Personal Tech: Holiday Gift Guide

The Washington Post's Rob Pegoraro was online to offer ground rules for buying on the cutting edge and answer your questions about the hottest gadgets each Monday in a series of discussions leading up to the holidays.

In the 2005 Tech Gift Guide , Rob offered insights 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.

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

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Rob Pegoraro: I was worried earlier today that nobody would have awakened from the traditional post-Thanksgiving, tryptophan/pinot-induced coma in time to show up for this chat, but I need not have fretted. There are already dozens of questions in the queue about everything from GPS to HDTV to MP3s. Let's get this--the second in a series of gadget-gift-guidance chats--off the ground.

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Vienna, VA: I have a rather devastating piece of spyware on my computer. It knows personal information about me, and it inhibits the operation of other programs. Perhaps you've heard of it -- Norton Internet Security.

OK, I'm joking. But seriously, is there any way to keep a 3-year-old laptop (1.50 GHz Pentium 4, 256MB RAM, WinXP) running under the strain of an oppressive firewall/antivirus program? I've given up on Firefox, which runs at the speed of an old TRS-80.

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: Two More Ways to Fight Viruses, for Free

Rob Pegoraro: If Firefox is too slow, try the Opera browser instead--since my last review, it's gotten a bit simpler and is now completely free to use. www.opera.com

Use the firewall built into XP SP2 instead of Norton, and try one of the free anti-virus utilities I reviewed yesterday.

Most important, though, BUY MORE MEMORY! 256 MB is not enough. It's like trying to drive a car with only three wheels attached, especially once you've got three years' worth of software built up on the machine.

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Silver Spring, MD: I am confused about the resolution available for HDTVs. The larger (50inch)plasma sets seem to be limited to 720p (1365 X 765 or x768). Other sets such as smaller plasma's & non-thin screen HDTVs seem to have resolutions of 1080i and now 1080p (is anyone sending out 1080p?). I realize that all the HDTVs can receive all the HDTV broadcasts via conversion. What is really needed in a 50 inch. What is really needed in a 42/43 inch plasma or LCD?

Rob Pegoraro: First, nobody's broadcasting anything in 1080p; the only way you're likely to watch anything in that resolution is if you get a DVD player or DTV tuner that upconverts material to that resolution. Even then, don't expect to notice any improvement over 720p except on screens bigger than 52 inches or so. (That last tip came from a marketing guy with Mitsubishi this summer; as a general rule, if even the sales guys are soft-pedaling the feature when asked about it, you can pretty comfortably ignore it.)

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Chicago IL: Need to purchase a PDA for xmas - is it worth it Palm TX? Thanks Cora

Rob Pegoraro: Only if you need WiFi built-in. Otherwise, the Tungsten E2 is fine as a calendar/contacts/memos/multimedia device; if you don't need multimedia, the $100 Z22 could be all you need.

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Kensington, MD: As we get into the holidays, I'm trying to figure out whether it's better to download and use the OpenOffice.org vs paying out big bucks to upgrade to the Microsoft Office. Do you have any recommendations?

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

Rob Pegoraro: If you need to create a lot of PowerPoint files or share lots of very complicated Excel spreadsheets, you may need Microsoft Office. But give OpenOffice a shot anyway; it won't cost you anything, of course, and it's not a messy install either.

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Arlington, Va.: My mother has asked me to advise her on buying a laptop. I'm a Mac person and she wants PC, so I'm hoping you have advice for her. Basically she wants a cheap basic laptop that will still be reasonably durable. Doesn't have to be ultrasmall, but shouldn't be too much of a behometh either. Looking for a standard set of features including DVD, CD burner, wireless, but doesn't need too much. Ideas?

Rob Pegoraro: Not really: "DVD, CD burner, wireless" describes almost every Windows laptop you can buy these days. The issue of durability might narrow things down a little bit; I'd look at Toshiba and IBM/Lenovo before Dell, just based on the anecdotal reports I've gotten from readers. But remember, that's just me passing along reader gripes, not a statistical fact.

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Reston, Va.: Toshiba rear-projection TVS are very very cheap now at Best Buy (900 bucks for a 51 inch??). my current TV is a 3 yr old 27 inch set so anything bigger is an improvement. Go for it, or spend extra and get a plasma? thanks

Rob Pegoraro: Don't buy a rear-projection CRT set (the only kind that cotss $900 for a 50-incher) unless you don't mind having a 200-300-lb., 3-foot-deep monolith occupying your living room. You don't need to get a plasma instead; by spending just a few hundred bucks more, you can get a rear-projection LCD/DLP/LCoS "microdisplay" set that should look as good as the rear-projection CRT but have a third or less of its weight and depth.

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DC: Any good accessories for the guy who works with computers? He has Sirius, cellphone & GPS in the car (w/6 outlets all plugged in, don't ask me with what else!), a laptop from work, several computers for himself and the kids with a LAN and wireless. I got a DVD case for his portable DVD player but I'd like something a little more fun. He's not into an iPod or MP3 player and he has Picasa and Flickr (and probably a few other photo stuff too). Not into Netflix (he gets movies via another website). HELP!

Rob Pegoraro: I don't know, maybe a good book? You can't assume that somebody who plays with gadgets all the time *wants* to do only that. I'm just sayin', that's all...

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Bowie: Rob, I downloaded (by mistake, of course) one of those spywares that re-directs my home page and generates stupid pop-ups. I haven't had the computer very long, so I'm thinking the best course might be to just save all my personal files to a key-chain drive and re-install everything.

