The Du@lPhone is a conventional cordless digital (Dect) phone with which a tech-lover can also make free, or at least cheap, calls, if both parties have signed up to the Skype internet-telephony service (www.skype.com). After setup, making calls is merely a matter of pressing a button to select friends around the world — or dialling their number — even if they own a normal phone. If the person is also running Skype, the call is free. Clarity of Skype calls is dependent on the reliability of the broadband connection, and, by current Dect standards, the handset is no looker. However, being wireless, it frees you from sitting at the computer while using Skype, and is straightforward to use, given its sophistication. Even better, it works as a standard Dect phone for both incoming and outgoing calls if your computer ()is switched off, thereby providing the best of both worlds. NP
6 POTENT COPILOT
TomTom Go 500 Satellite Navigation — typically £470 (with cradle and maps of Britain, France and Spain), or £375 from www.comet.co.uk
Driving with satellite navigation is immensely satisfying, especially when your sophisticated satnav system can team up with a Bluetooth phone to provide hands-free calls and live traffic information. There is a chance that the subscription cost of such traffic info (about £40 per year), and the data charges it adds to a mobile bill, might reduce your smile by a molar or two. Then you recall that the classy TomTom Go 500 — which, as it relies on flash memory, is less fragile than the pricier, hard-drive-based Go 700 — was much less expensive than an installed satnav system. Support is lacklustre, but the TomTom is far easier to use than most add-on GPS gadgets and, best of all, you can instantly move it into any other car. Ah, you’re grinning again. FM
7 A MILLION LOVE SONGS
Twelve-month Napster to Go subscription — £180, or £15 per month (basic subscription £10 per month), at www.napster.co.uk
Immerse yourselves in an ocean of sonic delights by signing up your tech-lover for a year’s listening with Napster. Doors has reservations over the sound quality and restrictions of legitimate music services, but £15 per month represents value when you can stream or download unlimited tracks through a Windows-based computer with broadband (though you must pay extra to burn them onto CD). This is fab if you listen to music on a Media Center computer, or have plugged a compatible WiFi audio receiver, such as the Roku SoundBridge (www.rokulabs.com), into an existing stereo. Even better, your tech-lover can transfer any of this music onto up to two portable players — from the small compatible selection — making it feasible to share one account among a family. Napster’s software is less elegant than iTunes, and tracks won’t play on iPods, but with as many innovative ideas as Damon Albarn, music to rent becomes an enticing buffet for those determined to stay legit. AP
8 WIRE-FREE HOME CINEMA
Yamaha YSP-800 — typically £600, or £549 from www.digital-point.co.uk
There’s no disputing the visceral thrill of surround sound as Harry Potter’s broomstick swoops overhead, but most of us would rather avoid having our homes festooned with speakers. The solution is a "virtual surround" system, which mimics the effects of conventional 5.1 surround speakers. Despite their tantalising promises, few have worked, until now. Yamaha’s YSP-800 is the guts of a home cinema system in one cunning box (you must add the DVD player and television). It houses 23 tiny speakers, handles all the fancy-pants sound processing and is surprisingly effective, though any thunder would be boosted by the addition of a small subwoofer. Best of all, it will be up and running in minutes. So, if your tech-lover fancies adding instant surround sound to your lives — or isn’t allowed to snake cables around the living room — all their Christmases have come at once. AK
9 REMOTE VERSATILITY
Logitech Harmony 525 Universal Remote Control — typically £70, or £53 from www.cclonline.com
The two essentials for any tech-lover on Christmas Day are a swish home cinema system, to keep everyone occupied (see Doors, Oct 9) — and enough patience to find the right remote if it does something unexpected. The Logitech Harmony 525 is that rarest of species: clever technology that makes life easier. This classy-looking universal remote knows exactly what to turn on when you press the "Watch TV" button. Even better, if you later hit the "Watch a DVD " button, it cunningly remembers that the television is switched on, changes to the right channel, then fires up the DVD player and home cinema amplifier. Beforehand, simply connect the Harmony to a USB socket on your PC or Apple Mac, tell it what equipment you have, using Logitech’s online database, then quietly place all your other remote controls in a cupboard. FM
10 EASIER THAN DAB
Acoustic Energy WiFi radio — £200 from www.play.com
This, the world’s first WiFi kitchen radio, makes even posh DAB models, such as the Tivoli, look old hat. This new "radio" cleverly exploits a tech-lover’s wireless broadband connection to access thousands of free internet radio stations worldwide, and it works independently of your (PC or Mac) computer. Setup is easy: the device automatically finds your WiFi network, then uploads the station listings alphabetically. You scroll through them with a tuning knob, then select or store. As with the latest DAB designs, there is also a nifty "listen again" feature. It’s no trickier to use than DAB, and easier than analogue. Internet stations vary in sound quality, but with this bedside-sized box, better stations sound crisp and detailed — perfect for the kitchen, too. Indeed, the Acoustic Energy sounds best when playing MP3 or AAC music files wirelessly from a computer, though not paid-for iTunes files. Some day, all radios will be made this way. DP
Prices include Vat and delivery
Contributors: Tim Danton, Andy Kerr, Fraser Macdonald, Alex Pell, Nigel Powell, David Price
