Remember several years ago when Internet cafes were all the rage? Over in Europe, some of these cafes were huge and occupied multi-floor buildings.

The last time Clark was in London, however, he saw one formerly popular cafe that was reduced from 500 terminals to about 75. What happened? The marketplace changed. Free wifi became wide-spread and suddenly everyone could access the Internet from their cell phones.

Likewise, the Internet will increasingly be anywhere you go. Delta Airlines will have high-speed connections on all its flights by 2009. The price for access will be around $10 for a few hours or around $13 or $14 on longer flights. Delta's system will not be compatible with Skype.

Meanwhile, what you surf on is undergoing a transformation. A new class of ultra-lightweight mini-laptops -- called "netbooks" -- is all the rage. Many of them are Windows based.

Clark recently (over)paid for one Hewlett Packard model at $599. Lenovo's S10 ThinkPad is going for $399, which is not much for a fully functional mini-computer. Expect a big marketing push for netbooks this holiday season. People will be snatching them up for themselves and their favorite road warriors.

Speaking of traveling, there are new TSA-approved computer bags available where you don't have to unpack your laptop at security checkpoints. The TSA can actually check your laptop while it remains in the bag.

Many of us are drowning in e-waste with so many electronics in our lives. There's a new website called VenJuvo.com that may help you de-clutter your life and possibly earn a little extra cash.

VenJuvo.com is an online trade-in center that pays for pre-owned electronics -- everything from cell phones, mp3 players, computers and cameras to GPS systems and gaming consoles. You simply go to the site, enter the info on what you have and get a quote for what they'll pay you. They pay for shipping and you typically receive your payment in 3 business days.

For items that no longer have value, VenJuvo.com also offers free e-cycling. This is just one of many examples of entrepreneurs exploring e-cycling. Clark once happened upon a cell phone recycling operation when he was shooting a TV story. The operation collected useless cell phones to be reconditioned or stripped for parts.

CellforCash.com and CellPhoneTradeIns.com are a couple of sites where you can try unloading your old cell phone for cash.

During the early '60s, the creators of animated series The Jetsons had a vision of life in the future involving jet packs and aerocars for transportation. Could that era finally be upon us?

There's been a huge buzz in the aircraft world about a new personal plane called the ICON A5. The ICON is a foldable airplane that travels at speeds of 120 mph and can land or takeoff on land or water. It's designed to be so easy to operate that it only requires 20 hours of training and a standard driver's license to operate.

But hold on, George Jetson. A pre-assembled, factory-built model is expected to sell for $139,000.

The ICON is just one of a wave of personal aircraft that entrepreneurs and aviation enthusiasts are working on. During a recent staff meeting, Team Clark thought its penny-pinching leader was crazy for thinking he might want to get an ICON.

Christa raised concerns about amateur pilots crashing into each other and various buildings. Clark agrees those are valid concerns, but he can't shake the idea that we're just on the edge of a personal era of transportation. George would be proud!

Oprah and Clark are on the same page about something again! First, they liked the same ice cream. Now, they've both gone crazy for a very simple technology -- little portable video cameras that are idiot-proof.

Most video cameras just gather dust in homes across America. They have too many attachments; they're too hard to use; and they're not small enough to be available during spontaneous moments. They're only good for planned events like graduations, weddings and more.

As a self-professed techno-idiot, Clark loves the Flip Ultra -- priced around $90. There's a built-in USB connector that pops out of the side and lets you automatically upload video to YouTube, PhotoBucket or anywhere else. Similar cameras from Creative Video and RCA are available in a comparable price range.

So if you've been missing touching moments on vacations, or with your children, this could be a perfect solution. You can instantly send video across the world from an Internet cafe.

Microsoft has long dominated the office software market. But the computer giant is now feeling threatened by alternative programs that target entrepreneurs and small business.

So Microsoft is experimenting with a $70 annual subscription service that's being sold at major electronics retailers. Customers will receive any new versions of Office for free during the year.

Google also offers its own office suite that's similar to Microsoft. Then there's also the free Star Office option. Clark has used Star Office for years and never had a problem with opening a Microsoft Word document. Why pay money for something that's available for free?

One final thought: If you're still using Internet Explore as your web browser, Clark encourage you to take a look at Firefox 3.0. Most tech reviewers think it's a clearly superior browser.

Have you ever heard Clark talk about technology using lingo that befuddled you? If so, he's come up with an internet access glossary that explains some of the "techspeak" you commonly hear on the show.

