Versa-tool-ity!

You know what toys to get for everyone else at gift-giving time, but what about yourself?

By Helen Thompson, Dec. 2005

Over the river and through the woods isn’t enough to get you to grandmother’s house anymore. But that’s OK. With global positioning system (GPS) technology, you can know exactly when to take that left turn. Or, if you have five holiday dinners among relatives and in-laws, perhaps you need a personal digital assistant (PDA) to keep track of where you’re going and when. You can place a phone call to Aunt Mary to let her know that you’re running late while snapping pictures of cousin Bill’s twins, because you know Mary will want to see them—but so will Andy and Karen. So you email them those files, along with a voice memo containing the whole family singing that song about the figgy pudding.

Before long, though, you might have the entire shelf in your utility closet dedicated to chargers and adapters for all the gizmos that keep you running through holidays, workdays and in-between daze.

Here comes Advisor Today to the rescue. Well, sorta. We went out and started your wish list for you: pocket-sized gadgets that fill more than one need at a time. We’re not sure why so many of these companies start with the letter “I,” but these all seem like good ideas. Now, all you need to bring along is the kitchen sink.

iMate’s line of PDAs
An entertainment system and personal organizer that fits in your hand, $500-$900
iMate isn’t the only company that’s trying to cram every single piece of technology into one box, but it seems to get the most nods from the technophiles who evaluate these things on their utility. Of particular note is the iMate Jam ($579), which includes a cellphone, a Windows-based PDA, a camera (for both photos and videos) and an MP3 player.

iRiver’s T-series
Digital voice and media recorders with FM tuners and MP3 players, $100-$200
Digital voice recorders can handle far more than the voice memo these days. You can record an audio version of your latest newsletter and fire that onto the web as an MP3 file for others to download. That’s known as podcasting, by the way. You can also use these guys to record your online conference call (with permission, of course) or your favorite financial radio program. The iRiver T-10 doubles as a satellite and FM radio that can replace your old Walkman; the T-30 is trimmer and more economical but lacks the FM tuner.

Apple’s iPod
Now featuring video players and 60 GB of storage space, $299
It took several decades for music radio to evolve to MTV; the iPod made the same leap in less than one. Those ubiquitous white earbuds are now connected to a miniature video screen that can display music videos, short films and television programs. OK, so this isn’t going to boost your productivity, but at least if you miss the latest episode of your favorite show because you were taking clients out to dinner, you know where to find it.

Garmin’s StreetPilot
GPS satellite navigation that you can sing along to, $1,200-$2,000
Garmin’s StreetPilot gets you where you need to go with preloaded maps that display on a pretty, full-color screen. The size of the screen determines your price-point, although higher-priced models have more video capabilities—presumably for your copilots’ benefit. Perhaps your best value is the StreetPilot 2730 ($1,300), which includes a complete suite of XM satellite radio offerings (by subscription) that integrate with the GPS functions. For instance, the 2730 can use XM NavTraffic data to automatically calculate and suggest faster alternative routes before you get caught in a traffic jam. The GPS unit doubles as an XM tuner, giving you access to some 200 radio channels, as well as an MP3 and audio book player.