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.

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 .

____________________

Rob Pegoraro: Welcome back--it's round three of our series of chats about buying tech gifts. Computers, MP3 players, HDTVs, digital cameras, cell phones blah blah blah... any and all questions accepted.

_______________________

Charleston, W.Va.: I recently read a comment by someone who was billed as an expert on televisions that CRT-screen TVs still offer better picture quality than LCD-screen TVs. Is this true? I'm looking to replace my 12-year-old Magnavox and am looking at either a flat screen Sony CRT or maybe a smaller LCD. But if the CRTs (which are cheaper) have better pictures, I'll stick with that "old" technology. Thanks for you comments.

Rob Pegoraro: I've heard that claim as well, but I can't say that I've noticed any real difference. More important, to me, is that nobody makes a CRT bigger than 36 inches these days, while LCD, plasma and projection sets come in far bigger sizes. They also don't weigh over 100 pounds and use a good deal less energy. I don't plan on buying another CRT again, ever.

_______________________

Severna Park, Md.: How about a holiday 2006 question?

Now it seems only a few DLP sets can display a 1080p signal. By this time next year will most hdtvs have 1080p or will it still be limited to high-end dlp sets? Will it be worth it to get 1080p capability for new hd-dvd and eventually 1080p channels?

Rob Pegoraro: No. Nobody's broadcasting in 1080p (the highest possible resolution in digital TV, consisting of 1,080 progressive scan lines) and nobody will anytime soon. You may get that resolution out of HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, but first you have to pick a side in that format war--i.e., risk dumping $1,000 or more on the Betamax of this decade.

Plus, you probably won't even see any difference in quality except on the very largest screens. I've studied 720p and 1080p images on the same-size sets, and the differences were at the extreme margin. Even the last marketing guy I talked to (somebody with Mitsubishi) said you couldn't see a real difference until you exceeded 52 inches.

In short, no need to worry about this.

_______________________

Laurel, Md.: Rob, I'm looking at non-iPod MP3 players. Some have less memory, but do offer SD card slots for expansion. How different is it to listen to music from a plug-in-chip vs. a unit's flash memory? Is the downloading process difficult?

Rob Pegoraro: There's no inherent difficulty, but the software any one player requires may make this more or less difficult.

_______________________

Kvetcher: After your last chat, I investigated Powerline networking. I called Belkin and got routed to India and was told that you can't use it if the two sockets are not on the same circuit. They told me the connection cannot run through a breaker box. I don't think that that is true, but she talked me out of buying the product. So my question is whether this is true and if it is, then what is the point of powerline.

My kvetch is: Why is all customer support for computer stuff, which we need the most help with, routed to a non-English speaking country? And why are all the people who answer the phone named "Sue" or "John"?

Rob Pegoraro: Not sure about the breaker-box restriction, but, y'know, it's my wife with the electrical-engineering degree, not me. I have used powerline networking at home and it worked quite well in practice.

Companies try to save a buck on tech support the way they try to save a buck everywhere else. It's their job to make sure that the customer still gets quality service when he/she picks up the phone--and I don't think the location of the tech-support rep, by itself, is going to determine that.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob. My Christmas present to myself (I mean, from my wife to me) is going to be one of the new video-enabled iPods. In February, we are flying to India. I would like to use my iPod as much as possible during those long flights, but the initial battery charge will run out before I'm even half-way there, and I may not have a power outlet at my seat. Is there a portable power solution compatible with the new iPod? Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: Yup, I see a few external battery packs listed in the Apple Store's iPod accessories page (look under the "Power" sub-category).

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Thanks for the chats, you have been very helpful to me in the past. My Mom wants a MP3 player for Christmas. My husband swears by his iPod and indeed I've had some trouble with my non-iPod player (RCA Lyra Jukebox). But what is the deal with the Nano prices? Why would I spend $250 to get a 4GB Nano when I can get a 30GB regular Ipod for only $50 more? I know the Nano is really small, but my Mom isn't going to care about that (she wants it for her car). More to the point of Ipod vs. other, why would I buy an Ipod when I can get her a 20 GB Creative Zen Touch (which seems to be highly rated) for $230? For the record, she has Windows Media Player and Windows XP. She also isn't too tech savvy so I need something that I can explain to her really really easily (and could provide tech support to her over the phone after Xmas, as we don't live in the same state!). Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: That's the magic of pricing strategy; Apple has lined up its models so that at each level, you only have to pay a little more to get much more capacity. You can easily convince yourself that you must buy the most expensive iPod--the $399, 60 GB model--just because it has the best GB/$ ratio. Everybody in the business does this... you just need to remember why you started looking for [type of gadget here] and not get into marketing-induced mission creep.

_______________________

Jersey City, N.J.: Looked at the PalmTurgestonE2 and would like to know if it is a. Wifi ready (like at a coffee shop etc) and b.Can the old Palm105m info be transferred to it or does all that info need to by retyped.? Grandma of 7(that why I need a palm).P.S. LOVE YOUR COLUMN.Have a happy healthy holiday to all. (d)

Rob Pegoraro: The Tungsten E2 only has Bluetooth, not WiFi. But you can buy a WiFi card for its expansion slot (overpriced at $100, though).

