Usually,  a portable laptop costs in the neighborhood of $2,000.  Now, with the decreasing cost of computers and rising competition among computer manufacturers, you can land yourself a solid portable laptop at a reasonable cost.

The Toshiba U405-S2830, at $1,150, is a 3 lb tiny laptop that packs some big specs in it.  It has a huge 250GB hard drive and it lightning fast at 2.1GHZ duo core processor and 3GB of RAM.  Throw in a bunch of built-ins: webcam, microphone, 3 USB ports, fingerprint reader, speakers, 802.11g, and DVD burner. 

This laptop is a good choice, and should require any computer upgrades anytime soon.

It’s not easy to find an easy GPS to use.  Some might look user-friendly…and then the many buttons and clicks makke it difficult to navigate (pun intended).  What’s a directionally-challenged, lost soul to do?

Garmin’s Navi 660 makes finding your destination a snap.  First of all, the graphics and screen is very easy on the eyes.  No squinting is necessary.  Also, you may request voice or just on-screen point-to-point directions.   The GPS picked up directions under a minute and got back on schedule after making stops.

Notable features are: mp3 player, language translater, and bluetooth connectivity with you cell phone.  If your phone rings, the GPS becomes quiet.

Overall, this is a great GPS is a steal at $350 - 750.  And best of all, it doesn’t require an IT department to set it up.

Advertising in the computer industry makes it vyer easy to know the giants: Dell, IBM, Apple, Sony, and HP.  But, in the gaming industry, just like the skateboarding industry, advertising is not prevalent for two main reasons: lack of funding and it’s just not cool to go mainstream.  In a market of underground or word-of-mouth, it is not easy to find a suitable gaming system with a reliable warranty service. 

Gaming systems are choc-full of high-performance components, such as dual-head 512MB video cards, Quad core duo processors, high-end motherboards with multiple cooling systems.  Basically, imagine a regular Dell computer and multiply the performance by 5 times and quantities of 4 for every part supplied.  So, the support for these systems are more important than a common computer because the maxed out components are more inclined to fail or need tweaking.

For gaming systems, Dell does make them in the XPS 720.  However, although we are big Dell fans, we immediately reject their gaming product line as several of their gaming machines bought for clients froze, crashed, or were slow, and needed to be recalled for refunds.  Alienware is another well-known gaming system.  We have had good results with them, but their compuer support system was very lax with replacements.  HP and Sony are also starting to produce gaming machines albeit it is not their specialty and we would wait awhile until we hear consistent performance results.

Our winner among the masses of gaming systems is Xi Computer Corp.  They have been consistently reviewed as the best gaming machine and highest performance machine by PC World and CNET.  Tests have shown that Xi is the fastest computer out there.  It may be used as a gaming system, but has also been touted as the higher performer for Autocad software, a demanding application that requires multiple layers of processing and rendering.  What really impressed us is their warranty support model.  Just last week at 4PM we called up Xi for replacing a failed motherboard.  We were on the phone for all of 3 minutes and after proving the RAM and hard drive are okay, they authorized a motherboard replacement.  In 4 minutes, we were emailed a form to fax over for us to authorize we will send back the failed motherboard or be charged for the new one they’re sending.  Hey, the motherboard costs almost $700 so they have to be sure they’re not sending a free part.  We faxed it back and got the new motherboard by 9AM the next morning!   Amazing!  No 3-5 business days - instant gratification indeed.  The new motherboard was replaced and the system works like a charm again.  For their performance and top warranty support, Xi is now our favorite high-end gaming machine.

The x300 is the newest Lenovo, formerly IBM, laptop model.  It is dazzling consumers and achieving well in performance tests.  More notably, it is competing fiercely with the Macbook Air, or actually trumping the Apple thin product.  It has a 13.3 inch screen like the Air by has a better resolution on its display. 

Here are some more of the Lenovo x300 specs:

• spill-resistant keyboard
• glass-fiber exterior protects the hard drive like a Toughbook to prevent data recovery
• only 3.4 pounds
• includes a DVD drive, not an external one like the Air
• 1.2GHZ core 2 duo processor & 2GB RAM -> faster than the Air
• 64GB solid-state, sturdy hard drive
• 3 USB ports, monitor port, webcam, headphone jack, internet & wireless
• easy built-in backup and Windows restore partition

We like the x300 over the Air pound for pound, or spec for spec.  However, we’re not happy about the smaller 64GB hard drive offered whereas the Air has more storage space available.

If you’re bored with your standard beeping alarm clock or want to get a cool gift for your friend or family, get the Chumby.  It’s a clock that’s connected to your wireless network.  It has a 3.5 LCD screen that displays streaming radio stations, videos, news, entertainment, and weather.  You can have it pull up MTV, CBS, The Weather Channel, AOL’s Shoutcast, Scripps Networks, and MySpace.  So, you can set this alarm clock to wake you up at 6AM with the weather forecast of the day in video, or get moving with MTV videos .  You may also set it up to view your own photos and videos.

