Here’s a simple math challenge. Take your average monthly phone bill, average monthly TV bill and average monthly Internet bill and add them together. Then multiply by 12. That’s probably represents most of your media/communication costs and that number can easily exceed $2000.

There are lots of ways you can reduce this cost by changing services or technology, but what if you like the service you have, or want to improve it? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could keep your current services (or add new ones) while at the same time saving money?

You probably can

Cable, phone and satellite services all rely on the fact that most people don’t pay much attention to their bills once they’ve set up their service. And when people sign up for promotional service agreements, most continue the service at the higher price once the promotion expires. But these companies also know it is much more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep a current one. And they know that today’s customers have options. Where once you had a choice between poor quality broadcast TV or cable, today you can choose between high quality digital broadcast TV, cable, satellite and IP (Internet based) TV services. Phone service, once the province of Ma Bell, can now be obtained via cable or a multitude of VOIP (Voice over Internet) services, not to mention cell phones.

You might wonder why all this competition doesn’t seem to result in lower prices. Actually it does – you just have to ask for it.

Sure, you can bounce from service to service – taking advantage of new-customer promotions every year or two. But service changes can be annoying – sometimes involving installation, configuration, service calls, and other delays. Instead, if you’re happy with your service, just give your current provider a call and ask them what they can do for you.

In many cases you’ll find that today’s service plans are less expensive and have more features than the legacy plan you’re currently using – and that you can switch to them for no cost without any negotiation at all. Services that have one or two year contracts may let you into a lower cost plan just for extending your contract. Sometimes companies will just give you the latest new-customer discount or bundle if you ask for it. If you hint you’re considering switching to someone else, they might offer additional discounts or rebates as well in order to keep you happy.

You don’t have to be a tough negotiator to get a good deal. On the contrary, the nicer you are the more the agent will likely go out of their way to help you – after all, your savings are not coming out of their pocket. Here are some phrases to try:

• Am I currently getting the best deal you can offer me?
• Are there any bundled deals that can save me money? (Especially useful if you are using 2 or more services from the same company).
• I’m seeing offers (describe offer) from a competitor. I do like your service, but it’s hard for me to resist the savings. Is there anything you can do to be more competitive?

How well does this work? I spent 45 minutes on the line this morning with my phone/TV/Internet provider, added a whole bunch of features to the phone line and got an offer to reduce my annual cost by $282 plus corresponding taxes. I actually reduced my cost even further through another feature change – but that is a topic for another article.

The Bagel Drive plugs into any available USB port offering 512MB or 1GB capacity

Why give your computer a boring compact USB drive when you can offer it a delicious bagel drive packed with high quality bytes direct from Bubke’s bakery? This USB 2.0 flash drive available in 1GB and 512MB capacities, includes technical support by Tanta, the wired bubbe herself. While not certified Kosher, all but the most observant should find it acceptable, given that epoxy schmeer is parve.

The bagel itself is perfectly natural – you’ll be hard pressed to leave it to your laptop and not take a bite out of it yourself. As you can see, it plugs easily into any available USB slot, only blocking 5 or 6 neighboring slots (depending on your machine’s configuration).

But I’m sorry to say, that I am unable to give the drive a perfect review. As you can see, the Bagel Drive has a generous layer of cream cheese. But where’s the lox? Talk about cheap. It just isn’t a bagel without a nice layer of Nova Scotia lox (and I’m not talking that pink colored lox schmeer – I want the real thing, and so does my computer).

Don

And if your computer is on a diet? Oy vey. The drive uses the FAT file system! Would it really hurt the data to use the NTFS (Not too fat system) instead?

But I’m being picky. Give your computer a Bagel Drive. It will impress your friends. It will really mess with the heads of the TSA security people when you travel with it. That alone is worth the $24.95.

The Fuel Efficiency Advisor can help you improve your gas mileage - but the real work is up to you.

Fuel Efficiency Centers recently announced their new Fuel Efficiency Advisor – an intelligent gauge that accurately monitors fuel efficiency, suggesting that “consumers can plan on earning back the cost of their device in 12 short weeks”. That’s a pretty impressive claim, considering that it costs $159. Is it true?

The device (and others like it) can, in fact, monitor your mileage both short and longer term. It includes a powerful trip computer and can display quite a bit of information about your car. It does this by plugging into your cards OMBD11 port – a standard diagnostic port available on most cars built after 1996.