You can't use your existing Palm Desktop software, but the latest version has a new import module that will bring over your old data, but not the system settings of the M105 (which probably wouldn't work with the E2).

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: What is the difference between an ATSC tuner and an NTSC tuner? I read your advice that you would only buy a plasma or LCD that had an ATSC tuner, but when I look at TVs I only see NTSC.

Rob Pegoraro: ATSC stands for "Advanced Television Systems Committee." An ATSC tuner is a digital tuner--what you need to watch HD over the air now, and all TV over the air in the future. NTSC is short for "National Television System Committee"; that's analog.

Many digital sets now include ATSC tuners, but finding them in a store or online is difficult--there's no settled convention for describing a set with an ATSC tuner. It does amaze me how many HD sets do still come with only an NTSC tuner... why on earth would I want that component when it won't deliver any TV worthy of the screen, and when it will lose all its utility by 2008 or 2009?

_______________________

FYI: India is not a "non English speaking country."

Rob Pegoraro: Excellent point!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob -

To the person last week who's iPod earphones kept getting tangled up, here's what works for me: there's a little plastic thingy right above where the earphone wires separate for the individual buds. Slide that thingy all the way toward the buds before you store it away. It's less likely to get tangled that way.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks for the tip, D.C.

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: I'm hoping to watch a couple of DVD's on a long plane flight. Will spare batteries get through security?

Rob Pegoraro: Shouldn't be a problem. I've taken every manner of electronics through security lines, and I've never had any sort of problem on account of them.

_______________________

Boston, Mass.: Not a gift related question, but...I have had my iPod mini for just over a year now, and I am having major battery problems. Sometimes it shuts down on me after only 10 minutes. Other times I can get about 40 minutes of listening time in before the battery dies. What is going on? Is this normal? Part of me wants to use this as an excuse to upgrade to a video iPod, but another part of me doesn't want to spend $300 on something that will need to be replaced in a year.

Rob Pegoraro: Take it into the nearest Apple Store--there's on in Cambridge, I think--and tell the people at the Genius Bar about it. From what I've heard, they should simply issue you a new one (well, in this case, refurbished). That's not at all normal battery life; something's gone wrong with your mini, and Apple should be able to address it.

_______________________

Clifton Park, N.Y.: Hi Rob - Thanks for doing these chats. They are always so helpful. Any suggestions on a 17-23 inch LCD TV. I don't have a home theater or anything and am not looking to spend in the thousands, I just want a good picture from all angles and possibily wide-screen. I do want to hook up a DVD recorder and I only have basic cable, not digital if that makes a difference.

Rob Pegoraro: Remember my rant a minute ago about ATSC tuners? It continues here... I'd like to buy an LCD TV in this size as well, but not if it doesn't have an ATSC tuner--and none that small do as yet. Here's why: A set that small is likely to wind up as the second or third TV in the house, where the odds are much higher of it relying on just over-the-air reception. I don't want to have to buy a separate box in that case.

If you can deal with that shortfall, what you should look for in an LCD is a VGA or DVI input--so you can use it as a computer monitor in a pinch--as well as high-definition analog (component) or digital (HDMI) video inputs, so it'll work with an external source of HD programming later on. Remember, unless you plan on junking the set in three years, you most likely won't have analog TV to tune into; even basic cable may have HD content by then. Why buy a set that precludes watching any of that?

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: I have some old 'clunker' PCs sitting at home collecting dust. Some haven't been turned on in 4 or more years. In addition to their lack of 21st century disk space and RAM requirements, their video memory is very basic as well; although they are probably Pentium machines, the clock speed might only be 200 or so. My question relates to their potential use as a 'kids' computer. I am wondering if it would be worth it to replace the existing OS (probably Win 95) with a distro copy of Linux. I have read some articles on Linux and dabbled a bit with it myself but am nowhere near proficient. Although I have never installed anything on a -nix machine (only really used Knoppix - but very well I might brag to say), I am sure that once I have gone through it once, I can teach it to others shortly after. Can Linux machines play some of the old school kid's games (e.g., Reader Rabbit esque or even Kid Pix) that are native Windows apps? If all they really want to do is get online to play pbskids.org or nickjr.com games, will the ancient computer handle this on a Linux platform in a noticeably better way than a Windows platform would? Do they easily handle USB provided Wi-Fi? Since I won't have to deal with the overhead of the Windows OS slowing them down, perhaps a simple -nix install is just what they need to merrily click along while a dancing animal teaches them basic multiplication and spelling. What are your thoughts?

Rob Pegoraro: An old PC would definitely work as an Internet machine when equipped with Linux, but I'm not sure about your chances of being able to run KidPix under CrossOver, Wine, VMWare or one of the other Windows emulation/compatibility programs. Those compatibility layers can eat quite a few processor cycles in their own right... so, on reflection, no, I don't think that will work in practice.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: My partner has absolutely no sense of direction. After two years in DC, he still gets lost within two blocks of his office, and rarely drives without at least one wrong turn.

I want to give him a GPS guidance system for Christmas--one that will be suitable for walking as well as driving. I like the GPS systems I've used in rental cars, but have heard very mixed reviews from people who got one for themselves.

Can you recommend a system? And what problems can we expect in day-to-day use?

