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CHEAP $149 PHILIPS 13PR11M Not all 13-in. televisions are created equal. This Philips model comes in three colors (silver, white and metallic blue), and its QuadraSurf remote lets you group your favorite channels together by genre and flip through them with a single button. It also has a built-in wake-up timer, so you can kiss your clock radio good-bye. www.usa.philips.com
MODERATE $800 HITACHI 32UX01S If you load a TV with bells and whistles, better make sure the picture is perfect too. The 32-in. UltraVision has a digital three-line comb filter: don't worry about what it does; just enjoy the rich colors and razor-sharp lines. Plus, the bells and whistles: S-Video and component-video inputs, dual-tuner picture-in-picture and two cable-TV jacks. www.hitachi.com
EXPENSIVE $3,999 SHARP 61R-NWP5H Thinking big? Better think progressive scan, which is a fancy term for a TV that eliminates those horizontal lines that get more and more annoying as sets get bigger. Sharp's monster 61-in. progressive-scan rear-projection TV is HDTV ready, but it also has a digital-signal converter that makes sure regular TV channels look nearly as good. www.sharp-usa.com
CELL PHONES
CHEAP $80 NOKIA 5165 Solid, dependable and cheap, this is the phone for Honda Civic owners. While it lacks a vibrate mode, the 5165 has the right vitals (long battery life, easy-to-read screen, intuitive navigation) and cool extras like text messaging. Its bulky, but brightly colored faceplates add style, and the price is right--with rebates, you might be able to get it for free. www.nokia.com
MODERATE $150 LG INFOCOMM TM510 The external LCD screen is one of those features every clamshell-style phone should have--it lets you see who's calling without fumbling around to open the phone. The light, compact TM510 has other extras worth paying for too, like voice-activated dialing, a vibrate mode and a phone book that handles five numbers for each of 199 names. www.lginfocomm.com
EXPENSIVE $500 SAMSUNG I300 If you've ever juggled a Palm and a cell phone at the same time, you'll understand the appeal of the curvaceous i300. The Palm OS is built right in, so you can chat while using your appointment calendar (a hands-free set and voice recognition make this a snap). One caveat: that gorgeous color screen cuts down on battery life. www.samsungusa.com
DESKTOP COMPUTERS
CHEAP $1,050 HP PAVILION 7935 There are lower-priced machines but not many with this kind of high performance. Hewlett-Packard's best value includes a superfast 1.3-GHz AMD Athlon chip, Polk Audio speakers and a built-in CD burner. Better still, through Jan. 5, a $150 rebate on the PC-and-monitor combo pushes the system price down to a very merry $900. www.hpshopping.com
MODERATE $1,650 COMPAQ PRESARIO 8000 If you're looking for an inexpensive way to burn your own DVDs, we've found one. Compaq's newest Presario includes a 17-in. monitor, color inkjet printer and speakers, plus a drive that writes CDs and DVDs. Besides rejuvenating old home videos, this powerhouse is a good bet for anything from PC gaming to desktop publishing. www.compaq.com