The device itself does nothing to improve your gas mileage. Your mileage will only improve if you use it as a guide to modifying your driving habits. It can help you choose more efficient routes on a commute. It will demonstrate clearly why jack-rabbit starts, frequent braking and higher speeds reduce your mileage. A good mileage gauge can improve gas mileage. Ask any Prius owner: their glitzy mileage charts make fuel efficiency a game – where winning consists of getting over 50mpg average on a tank of gas.

The key question is: can you really improve your fuel efficiency by the way you drive, and if so, by how much?

• If you’re already driving efficiently, you are unlikely to see any major benefit using this kind of device.
• If you aren’t willing to change your driving habits, this device won’t help you at all.
• To actually pay for itself in 12 weeks, you need to be driving a car that drinks a lot of gas. Assuming you actually get a 20% improvement in efficiency, this represents an increase from 12 to 14.4 mpg. The higher mileage you already get, the longer it will take for this device to pay for itself.

So who should get one of these devices?

If you want a great trip computer or have a compulsive need to be able to monitor everything going on inside your car, these devices are great as they can read your cards diagnostic port. They can even come in handy at diagnosing problems without a visit to the dealer.

If you’re a really bad driver and want to improve, these devices will give you feedback that can help you do better. If you are driving a larger car or SUV that gets relatively poor mileage, and put in the effort, the device really will pay for itself – possibly even in the 12 weeks claimed.

For everyone else: it may be a fun gadget, but don’t expect much in the way of savings.

Be sure to also check out the PLX Kiwi Scanner that provides similar functionality with a nice color/graphic display.

A graphic view of how bad things are getting

Scrolling stock quotes at the bottom of a TV screen and real time market quoting software and web sites are familiar tools, but as we’ve heard many times – the market is not the “real” economy. Fortunately, there are a number of web sites around to help you watch as the economy sheds jobs. For example: the TechCrunch Layoff Tracker is updated daily and currently shows 224,169 employees laid off in the technology sector since the end of August.

What’s really interesting about these statistics is not the number of people being laid off – but the financial and economic aspects of the layoffs. You see, many of the companies on this tracker list aren’t actually losing money. In fact, some of them are reporting steady or even increased income.

So why are they laying people off?

There are a number of possible reasons:

• Most of them have had large drops in stock price – meaning that any stock options people are holding have become worthless for now. Dropping profits will only serve to make this worse, and cutting head count is a quick short-term way to increase profitability.
• Some of them expect this year to be awful – cutting expenses now will help their cash last longer if income drops.
• Every company tends to hire some people who aren’t really all that good – the economy provides a great excuse to unload the less competent (or dump the older and higher paid employees – often by providing a special incentive package to get them to quit).
• Management can’t figure out a way to put these people to work in a way that is profitable.

The irony of all this is that by laying these people off, the economy gets worse – as there are that many fewer people with incomes sufficient to purchase their products.

The final irony (dare we say hypocrisy) is that these very companies are often the ones that in good times emphasize how their employees are their most valuable resource.

Consider, if you will, the recent report that Microsoft is laying off 5000 people. Between these layoffs and additional cost savings (cutting merit increases, travel and other expenses), Microsoft expects to save $1.5 billion. That’s a lot of money. On the other hand, at year end Microsoft had over $20 billion in cash. One can’t help but wonder what were the reasons that went into their decision to go with layoffs at this time.

The Paulson Money Tree comes with a distinctive plastic stand

The year 2008 saw the introduction of some of the most exciting fictional gadgets of all time, some of which had great but short-lived success, and others that will continue to dominate the industry for years to come.

Though no longer on the market, the LoanMaker-2008 Subprime will never be forgotten. Sold for just $49.99 on late night TV, anyone could just enter their names and point it at a house. Within minutes the LoanMaker would generate a qualifying income number, upload the data to a broker and fund a mortgage, enabling hundreds of thousands to afford their first, second or tenth speculative home.

Few individuals keep proper track of their health records, but help arrived in the form of the MacIsBack-72. This portable device with USB attachment could plug into any computer, download and digest thousands of pages of medical records from doctors, hospitals and insurance companies, and encrypt them in a form that was both secure and irretrievable. A small LED on the device displayed current health status: green indicating “fit to be president”, and red indicating “fit to be president”.