If this is feasible, how can I:

1. Make sure not to copy the spyware itself to the portable drive

2. Truly clean the machine so the spyware isn't hiding somewhere to re-install itself.

Is there something else to be concerned about (besides installing a blocker to prevent another occurrence)?

Rob Pegoraro: 1) You can't tell for sure, but I haven't heard of any spyware trying to spread itself like that.

2) If your PC came with a system-restore CD or DVD, you are safe--just select the option to reformat the drive to be sure. If it has a system-restore partition, as many do these days, you should still be safe (I've heard of one or two viruses that try to attack the restore partition, but not any spyware).

As for making sure this doesn't happen again, using a good anti-spyware app (I like Microsoft's) helps a lot. But so does being choosy about what "free" software you install. If you're not sure about a strange program, Google for it first. A simple query along the lines of "[program name] spyware?" should get you an answer in about 5 seconds, which is much less time than cleaning things up afterwards.

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Tampa, FL: I'd like to submit this question a few days early before I forget: How are the refurbished iPods available from Apple? They seem to come with a full warranty and have the extended warranty available (Apple Care), just like new iPods. Should I expect refurbished iPods to be any less reliable than new ones?

Also, Sonnet Technologies has released replacement batteries for iPods. Are you familiar with this? Assuming you don't replace the iPod battery until after the warranty (regular or Apple Care) expires, this seems like a pretty good deal.

Rob Pegoraro: Haven't heard any complaints (or much of anything) about refurb iPods. If you're choosing between different models, you might want to check out the survey the Mac-news site Macintouch just did about iPod reliability: http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/ipodfailures.html

I've heard about the Sonnet replacement batteries, but not any reports about their quality or reliability. Sonnet has been around for a long time, though, so I wouldn't have any major worries about using one of their batteries.

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Rockville, Md.: I've never been into the file-sharing, music downloading thing, so have paid zero attention to MP3's. But the prices of players seemed to have dropped so much that it looks like it MAY be worthwhile to copy my favorites songs from my CD's to MP3's to carry around with me.

How hard is it to copy them, or do most CD's have protections to prevent this sort of thing? How much battery life does an MP3 player have compared to a portable CD player?

Rob Pegoraro: Most CDs don't have any copy protections, and those that do can always be defeated--most often, by putting the CD in a Mac or a Linux computer, each of which will ignore the Windows-specific copy controls included on the disc.

MP3 players have *far* better battery lives than CD players; they don't need to keep an entire CD drive in action, just a hard drive or flash memory. Think of how much better a laptop does when it's not playing a DVD.

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Portland, Oregon: Thank you for the interesting article on free virus scan programs. But does a moderately savvy PC user really need an antivirus program? I use Firefox as my browser and never execute programs or open attachments unless I am sure that the source is reliable. Occasionally I run a spyware detection program like AdAware occasionally. It's been years since I had a virus. Unless I can see some definite, significant benefit from antivirus programs I don't want to be bothered with them! Using them is a lot of work!

Rob Pegoraro: I hear you--I've only gotten a virus in the past 10 years when I chose to run one as a part of a test--but are you sure you're the only person using the computer?

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Silver Spring, Md.: Hi, Rob. I am using a Canon i850 printer with Mac OS X 10.4.3.

Right in the middle of a page the printer went from printing nice neat type to blobbly type that looks as though it is drawing the letters from bitmaps.

I tried reinstalling the printer driver and replacing the ink cartridge and deleting a preference file.

Any other ideas?

Rob Pegoraro: Try the printer with another computer--no, just use the self-test routine built in. If that yields the same result, your printer needs repair/replacement. Hope it's still under warranty...

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Hammondsport, NY: What to buy -- Plasma or LCD?? Herb

Rob Pegoraro: I get this at least every week, but it's a fairly simple question to answer if you've picked out a set size. Here goes: If you want a set smaller than 37 inches, you can only get LCD--the smallest plasmas run 37 inches across. If you want a set bigger than 40 inches, plasma is much cheaper than LCD. In between, you need to check prices and reviews on particular models.

I would be comfortable buying either a plasma or LCD at this point--provided that the set included an ATSC digital tuner, a CableCard slot, 2 high-def video inputs and some sort of high-definition video output, so I had some way of hooking up a high-def recorder in the future (assuming one materializes that isn't insanely expensive or crippled by Hollywood copy-protection mandates--a pipe dream, I know...)

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Northern Virginia: I have some McAfee software (the most basic one) to protect my computer against spyware. Every time I scan my computer, it finds the same number and kind of unwanted files, which I promptly delete (or so I think).

However, if I scan the next day, the same spyware is back in my computer. I'm not sure is my antispyware is helping or not. Why can't they be permanently deleted?

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: Some spyware is particularly insidious. Aurora/ABetterInternet is among the worst of those. In those cases, you should probably bite the bullet--back up your important personal data, then use the system-restore CD/DVD/hard-drive partition to wipe the computer and restore it to factory settings.

(If, OTOH, your anti-spyware software is only nagging you about "tracking cookies" or "third-party cookies," ignore it.)

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Birmingham, AL: I love my iPod, but the headphones are constantly getting all tangled in my purse. Any chance they're going to make an iPod with Bluetooth, so we could have wireless headphones that are like the little earpieces for our cell phones?

Have you ever heard discussion of that?

Rob Pegoraro: The Mac rumor-mongers have speculated about such a thing for a while, but it's yet to come to pass. I'm not going to make a prediction either way; I could see Apple adding this to high-end models, but I could also see Apple saying "this is too much complexity to add."

