Gear of the Year

The Toshiba Gigabeat S in white comes with 30GB of storage (model MES30VW, $300), and in black, with a 60GB capacity (model MES60VK, $400). This player runs Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system, supports an array of audio and video file formats. It is the first device compatible with the new Starz Vongo movie-download subscription service. You can view videos and photos in either portrait or landscape mode on the Gigabeat’s 2.4-inch screen. The device is particularly easy to operate when used in conjunction with a PC running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Connect the device to a Microsoft Xbox 360 game console to play music through your home theater system and give your video games substitute soundtracks.

Finally, the Pioneer Inno ($300) and the Samsung Helix ($350) offer something none of the above products do: XM Satellite Radio reception. Combine either of these players with an XM subscription ($12.95 per month), and you can not only listen to more than 170 channels of largely commercial-free music, news, and information on the go, but also record portions of the programming—including individual songs—and mix them with ripped and downloaded MP3 tracks in your personal playlists.

USB flash-memory drives—sometimes called thumb drives or key drives—have become about as commonplace as . . . well, thumbs and keys. Sure, they’re available in a gazillion shapes and colors, and some boast faster data transfer speeds than others. But such differences are largely insignificant for most users. A few select drives do distinguish themselves, however, by incorporating clever features and original design.

The Lexar JumpDrive Mercury has an external gauge that reveals how much storage space is still available. Despite the model name, the JumpDrive’s thermometer-like meter uses a new electronic ink display (the same technology found in the Sony Reader electronic book). The JumpDrive Mercury sells with 1GB ($75) or 2GB ($110) of storage. Its capacity gauge stays lit whether the device is plugged into a PC or not.

Go ahead and slip SanDisk’s top-of-the-line Cruzer Titanium in your back pocket. Available with 1GB ($75) or 2GB ($110) of storage, the metal-encased thumb drive can withstand 2,000 pounds of force without being crushed.

Kanguru’s Flash Drive Max is notable, not for how much force it can endure, but for how much it holds. The lower-capacity model offers 16GB of storage (for a whopping $630). If you fill that up, consider the 32GB ($1,500) and 64GB ($2,800) versions.

Minnesota’s own Imation offers the Flash Wristband, a rubberized bracelet that unclasps to reveal its USB memory key connector. A 256MB model in blue or black sells in retail stores for $37.50. (Tip: It’s easy to find it for half that price on line.) Authorized distributors offer other capacity and color options in bulk orders. Imation encourages organizations to customize the wristbands by imprinting logos on them and giving them out pre-loaded with promotional content.