The penny-pincher may be a self-professed techno-idiot -- he doesn't exactly know how anything works -- but he knows how to connect the dots between different technologies to get the cheapest results.

One caveat: Sometimes Clark's passion for cheap and new technology can bring you more frustration than savings!

For example, Clark once talked Christa and her husband into using early VoIP technology at home to save money on calling. But her husband got frustrated because it was difficult to use and didn't always work. Likewise, Clark's wife became upset with him just the other day. She needed to use her cell phone to call into a telephone conference line, and he had a cheap (yet difficult) workaround.

So know that if you want to go cutting-edge to save money, you are a pioneer and there'll be more effort involved. Most people want ease -- and that will usually cost you.

In the early days of NetFlix, no one was quite sure if the company's business model would work. Now they've become an enormous success and have practically demolished competitors like Blockbuster.

The next challenge NetFlix has to face is the on-demand movie threat. So the company has come up with a $99 box that delivers on-demand flicks directly to your TV. A monthly subscription fee of about $9 is required to have access to some 10,000 movies.

Netflix is hoping this device will help them counter the on-demand services from some of the cable companies. But do you really want another box on top of your TV? That's become valuable real estate.

In related news, expect to see more tiny computers during the next few years. This trend should be a real boon for all the road warriors who have to lug around heavy laptops.

Clark has a new Hewlett Packard mini-laptop ($599) that weighs 2 pounds and has a full keyboard. It can fit easily in a woman's purse or inside a carry-on bag -- no need for a separate computer bag.

Think of it as HP's response to Clark's beloved "Triple E" PC. Clark was an early adopter of the "Triple E" and bought it for $399. Now he recently saw BJ's selling it for $274!

So business travelers and others, take heart. The days of hurting your shoulder are over. You no longer need to lug a heavy laptop and create a living for the chiropractors!

Clark was practically a majority of one on his staff when he got excited about the Asus Eee (pronounced "Triple E") PC. Joel and Christa were vocal during a recent staff trip about their dislike for Clark's beloved mini-laptop.

The Eee runs on Linux and sells for around $299. There's also a Windows version available for a hundred dollars more. The "wundercomputer" weighs less than 2 pounds, has an 8-inch screen and is great if you have little fingers. It's designed for very basic tasks like web surfing, e-mailing, word processing and cheap VoIP service.

While the original target market was schoolchildren, it's been embraced by a lot of travelers who have grown weary of breaking their shoulders with traditional bulky laptops.

Asus now expects to sell about 5 million units this year. Those huge projected sales numbers have scared the big players in the market. Microsoft has reversed a decision to can XP, and now will keep it going indefinitely because it works well with the Eee. Hewlett-Packard, meanwhile, is preparing to introduce its own small, light computer for $499 with a 9-inch screen, built-in camera and more.

Before the Eee, nobody wanted to serve this market -- now being called the Netbook segment. So to Joel and Christa, Clark wants you to understand that the Eee and others like it have really created a new opportunity. Travelers now can compute in a whole new way without having to lug around a huge laptop. This is the wave of the future!

Many Americans are so addicted to their Blackberry devices that they've become "Crackberry" addicts. In fact, Clark knows that he could easily become one -- but he's taken preventative steps to ensure it doesn't happen.

Recently he was at the dentist when his smartphone began buzzing with incoming calls. So he actually took it out -- while the hygienist was hovering over him -- to see who called him. He'd be done in if he had a Blackberry that delivered e-mails on constant feed!

A new English study finds that 1 in 3 Blackberry users show addiction signs similar to alcoholism. While out at a restaurant, Clark noticed a couple both on their Blackberries during a candlelit dinner. That's definitely not a good way to earn brownie points with your date.

Some 14 million people now have Blackberries because they think it frees them up. But really it's more of a burden that makes you less productive, according to the study. You work more, but you're not necessarily more productive.

While Clark likes the convenience and portability of a Blackberry, he vows never to have a portable phone device that automatically feeds e-mails as they arrive. Christa, however, has wagered $1 that says Clark will have to eat his words in a few years. She expects all handheld devices to auto-deliver e-mails as a standard feature in the near future.