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Washinton, DC: Hi Rob,

In late spring/early summer I am expecting a baby. Before then I will need to purchase a digital camera for sending pics to family across the US. I have no real need for one before then. Should I take advantage of sales and purchase one now, or just wait? Will there be any new features added between now and then that would make it worth waiting for (for your average, to perhaps a little above average camera)? Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: The "feature" you're most likely to get is a lower price. Another one is ever-shorter shutter lags. The only thing you'd get by buying the camera early is practice with it--but if you take photos as often as most new parents seem to, you'll get plenty of practice anyway.

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McLean, VA: I understand that the iPod "nano" which uses a memory stick instead of a hard drive had some initial quality problems (ie they weren't durable as you'd expect an iPod to be). Do those problems still exist?

Rob Pegoraro: The real problem with the nano was that a tiny percentage of them had defective screens that malfunctioned too easily. Other users have complained about nanos picking up scratches, but I don't think that problem is that much worse than with earlier iPods--and in any case, Apple is now shipping a basic carrying case with new iPod nanos.

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Silver Spring, Md.: So, do I buy me a new iMac now or wait for the Intel jobbies? I've got a functional older Mac so it isn't a crisis.

Rob Pegoraro: Your second sentence is all the answer you need: You don't need a new computer, so any purchase of a new one would be a matter of "want." Wants can wait, needs can't. Ergo, sit tight and see what materializes over the next several months.

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Anonymous: Rob,

Are there any spyware sniffers/seekers for the Macintosh platform?

WDC

Rob Pegoraro: We've only heard of one (Internet Cleanup, I think). My reviewer found it a nuisance and useless to boot, since there isn't any Mac spyware in the first place.

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Cambridge, MA: Does Portland have a reliable firewall (preferably hardware, not software)? Going without at least that level of protection would be sheer insanity, no matter how safe your own web activity is - worms don't usually require any action on your part. Also, what virus protection is he using that's so much work? I administer four WinXP boxes at work plus my home machine, and virus protection requires little intervention beyond the initial installation and configuration of auto-updating.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Cambridge. I think Portland said he was taking all the basic precautions, but it may also be that he's using the wrong anti-virus software. Some (McAfee comes to mind) can be fussier than others.

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Chicago: What are your thoughts about the Treo 650 phone? Also, is now a good time to buy one or will the prices go down after the holidays?

Rob Pegoraro: Own one and love it. No complaints aside from Verizon's horribly slow pace at releasing updates that every other carrier now offers (I'm still waiting for the updated Bluetooth carkit-compatibility that Sprint users got back in the summer or spring).

BTW, if you're contemplating getting any sort of Palm and use the Address Book and iCal software built into Mac OS X, I strongly suggest you check out Mark/Space's $40 Missing Sync software, which allows a complete and reliable sync between Palm and those programs (unlike Apple's iSync or Palm's woefully obsolete Palm Desktop).

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Will Sony recover: What do you see coming out of the big Sony spyware/malware hoo-hah? Settlements, suits, artists suing them (my biggest hope, strangely - that an artist sues them for loss of sales...)

Rob Pegoraro: My hope is that this whole sorry episode serves as an object lesson in why everybody should be suspicious of "digital rights management" schemes. When some CEO or lobbyist swears that their system will only stop the guilty and won't hinder the innocent in any way--remember Sony!

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Arlington, Va: Rob, I recently got an HDTV (30" CRT w/tuner) and haven't yet swapped my Directv box in for an HD-capable one. I can pull in ABC, CBS, and Fox locally with an indoor antenna, but can't get NBC4. Have you ever tried picking up an OTA broadcast in the area? I plan to go to the newer mpeg-4 Directv HD feed or Verizon's Fios TV if they ever come around.

Rob Pegoraro: I'm testing RCA's $300 "standard-definition" digital TV, and I can't get NBC4 either. I have been able to pull in that signal in earlier tests; it may be that the station has temporarily weakened the power of its digital signal, for whatever reason.

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Gambrills, MD: Rob, Re: your column on McAfee, Symantec, Avast 4, and AVG. What is your opinion of Zone Alarm?

Rob Pegoraro: ZA does sell a separate anti-virus app, one that's bundled with some of the more expensive editions of its better-known firewall, but I haven't tried it yet.

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Washington, DC: Other than episodes of TV shows available from iTunes, has anyone started making content--in particular, free content--for the video iPods yet?

Rob Pegoraro: Sure--you can find a good set of video podcasts at the iTunes Music Store. (E.g., RocketBoom and Tiki Bar TV.) I'm told you can also find plenty of content from... the kind of sites I can't link to in this chat, if you get the picture. (We did a story about this a few weeks ago.)

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Silver Spring Canon Printer followup: Self-test is fine, and the thing is out of warranty.

Ah well, I can afford another $180 printer. The problem is the time for research. What's a decent photo inkjet that works with Tiger on the mac?

Rob Pegoraro: Actually, I forgot one fallback option: Ditch Canon's printer drivers and try using "Gimp-Print," one of those weirdly-named Linux downloads that has been ported to the Mac: http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/MacOSX.php3

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Nano: Rob,

Love the chats. Just bought a 2GB Nano for my son (for Christmas). Is there any way to "password" protect the Nano to help against theft, etc.?

Any ideas on how to protect and keep this expensive item?

Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: You can set a lock for the iPod--it's under the Extras menu. That won't stop anybody from stealing it and resetting it, but it should prevent the average thief from seeing your photos, listening to your music or inspecting your contacts and calendars.