One normally doesn’t think of a gadget as a solution to depression and mental health issues, but the Obaminator-08 proved more effective than “The Secret” or any other self-help book. The device was activated by entering a small $5 donation into a slot. This triggered a lyrical and eloquent cadence from the gadget’s built-in speakers that quickly induced a trance during which individuals stared at CNN while chanting “Yes we can” for several hours. This was followed by a flurry of community organizing and a dramatic improvement in spirit and mental health. The manufacturer has not yet announced plans for an upgrade in 2012.

The Palinator Automatic Gift Registry gadget saw wide use in high end stores. Unlike other devices that actually require you to go to the store and select items, the Palinator, using a built in and proprietary algorithm, chooses gifts for you. Not only are they entered in the registry, but they are automatically bought and shipped. Options for payment include “I promise to return them”, “I don’t know who paid for them” and “I can see Russia from my living room”.

The Paulson Money Tree has become a bestseller late in the season, and no surprise there. Who would have known that your parents’ old complaint that “money doesn’t grow on trees” would turn out to be so wrong? Operation turns out to be remarkably simple: set the Money Tree down and scare it. Within minutes large sums of money start appearing out of nowhere. With settings starting at tens of billions and running up to the trillions, the Paulson Money Tree is a sure winner this holiday season. Early reports of side-effects (such as the sudden collapse of all banks within a 10 mile radius of the gadget) have been dismissed by the manufacturer as irrelevant.

Looking for non-fictional gadgets? Check out:

2008 gadget of the year
The ultimate guide to the geek gift guides
Top five gifts for people you hate.
Top five gifts for kids that might change their lives.
Top five gifts for the unemployed.
Top five gifts that are really green.
Top 5 less expensive off-brand alternatives to name brand gadgets.
Top 5 gifts for a healthy new year.
Top 5 toys for future inventors

Khet may be the ultimate geek game. Fun? Who cares? It has laser beams!

Every gadgeteer has their own idea of the best holiday gifts for geeks. It seems only fitting to wrap up my own series of unusual gift guides with this guide to the geek gift guides (with commentary).

ExtremeTech’s Geek Gift guide 2008 starts their list with the Patriot 64GB USB drive at $170. It’s a bit pricey and wider than most. I wonder why they didn’t choose the Kingston 64GB at $129 or the SuperTalent Luxio Ultra-Fast Drive at $166 that claims up to 30MB/Sec transfer and a lifetime warranty.

The ZDNet Holiday Gift Guide also starts with a USB drive, this time the IronKey ultra-tough, waterproof USB drive with built-in hardware encryption. At $299 for an 8GB drive, you’re paying a steep premium for the security and reliability. Hint: The 4GB version is being more heavily discounted. They also have Khet: The laser game on their list. The only board game with two class II lasers, it’s probably the ultimate geek board game.

BBSpot’s Geek Gift Guide 2008 doesn’t start with a USB drive! He starts with his own book “The BBook of Geek: The Only Geek Humor Book You’ll Ever Need”. Who can blame him? He also includes The Tube Clock – a bit retro for my taste, but check it out.

Juixe TechKnow’s Ultimate Geek Guide 2008 opens with the IPhone and Netbooks. The Flip Mino follows – ultra miniature HD camcorders that are definitely geeky and cool.

CIO’s 2008 Geek Gift Guide likes Acoustibuds earphone adapters that fit onto your existing earbuds and turn them into “in the ear” style earphones for improved audio fidelity and sound isolation. Their number two spot is the Infocus IN1102 projector. At 1680×1050 resolution and 2200 Lumens brightness this small projector is a great choice for any geek on who you want to spend $1000 or so.

InfoWorld’s 2008 geek gadget gift guide recommends the botanicals.com plant Twitter kit. It’s a moisture sensor that sends you messages on Twitter when the plant needs water (or has too much). Not only is it overkill, but you get to build it yourself – it’s surely the geekiest gift on the list. This list is definitely worth looking over.

ComputerWorld’s 2008 geek gadget gift guide has the same list as InfoWorld. I wonder if they’re related?

Our own Denver Technology Examiner, Kevin Rook, doesn’t have a formal gift guide, but he should. Check out his recent postings in the gift category and you’ll find find such curiousities as a “poking box“, wrist bands with USB storage and a power-nap machine that claims to give you three hours of sleep in 20 minutes (yes! more time for Warcraft!).

ars technical has multiple gift-guides for geeks, 25 pages worth. If you still haven’t found that perfect gift, this might be your last resort.