Clark has set his smartphone to deliver e-mail about 14 times a day. That way he doesn't get oversaturated. But Kim has already noticed that Clark is conditioned to look at his phone whenever it vibrates with an incoming call. Is he moving slowly but surely toward Crackberry addiction? Only time will tell…

If you're like Clark, you snap a lot of digital photos and then have trouble getting them out of the camera and into the real world. He's too lazy to figure out how to hook up the cable to his computer to print them or upload to a website! There's a new solution to this problem that's been getting some great reviews. A company called Eye-Fi sells a memory chip for your camera with built-in wifi. The chip, which is SD compatible, automatically uploads images to your computer or a photo-sharing site. At $100, Eye-Fi chips cost of about 8 times what you'd pay for a standard 2 GB memory chip. But prices should be dropping by the end of the year. Eye-Fi will work with most major photo-sharing sites including Snapfish, Shutterfly and Flickr.

Meanwhile, the cost of developing pictures is dropping and there are a lot of value-added propositions. Clark recently received a bound, hardcover book with photos and commentary to commemorate a trip that he and his wife took with another couple. That's how advanced photo processing has become. Remember the old days when Clark would recommend having a disposable camera in the trunk so you could take pictures if you were in a fender bender? Today people would probably just use their camera phone and e-mail pictures directly to the police!

Clark wants to share news of a website that could save your life. Have you noticed how many people text or e-mail while they drive? This is a very dangerous practice. When you're traveling at freeway speeds, you can go 20 yards in the 1 second it takes you to glance down at your handheld device. There are even some states with DWT (driving while texting) laws now on the books. One day Clark nearly ran off the road while reading an e-mail. So now he only looks at his e-mails when he's come to a complete stop. But what if you're so addicted to your Crackberry that you just have to text and e-mail while driving? Try Jott.com, a free, ad supported service. Here's how it works: After registering your contact list, you call up an 800 number and say the name of the person you want to text or e-mail. Then you begin speaking your message and Jott translates it into the written word. One caveat: It might be good to mention in your e-mail that it's a voice translation. The first test that Clark sent was almost completely accurate -- except for the words "sen" (send) and "motocue" (Moto Q). Clark is very excited about Jott, but he's already wondering if it will wind up in his Internet graveyard!

Clark has finally gotten his hands on a mini laptop called the Eee (pronounced "Triple E") PC that he's been talking about for the past several weeks. At $399, Clark admits to having overpaid for this computer. But he's really impressed with its usability and light weight of around 1.5 pounds. If you have smaller fingers you should have no problem touch-typing on the keypad. Travelers can now take an affordable mini laptop with them instead of paying $2,000 for a traditional one. The Eee is made by a Taiwanese company that teamed up with Intel, and it's designed for the basics: web surfing, e-mailing, word processing and cheap VoIP service. In fact, Clark's Eee came preloaded with Skype software! His computer even boots up in mere seconds versus a few minutes with most other laptops. His Eee uses Linux as its operating system. Linux is beloved by techies, but even a non-techie like Clark finds it extremely easy to use this laptop. Meanwhile, a version that runs Microsoft Windows won't be available for another couple of months. What about the much ballyhooed price in the low $200s? Clark says we should begin to see those kinds of prices sometime next year. So if you bought a Nokia Tablet PC on Clark's recommendation and really thought he stunk, you owe it to yourself to get to a store and check out the Eee. It will truly allow you to travel with laptop functionality without lugging around 10 or 15 pounds of extra baggage!

The iPhone has been a huge hit for Apple. It's also left a lot of people disgruntled because of Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T. Users of the iPhone are handcuffed to a two-year contract with the phone carrier. Apple released the iTouch to quell some of the criticism. The iTouch has the look and feel of the iPhone and all its bells and whistles. But it is not enabled for phone service! Now Verizon has become envious of the iPhone's success and done something it never does. The company has announced some vaporware in the form of competing products that are due around Christmas. They're supposed to be like the iPhone or even better, but we'll have to wait and see if they materialize. No word yet if T-Mobile or Sprint will do the same.

Clark recently was in an Apple store in a mall and it was packed with people on a night when other the stores were empty. Customers were playing with Macintosh computers, iBooks, iPods, nanos, iPhones and more. The sleekness of Apple products looks like something from a science fiction movie of the future. Clark is really impressed with Apple's design sense. For example, Clark's wife has a Mac now for her business. It cost a fortune, and Clark could have bought four desktop PCs running Vista for the price his wife paid. But his wife has a connection with her Mac like it's a person. That's because Apple's Steve Jobs is a creative genius who knows how to really make products pop. Look at Pixar. Also co-founded by Jobs, Pixar combines artistry and electronics in a way that's warm, exciting, colorful and stylish. Most people are willing to pay for all the pizzazz -- but not Clark!