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Washington DC: For the woman whose ipod headphones get tangled in her purse, I searched far and wide for a case that would allow me to zip up the headphones too, and I found one!

http://www.acmemade.com/traveler.html

Acme Made bags are wonderful, and I love love love my zippable ipod Mini carrier (they make them for the iPod too).

Rob Pegoraro: I'm passing this along even though the Web site of a company called "Acme" doesn't feature an endorsement by Road Runner the coyote.

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Col. MD: My iPod (regular, not Nano, etc.) wouldn't go on while I was flying home Thanksgiving day. After repeatedly trying to turn it on all weekend, it finally came on Sunday only to say the battery was dead (it was charged to the max before I left). It seems to work fine now, since I charged it last night when I got home. But, I'm wondering what happened? It worked fine at the airport before I left and it worked fine on the plane when I flew a few weeks ago. Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: Ghosts in the machine? Weird things happen sometimes.... if they persist, try using the latest iPod software from Apple (not iTunes) to restore the iPod to factory condition, then reload your music.

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Herndon, Va: Arlington,

What antenna are you using to get the OTA digital signal? I can only get Fox, while I wait to get a HD Tivo box.

Rob Pegoraro: Arlington, you there? (Let's not forget that any two points in Arlington and Herndon can be anywhere from 15 to 20 miles apart, and that Arlington could also be on a hill with line-of-sight to the TV transmitter towers.)

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Silver Spring, MD: If you only access the internet using a wireless modem at places with free internet access (e.g., coffee shops, airports), can you be identified from your MAC address? Can a specific user be identified from a MAC address?

Rob Pegoraro: No, not from the MAC address alone.

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Mullica Hill, NJ: I have twin 9 year old girls who are fairly saavy with the computer and have taken an interest in photography. Is there a digital camera make/model recommendation you can suggest for children of that age who are photography beginners? At most, they will print a 5 x 7, use the images to email their friends and family, and display/show the pics on their monitor. Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: The first recommendation I'd make would be "a cheap one." Nothing over 3 megapixels, in other words. If the hypothetical user already knows their aperture from their elbow--or shows signs of interest in knowing that--get a camera that also offers manual shooting modes, not just pre-programmed ones.

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Laurel, Md.: About last week's e-letter's section on low-quality bundleware.

I think it was about 2000 when the majority of computers buyers were now replacing an old machine, instead of buying their first computer. Now, the percent must be much higher.

I'm thinking of retiring my current PC, and I'd much rather just copy my current office suite and other high-end programs than pay anything consequential for a new bundle.

However, I might be interested in low-cost upgrades to newer versions. Are any computer manufacturers in partnership with software companies offering good "trade in your old version of XXX that worked on your Win98 machine for a version better suited to our XP machine" deals?

Rob Pegoraro: No, not that I've heard of.

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DC: Are the only non-video iPod that Apple sells the mini and the nano? I looked on their website and they no longer appear to sell a the regular iPod?

Rob Pegoraro: There's also the shuffle. But when you see the "video iPod," remember that Apple identifies it and markets it as just "the iPod." It doesn't cost any more than its predecessor, it's even smaller and it's no harder to use. Apple has made video capability a bonus feature, instead of one that requires a conscious choice in favor of added cost/complexity/size/weight. I.e., you can buy the don't-call-it-video iPod and keep using it as you would any other iPod.

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Washington, D.C.: Having a rough decision making time this season. My husband loves movies, but I can't decide whether to get him a Betamax or 'VHS' tape player. Help!

Rob Pegoraro: This is a joke question, right?

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Thurmont, MD: I recently purchased a DLO Transpod for my iPod Mini. It allows me to play my music through my FM stereo. However, I am unable to play any iTunes Purchased music through the device. Not quite sure what the problem is, but I am able to play the music on my iPod Mini without any problems. Is there a known issue with the DLO Transpod??

Rob Pegoraro: Not known to me. It doesn't even make any sense to me--if you can play a purchased track on an iPod, it should play equally well through this add-on. Could you e-mail me with some details on this? (rob at twp . com)

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Falls Church, Va.: I would like to purchase a video ipod for my fiance but I am concerned that apple doesn't accomodate gapless playback. The only format that does is Ogg Vorbis. Are there any plans from apple to support this in the future? I love the video playback but I really need the gapless feature for my techno mix dj cds.

Rob Pegoraro: Apple hasn't told me of any plans, but if it did have such plans it wouldn't tell me about them anyway. I don't know why Apple hasn't accomodated this feature; iTunes allows it, so it should not require any great effort to add this option to the iPod as well.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob. I've got a laptop memory-related question. I'm planning on buying more memory for my IBook (swapping out 256 MB for 1G), but there doesn't seem to be much to distinguish one brand of memory card from another. Is there any good way to choose between brands (e.g. Crucial vs. Kingmax vs. Kingston vs. Transcend), assuming that all system specs are met and price between them is roughly comparable, or are they all about the same?

Rob Pegoraro: They've all been the same in my experience. As long as the memory vendor provides a warranty against any future compatibility issues, you should be fine.

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DC: I'm thinking about getting an iPod. I see no need for the standard one because I don't have that many songs. I'm not a fan of the iPod Shuffle either. That leaves me with the Nano but I've heard that the screens scratch easily and you would have to pay for the cost of replacement? Is still the case or has the screen issue been resolved? Also, there was a rumor going around that the batteries don't last very long and that you are charged a hefty sum to replace them. Is that true too?

