Office workers and photographers employ their Macs for two very different purpose — one chemical group turns to the Mac to aid them get their job done quickly and easily , while the other is look to store , edit , and print digital images . Yet both disparate segments of the Mac universe have at least one matter in common — a slew of gotta - have gismo that will heighten their Mac . In this first part ofMacworld ’s Gear Guide , we reckon at half - a - dozen gadgets that will make ideal gift for the office worker or lensman in your spirit .
Office Workers
How to discern Them : They populate cubicles and position parks from Portland , Maine , to Portland , Oregon , and all points in between . They ’re apparel in business - casual and turn to their Macs to handle everything from preparing design proposals to file those tricky TPS reports . And they ’re a little piece burned out on the coffee mugs they ’ve receive as presents every twelvemonth since accede the workforce .
Why We piece These Gifts : Because ties are yesterday ’s word , nobody ever got stir about receiving a ream of copier newspaper , and those “ Hang In There ” posters with the cat dangling from the tree branch are n’t as easy to traverse down as you might imagine .
What You ’ll pass : $ 36 to $ 150 .
Other Ideas : agency prole calculate for slipway to get organized would be well - served by any one of nine software system deal available for $ 70 or less . AndMacworldcontributing editors Christopher Breen and Adam C. Engst also have some hypnotism for the respectable hardware and software system for Mac user working out of their homes .
Mood Indigo
For people who keep an heart on stock - market trends , local weather , or even the Homeland Security threat - tier status , Ambient Devices’Ambient Orbis the perfect desk accessory . Wireless cellular networks beam the information to the glass orb , which you plug into a even exit . The color change in sync with fluctuation in the data ; for example , when you ’re tracking the Dow and the mart is up , the crank glows green ; when it ’s down , the color changes to red . But there ’s a 20 - minute time lag for blood line - market datum , so do n’t make trades found on the Orb ’s color . intend of it as a climate annulus for your life.—PAMELA PFIFFNER
$ 150 plus $ 20 quarterly for premium service;Ambient machine
Silence Is Golden
We all have days when we need to hunker down and shut out out the sounds of our coworkers going about — or avoiding — their daily line . TheER-6i , from Etymotic Research , fit in your ears like earplugs to block out randomness while allow arresting sound quality , allow you take heed to a little Simon and Garfunkel — or to the real audio of silence.—DAN FRAKES
$ 149;Etymotic Research
Spyware
$ 36;Edge technical school
Photographers
How to Spot Them : At house get - togethers , they ’re the first ones to whip out cameras . You go out shopping with them to shop for a Modern digital model , and they ’re the ones enlightening the gross revenue clerk about the finer point of megapixels and optical zooms . They have to contend the itch to answer the phone “ Say cheese , ” and you half - surmise them of having pictures of their pictures .
Why We Picked These Gifts : If a picture is a worth a thousand words , an accessory to help people take those video is probably deserving a word of thanks or two .
What You ’ll pass : $ 17 to $ 700 .
Other idea : Assuming the individual you ’re shopping does n’t have a camera collection that would make Annie Leibovitz gullible with envy , you could also peruseMacworld ’s digital - tv camera reviews for our take on the latest models . But before you buy , be indisputable to consult our shopping guide as well .
Lighten the Load
With a bagful of tv camera gear , do you also need to cart a PowerBook or an iBook to your next shoot ? TheSmartDisk FlashTraxis an alternative to dumping digital image onto a laptop computer or carrying armloads of medium cards . The built - in 3.5 - inch screen is too coarse for detailed exposure reviews , but that ’s not the power point of this gimmick . A 20 GB , 40 GB , or 80 GB built - in strong disk stores your pictures and video ( taken from digital still cameras ) , and even contain audio files . Back at your Mac , associate via USB to mount the FlashTrax as an average hard drive on your screen background , or apply the picture - out port wine to hook it up to a television.—JEFF CARLSON
20 GB , $ 400 ; 40 GB , $ 500 ; 80 GiB , $ 700;SmartDisk
Seeing Nemo
Your heart may be looking at the bluest weewee you ’ve ever swum in , but your photographic camera sees only grey , foggy splotch . When your photo explorations take you into the ocean , commit in a waterproof housing for your digital camera . The OlympusPT-016features sluttish - to - press controller ( great for zooming ) and a flash diffuser , and it ’s waterproof down to 130 feet . A viewfinder hood lets you preview your effigy while you ’re still subaqueous , rather than making you wait until you ’re landlocked at dwelling house . take down that the PT-016 match only three Olympus camera ; we ’ve compiled alistof other housings and compatible cameras.—JEFF CARLSON
$ 200;Olympus
Tripod Mini
It used to be that every self - portrait you took showed your stretched - out branch . Now your camera ’s self - timekeeper have more - sophisticated ikon possible , but you ’re still balancing your camera on a rock . Try theHakuba Multipod . This miniature tripod extends to 10 column inch , yet it fold down to 7.5 inches and weighs a mere 4.8 ounces . The general nut - head mount fits small photographic camera , and the innovative clamp secures camera without a ass yarn — it even works for tv camera phones.—TERRI STONE
$ 17;Hakuba