The scoop: BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone, with AT&T service, about $100 (after rebates and two-year service agreements).

What it is: This is the first model in the Pearl line of BlackBerry devices to include built-in GPS for navigation purposes – other BlackBerry models have had GPS before, but not in this series. The device also includes standard smartphone applications and services, including a media player, 2-megapixel digital camera with zoom and flash, video capture and playback, and e-mail, picture and text messaging.

Why it's cool: Adding GPS to the economical Pearl device makes this a cool alternative to stand-alone GPS units for turn-by-turn directions and the like. The device comes with a trial of the AT&T Navigator service, a TeleNav-powered driving application that not only will get you from Point A to Point B but also can provide things like driver alerts (via SMS or e-mail) that tell you if traffic is going to be bad on your route. This model also allows you to "sideload" your microSD card on the outside of the device instead of behind the battery like on other BlackBerry models. This should encourage users to load photos, music and videos on their device.

Some caveats: Like previous models of the Pearl, the keys tend to be too small for me, making heavy-duty typing a bit more tedious than even on other BlackBerry models.

Grade: 4 stars (out of five).

The scoop: Clickfree automatic backup hard drive, by Storage Appliance Corp., about $150.

Click to see: The Clickfree portable hard drive makes it easy to back up a PC.

What it is: This portable hard drive (I tested one with 120GB capacity) and automatic backup software starts working as soon as you plug it into a Windows (2000, XP or Vista) PC via the included USB cable (it also includes a second cable that powers the device if your notebook isn't connected to a power source). The device then backs up all your files, including photos, music, e-mails, text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, videos, Web bookmarks and more.

Why it's cool: This takes a lot of the hassle out of doing PC backup. While software and hardware have been improving over the years, there are still some hurdles that prevent regular users from backing up on a regular basis. With the Clickfree hard drive, backing up couldn't be easier. Just plug in and watch it go. After the backup is complete, the software gives you a summary of how many files (and types) were backed up and other tools, including the ability to print or e-mail photos that it saved (a nice touch). Advanced users also can then perform a Restore operation and drill down to find specific files.