Okay, just one more, because it sounds so damn cool: Trek Puts a Camera on a Key Chain.

"Key chain USB drives have a place in the hearts and pockets of many geeks. But simply storing files isn't enough; the next generation of Trek's tiny ThumbDrive devices, announced at the Consumer Electronics Show here, can take photos and play music.

They join a growing selection of key chain USB devices seeking to distinguish themselves with extras like recording functions, enhanced security, and cameras.

The ThumbDrive Camera from Trek, for instance, combines flash memory with a digital camera in a package about the size of a couple of packs of gum.

The prototype Trek is demonstrating at the show takes distinctly blurry photos, and with a maximum resolution of 640 by 480 pixels, it won't replace a dedicated digital camera. But Trek doesn't intend it to: The ThumbDrive Camera is aimed at casual photo snappers who value convenience over image quality....

When not connected to a PC, a single AAA battery powers it. And like previous ThumbDrives, the camera version doesn't need drivers, so you can plug it into a PC in a hotel or cyber café and access the photos or files stored on it. The ThumbDrive Camera is scheduled to ship in February priced at $179.

For the more musically inclined, the ThumbDrive Music is a combination of key chain USB drive and digital audio player. It has 128MB of memory, can play MP3 or WMA digital audio files, and can run for as long as 12 hours powered by a AAA battery. It is scheduled to ship in February as well, with a $169 price tag." [PC World]

There were a ton of very cool hardware announcements today, but I'm tired and I'm gonig to bed. I'll try to blog them tomorrow. For now, I'm just going to point Kate to a NY Times article titled Not a Professional? No Problem.

"Now, however, relatively low-priced electronic tools can give the casual mechanic the same kind of diagnostic information available to the professionals. These new gadgets make it easier to identify a car's problems by glancing at a computer instead of popping the hood.

The devices, which cost about $150 and up, link to the engine through a connector in the passenger compartment, usually near the steering wheel.

They record the electronic diagnostic codes generated by the car, providing a real-time display of parameters - like engine speed, oxygen sensor readings and coolant temperature - on a laptop or hand-held organizer or storing the information in flash memory for later analysis....

Jason Simmerman, a home mechanic in Arlington, Va., who has used an Autotap OBD-II device ($200 to $490, at www.autotap.com) for over a year, says he watches 'several gauge and sensor readings in real time, which can be handy when looking for that one little quirk that happens only when a certain condition is made.'

The simplest OBD-II tools read the generic codes shared by all manufacturers while the more expensive ones come with information on each manufacturer's proprietary codes.

Even the generic information can be quite useful for finding problems with the car and the driver. The Davis DriveRight CarChip, for instance, ($139 to $179; www.davisnet.com) is a plastic module a bit larger than a thumb that records the value of up to four generic codes every five seconds in flash memory....

William P. Turczynski of Warren, Mich., who uses an AutoXray EZ Link kit with the PC Link software ($449 at www.autoxray.com) on his Ford Ranger, notes that while the device is useful, it is only a diagnostic tool. It will not fix the problem, he said: 'It just tells you what you've got to get dirty.' "