Another feature the Chumby provides is the ability to create widgets through a pre-set gallery.  You may display your Gmail, daily horoscope, Facebook updates, sports scores, latest news clips, stock quotes, eBay auction updates, and more.  Overall, it is a nice way to stay up to date right when you wake up and without having to wake up your sleeping partner.  This little device is also a nice way to view your online info where your computer typically doesn’t go (i.e. bathroom, small kitchen, etc.).  And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a computer technician to figure out how to set it up!

Sometimes, I bet you cringe when going to restaurants because of either the overzealous restaurant server or the rude waitress.  Now, you can avoid those protocol pleasantries by ordering your dinner through a tough-screen computer.  That’s right, a computer!  New e-menu computers are being offered to restaurants so patrons can see images of the food they want to eat, and then touch them to order.  After touching the food, the order is electronically processed and sent to the kitchen computer so the chef can cook it to order.  While waiting for your food, you can play video games on the computer.  Pretty cool!

Microsoft has taken this step further by releasing a computer that becomes your tabletop.  This was launched in November of 2007, and has been slow to take off.  Maybe the $5,000 - $10,000 has something to do with the slow take-off.  These Microsoft tabletops can be a good idea for restaurants also by allowing the full menu to be right on your table.  Several hundred more studies must be done before Microsoft can target the right industry groups. 

Lacie has a new Ethernet Disk Mini - Home Edition Server that is a great solution for your home.  There are home servers now costing $2,000+ that will store files, administer permissions, and backup.  For only $210, you can do the same thing with Lacie.  It has 500GB to back up music, pics, and docs. And the Home Server looks like an external hard drive instead of a big unit.

• What’s in the box?
• 500GB of storage space
• Mac/PC compatible
• HipServ software to administer folder permissions - block the kids from your folders or provide access to everyone
• DesktopMirror software that backs up and restores your computer files
• Access your files from outside your house via a homelacie.com personalized website address
• E-mail friends and family to view certain folders via a give website address.

The last feature is very cool.  How many times does a family member e-mail you a link to their pictures?  All the time I’m sure!  Now, you can provide access to a bunch of folders on your external hard drive to your buddy or parents.  Don’t worry - you can give access to just some folders for view pictures.  You can even give access to iTunes songs so you can have friends stream the music to their own computers.  This is all over the Internet.  Definitely a thumbs up on this product!

In the light of the Consumer Electronics 2008 show and the MacWorld Expo, New York Computer Help would also like to showcase some cool gadgets.  These are the gadgets that are not the productive beasts like a the MacBook Air or TouchScreen Dell Laptop; however, these are the gadgets that will breathe some life and personality to your computer environment.

Here’s our top 5 tech gadget favorites:

1. Laptop vacuum:  A mini vacuum to clean up all of your keyboard crumbs, dirt, and left-over snacks
2. Aroma diffuser:  How about a little nice aroma while you’re working.  Plug this into the USB and say “Ahhhhh.”
3. Desktop light:  Need a little light at night while at your computer.  This Homer light will give you light.
4. Procrastination protector:  If you like to play games or goof off at the office, this stealth switch allows you press it to clear your screen quickly of your unprofessional windows and another step brings it all back.
5. Cool power surge protector:  A fancy outlet strip and one all cords can fit into

The Pleo, created by Ugobe, is the newest companion robot.  It is a dinosaur that reacts to your movements and expressions.  If you hug it, it will say “Ahh” and vibrate.  If you throw it, it will cry.  If someone runs up to it quickly, it will bark like a watchdog. 

How does it work?  It actually has an operating system running in it called Life OS.  Life OS, as Windows XP and Mac OS 10.4, has been programmed to its consumers’ lifestyle.  Instead of programming Internet Explorer or Microsoft Word for productivity, Life OS is tailored for reactionary emotions, and even allows consumers to train the dinosaur how to act when given certain movements or expressions.

At $350, this robot could now be more of a reality.  This might be a good present for kids, adults, or those who just need company.  Who knows - this might replace the everyday dog or cat companion.  For those who watched iRobot, and may be cringing right now, let’s just hope there’s not a bad chip out there.

Computer hard drives are getting much larger nowadays and the current challenge is being able to back up all of your important files.  For those of you who are road warriors or on the run all the time, it is not convenient to carry large external hard drives.  So, the more portable way is to carry a sizeable USB flash drive, a.k.a jump drive, a.k.a thumb drive, and a.k.a small gizmo.  

The typical flash drives go up to 2GB, but now there is a new 8GB flash drive that is still small.  Many flash drives that get to 4GB, 6GB, or 8GB, or more start beefing up in size, but Lexar now makes a nice, portable, sleek 8GB USB flash drive that can still fit in your pocket.   Lexar makes 2 8GB models:

1. Secure II Plus - This $159.99 model contains a meter to show how much storage you’ve used.  There is even some security to block possible thieves from accessing your files.
2. Firefly - A shorter and stubbier model, at $149.99, comes in black, white, and gray.

These USB drives are the first found that are still mobile and large enough to hold your important files.