TechRepublic’s Geek Gift Guide 2008 requires a free registration to view. Sorry, that’s way too much trouble.

Geek gift guides are fun and can inspire ideas, but remember: contrary to popular opinion there are many kinds of geeks with many different interests. Be sure to spend some time thinking about the person you are shopping for, and not just reading gift guides.

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What kind of geek would I be if I didn’t have my own lists? Enjoy:
Top five gifts for people you hate.
Top five gifts for kids that might change their lives.
Top five gifts for the unemployed.
Top five gifts that are really green.
Top 5 less expensive off-brand alternatives to name brand gadgets.
Top 5 gifts for a healthy new year.
Top 5 toys for future inventors.

Legos Mindstorms might turn anyone to a career in engineering or robotics

Sure IPods, Cell phones and video games are what most kids want. But some gifts have the power to inspire and educate as well. And in tough economic times, if you’re going to spend on a gift, you really want to get your money’s worth.

These are examples of gifts that might spark something – an interest, a hobby, maybe even a career.

Electronics Lab 130-in-one project kit. Ok, I’m biased here. My road to an electronic engineering degree started with an old radio shack 50-in-one kit. And while you may think it’s all about computers and software these days, make no mistake – electronics is hot, and going to get hotter. Check out starting salaries for analog engineers compared to programmers and you’ll see what I mean. These kits come in many sizes and price ranges.

Physics Solar Workshop or Thames and Kosmos Wind Power. Everybody is talking about alternative energy. Thomas Friedman, in his new book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America” suggests the next boom will be in energy technologies. And just looking at these kits makes you want to stop and play.

Lego Mindstorms. Be very careful – you may find yourself unwilling to actually give it away. What other toy teaches you basic mechanics, electricity and programming all at once? Yes, it’s the most expensive item on this list, but worth every dollar.

Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game Win/Mac. Can’t afford a Mindstorms set? That’s ok. Not all videogames involve racing or explosions. Those who remember “The Incredible Machine” will recognize this modern variant. Create the most amazing machines (Shhh, but don’t tell anyone you’re learning physics at the same time).

Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money–That You Don’t Learn in School! I know Kiyosaki is not everyone’s favorite, but there’s no denying that most kids (and adults) are woefully ignorant about finance. This recession will end, and the people who understand money will do better than those who don’t. And while this isn’t a toy or gadget, maybe it will help them appreciate what it takes for you to get them that new IPod or video game, or better yet, help them afford to get their own one day.

Multi-point route optimization

In yesterday’s article “One feature to consider before buying that new GPS” about multi-point routing, a reader suggested he’d “throw multi-point routing in there with bluetooth, fm transmitter, and the like” and that this feature only makes sense if you think it sounds cool and have extra cash.

But there’s a huge difference between multi-point routing and Bluetooth and an FM transmitter. To see why, you have to perform a cost/benefit analysis.

The features of any gadget fall into one of three categories:

• Features that you like and will use, but are either included or will cost you more.
• Features that you like and will use, but save you money.
• Features you will not use. If they cost you more, that money is wasted

Bluetooth and FM transmitters on a GPS are convenient, but tend to increase the cost of the device. There is no long term financial benefit in having them, so indeed, if you think they sound cool and have extra cash, it makes sense to get them.

Multi-point routing in a GPS is very different for those who tend to have multiple destinations when traveling. Let’s say a route optimizing GPS can save you just five miles a week in travel. That’s about 250 miles/year.

How much does it cost for you to drive each mile?

According to the AAA, the national average cost per mile in 2007 was 52.2 cents – that includes depreciation and fixed costs as well. At that rate, route optimization will save you about $125/year. Even if you only include the cost of gas, you’ll be looking at savings of $20-$40/year depending on mileage and cost of gas. Given that a route optimized GPS such as Garmin’s 760 has a street price of about $150 over the least expensive available GPS, there’s an excellent chance that the upgrade will pay for itself during the life of the unit and even save you money in the long run.

Adding the convenience cost to the mix, you can see why I won’t buy a GPS without multi-point routing.

And what about web based services that do route optimization? Those are generally targeted to business use and, unsurprisingly, are not free. Having route optimization built into your GPS is convenient for individuals and typically costs less.

This principle for evaluating features applies to any gadget, and you can be sure you’ll continue to see this kind of analysis in future articles.