Clark's gotten a couple of tips from his listeners about a new product called magicJack. This product offers unlimited local and domestic long-distance calling via your Internet connection. The cost is $40 for the first year and about $20 for subsequent years. The way it works is very simple. You plug your phone into the magicJack and then plug magicJack into your computer's USB port. It takes about a minute to load up the first time, but once it assigns you a phone number you're on your way. Clark's very happy with the service so far, but about a third of people he calls through magicJack report poor sound quality. If you're cheap and want to be a pioneer, you can buy this now. And if the company goes bust, you've lost $40 bucks -- not the hundreds some people (including Clark himself) lost on SunRocket.

It’s strange how much power is concentrated in Washington D.C. D.C usually ends up being the referee between two feuding types of businesses -- and the one with the most money and lobbying power wins. And it's not always what's best for the free market. An example is internet radio. You've been able to listen to whatever you want on the web. A lot of powerful interests were not happy with this. A recent ruling now destroys internet radio -- this is terrible! In commercial radio you have a small number of a few large companies controlling all the stations. It’s hard for people to listen to what they like because of this. Internet radio stopped this because it gave diversity and choice for the consumer. But now it is being demolished. If you find your favorite internet radio station is gone, you can thank Washington, and more specifically, the money that's in the hands of politicians.

Cross-country communication is very tough nowadays with generational differences in technology preferences. So how do you get emails and photos to someone who's computer challenged? A year ago, Clark read about something called "Presto," made by Hewlett Packard. It's a simple device that prints out photos and email automatically, three times a day. It's like having the mailman come several times every day. Clark got one for his 83-year old mom for her to get photos, emails and calls from family without touching a computer. This is such a wonderful, simple device. It isn’t cheap ($99) but it's very helpful! It even emails you when you're low on printer ink. Check it out at presto.com. Also, here's a bonus: you don't get any spam, because you can control who's able to send you anything.

All around the country, state laws are being passed that ban teens from talking, texting and e-mailing on cell phones while driving. But what about adults who are still doing all this stuff while behind the wheel? Clark has a self-imposed rule that he tries to follow with varying degrees of success: If he needs to make or take a call, he pulls off to the side of the road. Clark is also acutely aware of the addiction some people have to their Blackberrys. He's set his Blackberry so that he only receives e-mail 16 times throughout the day instead of every time a message comes into his inbox. That helps prevent him from becoming a "Crackberry" addict. But for some people it gets to the level that they have to shut down their Blackberrys for weeks at a time to break the addiction. In fact, one in five people feels "tech gadget remorse," according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Meanwhile, text messaging is so much a part of our culture that there have been lawsuits against Deal or No Deal, The Apprentice and 1 vs. 100. These shows charge you roughly a dollar to text in and win prizes related to the program. Isn't that like illegal gambling?

Here on the show we always give out free advice to you, the consumer. But did you know that we also get it back from our dedicated listeners? After receiving a tip from one such person, we've put up a list of FREE software that you can download from the internet. It's divided into dozens of areas of interest, so you can surf around easily to get software, books, games, free conference calling and so much more. While the quality of stuff that's free is all over the board, you can rest assured that none of it will cost you one thin dime. Bookmark the page...it just may come in handy.

This time of year you should be outside enjoying yourself, so it is surprising to have a deal pop up on game machines. The Nintendo Wii -- a system that the experts didn’t think much of, and thought would just be yesterday’s technology -- has taken the market by storm. It has a unique design based on research into what would be fun to play. The Wii is way beyond a cult item; kids, adults, men, women and anyone who’s ever played with the system has been pretty much excited by it. The reason is that you engage in physical effort to play the game! If you play a bowling game with the Wii, you’re throwing your arm (and the game controller) as if you’re in a bowling alley. If you play tennis, you’re swinging the handheld console as if it’s a racket. So it actually gets you off your rear end and playing, which should make people happy about sedentary kids and adults. You actually have to get up and break a sweat to win the game.

Because of the Wii’s success, the other game machines are really now on the ropes. The Microsoft Xbox and the Sony PS3 have historically been over-priced, burdened with problems and just are not selling. Sony had been asking $600 for one of its PS3s, but now the company has cut the price so there’s a model available for $399. The PS3 also doubles as a hi-definition DVD player, which uses Blu-ray technology. So there’s a possibility for a twofer here, where you can get the game console with hi-definition DVD capabilities. But there’s one caveat: Clark advises against collecting movies to view on your PS3 before some format issues are settled between Blu-ray and its HD DVD competitor. Instead, just rent them from Blockbuster and Netflix who both carry Blu-ray DVDs. So the opportunity is there for you that you could get a deal on a PS3, and you know Clark likes that!