Rob Pegoraro: We've reviewed some GPS add-ons... here's our most recent roundup: Showing the Way More Affordably (washingtonpost.com)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: My parents would like to get themselves a digital camera this Christmas. I've counseled them about the key features to look for: 3-4 Mpixels, ignore the digital zoom, etc. However, their computer is a very old Dell from Jan 2000 which they won't be able to replace soon. Do any cameras stand out as better able to operate with little or no computer? Is this even feasible? My dad's idea is to evaluate photos on the little LCD (or maybe the TV) and do printouts at the supermarket.

Rob Pegoraro: Five years old is a long time in computing, but it doesn't make a PC unusable for basic photo editing and viewing. It does, however, make it more important to avoid overbuying on resolution; with only a USB 1.1 transfer and limited disk space and memory, a 5-megapixel JPEG can really slow things down. (A memory upgrade for the old PC, if it's going to stay in service for a while, would probably give it a lot more pep.)

_______________________

Olney, Md.: I have a number of analog camcorder tapes that I would like to transfer to DVD with a little editing on the PC. However, I do not have an analog input on the PC nor do I have a DVD burner. What's available to make that transition. There are a number of USB DVD burners but I don't know that they will handle the job. Most have no obvious video and audio inputs that could be connected to the camcorder. Any suggestions?

Rob Pegoraro: The simplest all-in-one solution would be, I'm thinking, Sony's DVDirect, an external DVD burner with its own analog inputs.

_______________________

Powerline Networking: I am an EE. As long as the two circuits are on the same side of the breaker box, you'll be fine (I'm talking about standard US house wiring that has 110V circuits on opposite phases that can be bridged for 220 for electrical ranges, dryers, and air conditioners). You --may-- even be ok if you're on the opposite side, depending on noise levels and how the power company has you set up.

Rob Pegoraro: Many thanks!

_______________________

Minneapolis, Minn: Hi Rob

I am about ready to buy two ibooks, one for each kid left at home, and a powerbook for me. Being a life time PC/Windows user this is a big change for me.

An Apple employee told me that you can't compare the stats between there computers and PC's. He said the Apple processor speed rating of 1.4GHz would be comparable to something closer to 2 GHz in a PC. Is this true? I mean it looks like you get more for your money with a Windows based laptop but they tell me "not really".

Also, is there any reason not to make the plunge now?

Thanks for your help.

Rob Pegoraro: You have to think of different megahertz ratings between different processors as you would costs quoted in different currencies... make that, two currencies where everything is pretty cheap. That's because most everyday computing tasks can be handled by even the slowest processor around. Unless you're editing or transcoding video, you may never find yourself waiting on the processor to complete a task. Instead, you'll wait when a program has to be "paged in" from the virtual-memory file on the hard disk to actual RAM (cure: buy more memory!).

The only reason to not buy an Apple now would be if you want to wait for the company to switch to Intel processors next year. Intel Macs will run fewer Mac applications than today's model, but they should offer faster performance at the few processor-intensive tasks out there. They should also allow you to set up a "dual-boot" system that lets you choose between Windows and Mac OS X each time you turn on the computer.

_______________________

Sunnyvale, Calif. Hi Rob, love the chats. Great review yesterday of the AIM Triton client. I think you captured what AOL has done to AOL Instant Messenger perfectly. What is interesting is that AIM developers are now blogging about AIM and attempting to work with the community to build a better client.

http://journals.aol.com/gregsblog/aimInfo

washingtonpost.com: Fast Forward: With AOL's Triton, the Message Sent Is One of Overmarketing , Dec. 4, 2005.

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks for the link. I'm glad to see AOL is trying to listen to customers. They've got a lot of smart users and some pretty smart folks working on software there, but my sense is that the marketing folks keep getting the final vote on product design.

_______________________

Hermosa Beach, Calif.: 70 Degrees and sunny out here today Rob...

Question on TiVo. Thinking of putting one in our bedroom, but there is no phone outlet reasonably close and I don't want to string a wire across the bedroom. (Cable outlet is fine - no problem there.) Would you recommend something like the wireless phone jack from Radio Shack, or possibly powerline networking to allow the TiVo to download program info?

Thanks for all the good info!

Rob Pegoraro: The snow is coming down in big white flakes here--hope it's a good omen for the ski season.

Your cheapest, simplest option would probably be to get a USB WiFi adapter for that TiVo. (BTW, how can it be that TiVo boxes still don't ship with any kind of networking hardware--not even Ethernet?)

_______________________

Reston, Va.: So, should I decide not to join the iPod hordes, what other mp3 players are good choices? I would like to someday get it hooked up to my car for long road trips. Looking for a decent but not MEGA storage. Seen TRIO MP3 Player and MP310 PLUS Truly Digital Player are these any good?

Also, has anyone figured out how to get rid of Winfixer??? I cannot get rid of it, even with Spybot. Windows updates are current too. After going online I saw a LOT of people having this issue.

Thanks!

washingtonpost.com:

Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: MP3 Players

AUDIO: Guide to MP3 Players

Rob Pegoraro: Those two links should get you started; unfortunately, I'm not familiar with either of the two manufacturers you cited.

