13 Dec 2000 | Print  |

2000 Miscellaneous Gift Ideas

by TidBITS Staff

Lift Your 'Book -- Several readers recommended products that make using a PowerBook or iBook easier. To keep your lap from getting scorched, Shawn King <shawn@macshowlive.com> uses the Podium CoolPad from RoadTools. The CoolPad, a swiveling stand that allows air to help cool laptops, has appeared in previous gift issues; the new Podium CoolPad adds risers for increasing the keyboard tilt angle.

<http://www.roadtools.com/podium.html>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/05718>

George Simpson <georgesimpson@worldnet.att.net> suggests the LapStand, "a lightweight, metal device that quickly unfolds to become a portable desktop. It's easy to carry around (I use it in overcrowded conference rooms when I don't get a seat at the big table), and it is steadier than your lap. Plus, it doesn't toast your thighs!"

<http://www.lapstand.com/>

Help Your Eyes on Red-Eye Flights -- A PowerBook or iBook screen is plenty bright when working in low-light conditions, but the same doesn't apply to the keyboard. To shed a little illumination on your laptop's keys or the immediate surrounding area - without turning on an overhead light - consider Greg Zeren's gift suggestion: the $20 Kensington FlyLight Notebook USB Light, a small flexible lamp that plugs into a USB port. Power drain is minimal, and the LED light won't burn out like ordinary light bulbs.

<http://www.kensington.com/products/pro_cas_ d1334.html>

Solution for Graffiti Problems -- For those who don't like to write Graffiti into a Palm OS device, or just have too much data to enter, Mike Rohde <mike@rohdesign.com> puts the foldable keyboard at the top of his list. Originally developed by ThinkOutside, the keyboard is available from two resellers: Targus sells a version for Handspring Visor devices, while Palm sells the Palm Portable Keyboard for its handhelds. It's a full-sized keyboard with excellent key action, but folds down to roughly the size of a Palm III or Visor.

<http://www.thinkoutside.com/>
<http://www.targus.com/accessories_io_ specific.asp?sku=PA800U>
<http://www.palm.com/products/keyboard/>

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