Smart companies are starting to use blogs as a cheap way to do market research. Tripadvisor.com is a particular website, which hotels hate, that travelers can post their feelings on. If you stayed at the nicest hotel with great customer service, you can tell your fellow travelers that. If it was just the opposite, you can tell them that too. It is funny though, that even though this could be used to the advantage of hotel chains, many don't use it. This is totally free market research for them. The oddest thing is that if someone has a bad experience, and it is fixed the first time, the person becomes a more loyal customer to that business. So if these hotels would just listen to their free box of customer complaints, maybe they would create more loyal customers.

Fancy cases for gadgets are all the go – again. A fancy cell phone case from Louis Vuitton, for example, costs $305. An iPod case from Christian Dior is about the same. And those are the tip of the iceberg. One of the big things in the nightclub scene is women wearing cell phones in a garter on their thighs and men wearing Bluetooth mouthpieces that are attached to overpriced sunglasses. Don’t let anyone convince you to spend $300 to carry around your electronics gizmos. It’ll be out of style in a year or less, and no one can tell what it is anyway.

The price of LCD televisions is collapsing! Smart Money and the Wall Street Journal both report that prices are dropping every day. Ads in papers show, for example, an LCD that was $2,000 about six months ago that is $999 today. The smaller LCDs (usually 20 inches in size) have dropped to as cheap as $279. So, what’s happening? As usual with electronics, everyone sees a goldmine and builds factories to build these products. So, the market is now flooded with LCD televisions and the prices are dropping. SmartMoney also learned that some manufacturers are selling the exact same television with different brand names and different prices. The no-name brands cost a good deal less, but they are the same product. A 23-inch LCD, for example, costs $2,100 with one label and $700 with another. The performance of these computers will be exactly the same, but companies can get away with it. So, if you like the picture, buy the television. It won’t matter if it’s the cheapest because most of them are the same anyway. Clark predicts that by Thanksgiving, the big plasma televisions will break the $1,000 mark. That’s half of what they are today. So, wait a while and the savings will be even greater. As for programming, Clark thinks there will be enough programming in HDTV to make it worth it. DirectTV, in particular, has put a big emphasis on satellites to provide HDTV as soon as possible.

We are in the midst of “television sweeps” and local TV stations are doing everything they can to boost their audience. That’s because ad rates for the rest of the year are set on sweeps ratings. So, television companies try to outdo themselves with sensational stories in February, May and November - the major sweeps times. But there is a change coming thanks to a technology that may flip that system on its head. LPM (Local People Meter) is starting to go live in some cities already and will be launched in all major markets by the end of 2006. LPM will allow stations to get actual measurements on what people are watching. And it will mean good television programs throughout the year. It’s already happening in Boston, New York, LA, Chicago and San Francisco. It comes to Washington D.C., and Philadelphia this summer. Then, by the end of the next year, Detroit, Dallas and Atlanta will start using LPM. Networks won’t have to run its hot shows up against other network shows and new shows will launch anytime of the year. We’ll see what happens.

Clark hates traffic, and anyone who has been with him in traffic can attest to just how much. He would much rather fly around in his own personal aircraft like George Jetson. There have been several attempts to create a Jetson-type vehicle. One, called the Mueller aircraft, has been in the works for years but still hasn’t taken off, as they say. Well now another one is soon going to be on the market. It’s called the Air Scooter II. It’s a much more basic vehicle that flies over traffic at about 60 mph. It’s supposed to be available some time this year and will cost about $50,000. The seat is completely exposed to the elements and the steering wheel is like a bicycle handle bar. The scary part is that no license is required for this ultra light vehicle. Clark thinks it’s a great idea, but Christa, Clark’s executive producer, is a bit concerned about the risk of accidents and other mishaps.

Consumers have an amazement with transportation these days. Because of all the technology out there, vehicles are becoming almost like a second home to us. Land Rover is no exception. The car company is building a vehicle that has a built-in “Wi-Fi” system that will allow people to surf the Web while they drive. OK, let’s hope the driver isn’t the one on the Web. But you will have your own Internet café in your SUV. And, anywhere there is a Wi-Fi hotspot, your car’s computer will connect to the Internet. What will they think of next?