As for WinFixer, Symantec's site has instructions on how to remove it manually (warning, registry editing required):

Symantec Security Response - WinFixer

Yeah, that's a pain. That's why--sorry, but I have to nag--you should think twice about installing random crap that some new-to-you e-mail or Web site insists that you need.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I just ordered an iPod 5G. I only have USB 1.1 on my computer. Would it be wise to be USB 2.0 adapter?

Rob Pegoraro: Absolutely. You'll be waiting hours and hours to copy over your music the first time, and even subsequent syncs (where you're not transferring your entire library) will take a long time.

_______________________

Madison, Wis.: Hi Rob,

I'm looking for a digital camera for fairly basic use, nothing too fancy, but nice. I read your article on buying digital cameras and the Canon SD200 Digital Elph seems to match most of your recommendations (except for the non-standard sized batteries, but I'm okay with that). I'm concerned, however, because a lot of the reviews on Amazon.com mention the LCD screen becoming cracked and unusable and it being prohibitively expensive to replace or repair. Assuming I'm a reasonably careful person, is this really something I should be worried about? Are the Canon Elph's screens really more fragile than other cameras' screens? And if so (or even if not), can you recommend another similar model that I should look at? Thanks!

washingtonpost.com:

Ground Rules for Buying on the Cutting Edge: Digital Camera

AUDIO: Guide to Digital Cameras

Rob Pegoraro: My wife has an SD300, and so far, she's had zero problems with it. It's a good little (emphasis on "little") camera.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Is there a program out there that will edit songs that you copy from CD's onto your computer? I have an iMac (older version) running Tiger software. My complaint is when I copy songs that flow together on the CD but are separated by track numbers. When I copy these to my computer (and then download them to my iPod or burn them to a disc), the computer recognizes these as individual songs, rather than one continuous song.

Similarly, I have trouble removing the gaps at the end of songs (typical when you get a bonus song at the end of a CD, and there are several blank minutes before the bonus song kicks in. That's a huge waste of space on my already crowded iPod).

Rob Pegoraro: If you've got iLife on your Mac, you can use GarageBand to edit the songs ripped from your own CDs (but not downloads from the iTunes Store). Or you can merge selected tracks into one long file in iTunes. You can also set iTunes--but not an iPod--to use "gapless playback," an option that flows one song into the next without a pause. It's under the Preferences menu, under the Playback tab.

_______________________

San Francisco, Calif.: I have Mac OS X 10.3.9 and I am able to play .mpg files but not videos in other formats such as .avi. My browsers are Safari and Opera, and I have QuickTime Player 7.0.2. What do I need to do to be able to play .avi files?

I always enjoy reading your columns.

Rob Pegoraro: Get yourself a copy of Windows Media Player for Mac OS X--a free download at www.microsoft.com/mac/

VLC (www.videolan.org) is another free option, although I don't think it comes with a browser plug-in.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: The story about your Mom's receiver brings to mind what happened with mine last year.

A couple of years ago I bought a brand-new Panasonic A/V receiver through one of the mail-order discount houses. I got all my stuff hooked up and it worked fine for just about a year (so it was still under warranty). Then one day I turned it on and nothing happened, except an obscure message code appeared on the display. I dug out the owner's manual and found a list of codes; the description for this one didn't identify the problem other than stating the device should be taken in immediately for repair.

Panasonic only has a couple of authorized repair shops in this area - none particularly convenient to me - but I took it on in. It took them a week to look at it and identify the problem (which I've since forgotten); then they had to order a part; and then I think that ended up being defective and they had to start over again. Meanwhile, I checked Panasonic's website and saw that they were offering a completely new line of receivers, the old models had been discontinued. So, after more than a month of weekly calls to the repair shop, I went to Circuit City and bought a Sony receiver. Eventually the repair shop let me know that my Panasonic had been fixed, so I went down, picked it up, and took it straight to the Salvation Army. (The Sony still works just fine, over a year later.)

Rob Pegoraro: It's a sad day when a computer can be easier to debug and fix than a stereo component, eh?

_______________________

Adams-Morgan: I have a low end Dell all-in-one color printer that is fine for text, but is horrible for color. Also, the replacement cartridges are expensive and can only be bought through Dell. What printer for home use would you recommend? I use it mostly for printing docs and web pages, but would like a printer capable of making decent copies of photos and CD graphics.

Thanks!

Rob Pegoraro: Get another all-in-one--it's just too convenient to be able to run off a copy of something. But make sure the next one is either labeled as a "photo" printer (meaning it uses more than four colors of ink) or can accept photo-ink cartridges in addition to the standard kind.

_______________________

New York City (Manhattan), N.Y.: I see in your pages that Verizon may sell The Yellow Pages. For many months now, I have been getting a No Service message when I try to access the Yellow Pages through Sherlock on my PowerBook 64. I can get limited Yellow Pages service via Dashboard but the White Pages are no longer available. Have they turned this into a For Pay service?

washingtonpost.com: Verizon May Shed Yellow Pages Unit , Dec. 5, 2005.

Rob Pegoraro: Not sure what yellow-pages site Sherlock accessed, but these days Verizon's online yellow pages are www.superpages.com

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Hi, Rob, I'm wondering what the best non-ipod mp3 player is for someone who wants it mostly to listen to audiobooks. (ipod doesn't support the format that allows you to download library books, which expire in a few weeks.) Would want to spend no more than $150, but want it to have a big enough memory to hold multiple chapters.

