Gift Guide
Gyration Media Center Remote
No one likes the remote control that comes bundled with
Windows Media Center. It’s a big, clunky rascal populated with
far too many buttons that seem inconveniently placed. So it’s no
wonder the Gyration Media Center Remote has us pleased as
punch that’s been properly spiked.
Gripping the GMCRemote by its narrow, lightweight, comfort-
able handle, you’ll find you can easily access the function buttons
with a single thumb. The buttons are manageable because they’re
limited to the most frequently used actions, such as volume con-
trol, channel selection, and play/fast-forward/rewind commands.
Other Media Center options can be accessed using in-air gestures$150
Other Media Center options can be accessed using in-air gestures
and the integrated mouse. Wave the Remote in front
of the screen, and a cursor tracks its motion;
the right and left mouse buttons are
conveniently located at the
remote’s slender waist.
http://www.gyration.com66 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2003
The easiest way to improve the sound
of your MP3 player is by disposing of the
bundled earbuds. That’s right. Toss ’em.
Don’t even give them away to a friend. Not
even the fancy-lad set that comes with the
iPod can approach the sound you’ll get from
Shure’s E Series. Shure’s E5c earphones
have dual drivers for high and low frequen-
cies and an inline crossover to
blend the two (the E2c series uses
a single driver). And unlike noise-
canceling headphones that add
frequencies to neutralize back-
ground noise, the E Series uses a
“Fit Kit”—soft, flexible pleasure nubs
that conform to your inner ear—to block out
external noise and allow you to hear more
detail at lower volumes. And, ooh, what
detail you’ll hear. Solid, gut-punching bass
and crisp, ear-piercing highs, even in the
lower-end unit. Yes, they’re expensive,
but think of all the money you saved
with Kazaa! http://www.shure.comShure E Series Earphones
$500 E5c
$100 E2c
Power of Two Digital Clock
Being a geek is like being part of a secret society.
Most people don’t know what the heck you’re
talking about, are baffled by your interests, and
look askance at your attire. At least a geek can
gloat at the notion of being smarter than regular
folk. Take the Power of Two Digital Clock, for
example. It speaks the little-known language of
binary. The LEDs across its facade represent the
exact hour and minutes of the day. A geek will
have no problem mastering the clock’s dialect.
To everyone else, it remains the exclusive lan-
guage of a highly-advanced people. We like that.
http://www.thinkgeek.com,$23
Power of Two Digital Clock
Being a geek is like being part of a secret society.
Most people don’t know what the heck you’re
talking about, are baffled by your interests, and
look askance at your attire. At least a geek can
gloat at the notion of being smarter than regular
folk. Take the Power of Two Digital Clock, for
example. It speaks the little-known language ofMaxtor OneTouch Backup Drive
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. For example, more than a half-million
scrolls are said to have been destroyed when the Library of Alexandria was torched to the stoop
(including, O scholarly ones, most of the works of Sappho— damn ). Is this to be the fate of your
data? This pedagogical disaster could have been avoided if only the librarian had bothered to back up
everything with Maxtor’s OneTouch backup drive. Not only could the 7200rpm Maxtor drive have held
copies of every scroll in the joint, but probably the MP3 collection of the entire$250 160GB
$300 200GB
$350 250GB