Did you know that 4.2 million people bought iPods this past Christmas? It was the most popular consumer electronics product last fall, and manufacturer Apple has been basking in the success of the product. The company has been able to corner the market because the iTunes-iPod combo is a snap to use. Clark has given his wife Lane an MP3 player in 2003 and neither of them was able to figure out how to download the music and get it to play correctly. Last Christmas, she asked for an iPod. It was $279, which was a lot in Clark’s opinion. But within minutes of opening the gadget, it was loading and playing music in a flash. The latest iPod release, the “iPod Shuffle,” is probably the right capacity for Clark since he’s not that big into music. It costs $100 and holds 120 songs. So, whatever your style of music, Apple has something to fit your style. And, the best news is that prices are likely to go down over time.

Internet telephone companies are huge these days. Clark has had Vonage in his home for about three years, for example, and he gives it an “A” so far. Mainstream players are now starting to adopt the idea, as well. Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, is going to offer Internet phone service for $40 a month with unlimited local and long distance calling. That is 50 percent higher than typical phone services, but Comcast will monitor your burglar alarm and will allow 911 calling, something others have trouble with. Clark doesn’t think that price will last for long, either. It will move down after a while, so keep an eye on this one.

You may have heard that most of the big cell phone companies have made evenings, weekends free, and many have made calls within their network free. So, if one Cingular customer calls another Cingular customer, it doesn’t cost either person a cent. But if you go outside the network, and call on a landline or other cell phone, you are charged for the call or deducted minutes. Well, one company has found a way to circumvent that exclusive system. The name of the company is Xcelis. It has made it possible to call members of other networks with unlimited calling, by leveraging your unlimited minute plan. So, you’re a Cingular customer, you would call another Cingular number, which is a free call. That number is actually an Internet computer switch that is rerouted over the Internet to anyone you want to call regardless of his or her provider. It blows apart the business model of per-minute calling, and has the big companies furious. It’s available right now for Verizon and Cingular customers, and the others will soon be added. So, what does Xcelis get out of it? The company charges a $10 monthly fee for the service. The folks at Verizon claim they will cut off phone service to anyone who uses Xcelis. We’ll see what really happens. For right now, if you’d like to try out Xcelis, the company is offering a 7-day trial period for free. Go to xcelis.com.

It’s really confusing when you look at ads for digital cameras because they’re all over the board in price. So, what do you need? Well, you don’t need a 5 or 6 megapixel camera. Ads you see today will scream about how great these cameras are. But the Financial Times of London reports that you don’t need one of these unless you are involved in industrial or art displays. In fact, you will get a better picture if you avoid the most expensive digital cameras and stick with a 2-megapixel model. Consumer Reports recently surveyed these cameras and came up with two “Best Buys.” They are the Nikon Coolpix 2200, which costs $125, and the Canon PowerShot A60, which costs $137. In the 3-megapixel category, Consumer Reports rated Fujifilm’s FinePix A330, which costs $129. There are many other cameras listed in the survey, but these were the best. Pay close attention to the battery life, as well. Some cameras run out of power after 25 shots while others take more than 300 on one charge.

Three people on Clark’s staff have devices that combine Internet and phone devices all in one gadget. Christa and Clark both have the Treo 600, and Kevin has the Sidekick 2. So far, the Sidekick 2 is only available to T-Mobile customers, whereas the Treo is available to all cell phone users. The Sidekick is a very clever device, with instant messaging capabilities and cell phone capabilities. It costs $20 a month for unlimited e-mailing and instant messaging. For Clark’s Treo, it’s $15 a month. Blackberry users, also known as “crack berry” users, are also switching to the all-in-one device. Another popular one on the market is the “Ogo,” which has e-mailing and instant messaging capabilities, but there is no phone feature. The issue with these gadgets – as great as they are – you never let go of the thing and decompress. It can hurt relationships as well. So, remember to keep balance in your life.

Men like to ask Clark about HDTV on a regular basis. For some reason, men are very intrigued by HDTV while women could care less. The question is usually about whether it’s time to buy HDTV yet. Clark has been saying for a while that it’s not quite time yet. The reason is because the programming isn’t there yet. But if you’re chomping at the bit, go ahead and buy one. You just have to remember that you’ll only get about 10 channels at the most, according to the Orange County Register. One man told Clark the other day that he loves his HDTV because of the amazing picture, but he only gets six channels. So, he just watches those same six channels over and over. A year from now, things will be quite different. HDTV sets that were $5,000 are already down to $1,000. So they will be much less by then. And the programming will be much better too. Converting regular TV to HDTV will also be much less confusing by then. One thing to keep in mind is that some companies are trying to sell HDTV knock-offs. They will say something like EDTV or something similar, but salespeople try to pass them off as the real thing. It’s not the same, so look at the picture before you buy.

