Tech gadgets worth the money

Well, I finally have time to look at a few products worth a look.

"My Mail List Deluxe" is a high-powered mailing list software that can be used for everything from Christmas card lists to bulk mailing. In fact, this software's strength is bulk mailing. A small business could save significant postage costs by using this software to correctly format addresses and sort bulk mail.

It also can send e-mails at a certain schedule or to a certain group.

It actually is two programs; a contact database and mailing list software. (This ZIP+4 sorting component needs to be updated every 12 months, so keep that in mind.)

The software, from Avanquest Publishing, costs $42.99. You can get details on www.avanquest.com.

• Second on my list is the Microsoft Optical Mouse 3000, a way-cool mouse for both PCs and Macs. Sure, sure, another mouse. However this one is a near-perfect mouse for laptops. It's small, optical and has built in magnification and sideways scrolling built in to the tilt wheel.

All you do is insert the USB cable into the PC or Mac and the mouse springs to life. That's it. Is it perfect? No. I would adore this mouse if it were wireless, which, alas, it is not. (Why can I never find a mouse that offers me everything?)

The other Microsoft mice for notebooks are wireless, with a way cool sending unit that fits into the bottom of the mouse.

Anyway, this one is about $29 in most stores. If you can handle a cord (and need 1000 dpi reliability — perfect for gaming) then this one is for you. See it at www.microsoft.com.

The final section would be Jim's top 10 tech gifts of 2005.

• Best laptop for the money: Dell B120. Cheap performance. Get 512MB of RAM.

• Best laptop, period: Apple Powerbook or iBook.

Take your pick and roll the dice. I prefer the looks of the cool plastic iBook, but any way you go with the Apple you'll be in love.

• Best MP3 player: Apple iPod Nano. I know, you can't find one either, but you can get a regular iPod, too, especially if you want to watch TV on a very small screen. Either way you go, the iPod rocks. (Why did they discontinue the Mini?)