10 Tech products you couldn't do without...

So what are 10 technology related products you don't think you could do without?

1) TIVO.
This has really changed the way I watch TV and my life in general. Here's why: No longer does the TV times dictate my schedule in the slightest bit. I do what I need to do or want to do when I want/need to do it. When there's free time, then I can go to my Tivo.

2) Broadband Internet connection.
I'm typing this to you from my home in my sweats. I'm communicating with the Stardock team via instant messaging and IRC chat. It has allowed a small company like us to have developers in many different countries (our new product, SkinStudio XP was developed in Poland, England, and USA for instance - no way 10 years ago coudl a small company like us do that without Broadband).

3) Wireless home networking. I can communicate with people from my laptop out on my deck. Talk about a major improvement in life quality. Being able to sit out on an early morning listening to the birds, watching the rabbits and whatever in the woods while doing work on the laptop. It's incredible.

4) Xerox Phaser 850 color printer. This thing is just incredible. You can have your wimpy inkjet. This thing uses wax (which is really cool, when you're runnng low you just drop a hunk of wax of the color it needs in). It cranks out several pages per minute and the quality is always excellent.

5) Object Desktop. Yea, this is a plug but it's true. When I have to use a computer that doesn't have it installed, it's a pain because of all the tweaks and productivity and UI enhancements it provivdes.

6) Phone to Electrical outlet converter. I can't wire anything for the life of me (ironic since I'm an Electrical Engineer). But with this thing, I can plug it into the wall adn then plug a phone line into it and then ANY electrical outlet that has the converter can be a phone line. Made it much easier to hook up the Tivo for instance but it also means I can have a phone anywhere in the house.

7) Any modern cell phone. I can't imagine life without having a communications device (cell phone) near by. No matter where I am and what I'm doing, there's a certain level of security knowing that you always get ahold of someone if need be.

8) Remote desktop. This is a standard feature on Windows XP Pro and it really is quite wonderful. For example, my wife uses a Pentium 100 notebook with 24 megs of ram. Clearly a wimpy machine running windows 98. However, with a remote desktop client, she can logon to the 1ghz P4 down in the basement from upstairs in the kitchen. Hence, she's able to get onto the net and do things without leaving our two small (and highly destructive!) children alone upstairs. I use it regularly to control my work machine from home or when I'm on the road.

9) Instant Messaging / IRC. We take these things for granted but they are relatively new and they are highly useful things to have. MS is slowly taking over with their MS IM and I must admit, it is quite nice. Makes it possible to talk to and work with people from vastly different geographical locations.

10) InFocus Digital Projector. Hook up your DVD player to this and you can watch movies on the fall, give presentations, etc. It has HDTV input so you can even watch high def TV on it. If you have a big enough area for it, it's a true home theatre.