Motorola's new Droid phone from Verizon is an exciting new smart phone that will exceed most expectations of those that buy it. While it has a number of elements similar to the iPhone, it has many unique features that chart new territory. It's a phone that's greater than the sum of its parts.

Just a few years ago, handheld personal navigation devices (PNDs) from Garmin, TomTom and Magellan were all the rage. But no company in high-tech can rest on last year's product. PNDs that were $300 just two years ago are less than $150 today and some may be selling for as little as $49 by Christmas.

Accompanying all of the elegant portable devices we use are inelegant ways of keeping them charged; ugly power adapters that seem like afterthoughts, tangled wires and never enough outlets. That has spawned all sorts of creations, from chargers with multiple tips to power strips with rotating sockets, to charging stands that accommodate multiple devices.

One of the hottest new products this year is the e-book reader. While sales numbers pale in significance to smart phones and computers, in a year during which most product sales are flat or down, eReader sales are experiencing growth of nearly 100 percent. This year's sales will reach close to 3 million units, made up mostly of products from Amazon.com and Sony.

When Microsoft introduced the tablet notebook eight years ago, Bill Gates heralded it as the future of computing. It would be used to take notes and translate them into text, let you read and annotate documents and books, and offer much more versatility than a laptop. In 2001, Gates predicted that within five years, "the tablet PC will be the most popular form of PC sold in America."

Oct. 22 will be a big day for Microsoft, the computer industry and users, alike. It's the day that the much-anticipated Windows 7 formally goes on sale. It's a much-needed product that's intended to replace Vista and XP.

Howard Stringer, Sony's chairman and CEO gave a moving, serious speech during the Monday dedication of its new eco-friendly, U.S. electronics division headquarters.

If you're searching for a car with some of the most advanced gadgetry and state of the art technology, the Audi Q5 should be near the top of your list. That's my conclusion after spending a week with this superb 2010 model. The Q5 is Audi's luxury compact SUV that's built on the A4 platform. Its higher center of gravity provides the driver with a commanding view while still retaining the sports car performance that the Audi A4 is known for.

DEMO, the conference that showcases new technology products for business and consumers, offered up more than 70 companies to the press, investors and technology executives at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina this past week.

Early reviews of a new product capture the features and first experiences. But often those first impressions turn to disappointment as the novelty wears off and the flaws begin to surface. After using the Palm Pre for 100 days, I thought a more detailed review was in order.

Wires are out and wireless is in. It's obvious by the hundreds of new wireless devices introduced each month.

Even though computers are getting smaller and lighter, we seem to be dragging more and more stuff with us. That's made the rolling briefcase one of the most popular pieces of travel luggage. Fully loaded they can weigh 25 to 35 pounds, but can be easily pulled through airports and offices.

It's no secret that cell providers have tried for years to control what features are on our phones in order to maximize their revenue.

It's that time of year again, as students head back to college. Here are 14 useful tech products that provide both good value and good design.

Six years ago, the dream was to build a digital SLR (DSLR) camera that could rival the results of a film camera. Today there's a wide assortment of cameras that do just that starting at about $600.

Some of us have a problem of being so immersed in our work that it's hard to get away. Blackberrys, iPhones and portable computers allow us to be reached via phone, e-mail and instant messaging wherever we are, at any time, night or day. For some, myself included, staying connected has become an addiction.

Ford's new Fusion is one of America's first serious answers to Toyota's hybrid models, specifically targeting the Camry Hybrid. I spent a few days with one to try out its new gadgetry.

Traveling this summer? Here are some recently introduced gadgets, designed for use while on the road.

I'm leaving on a business trip and taking with me a neatly printed list of all of the trip details, including flight itinerary, rental car and hotel information, directions to my hotel, and phone numbers for everything. I also have the list on my computer and iPhone with links to even more details.

Some of the most interesting technology can be found on new cars. I recently drove the new 2010 Toyota Prius for a week to try out some of its new tech options.

Google has just made a long-awaited announcement that it will be opening up its Google Voice service to new customers.

I've been trying out two new notebooks, each designed to pack powerful performance into a package that's thinner and lighter than many mainstream notebooks. They're not direct competitors with one another; one is a PC running Windows Vista and the other is a Mac. But each represents their makers' latest and best attempts at offering a desktop replacement that's ideal for traveling with extended battery life.

A decade ago TiVo created a new device, the digital video recorder (DVR). Its genius was the ability to record TV programs by selecting them by name instead of manually setting the time and channel. It let you stop a live program in progress to answer the phone and then return to watch where you left off, and it let you watch a show with a delay and skip over the commercials. Owners viewed programs on their own schedule and did it much more quickly without the commercial interruptions.

Two years ago Apple's iPhone made mincemeat of the so-called expert cell phone designers: LG, Samsung, Motorola, Palm and Nokia.

June is the month for graduations and Father's Day, so I've assembled a variety of gift suggestions, most from the world of technology, but also added a few non-high-tech gifts, as well.

Situated along one of the back roads of San Marcos near a series of hothouses is a huge new building at the top of a winding driveway. Marked only by a small sign with the name Hokto Kinoko, the imposing structure is this country's first mushroom production facility.

Too often new technology is misused and we end up with something far worse than what it was intended to improve. Let me give you a few examples.