Rob Pegoraro: For library-book downloads, there isn't one brand or model that I'd recommend. Instead, look for a player that meets Microsoft's Plays for Sure requirements--this logo looks like a blue guitar pick, and it should list compatibility with both download and subscription services. That means the player supports time-limited Windows Media files, the kind that a lot of audio library book loans come as.

_______________________

GPS User, Fairfax, Va.: The person asking about the GPS said for walking as well as driving. The GPSs in the article you pointed out are more for driving only. Some GPSs that might be good for walking AND driving are those like the Garmin V, or the Garmin Quest or Quest 2. If most of the time you are in one area, the Quest might be the best deal since the prices have dropped since the Quest 2 came out. You might also want to check the forums at www.gpspassion.com, or even www.geocaching.com (GPS section) as there are a lot of GPS users who love to share their experiences and advice.

Me, I'm looking at the new 2730 coming out soon, with XM Radio included (and traffic and weather reports right on the GPS, so cool!!)

Hope this helps

Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, Fairfax!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: My parents, who are over 80 years old, have been using webmail for a few months but it is too slow and awkward for them. They are looking into a base laptop, they don't have room for a full PC setup, so they can search the web and do e-mail - nothing else. What are their minimum needs and what is the least they should expect to pay? Any suggestions or advice would be really appreciated.

Rob Pegoraro: Any laptop will do that. They all have enough processor speed, memory and disk space for Internet access.

_______________________

Vineland, N.J.: You say to never run two anti-virus programs at the same time. However, my ZoneAlarm Pro firewall seems to check for viruses and alerts me occasionally that my Norton antivirus is out of date even while the automatic updating of that program is still going on. So I would like to ask you: Does ZoneAlarm qualify as a full-fledged antivirus defense, does it interfere with Norton's antivirus, should I ditch one of these two, and if yes, which one? Thanks for enlightening me.

Rob Pegoraro: Depends on which one of several ZoneAlarm packages you're running. Some include a separate anti-virus utility, and that might be able to coexist with Norton. If so, consider yourself very lucky--and then pick one anti-virus app and get rid of the other, so you can stop paying two companies for the same service.

_______________________

Akron, Ohio: Rob,

I'm looking at replacing my old palm Vx and my cell phone with an all in one device. I can't decide whether to go with a Blackberry 8700 when it comes out for Verizon's network or a Palm Treo that runs on Palm or the new one that runs on Windows Mobile 5.0. These are tough decisions! What's your take???

Rob Pegoraro: Get the current Treo 650. It's available now, it's competitively priced and you won't have to learn a new interface. Blackberries are fine for retrieving corporate e-mail, but they're inept with home accounts, and their calendar/contacts/memo applications are crummy at best. And you don't know how long you'd be waiting for the Windows Mobile Treo, or how much Verizon will charge for it; I'd only wait for that if you also need WiFi in your cell phone, which the Treo 650 doesn't offer.

_______________________

Wheaton, Md.: My sister has been hitting iTunes pretty heavily, but does not have an MP3 player yet. It looks like I am stuck getting her an iPod, right?

I know you are a big fan of iPod, but I really cannot stand Apple products, and that the company has not been villified at all for not making its iStuff compatibel is a little furstrating (if Microsoft did this, everyone would be screaming). Is there any work-around for getting iTunes stuff on other devices?

Rob Pegoraro: Yes. Using another MP3 player will be a chore, and besides, your sister has already indicated that she, at least, has no problem at all using Apple's products.

You can convert iTunes Store downloads to MP3s by burning them to audio CD, then re-ripping them to the computer in MP3 format.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: An earlier questioner asked about the Canon Elph digital camera. My mother has a Canon Elph film camera, and it's tiny and handy, but the flash takes FOREVER to recharge between shots, so it's impossible for her to shoot pictures quickly. The digital version may not have that same problem, but a prospective buyer ought to look into it.

Rob Pegoraro: I don't think you can make too many valid comparisons between one company's digital and film cameras. I doubt you'd find many components shared between each line of hardware.

_______________________

Placitas, N.M.: Hey Rob,

My wife has dropped the 500 lb hint that she would like her own iPod for Christmas. My question is what are we getting into with a second iPod? Can we synch both to the same computer? If so, can we download different tunes to the different players?

Thanks,

Jess

Rob Pegoraro: Yes, and yes--the only trick would be setting up your own playlists, then telling iTunes to sync from only those, instead of the entire music library.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Is it just me, or is Firefox 1.5 seem slower than Mozilla 1.7? I like the idea of mean-and-lean Firefox a lot and it has some very nice features, but for now I've switched back to Mozilla.

Rob Pegoraro: Haven't noticed any difference in speed compared to 1.07. But I also haven't download and installed the full Mozilla suite in a long time.

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: I'm working with my parents to pick out a new computer system for them, likely a new iMac.

They would like to get a scanner (to digitize photos, nothing too fancy) as well as a new printer. Are the all-in-one printer/scanner/fax/copiers the way to go, or would a separate printer and scanner be preferable? Thanks.

