OTHER TECH

Double Duty Every clan has its tech freak - the one member who immediately embraces bold technological advances, making way for the new by obliterating the old, sweeping aside all that is obsolete with breathtaking determination. Then there's the rest of the family. The Samsung DVD-V3650 DVD player/VCR ($150) is for them. Chances are you know somebody who has loads of those clunky "VHS tape" things lying around. They might even have a VCR that's struggling along on its last legs. Samsung's slim DVD/VCR combo eliminates the need for two machines, and it's also a great gift for the grandparents who haven't yet - gasp! - come over to the DVD side. The V3650 doesn't just trade on novelty but offers all the functions of separate models, including progressive-scan DVD playback and an Intro Scan VCR feature that handily finds the beginning of each recorded portion of a VHS tape. www.samsungusa.com, 800-726-7864

Two-Timer So one alarm clock just isn't cutting it. You wake in a blear and turn your mate's alarm off. Or your dearly beloved smacks the snooze button one too many times, making everybody late. And who wants to begin the day with cheap, tinny, low-fi sound coming from a tacky, low-rent plastic cabinet? The Tivoli Audio Model Three clock radio ($200) and its partner in time, the Model Three dual-alarm speaker ($100), let you strike the right first note. Joined by a 15-foot cable and designed with spare elegance and natural wood (just smell it), this set is almost too beautiful to leave tucked in the bedroom. But what's inside counts, too: the electronics for both were concocted by the late, great Henry Kloss. Controls are at a minimum. You set the alarms by turning silver thumbwheels, the snooze buttons are perfectly placed, and the smooth moves of the main unit's analog tuning dial are reassuringly firm. The sound is warm, full, and altogether surprising coming from cabinets this small. And you can use the dual-alarm speaker to turn the whole shebang into a stereo system. With outputs for adding a subwoofer or feeding the signal to a receiver, your morning wake-up call can rival last night's living-room concert. www.tivoliaudio.com, 877-297-9479