Just after publishing my column comparing three new headsets, Aliph announced its latest Jawbone model called Prime. Since the Jawbone has been one of the most successful of all headsets, I obtained a Prime from the company to compare it to those just reviewed.

While Apple is recognized for its iPods, iPhone and Mac computers, it has also developed some lesser-known products that are equally innovative, building on the company's software expertise.

I've been trying out three new Bluetooth headsets that promise better performance than their predecessors. Of course, we've been hearing that for years, yet few models have lived up to their hype. So are these really better and worth buying?

Most of us carry paper and pencil to jot down random notes, write down a sudden thought or idea, a grocery item or a quick reminder. The act of simply writing it down allows us to get those thoughts off our mind, and, of course, prevents us from forgetting.

From the outside it looks more like a small airplane than an automobile, but from the inside it's more like a spacious, comfortable two-passenger sports car. It's the Aptera, a new commuter vehicle being developed by Aptera Motors of Vista. It's the brainchild of engineer Steve Fambro, who co-founded the company with Chris Anthony, an expert boat-builder, four years ago. Initial seed money came from Idealab, a Pasadena incubator of new companies.

Ever notice how new software evolves? First there's a new product breakthrough such as MySpace or YouTube. Then along come a number of products that are much the same, but with a few new features, like Facebook, for example. Next come programs to help you organize the myriad of similar programs.

This week I will look at an assortment of small products that are useful and unique.

Exactly one year ago I wrote a column about how the cellular companies apologized for providing poor call quality and lousy customer service, and how they offered to amend their ways by solving these issues, creating simpler and more understandable rate plans, and stop taking advantage of us with huge termination fees and extensions of contracts whenever we made a simple change.

You've seen him on TV and heard the radio commercials. "This is Todd Davis and my Social Security number is 457-55-5462."

Last week I attended the Travel Goods Show and the Photo Marketing Association Show (PMA), held concurrently, by chance, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Yelp, a four-year-old San Francisco company, has built a popular service for rating everything from doctors to shops to restaurants. Yelp covers 24 U.S. cities, including San Diego, in addition to Canada and the United Kingdom. Its most popular section is the ratings of restaurants, representing 34 percent of the traffic.

When Palm announced its new smartphone, the Pre, it alluded to the fact that the product would be a lot smarter than existing smartphones. The example it described was Pre's ability to go online, collect all of your contact information from Facebook, Google and other online sites you use, retrieve images of your friends from these sites, and then integrate it all into a single comprehensive address book that resides on the phone.

A few years ago, when social Web sites began, I was a skeptic. Acquaintances I hardly knew were sending requests to join them as online friends. What was the value and why take the time? But I was wrong.

There doesn't appear to be a recession in the accessory market, at least when it comes to the iPhone and iPod.

It's taken years for Macs to gain ground on Windows PCs. Most of those moving over have done so because of the Mac's ease of use, features that delight and its more reliable operating system. Yet one of the first things new Mac owners do is buy Microsoft Office software for Mac, for its capabilities and broad compatibility.

We've all read about high mileage hybrid and electric cars of the future. General Motors is developing its Volt and Toyota expects to have an offering based on the Prius Hybrid in a few years. The hybrid Volt will be able to travel about 40 miles using only its batteries and then make use of its gasoline engine. Prius will likely add more battery power to reduce gasoline consumption.

We've all read about high mileage hybrid and electric cars of the future. General Motors is developing its Volt and Toyota expects to have an offering based on the Prius Hybrid in a few years. The hybrid Volt will be able to travel about 40 miles using only its batteries and then make use of its gasoline engine. Prius will likely add more battery power to reduce gasoline consumption.

Later this year, television stations in the United States will broadcast using a digital signal, converting from analog. The Senate late Thursday night agreed on a bill that would delay the transition from broadcasting analog to digital television signals by four months. It voted to approve this measure monday. In this column I'll cover what it means and what you need to do, if you are one of the minority of those affected.

Shopping for cars at an auto dealer can be a long and painful process. And that's before sitting down to negotiate. You wander through the lot, find a car you'd like to try, look for a salesman, wait for him to retrieve the keys from the showroom, and finally take a test drive. Want to try another vehicle? Do it all over again. These inefficiencies are not only frustrating to the customer, but also costly to the dealer.

Visiting the Consumer Electronics Show last week, the country's largest tradeshow, was a lot easier than in past years. Aisles were less crowded and taxi lines were shorter. Every once in a while there was a huge gap between exhibitors where one had dropped out. Rooms at some of the top hotels were half the normal inflated CES rates and Southwest and CES were offering some flights to Las Vegas at half price.

This past year I logged a half-dozen international trips, mostly to Asia, and dozens of domestic trips, cross-country and up and down the West Coast. I'm always trying new gadgets and software applications that are designed to make my trips more productive.

I've been trying two portable products that let you take your office with you wherever you go -- Canon's latest portable photo printer and Neat Receipts' portable scanner. The first is designed to create paper documents and the second to eliminate them.

In this annual column, I make some predictions about what to expect in 2009.

I've been trying out three newly released smartphones, Google's G1, and Research in Motion's BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Storm. They are all innovative products, designed with an eye on the iPhone.

Why can't U.S. auto companies compete with cars from Asian and European companies?

This year's tech gift suggestions look at items that are a little more practical than usual and of particularly good value, something to welcome these days. Prices shown are street, not suggested retail.

Those who underestimate China's ability to innovate and develop technology products are making a serious mistake.