Rob Pegoraro: Already answered the nano-durability issue. The "hefty sum" is a whopping $59 for Apple's mail-in service, less if you pay another company. That's a little more than what batteries cost for some other MP3 players, but not outrageously so IMHO.

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From the 80s: I say go with the Betamax. It's the future I hear!

Rob Pegoraro: Wrong: Laserdisc all the way, baby!

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Arlington, VA: Unbelievable. I bought a Sony DVD/VCR recorder. It will not function adequately if Comcast is your cable provider. I found this out by contacting Sony when the unit did not respond once I hooked it up. A large cable provider and a larger company join up to have compatibility issues.

Rob Pegoraro: Wha? This I gotta hear more about. What part of the Sony DVD burner doesn't work in Comcastland? Details, please...

(As usual with these chats, I'm not signing off at 3 p.m. sharp. You're stuck with me for another half hour or so.)

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memory sticks!: OMG, how cool are they! I had never seen one before, but at a vendor meeting the vendor gave me one with their standard contract on it. Just plug it into your USB port and off you go. I never looked at a contract with so much excitement before. (I don't get out much)

It occurred to me this would have saved me many tears this summer when my hard drive (and a lot of pictures, and music, and so on) crashed this summer. never to return.

how big do they go? for my digicam I think I'd need a lot of space. and where is a good place to buy them cheaply?

thanks

Rob Pegoraro: Memory keys--my term for these little devices that plug into USB ports, which some othe folks call "keychain drives" or "thumb drives"--are too small to back up entire hard drives, but they're terrific for shuttling little files back and forth. I think they max out at 2 GB; cheapest prices tend to be online, although you can find great deals when stores chop prices on these things to lure shoppers.

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Washington, D.C.: I read in a past chat your recommendation not to buy an Apple computer until after Apple made the switch to Intel chips, if the computer was for video editing. Does that mean you do not recommend the current Apple computers for video? I do not own an Apple, but had thought that Apple had the better video editing software and system. What is your opinion of how well the current crop of Apple computers handle video editing? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: The video-editing software will be from Apple on a PowerPC or an Intel-based Mac--Apple's only adopting an Intel processor, not Windows. It's doing that because Intel processors have advanced in ways that PowerPC chips have not, and show no signs of doing anytime soon.

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Tampa, FL: Here's a Mac spyware program:

http://macscan.securemac.com/index.html

Click "MacScan Download" (it may be down from time to time, but seemed to be up 5 minutes ago).

On a similar note, can you recommend any Mac anonymous browsing services? Anonymizer seems Windows only. IDZap says it's OS-neutral.

Rob Pegoraro: Correction, that's a Mac anti-spyware app. And here's the contents of its "Spyware List" page:

"Macintosh Spyware

An updated Spyware list will be released after beta testing."

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Xbox: Got any tips on xbox 360 shipments? Or the issues just a few are having?

Rob Pegoraro: Not of my own, but we're continuing to follow these reports.

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Arlington, Va.: I just got cable and I want to convert my land phone to VoIP. Could you explain to me how should I connect devices between cable modem, firewall, and VoIP box. The cable modem from Comcast has one Ethernet slot and one USB slot. Haven't decided what VoIP company yet, but most likely Vondage. Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: You'll either need a VoIP phone with a WiFi receiver built in, or you'll need to add a wired or wireless router that adds multiple Ethernet ports (you'll need one for the "telephone adapter" box most VoIP services employ).

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North Beach, MD: I just moved and now have a daily (at least) one hour commute, each way. The beauty is I take a commuter bus and have "free time" to read, etc. I want to get some sort of a portable computer on which I can catch up with email, post to my blog, organize my itunes and digital pictures. Portability is key, as I have to hoof it a mile to and from the office to where the bus picks up/drops off. Any advice on what should I get? (Money isn't too big of an object; I did some freelance work to earn this tree.) Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: If you're only going to send and receive data at either end of the commute, there are plenty of lightweight laptops out there. I've been fond of Panasonic's Toughbook models in the past, but I haven't tried them lately. If, however, you also want to log on from the bus, you need a laptop that either includes a cellular-data receiver (only a handful do), or which has a PC Card slot to accomodate a wireless-data service. Plan B would be to use your cell phone as a wireless modem, then link it to the laptop via USB or Bluetooth.

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Cambridge, MA: Wrong on the iPod Nano battery; it's soldered on-board and cannot be replaced by a third party.

Rob Pegoraro: Well, yet--given how many of these things Apple is selling, I'm positive somebody will figure out a way to make a buck off nano-battery replacement services.

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Silver Spring, MD: I have a Phillips DVR and it work fine with Direct tv. I got rid of comcast over a year ago and couldn't be happier - better picture, no loss of service (except when storm is directly overhead - never lasts more than 10 mins) and is much cheaper.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Silver Spring.

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Bethesda, Md.: Rob, We really need to get a solution to backup our home computer, music, photos, etc. I read the article in Sunday's paper but didn't come away with a clear idea on the best solution. We have 100GB hard drive, which is not close to being at capacity, yet. We will be editing transferring some digital movies, a 5-month old in the house, and that will start to chew up some more space.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Rob Pegoraro: Get an external hard drive--any one digital-video file (at least before editing) can outstrip the size of a recordable DVD.

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DC: Thank you Rob, in advance, for answering this.

The sad truth is I have not purchased a TV since the turn of the millennium. Now, purchasing a TV is much more complicated than the screen size + digital inputs. I am hesitant to spend $1000+ on a TV, but given the upcoming technology, would it be prudent to do so if I do not want to buy another for another 5 years? Or should I just wait a year and get the same technology at a cheaper price?

Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: If your TV does still work, you'll almost certainly save a lot of money by waiting another year. You'll also increase your odds of getting one with a digital/ATSC tuner built-in--without which you'll need a converter box to tune in over-the-air TV signals after analog disappears from the skies (figure spring 2009 for that).

Because of that same factor, if you are buying a TV today and plan on keeping it longer than three or four years, you need to get one with a digital tuner. It won't have to cost $1,000; as I mentioned, I'm testing a digital set that sells for $300, new, now.

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Arlington: Sony DVD/VCR-Comcast issue--Don't have my notes but what Sony said was something about low frequency versus high frequency. Using input/output cables we could play a DVD or VHS and pick up television through inputting the cable to the DVD/VCR. But we could not use it if we connected the cable input to the DVD/VCR and the output from the Sony to the TV like I've been doing for at least a decade. I do not have digital

Rob Pegoraro: Hmm. It's not like people haven't been making video recording devices made to work with cable signals since, oh, the mid or late 1970s...

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Portland, Oregon: This is follow up to my prior posting and your and Cambridge's thoughtful replies. Yes, I am the sole user of my computer. And, yes, I do have a firewall enabled. I use XP SP2 with firewall and automatic updates enabled. So, it appears to me that a virus scan program may really be unnecessary. In fact, I cannot recall the last time I got a virus, but I do recall it was on a shared machine. Thanks again for all your excellent information.

Rob Pegoraro: You're welcome, and thanks for the follow-up. Of course, if you get infected by a virus now, we're all going to laugh at you :)

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Arlington, Va.: My husband and I are a two-camera family since we both like taking pictures a lot. He has a Canon Rebel SLR and he got me the Digital Rebel SLR for my birthday last year. Well, now he's jealous of my digital camera. He's asking for a digital camera for Christmas. He wants something small (we don't need 2 digital SLRs in the family) as a small portable camera is the only thing we're missing. Given that he's pretty serious about photography, I was thinking an advanced digital would be the way to go. I think he'll miss the manual controls and powerful zoom if I get something more compact. But he really wants something small and thinks maybe a point and shoot would be a nice change of pace. What would you recommend? I'd like to stay around $300 if possible, but could spend up to $500 if necessary. He runs Linux on his computer if that is necessary to know. Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: You can certainly get manual controls in a pocketable, point-and-shoot model, but not a zoom beyond 5x.

Let Linux compatibility guide your shopping first; hit the Web site of whatever image-capture app he uses (gphoto?) and see if any cameras are listed as definitely working or definitely not working.

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Lisbon, Portugal: Should I buy a digital TV set or wait for new standards to come?

Rob Pegoraro: There are no new standards coming--well, at least here in the U.S. Ours were almost all nailed down over a decade ago, and manufacturers have since been working on implementing them. (Over-the-air reception has taken the longest out of all of them, except maybe for copy-restriction mechanisms.)

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Arlington, Va.: My dad is a semi-serious photographer and I came across a copy of Photoshop that I gave to him and he loves it. Unfortunately he can't upgrade it to CS, he will have to purchase a new copy since he no longer has the disk. We are thinking of getting it for him for x-mas, but before we do, is CS2 the best digtal imaging software, or is there something else we can consider. He's using a Dell Inspirion 6000, so mac software is out of the question. Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: Photoshop is massive overkill for anybody taking pictures at home. Get him a copy of Photoshop Elements, which includes all the bits in Photoshop he's likely to use and none of the parts he won't (unless he's in the habit of, say, generating CMYK color separations of his photos).

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Baltimore, Md.: Hi Rob. I'm thinking about buying myself a present...XM Radio. But I just noticed that Sirius came out with a portable player that allows you to upload mp3s. Do you know if XM is planning to introduce a portable radio that does this (soon)?

Rob Pegoraro: Samsung is supposed to be shipping such a thing soon.

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Alexandria, Va.: I checked the MP3 guide and noted the ipod vs other. My husband and I each have the larger ipods and love them. My 12 year old daughter said the only item on her wish list is an ipod mini, green. Your article didn't say anything about them. I've learned they've been discontinued but keep hearing from friends that they've seen them in this store or another lately. I've suggested to my daughter that we research the nano and/or shuffle but she insists that the mini is 'IT'. Could you respond re this and also, do you have ideas about who might have some left. My daughter spent most of the weekend trying to track one down online or at stores via phone...I've never seen her this obsessed.

Rob Pegoraro: You should be able to find them online--somebody else just sent in a posting on this--but it may take some digging, or maybe even eBay.

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Alexandria, Va.: I have Windows XP and Outlook 2003 and a Sprint Treo 650. Although my synching used to work, I now get an error message saying that I have an "Invalid Configuration" and I can't synch and I can't reinstall the Palm software. How can I get things to work again? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: Try downloading the latest release of Palm Desktop off Palm's site; there have been some minor bug-fix releases since Sprint began selling the 650. Using XP's System Restore might also work...

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Washington, D.C.: Rob,

A quick question on DVD recorders. Can they capture HD-quality if I record directly from my DVR box? Thanks, hope you had a great holiday.

Rob Pegoraro: No. I'm told that it's theoretically possible for a DVD recorder to "tape" an HD program in 480p resolution, what's called "enhanced definition" (meaning your recordings would look as good as your DVDs), but none of them do that yet.

