Christmas is coming up soon, and this year more than ever people are going to be putting the new digital toys on their wish list. Whether it is for work or play, for yourself or your family techno gadgets are sure to find their way underneath you tree this year. And best of all these new technologies are becoming less expensive and more useful every year.

First, many people are buying digital cameras. Why? Because they are so much simpler and offer more features than a regular 35mm camera. With a regular film camera you hope you have taken that perfect shot but will have to wait until the film is processed until you know for sure. With the digital cameras you can instantly see if you got a great shot, if you didn't you can just delete is and try again without wasting a lot of film. You can then email your photos to all your relatives. Digital cameras are also costing less -- you can get a very nice (but not under powered) digital camera, the Kodak DC240, for under $500 from online stores. [http://shopping.yahoo.com/] Other cameras, such as the KBGear JamCam, go for as low as $100, although they're rather skimpy on the feature side of things.

Many people are taking their video digitally, too. Digital Video (DV) is becoming much more popular, Decktop software is becoming cheaper and easier to use allowing just about anybody to edit their home movies on their computer. You don't even need expensive upgrades to you computer to import video to you computer. More and more cameras can connect directly to you computer through the USB port. Practically every DV camera comes with a "FireWire", allowing you to just hook it up to your computer and copy over the scenes you want, edit it, and put the video back onto tape. Sony sells some nice DV cameras starting at less than $900.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to keep better in touch with friends and family, then why not do it on a new phone.

When you ready to buy, a good place to start is www.decide.com. At Decide.com you can investigate wireless service, portable phones, long-distance service, or prepaid cards. Then type in your own situational details, such as how and where you use your phone. Decide.com then presents you with a table of choices available to you. You can also find links to special deals and news about telecomm services and products.

If a wireless phone is in your plans, then check out these sites.

Everything Wireless [www.everythingwireless.com/] carries a big selection of cellular and PCS phones and accessories - even live customer service to answer your questions. Point.com will teach you what ever you want to know about wireless. You can choose from 4,000 wireless plans in over 50 markets and compare more than 200 types of phones. Then select from hundreds of accessories, including batteries, chargers, headsets and more.

Finally, ShopWireless.Com prides itself on offering its customers the latest tools and toys to suit your mobile computing, cellular, PCS, corded and cordless phone needs.

Another Great web site is [www.800.com/] with everything from TVs and DVDs to digital cameras and car audio. Defiantly a one stop place to shop. They even have the music and videos to play after you unbox and plug in your new entertainment device (don't forget to set the clock).

Let not forget the place for grown-up, high-tech toys and gifts. Sharper Image [www.sharperimage.com]. Check out their inline 3-CD Stereo, Wee-Bots, and Motorized CD Tower.

And finally, one more way of avoiding the crowds at the mall and save some money at the same time is to visit sites where you can also look for great deals yourself. One good site: www.dealofday.com -- which lists dozens of new deals on a daily basis, some featuring discounts of 50 percent or more at selected stores. You can also call or e-mail the customer service center at stores where you plan to make purchases to ask about any current offers.

This has always been the time of year that families get together to recall fond memories and create new ones. It is also when we reach out across the many miles to the ones that we are not able to have with us and share with them the things that mean the most to us. Our thoughts, our hopes, and our connection to those we love. A Stamp on a letter or card during the holidays is more valuable that an emailed greeting but a picture is still worth a thousand words.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday this year and when you are wrapping that perfect electronic gift this year, for yourself a friend or your family, don't forget to by the batteries.

Happy holidays!

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