The Garmin 760 offers multi-point routing

If you’ve never heard of multi-point routing, or route optimization, take a moment to read on before you buy that new GPS.

GPS units for your car will be one of the hottest gadgets this season (as they were last season and will be next season). Once you’ve used a car GPS, you will never want to drive without one. The most popular GPS brand in the U.S. today is Garmin, followed by TomTom and Magellan, and you can find numerous models, many in the $100-$200 range that will do an excellent job getting you from point A to point B.

You can spend a little bit more for features like traffic based routing (which often comes with a monthly subscription), voice recognition, spoken street names, Bluetooth, and so forth. But there’s one feature that may convince you to spend a bit more. It’s called multi-point routing, multi-destination routing or route optimization.

You see, while it’s true that any GPS will get you from point A to point B, in real life many of us find ourselves combining destinations. We have to go from A to E by way of B, C and D. You might be going on several errands. You might be a carpool parent who has to pick up or drop off kids from several different homes. You might be seeking out multiple garage sales. You might be in a business that involves visiting multiple sites or stores or offices. In each case, you have to decide on the best route that allows you to go to all of those destinations in the shortest time or distance.

Frankly, I can live without the traffic updates – I can tune my radio for those. I don’t need the GPS to name streets – I can read them off the screen. But I won’t ever buy a GPS without multi-point routing. I use it constantly.

The high-end Garmin units are where you go for this feature – you’ll find it in the Nuvi 750 and higher. The Nuvi 760 is one of the more popular units with this feature.

When you think of Bluetooth headsets for your phone, you probably think first of Motorola or Plantronics. Think again – Sony’s Bluetooth headset might be just what you’re looking for even if you aren’t a gamer. With more and more states requiring use of these devices when using your cell phone while driving, this one is a worthy contender.

I recently had a chance to try one out and was pleasantly surprised. So much so, in fact, that my current Motorola headset has been replaced in its favor.

I’ll get back to mobile use in a moment. Let’s talk gaming.

On the PS3

I’m not a huge fan of first person shooter games, but I did try it out on SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals: Confrontation. I was very impressed by the clarity of other player’s voices – more so by the lack of background noise. This is not surprising, as the headset is specifically designed for high quality in gaming, including noise cancellation when used with the PS3. The earpiece sits close to the ear like an earphone, a rubber gasket blocking any outside noise. This adds quite a sense of realism to the play, in that you hear conversations clearly in one ear, and the game sound in the other. You will want to upgrade your PS3 system software to version 2.5 or higher before using the headset – the newer software supports automatic pairing via USB and the higher quality audio mode.

On the road

Frankly, I was much more interested in using this headset while driving. Here’s what I found in my testing:

• Many headsets have a wide earpiece that rests against the ear but are not true earphones – they don’t actually block outside noise. The earpiece in this headset sticks out farther than in most, so it acts more like an earphone, blocking outside noise. This is great for holding conversations while others are talking in the car, a radio is on, or your GPS is calling out directions.
• Voices come through clearly without distortion. I had no trouble hearing the other side of the conversation.
• When listening to a person speaking through the headset, I had no trouble hearing the speaker clearly even when there was substantial background noise.
• Having a separate mute button is a very nice feature. Otherwise the controls are reasonably intuitive (as much so as any headset I’ve seen).
• The ear clip is flexible and can be adjusted for comfort.

Sony has made a few other choices I like: The headset charges through a standard USB cable (the last thing I want is yet another power adapter). It doesn’t have to be a PS3 for charging. It also comes with a charging cradle that plugs into a USB port, but makes it even easier to charge the headset (just set the headset into the cradle and it charges). Two different lights on the headset make it easier to figure out what mode the headset is in.

What’s not to like?

• The “earphone” nature of the earpiece is not for everyone. If you prefer the more “outside the ear” style of headset, this one isn’t for you.
• It takes a bit of practice to get the headset on and off quickly with one hand. The ear-clip will come off if you pull the headset straight off (it presses back on easily).
• According to the documentation, the noise-cancelling only works when pair with the PS3. That said, I did not notice the lack.

Conclusion and a Deal

This has become my headset for daily use. What more can I say?

Now for the deal. You can buy the headset alone for $49.99 or together with SOCOM for $59.99. Buy the bundle, then go to EBay and sell your SOCOM  game for about $20 (street price used). Your net cost for the headset: about $40. Or give the game as a gift and keep the headset.