Rob Pegoraro: Get an all-in-one. You can use it as a color copier, even with the computer turned off, and you don't need to sacrifice a second outlet on the power strip or USB port on the computer.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Rob, my question isn't gift-related, but I'm at my wit's end and I'm hoping someone has a clue out there.

So I've got iTunes, and I buy music at the online store. However, I'm forced to break the law, I guess, and then move the Apple copy-protected AAC files to a USB drive, authorize them on a friend's computer, and burn them to a CD as MP3 files since my iTunes has stopped allowing me to burn the aforementioned AAC files. Since I don't have an iPod (I have a different music player), the other alternative would be to take my desktop computer with me....very portable on the Metro, at the gym, etc.

I've tried uninstalling iTunes (multiple times), but I can't seem to fix this issue. Do any of the local technorati out there have a suggestion? (short of crying into my pillow, which I'm already doing, or dropping 200 bones on an iPod)

Rob Pegoraro: Any suggestions? I've only heard of people having problems with iTunes downloads maybe once or twice... did Apple's tech support (available only online for iTunes purchases, I think) have any useful advice?

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: Thanks for taking my question.

I'm not that technically savvy, but even I think that my brother's wireless notebook adapter isn't working properly. He can get it to work, but when he powers down his laptop, it won't work at the next boot-up. He ends up having to uninstall and reinstall the card software, and this is not without some difficulty.

I'd like to resolve this problem for him for Christmas. I called tech support for the adapter (Linksys--he has the "Speedbooster" adapter) and they basically blamed the wireless router (Westell 327W, which he got free from Verizon when he signed up for DSL). At least, I think it's a wireless router. I'm not sure if it's a modem, an access point, a router or some combination of the three. Which do you need to make a wireless connection work?

So--do I call Westell for tech support when the model isn't even listed in its discontinued models list? Buy him a new wireless router or access point or something else? If I buy him a new one, which wireless router would you recommend with his Linksys 802.11g notebook adapter (WPC54GS)?

Thanks for helping me feel less like a Luddite!

Rob Pegoraro: The advice you cite from Linksys makes zero technical sense. A wireless router--something that is never physically connected to the computer--cannot cause driver problems. Period. You should look for some updated drivers for the Linksys card, but if none are available and the card is still under warranty, ask Linksys to replace it. Otherwise, you'll do better (and spend less money) to buy somebody else's WiFi card.

_______________________

Boston, Mass.: Is there any workaround for running business-specific PC-only programs on a Mac that DOESN'T include using Microsoft's Virtual PC, and if not, is there any way you know of to use an ancient customized Lotus 123 worksheet on a Mac?

Rob Pegoraro: Nope, for that you've gotta run Virtual PC. Sure you can't export that 1-2-3 file in a format that Microsoft Office for Mac can use?

_______________________

Long Beach, Calif.: What device do you recommend to interface between analog devices (turntables, tapes, vcr) and the computer (mine's a MAC)to convert my aging collection to digital format?

Rob Pegoraro: Here's the story for you: Digital Transformation Revives Old Records (washingtonpost.com)

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Thank you for your great buying guide for digital cameras! It's helped me a lot.

I had a couple of lingering questions: (1) Will my girlfriend be able to use a digital camera on her aging Win 98SE system? I believe that she has USB 2.0 connectivity, but would it be really slow? (2) She's just going to take snapshots, and she usually carries a small purse, so I'm inclined to get her a tiny little camera. Are the proprietary batteries in those things typically rechargeable, or would I be going to Radio Shack all the time to buy new ones?

Rob Pegoraro: Yeah, you can view and edit pictures on a machine that old--which, BTW, probably doesn't have USB 2.0, as it wasn't invented until after 98 SE's retirement. Yes, the batteries in tiny cameras are all rechargeable.

_______________________

iTunes problems: Use Disk Utility to repair permissions. This worked for me once.

Also make sure you're logged on as the same user.

Rob Pegoraro: Good tip about repairing file permissions. That should be step one in any Mac troubleshooting procedure.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: How do I get two computers to share a printer. One is an old Intel III with Windows XP on it and the other is a one year-old IBM laptop with Windows XP Professional on it. The printer is hooked up to the desktop and I've done everything that I found on Windows web site but still can't get it to work from the laptop.

Thanks for any light you can shed on this.

Rob Pegoraro: If you've got a firewall on either computer, make sure it's set to allow file and printer sharing on your home network.

_______________________

Woodbridge, Va.: Is there a rational explanation why Inkjet printer ink is so expensive and why they can't standardize on a single cartridge form? If you go into any office/electronic store there's always a wall display with all kinds of different ink cartridges from the same manufacturer. It would seem if they standardized that they could simplify manufacturing and pass any savigs to the customer. I suspect it's a cash cow for the manufacturer and that they keep changing the cartridge form factor to minimze the potential for generic ink cartridges from independent manufacturers. I've tried the ink refill kits and they just don't work....

Rob Pegoraro: You pretty much answered your question in your question--manufacturers would have to spend a lot of time and money coming up with a standard for ink, and in return they'd lose one of their major sources of profit. (They'd also abandon the option to try to beat the competition with better ink--for instance, Epson will advertise that its inks don't run when they get wet, while HP can boast about longevity of its printouts.)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: With HDTV technologies (LDC, plasma, projection, etc) changing so rapidly, have any of them emerged as the leader of the pack in terms of quality and price?

