Look Ma, no cord
All tied up? FoneGEAR Cord Free Headset ($59) uses a low-power wireless transmission called magnetic induction, so there's no need for a wire tethering your headset to your mobile phone. One AA battery powers 25 hours of talk between the headset and the matchbox-size transmitter plugged into the phone. But it's a short leash: You must stay within 4 feet of your cellphone.
–Janet Rae-Dupree

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Adaptation
If you're the sort who can't leave home without a PDA, a laptop, a digital camera, and a cellphone, you may also want to pack a 120-watt ChargeSource Universal AC/DC Power Adapter ($130). The 8.5-ounce silver "brick" plugs into a wall outlet or a car cigarette lighter. Comarco makes hundreds of different "PowerTip" converters to ensure compatibility with every rechargeable gadget. But the "PowerTips" are maddeningly easy to lose and difficult to use without a cheat sheet to tell you which tip fits which gadget. And you can only recharge one gadget at a time, unless you spring for a splitter.
–Janet Rae-Dupree

It's a small warble
Give your budding Mouseketeer something to sing about. The Disney Electronics Handheld Karaoke Player ($50) comes with 25 classic Disney tunes built into the microphone and a cartridge slot for adding more selections later–Disney or otherwise. Setting it up is parentproof: Plug color-coded input cords into a TV, snap in four AA batteries, and sing. The lyrics show up on the TV screen. Buttons on the microphone can change tempo, correct off-key notes, transform human crooning into a mousely squeak or a dragonish roar, and provide an automated duet by splitting the singer's voice into two levels of harmony in case mom or dad tire of singing along, too.
–Janet Rae-Dupree

Beamit up, Scotty!
You've got a supreme collection of tunes stored on your iPod digital music player, but passing the gadget and headphones around to friends is cumbersome–not to mention uncool. The irock! Beamit ($30) is a palm-size device that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPod (or other portable music device). Set your home stereo or car's FM radio to an unused frequency between 88.1 and 88.7, and you've got iPod radio. For better or worse, the whole world can't tune in: The broadcast radius remains strong up to 10 feet but fades out by 30 feet.
–Kenneth Terrell

It's in the bag
If you're losing track of the power cords and accessories that go with all your gadgets, RoadWired's Pod ($50) and podzilla ($70) can help you corral them neatly into place. Each durable nylon carrying case features 20 separate pockets, and the bags are reinforced with thick padding to protect digital cameras, camcorders, and other equipment that can't take hard knocks.
–Kenneth Terrell

Batteries included
When batteries die, a gadget's day is done, since recharging them is usually an overnight job. Rayovac's I-C3 15 Minute rechargeable battery system ($50) revives flagging batteries in minutes. The system comes with AA rechargeable batteries for use in digital cameras, MP3 players, and other portable devices. It also juices up other types of rechargeable batteries.
–Kenneth Terrell

New blocks for the kid
Ordinary building block toys are OK for kids who just want to make toy houses, forts, and not-so-aerodynamic cars, but what about those precocious little Picassos who want to create art? pixelBlocks ($6-$50, based on size of set) uses colorful, translucent blocks that can be linked together vertically and horizontally to form colorful mosaics. Send any digital picture to www.pixelblocks.com, and the company will give you a printout showing how to make the image out of what they jokingly call "digital stained glass."
–Kenneth Terrell