Gifts, Gadgets and Tech for the Holidays

Rugged Reliability
Meet the Rocky Balboa of portable hard drives. Where most tech gadgets are fragile and users are rightly fearful of the pains of breaking them (not just the painful cost to replace but also the potential for lost data), the 500GB Rugged Portable Hard Drive from ioSafe is in the ring for the duration. About the size of a paperback novel, the PC- and Mac-friendly drive offers crush protection of up to 5,000 pounds, can be dropped from 20 feet and can even survive submersion in up to 30 feet of water for three days. It features USB 2.0, 3.0 and FireWire 800, works with Macs and PCs and includes a data recovery service. ($249; www.iosafe.com)

Organize Your Paperless Office
Paperless this, optimized that … but if you don’t get your office organized, you’re simply moving toward digital disarray. The NeatDesk Desktop Scanner from NeatCo wants to be your new office manager and has a powerful resume. The high-speed desktop scanner features automatic document feeding of up to 50 pages, has “intelligent text recognition” technology that can pull important data from scanned items, saves files to searchable PDF and Word, and can export data to Excel, Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax. As an extra boost, the scanner comes with a digital filing system that automatically organizes files, helping users be more efficient. ($399; www.NeatCo.com; www.OfficeDepot.com)

Hot Laptop? Think Cool!
Whether or not you’ve got the latest Netbook or laptop, if the device literally gets hot, you could be in trouble. The excess heat isn’t just uncomfortable on your lap, but can also damage the computer. Don’t worry, though, just think cool and check out the HeatShift Netbook Cooler from ThermaPAK. The stylish solutions are a pad made from eco-friendly cooling crystals that absorb and dissipate the heat from the device, lowering temperatures by more than 10 degrees. Even better, this essential tech accessory fits easily in cases, doesn’t need power and doesn’t make any noise. Available in various colors and styles for laptops and Netbooks. ($25-$28; www.thermapak.com)

Rest Assured, Your Data is Safe
Hard drive crashes can happen to workstations, servers and even backup drives, but the Drobo S can keep all of your sensitive firm and client data from disappearing even if that happens. With multiple hard drives in the single Drobo unit, users can constantly keep a mirrored copy of all of their backed up data. With the ability to hold up to five hot-swappable hard drives that you can add when you need more space, the powerful and superfast Drobo S offers up to 32 terabytes of storage, automatically performs backup and configuration, and has USB 3.0, eSATA and FireWire 800 connections. If your data is important and you have a lot of it, nothing can keep it protected like Drobo. ($799; www.Drobo.com)

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FOR WORK OR PLAY

Keep a Watchful Eye
What’s happening at your office when you’re at home? What’s happening at home when you’re at the office? The bad guys can quickly figure out personal schedules and target your property when you’re not there, but the new Logitech Alert 750i Video Security system makes it easy for you to set up your own security system with multiple wireless video cameras. The system syncs with your PC to offer viewing of the live video feed from any computer or smartphone, and can be set to automatically record video with motion-triggered sensors. Alarms can be set to alert users to activity. Even better, the wireless connectivity and HomePlug technology makes the Alert simple for anyone to set up. ($399; www.logitech.com)

Smarter Mobility
Tired of spending $100 per month or more for your smartphone plan, plus having to be locked into it for two years? Maybe it’s time to “right-size” your wireless with H2O Wireless. With no-contract text, talk and web plans starting at $40 per month (or the option to go minute-by-minute) and a variety of 3G and 4G devices from which to choose, users can finally breathe a little wireless freedom. They also have an Unlimited Everything plan for $60 per month that includes talk, text, picture messaging, unlimited Internet and free international calls. Plus, the $10 SIM Card Starter Pack is a perfect stocking stuffer, allowing anyone to transform any existing phone into a no-contract H2O phone, including unlocked Droids and iPhones. (From $40; www.H2OWirelessNow.com)