1. Peek
If the BlackBerry is too techie or pricey for you, check out the Peek. It does one thing and one thing only: e-mail. This slender little device gives you BlackBerry-like portable access to e-mail (it's not a phone, organizer or anything else), but without the hefty fees; monthly service costs about $20 for unlimited access to your messages. The Peek doesn't work with corporate e-mail yet, so for now, it's primarily for Web-based mail. Still, for anyone who wants to keep in touch when they're away from a computer, it's a smart, handy tool.
Price: $99.95
2. T-Mobile G1
It's not as pretty as the iPhone, but the T-Mobile G1, the first smartphone to run Google's sleek new Android operating system, has a slick slide-out keyboard, a big bright screen and a lot of power. The "Google Phone" supports loads of applications downloaded from the online Android marketplace — games and programs, like encyclopedias, guitar-teaching tools and time-wasters like Pac-Man — and easily handles graphics-heavy applications such as Google Maps, Web browsing and video. The Android marketplace isn't as robust as the iPhone app store yet, but someday it will be, as more Android phones hit the market and developers start churning out apps.
Price: $179.99, plus monthly service fees
3. MacBook
The new MacBook is the most powerful, user-friendly and portable computer in its price range hands-down. It's faster than previous MacBooks, has sharper graphics, rarely crashes and has a sturdier aluminum shell. Apple has also made this improved laptop environmentally friendlier than any previous Mac offering by eliminating toxins from its construction materials. Best of all, the new MacBook is simple to figure out, right out of the box, and it's easier to connect to an external monitor. But if you still can't do without your PC-based programs, you can always run Mac's Boot Camp program, which allows you to toggle into Windows mode.
Price: from $1,299
4. iPod Touch
It was overshadowed by iPhone mania, but Apple's iPod Touch is practically as cool as its cousin. It's a fantastic MP3 player that not only plays music and games, but also stores contacts and calendar info. In fact, the Touch does most of the same stuff as the iPhone, minus the calling (and the monthly service and data fees). That makes it a great choice for Blackberry-addicts or anyone else who's happy with their current cell phone, but still wants the iPhone's perks. The iPod Touch has Wi-Fi connectivity and can run hundreds of apps and games from Apple's app store. It even has a feature the iPhone lacks: a Nike program that tracks how far you've jogged. Unlike other portable music players with clunky menus, the Touch also makes it easy to sort, find and play your choice of thousands of songs within seconds.
Price: $229 for 8 GB; $299 for 16 GB; $399 for 32 GB
5. Eye-Fi Explore SD Card
This 2 GB wireless SD card uploads photos automatically from your camera to whatever online photo service you like, whether that's Snapfish, Picasa, Flickr or anything else. The card can also beam pictures to your home computer's hard drive, which means you won't have to connect your camera physically to a computer to transfer images. Eye-Fi can even upload your images from hotspots while you're traveling, so you don't have to wait to get back home to save and back-up your pictures. The photos you upload can also be geotagged — automatically marked with longitude and latitude data — so, later on, you can retrace your snap-happy steps, if you forgot to input location info in your digital files. On some photo services, you'll be able to see your photos on a map according to their geotags. Millions of digital pictures are taken every day and 80% are never shared, but with Eye-Fi, you'll have no excuse not to send photos home to Mom.
Price: $129.99
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], the Eye-Fi Explore SD Card, and even that one isn't that worthy.