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Washington, DC: Rob,

I'm looking to securely back up my data using the two-hard-drive method, with one mirroring the other. I understand this is fairly safe since it is unlikely both drives will fail simultaneously. But, is it better to have your second drive be internal or external? I'm worried a motherboard failure/electrical storm could fry both drives at once, and therefore feel that an external drive would be better, but some seem to say internal is more stable.

Rob Pegoraro: No, get external. You also have a drive you can easily use for shuttling large amounts of data, and you can keep using it with your next computer.

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Raleigh NC: Hi Rob,

I'm planning on buying a Mac for my new computer. Is it true that Macs have zero viruses, spyware, or other problems that Windows has? Even with upcoming Intel processors? Also, have you heard anything about new Mac laptops having built-in cameras?

Rob Pegoraro: Correct on the first point. There's no reason somebody couldn't try to make a Mac virus or spyware, but they would face tougher odds in getting their creation to spread anywhere (largely because individual Mac applications don't have the same freedom to trash the system that any Windows XP program normally does).

Since Apple has decided to include a Webcam in its iMac G5 desktop, I'd be surprised if it didn't show up its iBook laptops at some point.

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Herndon, Va: Do you think an eMac is still a good value for a grandparent who just surfs, emails and uses Office software (Word, Excel)? Something basic without having to worry about virus' and spyware, etc. I know they're discontinued but there are still some left in stores. It fits the price range I'm looking for, about $700.

Rob Pegoraro: An eMac will certainly work for that, but you could probably save money (after factoring in the memory upgrade the eMac will need) by getting a Mac mini, Apple's keyboard and a third-party mouse and LCD or CRT monitor.

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Arlington, Va.: My Mom really wants an mp3 player for Xmas. Unfortunately, she's not very tech-savvy. We live 7 hours away from each other so it's been awhile since I've seen her computer, but it's at least 3 years old and I think she's running Windows NT. How do I even know if her computer will rip CDs? I would like to get her something pretty big (she has a very large music collection and wants to use the player mostly for long car trips)--20GB maybe? Any advice? Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: If she's running Windows NT, forget it. That OS won't accept any USB devices (much less FireWire, I think), which means you're out of luck at connecting just about any MP3 player available. Your mom most likely needs a new computer.

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Baltimore, Md.: I love my digital camera, but, an a techno-phobe, I am intimidated by the software for uploading and managing the pictures. Any suggestions for simple digital photo software?

Rob Pegoraro: Sure--try Google's free Picasa: www.picasa.com

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Tucson, Ariz.: I've noticed that the new Xbox 360 seems to be getting alot of negative press lately regarding crashes, freezes, screen errors like E74 and E79 including dark and blank screens. My question: Would it be better to wait 6 months or longer until bugs are flushed out of new electronic products before purchasing them?

Rob Pegoraro: A lot of people subscribe to that rule in general. It may be applicable to the 360 in particular--we're trying to find out.

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Kodiak, Alaska: I am planning to replace my old Mac PowerBook soon, but am reluctant to buy a new one until Apple provides a reliable model containing the new Intel chip. Do you suggest I put>off buying until the second or third generation of the MacTel models are available, or do you think the first generation will be a reasonable bet?

Rob Pegoraro: Related question, but the same principle. Here, though, I think the risk of buying first-gen hardware isn't that bad. It's the first-gen *software* that may present an added risk of crashes. Remember, both Apple and Intel have a ton of experience at building computer hardware, but switching an entire operating system and its application base to a new processor architecture just doesn't happen that often. So a buyer of a new Intel-based Mac might experience the occasional kernel panic or application freeze until the first round or two of bug fixes arrive from Apple and Mac developers.

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Washington, DC: Could you talk about the pros and cons of VoIP for home use? We have it at work, and it seems pretty transparent.

Rob Pegoraro: The big one is being able to call 911 in an emergency. The deadline for VoIP providers to tie their systems into 911 was, I think, today or tomorrow, but it looks like that's not going to be met. You may also be stuck if you need to fax something or use a dial-up modem for whatever reason--some VoIP services say they support those uses, some don't.

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Washington, D.C.: Rob-

I am comparing the Roku Soundbridge and the Slimdevices Squeezebox to listen to radio stations on my home stereo system via wifi. This is probably an old hipster niche, because the kids don't care that author Nick Tosches is a substitute host on WFMU, etc. Have you reviewed these devices?

Rob Pegoraro: I have, although not recently. They're both very good; the Roku Soundbridge pairs better with programs like iTunes and Windows Media Player, while the Squeezebox runs on its own separate server software (although that's pretty good as well, it does place an extra layer of software in the mix).

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Odenton, MD: Obviously you can't truly answer this question without knowing the exact situation, but I'll ask anyways.

I have Directv (the "new" H10 - with no HDMI issues - yah!) but use an antenna to get my locals in HD. For channels 4, 7, and 9 the atenna signal meter usually shifts between 93 and 100 percent. Channel 5 shifts between 86 and 93.

However, sometimes signal will look fine when you're on the meter but occasionally drop out to zero. This usually happens more often during the day than at night. And I think it happens more when weather isn't perfect, but I'm not completely sure about that.

Basically, after that long story, my question is this - since my signal is usually pretty strong, its not my fault for the drop out, right? If weather is especially bad or something is occasionally interfering to cause a short drop-out, there's nothing I can really do. I thought about buying an amplifier, but would that really help?

Frankly, I'm just looking for some tech back-up so I can go to the wife and say it's not my fault.

Rob Pegoraro: I'm almost positive this is not your fault. The tuner in your DirecTV box may be acting up, or the signal at each station may be running into atmospheric glitches. I'd talk to DirecTV first; they may have software updates to address issues like yours.