Chris

Rob Pegoraro: No. It looked like plasma might get a decisive edge on price earlier this year, but LCDs' pricing has come down pretty fast as well in sizes below 40 inches--at least from some vendors. Plasma remains a better buy in most cases, but it's much closer than I would have thought.

Projection sets--DLP, LCD, LCoS--costs even less, but those sets have more limited viewing angles than LCD or plasma. I wouldn't buy a projection set myself for that reason; the only place for a set in our living room is one corner, which means a lot of people would wind up viewing the screen from an angle.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Do you know which types of cordless phones are most resistant to static interference from household appliances such as microwaves?

Rob Pegoraro: Don't get a phone that uses the 2.4 gigahertz frequency. 5.8 gigahertz phones shouldn't have that problem--they also eliminate one source of possible interference with WiFi networks.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Just a comment! I have been reading your press about Mozilla and after 17 years of frustration with Microsoft and IE I finally made the jump to Firefox. UNBELIEVABLE! I will never go back to IE. Thanks so much for the scoop!

Rob Pegoraro: You're welcome! Glad to be of help...

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Oh, cell phones are included here, great! My Verizon Wireless new-every-two has come due, and I'm looking to trade in my Verizon phone for a new one. Anything look good among the current phones? Or, anything in particular to look for or against?

Rob Pegoraro: The one gotcha with Verizon is Bluetooth. The company now offers quite a few models that offer this form of wireless data transfer--but all except the high-end Palm and Windows Mobile models have cripped Bluetooth, limited only to connecting to a wireless headset. All the other worthwhile uses of Bluetooth, like sending your photos to your computer wirelessly or synchronizing your address book, are rendered impossible. (Verizon says this is to prevent users from sharing "Get It Now" rented applications, but after careful contemplation I find that explanation, to put things politely, utter hooey.)

_______________________

Capitol Hill: My wife and I are buying ourselves one big Christmas present this year -- a new iMac to replace my old G3 tower. What is your advice on how to have it outfitted? Are the wireless keyboard and mouse good? What chip speed? How much memory? Thanks for the help!

Rob Pegoraro: I'd pass on the wireless keyboard and mouse. The wired keyboard is a) free, and b) includes two other USB ports. The wireless mouse, meanwhile, is still a single-button model, while the standard wired model is Apple's nifty, multi-button Mighty Mouse. Get 512 megs of memory, but make sure the computer has a memory slot vacant for future expansion. Chip speed isn't worth worrying about unless you edit video. Lastly, I suggest saving a few bucks by getting the 17-in. model, not the 20-incher--the larger screen costs several hundred dollars more, and it's too much money to have tied to a screen that can't be used with any other computer.

_______________________

Brick, N.J.: Hi, Rob: I have met you in the past; I used to manage the PC EXPO press office in its heyday. Quick question: In addition to downloading Google's free application, I want to buy one photo editing/album/organizer software. Some people have recommended Photoshop Elements, last week a semi-pro photographer suggested Corel's application (formerly Jasc), and a few others have said Microsoft. Which application is best in terms of ease-of-use, and the ability to get the most features for the best price? Thank you.

Rob Pegoraro: PC Expo... those were the days. I miss being able to hit a trade show by jumping on the Acela--beats having to fly 2,000 miles to Vegas. Anyway, get Photoshop Elements. It's easier to use, has some seriously powerful editing tools and is a better photo organizer in general.

_______________________

Minneapolis, Minn.: I am looking at buying another MP3 player but would like to be able to connect it to my stereo system directly and not use a FM transmitter. I am having trouble looking through specifications to find out if this is possible. Does such an MP3 player exist?

Rob Pegoraro: Sure--they call can, as long as you get a patch cable to run from the headphone jack to one of your stereo's inputs. You may also be able to get a dock that will also recharge the player while it's connected to the stereo.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Rob, I'm getting close to splurging on a plasma HDTV, but am still a bit uneasy about spending $2000 to $2500. What is the likelihood that prices will drop down to the high teens for a 42-incher during the next 3-6 months?

Rob Pegoraro: Pretty good... Amazon already lists a Samsung 42-incher for under $2,300.

_______________________

Anonymous: Verizon Razr, when and how much?

Any ideas for someone who's new-every-two is up?

Rob Pegoraro: According to this press release ( This Year's Wireless Must-Have Debuts at Verizon Wireless: The V CAST-Enabled Motorola RAZR V3c: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance ), it'll be available online starting tomorrow. $300 on a two-year contract, with a $100 rebate available off that price.

_______________________

iMac followup: Should I get the Bluetooth, or is it standard with all models? That way, I could get a better wireless keyboard and a wireless two-button mouse, no? (The wife really wants to get rid of unnecessary wires.)

Rob Pegoraro: It's standard. You should be able to get a good deal on a non-Apple Bluetooth rodent; I'd still get the wired keyboard, since it does add to the limited number of USB 2.0 ports onboard.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Do you have recommendations on portable XM receivers? There seem to be three on the market according to XM's ads.

