The folks at Canary Wireless captured the interest in 2004 of Wi-Fi spotters--folks trying to find scarcer Wi-Fi hotspots than exist today--with their first Digital Hotspotter. The handheld, battery-powered device went far beyond the other signal detectors of the day when it was introduced in Dec. 2004. The small LCD screen showed channel number, signal strength, network name, and security method, scrolling through the networks found in the area. read more...

You know you've always wanted one. Maybe now's the time to finally order one. The Leica C-LUX 2 ($500) is a 7.2-megapixel compact beauty with a 3.6x optical image stabilized zoom. While there's a much cheaper Panasonic version of this camera, rumors claim that the Leica model has a better lens and special contrast firmware settings, making it almost worth the extra dough.

The Mophie Bevy ($15) combines a couple things to create one pretty useful piece of gear. The keychain doubles (triples?) as a protective iPod shuffle case, bottle opener, and earphone cord wrap. Available in a rainbow of colors.

The Dash Express is more than just another automotive navigation system: it's a peer-to-per network with social components that can use cellular and Wi-Fi networks for communication. read more...

You don't really need an iPhone this year: just pick up the Nokia N810 and enjoy touchscreen action with a real keyboard and an extensible, open source OS that runs Skype, plays back Flash, and looks great on a dresser. While it's not really a media player, this mini-tablet is a cross between a full-fledged micro-laptop and a PDA. Don't let the size fool you - it has WiFi, Bluetooth, and can sync with almost any phone for wireless roaming. Nokia

Do you go hiking or camping a lot? Do you find yourself getting lost a lot? If the answer is "yes," then you should probably stop hiking or camping. Barring that, however, Spot could come in handy. Spot (SPT -- Satellite Personal Tracker) is a bright orange device, about the size of a PDA, that keeps track of where you are. read more...

I needed some headphones the other day. I was looking for a pair to try to and drown out the background noise at work. So I went down to my local Best Buy, and found a pair of Sony's for about $200. I figured this was the high-end. I mean, $200 for a set of headphones is pretty spendy, right? read more...

When the site for a product is unusably hip, you have to remember: It's for the kids. The Zipit site gives me a headache every time I view the Flash-only crazy navigation screen, but the product is compelling. The Zipit Messenger 2 ($150) includes Wi-Fi access for unified instant messaging--single buddy list--with AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger, as well as photo viewing, local music playback, and music streaming, all in a compact form factor. There are no fees for IM usage, and free access at 9,000 U.S. McDonald's locations (via Wi-Fi network operator Wayport) is included. read more...