: If Washington is aiming to play in a tournament, he needs to play other people online at Yahoo, Party Poker, etc. A program isn't going to be able to replicate the kind of play he's going to encounter when playing against real people.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Arlington

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Webster, NY: Rob,

One more thing if I may.

This is Kodak country: Kodak's new wireless camera is getting okay reviews, but their future has to be doomed in the consumer sector, don't you think? They are currently leading consumer sales in digital cameras, but in less than a decade we'll see a perfectly acceptable 6 MP camera built into a cell phone and those images will be able to be sent in seconds and eliminate the need for a PC and any Kodak Easy Share Store entity.

They continue to dismantle the Kodak Park empire. Kind of sad when you hear the same news out of GM today.

Rob Pegoraro: Webster, have you actually looked at the cameras in cell phones, or how wireless carriers (yeah, that's you, Verizon) disable any sort of convenient data transfer to a computer so they can charge you to e-mail your pictures to yourself?

Sorry, but any scenario of [fill in the blank] obsolescence at the hands of better cell phones is doomed as long as wireless carriers keep focusing on maximizing their revenue per subscriber by crippling the phones they sell.

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Headphones: My husband wants a pair of noise canceling headphones and always talks about the Bose model (that costs $200). He does fly to the west coast 5-8 times a year, but are they really worth it? It there another model that may provide similar features for less cost? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: We haven't tried out those types of headphones in a while, but the last time we did, our reviewer found that the Sony and Panasonic models were just about as good as Bose's.

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Washington, D.C.: I'm interested in purchasing a Palm TX for email and web surfing. Have you heard of the Nokia 770? Do you have any preference, especially for one that's user-friendly and dependable?

Thank you

Rob Pegoraro: Haven't tried the Noka 770--this tablet (allegedly) just shipped. I don't think anybody should compare it as an alternative to a Palm or Pocket PC handheld; it's quite a bit bigger and it's not a handheld organizer per se anyway.

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Tampa, FL: Why just pursue civil litigation against Sony over its DRM rootkit? Why not criminal charges? Sony and the other media companies play hardball on intellectual property issues, so they should expect to play hardball on security issues. We put spammers in the slammer, and what Sony did was far worse than spam. Sony did not receive valid permission from users to install its DRM software, so what they did was illegal.

You can talk to the Post's business editors about how DOJ went after KPMG for its tax shelters--over 30 indictments, including the former heads of KPMG's tax practice. DOJ said they want to get everyone's attention. They sure did. Now it's time to get the media companies' attention. Indict the top people at Sony and everyone else will pay attention.

Also, could you ask the Post IT people to start supporting Firefox for Mac? Right now they only support Firefox for Windows. I prefer Firefox over Safari because of Firefox's wonderful Flashblock and Adblock extensions.

Rob Pegoraro: Glad to post your comments. But, uh, how does the Post not support Firefox for Mac? (If you mean that you can't get your ad-blocking extensions to work on our site, somehow I doubt folks here will jump to help you out...)

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Pop-up problems: Hello,

I've been inundated with pop-ups lately. I have a pop-up stopper with my Norton anti-virus, but these still make it through. I've run tons of virus/spyware/adware scans but nothing helps. What can I do? I really don't want to have to start messing with the registry.

Rob Pegoraro: If you're still using Internet Explorer, try Firefox--the 1.5 version that should be out in a matter of days has some upgraded pop-up blocking.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, Rob. Which do you recommend between the Nintendo DS and the PSP? Why?

Rob Pegoraro: I'd get the PSP. The graphics are much better, the games have significantly more depth, and it's gotten a little easier to carry around your own music, photos and videos (thanks mainly to third parties coming out with software to manage the transfer process).

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Washington, DC: My Ipod Mini's battery has been declining for a while now, and is currently only giving me about three hours of playing time per recharge. Do you (or any of your readers) know whether or not this would be covered under Best Buy's product replacement plan, which I paid for? I'd just as soon not pay the hefty fee Apple charges for a new battery, and if I can get a Nano once the Mini has been fully phased out, so much the better.

Rob Pegoraro: Um, how about just asking Best Buy? Seems like that's the only way to find out for sure... tell them the device no longer functions properly, so you want to exercise the coverage you paid for.

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RE: iTunes Upgrades -> Quicktime??: And can Apple quick cramming Quicktime down our throats everytime we have to upgrade iTunes? Everytime I've upgraded iTunes, I wind up with Quicktime running in the sys tray and have to turn it off. Should be defaulted to Off (don't load at startup), or at very least it should ask.

Rob Pegoraro: No argument with that there. If anybody in the QuickTime group is reading this: We don't want yet another useless icon in the system tray.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob- My boyfriend is a complete techie and I want to get him something good for our first christmas. He has already mentioned a digital camera, but I think his family will get that. What do you think about the PSP (not sure if that's what it is called), also known as the portable play station console. He's into video games and DVD's so I thought it might be a fun gift. He already has an Ipod and a laptop, so I am running dry on what else is out there. Help!

Rob Pegoraro: If he's at all into games (and especially if he already has a PlayStation 2), a PSP would be a good call, I think.

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Reston, Va.: I want to get a digital camera and use it to take pictures of my kids playing sports. Is there one that has a "quick reflexes" to catch the action shots?

Rob Pegoraro: D-SLRs have by far the fastest performance--it's a function of their basic design--but other models can get pretty close. Look up click-to-capture and continuous/burst-mode figures and manual-focus capability (so you can lock focus at infinity, which will spare the camera from having to autofocus on moving targets); also, look for a camera with at least a 5x zoom, so you can get closer to the action.

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Washington, DC: I have Tivo and am constantly annoyed by shows starting at 9:59 or ending at 10:01 that thus make me unable to record the program before/after. Is there a simple Tivo solution to this?

Rob Pegoraro: From what I've read at a couple of tech blogs, the upcoming TiVo 7.2.1 software will add this overlap protection.

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Columbia, MD: I have a Gateway from fall 01 that I would like "clean out" and give to my mom (uninstall old programs, etc. -- she would use Word and AOL, if she figures it out) . She's using my 98 PC right now, so it would be an upgrade. Is this something that I can easily do? Or am I better off paying someone to do it (looking to spend under $100).

Rob Pegoraro: Simplest way would be to use the system-restore function on that Gateway to wipe the system and then put the original factory-install software on board. Then get every available security update. If she isn't using AOL now, I'd suggest getting her an account with a good local ISP that will answer the phone when she calls--then installing Firefox. Even the most recent version of IE available for Win 98 is not secure online.

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Washington, DC: Rob- What you wrote about the Yahoo toolbar in the adobe 7 upgrade is not true, we just did this at work about 10 days ago and none of us caught any checkbox to the yahoo toolbar in the standard installation- My supervisor is an MCSE- there was no checkbox.

Rob Pegoraro: Trust me: I've installed Adobe Reader 7 dozens of times, and it is right there on the download page and in the installer window. (I just checked again: note the two options, checked by default, at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)

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Ocean View, DE: I recently bought the video iPod, and have had to send it back because iTunes refused to recognize it, despite several Apple online techies' attempts to troubleshoot. Have you heard if this gen5 iPod is encountering more than usual problems?

Rob Pegoraro: No, although I have heard of some complaints about the latest version of the iTunes software acting badly. (Despite my generally good luck at getting products to fail in testing, i didn't have any issues with the two video iPods I tested.)

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Rob Pegoraro: Alright, gang, it's almost 4 p.m. (If only they paid me by the word...) I've gotta call it quits. But I should be back here on Monday, and the Monday after that, through the 21st. Thanks for all the great questions!

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