Rob Pegoraro: I don't know that I'd get any of them. Their reception is just too erratic, plus, I don't want to carry around anything that requires me to clip a separate antenna to my shoulder or lapel. The option of being able to record XM broadcasts for later listening, but I'm not sure that doesn't outweigh the virtues of getting a smaller, cheaper plug-and-play receiver.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I want to buy myself a Palm for Christmas and my main uses would be appointments, reminders, keeping recipes and other memo type stuff. I would like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but not necessary - what do you suggest? I now have the M-130 Palm and it has served my purposes well. Guess there is nothing not expensive that has a replaceable battery though?

Rob Pegoraro: Palm doesn't make any handhelds with replaceable batteries these days--only Treo smartphones have that option. For the things you outline, you would probably be fine with just the $100 Z22. The screen on that is weak, but it's fine for viewing text data. Otherwise, the Tungsten E2 has Bluetooth for $199, and the TX adds WiFi for $299.

_______________________

New York: Rob -- have been having sound problems for a month now, 5-month-old laptop.

The problem is basically that anything audio (from the Windows startup gingle to any sound file) gets 'warped' or 'stretched out' or 'distorted'. The sound returns to normal after a while, but at the next new file it does the warp thing again, and then goes back to normal.

Was quite puzzled by it, checked the driver, updated it, uninstalled all of it, re-installed factory driver, updated driver ... didn't fix the sound.

Talked to Sony support, they suggested the same driver stuff I tried, and then directed me to Trend Micro to scan the laptop for spyware and viruses. Well, it found nothing. Never mind that I have Norton, and Ad-Aware, Spybot, Microsoft Beta, yada, yada, yada. (Suggestions for anything else?)

So. More digging on my part. I noticed an NVCPL.EXE in the startup list from msconfig. Did some research online and learned that it's a worm/virus. Since no software has found it, much less fixed it, I decided to take it into my own hands. I un-checked the startup process, and deleted the registry entry for the command. Rebooted, etc. Then I saw the deleted entry come right back in the registry, and the process is re-checked in the startup list.

What else can I do?

If I need to turn this over to Sony because of a fundamental hardware problem for the sound, is there an app you can recommend for backing up the system? I have 'Acronis' trial version right now, but I'm concerned about their proprietary file extensions (i.e., can't be read unless I buy their software).

Also, it seems that my 80 port is 'open' (not closed, or 'stealth'). I don't need it for serving webpages - how can I close it?

Thanks! Long journey, lots of questions ...

Rob Pegoraro: If you've got any sort of malware resident on your system, the last you thing you'll want to do is mirror the entire hard drive onto a backup device--you'll just inherit the same problem after you reinstall everything. What you need to do is just copy your own files and settings; Microsoft's Files and Settings Transfer Wizard is pretty good for that. Don't bother backing up applications; download and install new copies.

Any current anti-virus program should be able to remove this pest, but if it hasn't then you may just need to reformat the hard drive and start over. In that case, your first step after making that files and settings backup would be to use Sony's system-restore CD or partition to nuke your setup and reinstall everything from scratch.

_______________________

ATSC tuner follow-up: So as a second question about the ATSC tuner, you mention that you need it for over the air transmission. Is that only network TV or also cable TV? Is there anything else I should look for to make sure that the cable to television hook up is as seamless as possible?

Rob Pegoraro: If you get cable TV, look for a set that CableCard slots. These will let you tune in to digital/HD cable without needing a set-top box. You'll lose your cable provider's interactive program guide and the ability to order up pay-per-view or video-on-demand fare, but I think that's a worthwhile tradeoff to be rid of the cable box. (If, OTOH, you're going to rent a cable box that has a built-in digital video recorder, then you wouldn't need a CableCard slot at all.)

Also, make sure the set has an HDMI digital input, so it can be connected digitally to any cable box for the best possible picture quality.

_______________________

Anonymous: Razr "$300 on a two-year contract" OUCH MAN!

Rob Pegoraro: Hey, you want the coolest technology, you're gonna pay. That's how the cell-phone biz works!

_______________________

Linksys help: I may be too late to get this in, but for the guy who needed help getting a Linksys wireless network to work with a Westell DSL modem, try changing the IP address in the online setup to 192.168.2.1 (a tip I found online and that solved all the problems I was having when I also tried to get the Speedboost unit to work with Westell equipment).

Rob Pegoraro: Sounds weird, but I'll throw that out there.

_______________________

Queenstown, New Zealand: I need to replace my seven-year-old Palm Pilot V! What's the best gadget available now that will sync with my MS Outlook desktop?

Rob Pegoraro: The E2 and TX include Outlook-sync software, but also consider a device running Windows Mobile 5.0 (more complicated and expensive, but you do get an even tighter fit with Outlook that way.)

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I'm the one who asked about getting a USB 2.0 adapter for my computer since it only has USB 1.0. Any good adapters out there you recommend or are they all pretty much the same?

Rob Pegoraro: All pretty much the same, from what I've heard.

_______________________

Rob Pegoraro: It's 4 p.m., which means I've been pounding this keyboard for the last two hours--and I need to get some work done at my day job. Thanks again; I'll be here again a week from today.

_______________________

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.