USA Today

The legendary cheapskate Jack Benny had to ponder before answering the mugger's question, "Your money or your life?" "I'm thinking," he responded.

I'm thinking, too, about Benny's famous punch line, and the mission of this column as I migrate from the Life section of the print edition of USA TODAY to the Money section. (I will, of course, still continue to appear in the Tech section online.)

It has always been my intention to inform and hopefully entertain readers about important new tech products and trends that promise to shape their personal and work lives. I try out a gaggle of things - electronics gear, software, online offerings, wireless gizmos of every stripe, etc. - and make judgments on whether they are worth my money, and, by proxy, yours. I periodically call tech support, consult manuals and get as frustrated as you do. I invite your feedback and suggestions.

If the wide range of gadgets and services I've examined these past 12 months serve as any gauge, the much-maligned tech industry may be on the way to recovery. I still need to proffer my annual disclaimer. Inclusion here is by no means a guarantee of market success. And even the most outstanding products I come across are not without flaws. But standouts exist and may make suitable holiday gifts, provided your wallet can take the hit. What follows (in no particular order) are Baig's Best for 2003. (Related item: Photo tour of Baig's Best)

Stunning images

The natural tendency may be to balk at a camcorder that costs $3,500 and has a lot of girth, to boot.

But the JVC GR-HD1 is also the first "consumer" high-definition camcorder. It delivers stunning cinematic images that put ordinary digital cameras to shame, and it is still way cheaper than professional gear. What's more, video is captured on standard Mini DV cassettes used in conventional camcorders, though you can't record something in high definition and play it back on a regular camcorder.

Directions from above

Want to know how to get there? Or anywhere? Let the Garmin iQue 3600 steer you right. This $589 gizmo appears to be just another good-looking Palm-based PDA with a crisp color screen. That would be selling it short. For when you flip up the hinged antenna on back, the 5.2-ounce iQue turns into a Global Positioning System receiver. You can load detailed maps off the supplied CD-ROM (via hot sync); a pleasant-sounding female voice keeps you on course.

I'd recommend the $80 auto accessory kit. That way you can hear above traffic noise, and also plug the device into the cigarette lighter so as not to drain the battery too quickly.

Wireless mobility

The ability to quickly go wireless is a chief ingredient inside notebook computers that carry Centrino stickers from Intel - though the truth is, a non-Intel branded Wi-Fi wireless transceiver will do just as well. But I definitely recommend laptops built around the other main Centrino component: a mobile processor dubbed Pentium M. The thing I liked best about the Centrino notebooks I tested from a variety of PC makers last March: Each offered solid battery life, about four hours minimum, even when I tested Wi-Fi on them in a McDonald's and other Big Apple hot spots. My favorite at the time, IBM's less-than-5-pound T40 model (now $1,499 on up). Meanwhile, prices for other Centrinos continue to drop: I've seen some models advertised for well under $1,000.

Purrs like a Mac

Centrino represents a nice leap forward for portable "Wintel" computing.

But the latest Macintosh operating system, Mac OS 10.3, or Panther for short, is one cool cat.

Among the 150 Panther innovations: a feature called Expose.

It lets you - at the touch of one key - display every open Web page, application, file, picture, etc. simultaneously in a thumbnail view, thus alleviating the need to constantly resize, minimize, hide and shift things around.

Another Panther goodie: iChat AV, Apple's clever videoconferencing program.

(If you don't upgrade to Panther, and it costs $129 to do so, you can buy iChat AV separately for $30.)

It's all there

Nowadays, you can be entertained without a "tangible" product. I know, because I spent more hours than I'd like to admit in the immersive 3D online fantasy world known as There (www.there.com). Subscriptions start at $5 a month after a $20 initiation fee. The idea behind this virtual getaway is to chat up other members who are fronted by sexily attired avatars. You can shoot paint guns, tour the beautiful surroundings in hovercraft or buggies, and engage in a variety of other activities as a prelude to friendship.

"There" even has it own faux currency called Therebucks; I spent some of mine dressing up my "avie" in Levi's and buying ammo for my paint gun. When you run low, you can replenish your supply of Therebucks by spending real-life dollars.

The Apple of my ear

At the risk of honoring Jobs & Co. again, the fact is, the gang at Apple have had a wonderful year. And the introduction of the 99-cent-a-song iTunes Music Store changed the landscape for legitimate music downloading. Great touch: the celebrity playlists found at the store - you can choose songs which artists such as Dave Brubeck, Sheryl Crow, Michael Stipe and other artists say they would buy. The store is now compatible with Windows machines, as well as Macs, but you will need an iPod to fully take advantage. Fortunately, Apple's $299 to $499 music players - the company unveiled new models in 2003 - are the best of breed.

Smartest smart phone

In previous years, the Handspring Treo earned rave reviews as a solid PDA phone.

The new Treo 600 raises the bar, just as Handspring, the company, gets absorbed into PalmOne.

Treo boasts a brighter screen, faster processor and improved battery life. And through a five-way navigation pad, it drastically reduces the amount of time you'll need to pull out the stylus.

It also incorporates a low-resolution digital camera.

Models ($449 and up with service activation) operate over the Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless networks.

Big picture, small package

Projectors typically cost a lot and until recently broke the physical backs of the road warriors who normally use them. Granted, the $2,799 InFocus LP120 Personal Projector is still in the high-rent district. But this cigarette-carton-size box weighs less than 2 pounds and easily fits in a briefcase.

That means after finishing the PowerPoint presentations at the client's office, you can easily take it home and watch a DVD on a wall. A $499 option lets you project slides off a computer wirelessly.

Take note

Need proof that at least one of the entries on my list is worthy? I used it to help come up with this very roster. Microsoft's $99 OneNote software, a stand-alone member of the new Office 2003 suite, makes it a breeze to organize and search your free-form notes whether you are jotting down potential entries for a best-of compilation, or capturing the musings of your boss or professor. You can even record a lecture (if your PC has a mike) and have OneNote show you the notes from a particular point in the audio. What's more, you can write (in text or, most conveniently if you have a Tablet PC, in virtual ink) anywhere on a OneNote page.

Simple surround sound

Affordable home-theater-in-a-box systems have become all the rage in the past few years. A clever $799 system called the Niro 1.1 Pro from Nirotek America, a subsidiary of a Japanese company, eliminates one of the main hassles: wiring and finding the ideal position for five or six speakers. Niro can deliver cinematic surround sound from your DVDs with just two speakers (one a subwoofer), an obvious boon to folks who live in cramped quarters.

Nirotek has an excellent pedigree; founder Niro Nakamichi made a name for himself among audiophiles as designer of the first three-headed cassette deck.

A note of caution: This is not the system to buy if you want to add components.

Soothing chair

Last - but to my aching body, certainly not least - I choose the Inada Chair D.1 massage chair from Family Inada of Japan. It came close to replicating the feeling that a real massage therapist was practicing his or her craft on me. This leather chair delivers a head-to-toe massage, partly by employing infrared to scan the body for shiatsu pressure points. Warning: You'll have a lot of stress to relieve when the bill comes. Inada Chair D.1 fetches $4,900. Thank goodness I'm now in the Money.