Clark was recently in Europe and he discovered a new way of renting movies that fascinated him. It’s basically an ATM machine that dispenses movies. You rent the movie for six hours, watch it and then you take it back. It costs only a few dollars. They must be working because they are everywhere in France and Germany. The business model is slowly catching on in the United States. McDonald’s tested a similar setup in Denver, where there are now more than 100 movie-dispensing locations. There are also several ATMs in the Northeast that allow people to rent for 24 hours. People want to be able to rent a movie when they want, and now it's happening. Movies are also coming in all different sizes. Movies will soon be recorded onto devices the size of an MP3 player. It’s about three years away, so be on the lookout.

Retailers across America are rolling out pocket bikes, also known as “pocket rockets,” as well as mini scooters and electric scooters. They travel at about 35 miles per hour and they cost between $250 and $400. These gadgets are all over the news because kids are getting injured every day on them. It’s unclear whether they are legal for kids to ride, and more importantly, whether they are safe to ride. They look fun and harmless, but they’re actually very dangerous. They come up to between your knee and waist area and they are very cheap and fast. Police are stunned by all of the problems they are causing, and there are no laws on the books right now. So, parents need to step in and take charge of this situation before it gets out of hand.

Clark has three old, dusty computer monitors in his home, and his wife, Lane, can’t wait to get rid of them. The trouble is that it costs money to get rid of old computer equipment the right way because there is so much lead and other harmful chemicals in them. But two companies have gotten together to help solve this problem. Office Depot and Hewlett Packard, one of the pioneers of computer recycling, are taking electronics and computer equipment off your hands for free this summer. Just bring your items to any Office Depot store. They will take monitors, computers, PDAs, fax machines, digital cameras and fax machines. They will also take televisions that are smaller than 27 inches and TV/VCR combos. The only catch is that they will only take one item per person, per day. The promotion will run through Labor Day, so gather your old goods and make a couple trips. Clark wonders when Dell will respond with an offer of its own.

Clark is getting more and more calls from people who want to put in HDTV (high definition television). You can get it from so many places these days that people are getting confused by all of the information. You can get it over the air, from your cable company, or from a satellite company. The good news is that there is now a site to help you figure it all out. Buyinghdtv.com has information about all of the vendors and buying guides by city. This gives you the ability to buy smart and that is key in this area. In other news, if you're willing to wait until next year you will be able to get a big screen plasma TV for under $1,000. The LCD screen televisions will be under $500. Prices are steadily dropping, so look for deals.

The iPod has become a cult item. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a mini digital music player that allows you to hold up to 6,000 or so songs. People who are into music love these things. And, according to Wired News, people are now posting ideas online about what they hope the next iPod launch will be. Some ideas are iPod phones and iPod watches. Right now there is the iPod Spec, which are glasses that play music, and the iPod pen, which also plays tunes. The Trio 600 allows you to listen to music, check e-mail and buy stock all in the same device. What would you pay for these devices? They are out of most people’s price range right now at between $300 and $600. But they will go down in price.

Clark likes riding bicycles, but he tends to look around a bit too much while riding. On motorcycles and cars, that can be pretty dangerous. But, according to the Boston Globe, technologies will be on the market by Christmas that will prevent cyclists from looking around. They’re called “Head’s Up Displays.” Basically, motorcycle riders will be able to see their speed and other information inside their helmets. Other devices will alert you when a car is approaching from behind. When you’re on a motorcycle, people can’t see you as well. So, the technologies are a huge benefit. Even better, they’re becoming more affordable as well.

The Internet is on the verge of becoming your source for television! Tivo is moving above and beyond cable and satellite with a new technology that will allow you to capture programming through the Internet and then watch it on your television. Whether you prefer television documentaries or movies, this technology promises to deliver all of your favorites. It’s causing fear among cable and satellite operators, as well as regular broadcasters because people will be able to watch what they want when they want to. You should see this new Tivo device this holiday season. Other companies, including Timeshift TV, are launching similar devices, by the end of the year.