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Anonymous: Can I plug my PC's mouse into the laptop I'm getting next week?

Rob Pegoraro: As long as the mouse has a USB connector, yes. Unfortunately, a lot of PC manufacturers don't seem to have realized that PS/2 ports stopped serving any useful purpose years ago--they keep bundling cheapo PS/2 models that you can't plug into many laptops, especially the small ones. (When I asked some HP reps this summer about ditching PS/2 rodents and keyboards with USB models, they reacted as if I'd asked them to bundle a plaid mouse... like no one had ever contemplated such a thing before.)

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Fair Lakes, VA: Follow-Up: OTA High Def TV Signals

Reception quality is dependent on where your antenna is, the right type of antenna, distance/obstructions between your antenna and the transmitter, AND, if your antenna is oriented properly (compass bearing) towards the transmitter. You may need an in-line amplifier. Most of the major-station HD transmitters in the DC area are located in the same small area, making it reasonably possible to get a decent signal for most/all of them. Start with www.antennaweb.org to see specifics for your street address and read everything on that site. A good source for hardware products is www.solidsignal.com. A good company to install your HD antenna ON YOUR ROOFTOP is Fairfax Antena at www.fairfaxantenna.com ... disclaimer -- I'm simply a satisfied customer - no kickbacks, etc - who likes watching HD TV on my 55" Mitsubishi Diamond set.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Fair Lakes!

Almost done here... just checking to see if I missed anything I'd meant to answer before.

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Charlottesville, Va.: What options are available to me for HD signal if I live in an area without HD cable? I would just like to watch network TV (lost, etc.) in HD, but my local stations are not broadcasting in HD. Will satellite give me netowrk TV in HD at all?

Rob Pegoraro: *No* stations in C-ville are transmitting in HD? I'm surprised... I thought they all had to by now, given the FCC's deadlines. (I mean, if Bodo's on the Corner can finally open, you'd think at least one station could scrape together an HD signal.)

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Fairfax, Va.: Rob, the Post doesn't give his e-mail address, so can you pass thanks to Daniel Greenberg for his tip on the $0.99 Shadow 2. Downloaded it yesterday, will try to install today or tomorrow. Will go great with the new 160 Gig External hard drive I got on Black Friday.

Rob Pegoraro: Daniel often reads these chats--thanks for the note.

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20906: Do you think DirecTV will catch up with Dish Network as far as its DVR capabilities go? A friend has the Dish Network DVR and can watch a recorded program anyhwere else in the house. I was told by my DirecTV folks that they do not have that capability. Is it that hard?

Rob Pegoraro: It's not hard; it just involves somebody deciding to add a feature that certain interests in the entertainment industry might not like.

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Sacramento, CA: Has the burn in question on plasma tv's been adequately solved in most units now being sold? How big of an issue does this represent to the average consumer?

Rob Pegoraro: By all accounts, yes; this has been solved for most home uses. I'm told you can experience temporary image "retention" after leaving a plasma screen locked on one image source for a long time--like a video game--but that goes away on its own quickly enough. OTOH, I'm sure those plasmas in airport security lines had the TSA's logo burned into their phosphors a long time ago.

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Arlington, Va.: I just bought a Sony Clie off of eBay to replace my current (identical) Sony Clie, which has been banged up to the point where the outer skin is falling apart. I cannot get the newly-purchased Clie to Hotsync on my home computer, however. I have it set properly to cradle/cable connection. I created a new username on the Palm Desktop and made that one active when I tried to sync the newer PDA, but the PDA told me that it could not find a connection to the computer. Its Hotsync log says that it has never been synchronized. Any thoughts?

Rob Pegoraro: Try reinstalling the Clie software? I know Sony's handhelds needed a particular driver to work; they couldn't sync just to the standard Palm Desktop you'd otherwise download off Palm's site.

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should I get a blackberry?: my boss will pay for it. I have the option to say yes or no. and we're a low key employer, I never get emails after 6:30 PM so it won't be an electronic leash. what else can you do with a blackberry? will it automatically work overseas or do you pay extra?

Rob Pegoraro: It's hard to turn down a free gadget, but if other people at your office have them, you should ask how often they wind up using theirs for work. In general, a Blackberry is pretty handy for Web browsing on the go, but its organizer software is mediocre at best. If the Blackberry is a GSM phone, it will work overseas, but usually at an exorbitant roaming rate. You'll do better to get the Blackberry "unlocked" so you can rent a SIM (subscriber identity module) card there and pay the local rate.

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Arlington, Va.: Rob,

I'm thinking of getting my parents a DVR (they are fairly tech-savvy, and the old VCR is going.) Would I be better off getting a Tivo or ReplayTV? Will ReplayTV be around for a while? What is your opinion of TV running ads during programming?

Rob Pegoraro: ReplayTV's future seems sketchy to me. TiVo is one option--I'd get the Humax model with the built-in DVD recorder if I had to buy one today--but look at two others:

1) Get whatever DVR their cable or satellite company offers, the simplest approach;

2) Get a DVD recorder with a built-in hard drive, so you can easily archive recordings to DVD. It won't have TiVo's subscription fee; in return, you lose some of TiVo's recording features and options.

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Midland, Texas: Fav gaget?

Rob Pegoraro: The one I carry every day, the Treo 650.

And on that note, I gotta sign off--it's 4 p.m., and I need to make some calls before some people leave their offices. Thanks! I'll be here the same time next week.

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