OTHER TECH

Scott-e-Vest Ultimate Hoodie $70 scottevest.com Cellphone, digital camera, MP3 player, pocket PC: Do you typically walk around with this stuff, not to mention your sunglasses, car keys, and tin of mints? Then admit it: You're a gadget geek. And you (or a geeky loved one on your shopping list) should have at least one item of gadget-management clothing.

The latest addition to Scott-e-Vest's technology-enabled clothing line, the Ultimate Hoodie, gives you the perfect layering piece. Its microfleece is thin enough to allow gadget operation through the fabric, yet it's thick enough to ward off a chill. The Hoodie has 11 hidden compartments and pockets to stash stuff, while the PAN - personal area network - incorporates features like collar loops to hide and manage earbud wires.

It's machine-washable and comes in basic black but also in Moss and Gunmetal for more fashion-conscious types. Speaking of whom: The word from Scott-e-Vest is that Lindsay Lohan owns one! All the better to hide her . . . okay, I'll stop. - Jamie Sorcher

Parrot Boombox Wireless Soundbox $280 Party Portable Wireless Soundbox $140 parrot.com/usa One of the highlights of last year's gift guide was Parrot's stereo speaker system - solid, decent-sounding, self-powered bookshelf models that sync up wirelessly with Bluetooth devices like MP3 players, computers, and cellphones. This year, we've got two new Parrots that do some interesting variations on the same theme.

If you're looking for something less obtrusive than Parrot's bookshelf speakers but still want decent sound (and don't mind compromising the stereo separation a bit), the Boombox is great for home offices, bedrooms, kids' rooms, dorm rooms, summer homes, or any other place where you don't want to have to deal with audio cables or iPod docks.

This isn't some flimsy novelty but a well-engineered and solidly built speaker. It features two 17/8-inch tweeters and a 4¼-inch midrange/woofer in a 17 x 6 x 87/8-inch cabinet weighing 123/8 pounds. A 60-watt amp gives the Boombox sufficient oomph; magnets allow the grille to be easily attached and removed.

Forget that the Boombox is being sold as a Bluetooth "accessory." This is a really sweet-sounding speaker - as in refreshingly open and clean, not saccharine. If you've been weaned on the thud and roar of subwoofer-dominated surround systems, you might find it a bit thin. But anybody who buys it just looking for a one-box second-room solution will be surprised by what a great-sounding speaker they got in the bargain.

I had no problem getting the Boombox to sync up with my laptop and cellphone, and the connection stayed solid even when I took the phone into the next room. (There's also an audio input for jacking in a Bluetoothless MP3 player or whatever.)

Take out the woofer, add rechargeable batteries, reduce the cabinet size by two thirds, and you get a truly portable version of the Boombox called the Party. Without a woofer, the sound isn't as good as the Boombox's, but it's better than you'd expect. (Hitting the VSBass button gives it a slightly fuller sound, but the Stereo Widening control just seemed to make everything amorphous.)

It runs on rechargeable batteries or AC and, like the Boombox, has an input for using non-wireless devices. The Party isn't meant to be hi-fi - it's strictly for fun. But if you want a truly portable on-the-run playback solution, this is it. - Michael Gaughn

Ducti Hybrid Bi-Fold Duct Tape Wallet $24 ducti.com Because the White House considers it to be a nifty self-preservation tool in case of a terrorist attack. Because Garrison Keillor recited an entire ode to it in Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion.

And finally, because many a hardcore, hands-on home-theater enthusiast has a sticky place in his heart for it - and thus, we suspect, a place in his breast pocket as well.

Yes, for the S&V man who loves his duct tape, a wallet made of the stuff is worth its weight in cash. Ducti's Bi-Fold wallet really is made of duct tape - albeit, one specially formulated to not get sticky, lift, or peel (the company holds proprietary rights). With five card slots plus the usual money pocket, the Ducti operates like any wallet - and feels like one, too.

And if its "cool factor" isn't enough, consider that it not only carries your dough but can save you some. When it eventually wears out, invoke your "lifetime replacement warranty" and send the Ducti people your old billfold, plus $6.50 (shipping and handling). They'll send you back a brand-new wallet - which, incidentally, will match your silver spacesuit perfectly. - Rob Medich

Tangent Quattro Wi-Fi Internet Radio $350 www.tangent-audio.com The Tangent Quattro is a tabletop Wi-Fi radio that piggybacks on your home wireless network to bring you thousands of worldwide Internet radio stations. It can also access music from your computer's media player - your Windows Media Player (once again, the Mac-erati get left at the curb). And after you take a moment to study its instruction manual, the Quattro becomes fairly user-cordial.

For Internet radio, you'll be using the Tune knob, along with the Select and Back buttons. For Media files, you'll access controls like Play, Prev, Next, and Browse. (It's an alarm clock, too.)

Sound-quality-wise, what you see is what you'll hear: The Quattro is a mono, portable radio with a 3-inch, top-firing driver, and it sounds like one (though it's roughly in the same league as a Tivoli - which isn't a bad league at all). But let's be honest: How many Internet radio stations are pumping out audiophile-quality signals anyway?

The handsome Tangent Quattro (I recommend the model in race-car red) is really a radio-geek's dream, and it's best used to hear, say, an Aussie station's lunch-hour show - as you get ready for bed. - Rob Medich