sneak an electronic goodie for themselves out of the gift kitty. Read some of the reviews about all the high-tech gear before you make that quick purchase.

The reviews may give you a better perspective on what's right for your recipient -- or yourself.

Even if you don't buy any products you'll at least have fun window shopping on the Internet. All the sites are decked out in anticipation this season will turn out to be the one which helps all those hopeful e-tailers pay for all the expensive electronic commerce technology they've developed to separate consumers from their cash.

Try www.zdnet.com for reviews on video, television, telecommunications and computer-related gifts you see on sale in the stores. Check to see if the latest model is available locally. If not, it might be worth waiting for the newest model. Reviews of computers can also be found at www.pctoday.com and www.pcworld.com. Don't forget to visit the manufacturers' sites to get important details on particular models. PCWorld currently has their annual reliability and service-rating guide in which 30,000 readers were surveyed on their satisfaction with a variety of machines.

In the home personal computer category Dell came out in the "outstanding'' category while IBM and Micron made the "good'' category. The two companies suffered from poor ratings of their follow up technical help services. This is a good season to shop for a new computer, especially notebooks, as manufacturers are overstocked and are giving rebates on many models to clear shelves. Check with your local dealers to see whether those rebates or discounts are available in Bermuda. Compare the cost of buying locally and the quality of follow up services available to the cost (including duty) of ordering from overseas.

For that special paranoid someone there's the Siemens ID Mouse that reads fingerprints to allow pre-authorised people to use their computers. The mouse has a fingertip sensor that verifies the fingerprint against reference templates already input into the computer's system (www.psetechlab.com /biometrics/b iometrics.html).

One product I would like to have is the Samsung SyncMaster 150MP/170MP.

According to the blurb on the Samsung site this thin monitor "delivers flicker free razor sharp images with vivid colours'' and also switches to become a television when you're not working. Samsung is also selling the monitor as one that does not emit a "harmful radiation shower''. Which raises the question: Are their other monitors dangerous? If you really want to "wow'' someone save up to be the test guinea pig for the streaming-video cell phone being developed by Samsung. The company claims to be the first in the race to develop a flip phone equipped to receive and send videos over the Internet -- which you'll only be able to do when the Bermuda cellular providers set up wireless services on their networks. Users will be able to attach a camera to the phone and send streaming videos supposedly to their techno savvy friends or family. Nokia, Toshiba, and Motorola, are six months away from releasing theirs.

Third-generation (3G) cellular networks that will be able to handle the high-bandwidth transfers needed for video viewing are not due to come into use for months in Europe and Asia. In the US third-generation networks aren't expected for another two years. And before you rush into buying a WAP phone in anticipation of the time when you can access e-mail and information over the Internet consider whether you'll really use one. Other users have found even attempting to get e-mail or basic information from the Internet on to their cell phones a chore.

The results of a study released in December showed that 20 volunteers given cell phones and told to perform certain defined Internet tasks were still taking an average of 1.1 minutes to read world headlines, 1.9 minutes to check the local weather forecast and 1.6 minutes to read TV programme listings at the end of a week.

"Considering that WAP users pay for airtime by the minute, one of our users calculated that it would have been cheaper for her to buy a newspaper and throw away everything but the TV listings than to look up that evening's BBC programmes on her WAP phone,'' according to Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group.

All this to say that when choosing gadgets for presents don't try to be a trailblazer until the problems get sorted out. You'll just end up with a frustrated spouse or other family member. When these things begin to work it will be a marvel and I'll be among the mass of people that eventually jump on board.

Another product at an uncertain stage in the mass consumer market is the electronic book reader. Thomson Multimedia's RCA division this year launched new reading devices known as the REB1100 and the REB1200. The new devices, which can cost $700 and up, are billed as lighter, more durable and easier to read than ever before. Since the product is still in its infancy you'd better check what kind of reading material is available before you get one.

E-books have been found to be useful in the classroom and academic setting where big and expensive tomes are the order of the day. An E-book would be a godsend for the traveller who usually lugs around five or six books in their backpack. The REB1100 can store about 20 novels, or 8,000 average pages and runs for 20 to 40 hours without recharging. But do you want to pay $700 just for the convenience of reading War and Peace electronically? I'm waiting until the price drops below $200 and more titles are available. Franklin Electronic Publishers is expected to release a product called the eBookMan that will offer models below that price in January.

I'm also waiting for "electronic paper'', a product that unites organic transistors with a spray-on electronic ink to produce a thin flexible display.

A prototype of the technology was demonstrated in December by E Ink Corp. and Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories.

Coming soon: Electronic books The companies are jointly working to imitate the advantages of conventional paper and ink -- flexibility, low cost and the ability to be read using ambient light.

"The key elements of electronic paper would be plastic transistors, developed at Lucent's Bell Labs, which have the same properties as conventional silicon chips but are flexible and can be printed, and E Ink's electronic ink,'' according to a press release. "Electronic ink is comprised of millions of tiny microcapsules filled with a dark dye and light pigment. When charged by the electric field created by the plastic transistors, the microcapsules will change color and create images.'' For pictures visit http:/www.eink.com. The flexible electronic paper will probably be appearing in commercial products in five years if you're willing to wait until then.

Tech Tattle deals with topics relating to technology. Contact Ahmed at editor yoffshoreon.com or (33) 467901474.

Screen ink: Paul Drzaic, director of display technology at E Ink Corp.

demonstrates the company's electronic ink flexible prototype.