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In other broadcasting news, Comcast - the nation’s largest cable operator - is coming out with television for toddlers. The all-important 2-5 year old market will be able to watch kids programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So how are the Tivo and Comcast ventures related? In one word, “narrowcasting.” These companies want you to be your own network by being totally in control of what you watch and when. This is really good for consumers who don’t like to sit around waiting for their favorite show or movie. The drawback, of course, is the cost of the service and equipment that these companies demand for this type of technology. With more choice comes more cost.

Clark doesn’t play video games. But there are games coming into the market that could change his mind. Right now, all the video game gurus are getting together at the “E3” convention, where manufacturers unmask their goods. One new development is that X-Box game players will be able to see each other playing across the country or across the globe. Also, Sony has come out with the “PSP” – the Play Station Portable. It will have music, movies and video games all rolled into one. Nintendo has two new screens on its newest gaming device. All of these elements are designed to deal with the boredom factor. Teens get bored with certain games, so the video game manufacturers are creating gadgets geared toward adults. Women in their ‘20s and ‘30s have actually become huge video game fans.

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In other gadget news, by holiday time cell phones will be voice activated with commands. So, you can say the number or the person’s name into the phone without having it already programmed in, and it will automatically dial. These new phones will also be better equipped to hear numbers and names accurately, according to the Kansas City Star. Look for them soon!

Clark gets calls all the time about what kind of television people should buy and whether it’s time to buy HDTV. He’s been saying for a while now that the time is not right to go “high def,” as it’s also called. But a few months ago, Clark reported that HDTV prices had gone down and more programming was available. He also said he wouldn’t buy just yet, but if people wanted to they should go for it. Well, now he has egg on his face. Stories now say that it’s just not ready. Complaints coming in are more and more serious, and the technological challenges are still too many. Basically, there are still too many red flags, so hold off on buying for now. Over the next 18 months, more programming will be available, prices will go down and the interface will improve. You will reap the reward down the line.

People are spending an amazing amount of money on really weird things. Outdoor barbeque grills were the big thing in 2001. Today, it’s the lawnmower tractor. People are paying up to $17,000 for a lawnmower tractor. These fancy lawnmowers have cup holders, built in CD players and more. Some even are made so the driver can do “wheelies” while mowing. Shipments of these gadgets are up 11 percent from last year. If you have a lot of land that’s one thing. But if you don’t, what are you doing buying these things? The largest number are buying tractors that cost between $6,000 and $7,000. A good used car will cost you only $6,000. So, think about it. Pushing a normal lawnmower is much less expensive and it means more exercise, which is always a plus.

Have you heard the hype about the new running shoe from Adidas? It has a computer built into it that senses what environment you’re in, what kind of surface you’re on and how your foot hits that surface. Then it automatically adjusts how the shoe fits you and works for your foot. It’s known as a biomechanical running shoe. The cost - $250. It will be out this holiday season. Clark used to run on very cheap shoes, and it really cost him. He had such severe heel pain that it hurt to walk. He bought a pair of good running shoes on clearance and paid about $40. That’s a lot for Clark, but it’s worth it to buy a new pair every couple of years or months. He won’t be buying the computerized shoe until it gets down to the double digits, but that could happen.

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In other fitness news, there is now a shopping cart that gives the pusher a serious workout. The “Trim Trolley” has 10 different speeds that cause resistance while you shop. There are heart rate monitors on the handles and it burns about 280 calories an hour if it’s on a high setting. People in Great Britain love the carts, according to the Wall Street Journal-Europe. The cart costs about 890 British pounds, which is a lot. But apparently it’s worth it for people who want to multi-task and work out while they shop. It’s literally shop til you drop!

It’s amazing how many things that used to be so precious and expensive, yet today they are unbelievably cheap. Portable CD players, for example, were hundreds of dollars. Today, they’re being sold for $9. How about a color printer? They used to be quite expensive. Today, they come as part of a computer bundle usually. And if you have to buy one, they might be $35. One reason they’re so cheap is because companies make all of their money off the toner, so you need to remember that. But the point is that with electronics, you don’t want to buy state-of-the-art products. Buy current products or ones that are a little behind the times. It pays to be unhip when it comes to electronics. You’ll get a great deal if you just wait a little while.

Clark made a promise recently to test a product on the show. It was a poor man’s Tivo that could be downloaded to your computer and it’s called “Beyond TV3.” It’s a fraction of the cost of Tivo or Replay TV and it uses your computer to record the shows. Clark started reading how it would work and he gave up. It was more tha