Facebook became the most visited website in the United States last week for the first time in history. Historically, the pole position has been held by Google.

If you go back one year ago, Facebook was getting two percent of web traffic. Now it gets seven percent of all web traffic in the United States in a year.

Yet when you consider all Google properties -- Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and others -- Google still has more visitors each week than Facebook. But an apples-to-apples comparison of Google's flagship search engine vs. Facebook's homepage shows the search giant has now fallen behind by just a hair.

If you are a business and you're not using Facebook, you are missing an opportunity to connect with your customers. When Clark first launched his Facebook page, it was done as something of an afterthought. But now it's become one of the main ways his staffers connect with listeners.

In any business, you have to reach customers where they are. Twitter is growing too, but not to the extent that Facebook is.

In the United States, if you take Google, Facebook and Yahoo (plus all their various subsidiaries,) those three powerhouse account for almost 30 percent of all web traffic. They're enormous influencers.

In related news, Clark also saw recent stats about where people go for news online. Some old media sites like those of The New York Times and The Washington Post remain hugely popular in the new media environment. They can easily have larger readerships online than they had in print.

Are you a small business owner who is frustrated by the huge expense of paying to be listed in the Yellow Pages? For many years, the Yellow Pages were the only game in town for getting your business noticed. But now there's a new alternative being tested in a couple of markets.

Google has moved into the marketplace with an electronic Yellow Pages currently being beta-tested for businesses in the areas of Houston, Texas and San Jose, California. For $25/month, Google will present your online ad with a highlighted yellow box. These so-called "enhanced listings" draw customers' eyes to your business on a search results page.

Of course, if this proves successful, it will be expanded to more markets around the country.

Let's face it -- hardly anybody uses a traditional phone book anymore. If the 1979 comedy The Jerk were remade today, Steve Martin's character of Navin Johnson would have to go to a computer and say, "I Googled myself...I am somebody" instead of thumbing through the Yellow Pages to find his name!

Microsoft is set to introduce a free web-based version of its 2010 Office suite in June, according to Business Week.

For many years, the software giant enjoyed a monopoly in the world of office productivity suites and could charge sky-high prices. But Microsoft's primacy was challenged by the free OpenOffice.org and the free Google Docs.

OpenOffice works like traditional software that you download to your computer. However, Google Docs works via cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a fancy way of saying that your documents are stored not on your computer but in a password-protected "cloud." The benefit is that documents can be accessed from any computer, anywhere in the world.

Microsoft's latest move is, in part, an effort to compete in the cloud computing world. But Clark just loves it because it will be free!

The price of an e-book for the Amazon Kindle is set to take a 50 percent hike because of competition from Apple's iPad business model.

Amazon had staked out a very pro-consumer position by using its market-share to force major publishers to sell their e-books for $10. This was a real win for publishers and book lovers alike. Publishers avoided the expense of printing books and book lovers got a good price.

But that business model has been blown apart by Apple. Steve Jobs developed a revenue- sharing arrangement for his iPad with book publishers. The publishers will set the price of their books around $13-$16 and Apple will take a cut of that.

The Apple arrangement prompted publishing giant Macmillan to approach Amazon and seek a similar deal where they could set their own higher prices. Amazon wanted to hold fast to the $10 price and pulled all Macmillian books from its Kindle catalog to make a point. The boycott is only expected to be temporary.

Clark, however, is not worried by these developments. If the publishers get too piggy, the price will come down because book lovers won't buy their books. In the short term, yes, this is a diss to the American consumer. But in the long run, the market will correct itself and prices should come down.

One thing you never want Clark to do is sing for you! Years ago, he appeared on an FM morning show's version of American Idol and was asked to sing a Britney Spears song. His rendition was so pathetic and awful that...he actually wound up making it to the final rounds of the mock competition!

But the consumer champ is your guy when it comes to saving money on music. Today he wants to share a new website called FreeAllMusic.com that promises free and legal MP3 downloads in exchange for watching ads.

When you go to FreeAllMusic.com you'll be asked to enter a waiting list queue. The wait should, however, be worth it. Users will enjoy gratis downloads with no digital-rights management (DRM) restrictions. That means you're free to copy, share and use the MP3s as you wish.

This is yet another Don Quixote-type idea that's seeking to end Internet music piracy. So far two of the big four music conglomerates are on board with FreeAllMusic.com, and the service has lined up some big-time advertisers.

Meanwhile, Clark wants to put out another alert not to lock into a long-term satellite radio contract.

An Internet radio from Pandora is coming for your car that will receive commercial radio and Internet broadcasts for free. But at a market intro rate of $1,200 for the receiver, this is still only for the rich early adopters.

Yet it's also a sign that we are this close to being able to listen to whatever we want on the road for absolutely free.

Need evidence that the American spirit of ingenuity is alive and well in the new decade? Just look to the Consumer Electronics Show that is held every January in Las Vegas. More than 20,000 new products are debuting at this year's show.

Economic growth always comes from what's called "candle power," which is another way of saying entrepreneurs have the brains and guts to put their money into a new idea they believe in.

The reality is that almost all of the 20,000 new products debuting at CES this year will fail. And that's exactly what the entrepreneurial spirit requires -- trying and failing over and over again until you hit on the right idea. That we're willing to do it is what separates America from so many other places in the world.

Clark doesn't buy into the "rear view mirror mentality" -- the idea that America's best days are behind us. He prefers to believe that we still have a lot to give the world.

On a related note, The Financial Times of London recently detailed all the technology that didn't exist a decade ago. Examples include the iPod, WiFi, GPS units, DVR, flat-screen monitors, the Wii and the iPhone.

Likewise, Clark recalls a Canadian study he once read that estimated 70 percent of jobs that will exist in 20 years don't exist today. The future keeps evolving and you have to change with it.

Our American pedigree -- built on frontier spirit and entrepreneurship -- makes us uniquely qualified to seize new opportunities.

Google plans to launch its own phone called the Nexus One. This groundbreaking device promises to challenge some long-held beliefs in the cell phone business.

Nexus One is a whole new way of thinking about data, calling, the web, e-mail, texting and functions yet to be dreamt of. Perhaps the most revolutionary feature is that the handset won't be tied to any one network. No more being handcuffed to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile when you buy their handset.

With the Nexus One, you'll have one phone number that follows you anywhere around globe. You'll be able to make and receive calls from anywhere and not pay a fortune.

All of which underscores Clark's usual advice to not sign a contract with a cell phone company right now. You want to be free to take advantage of all the great developments that are coming.

Are you on Facebook? A new change to the popular social networking site's privacy policy may be making your private photos and information very public. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself had private pictures leaked into cyberspace!

Among the new info that's available is city, gender and a list of your friends. Some privacy experts are now suggesting you lie about your city and gender as a way to protect yourself. But that defeats the purpose of having Facebook as a safe venue where you can trust sharing info with your contacts.

A recent news analysis in The Financial Times of London decried the dangers of Facebook's new privacy policy. Chief among the dangers is a warning that you shouldn't post anything you don't want a potential employer seeing online.

And then there's the personal safety issue. When will the first lawsuit come because someone is harmed now that Facebook allows you to know where they live?

In related news, Clark has another warning to share about Facebook. Be wary of adding friends who are friends of friends, which is very common among users. Cyber-hackers can use you accepting them as a friend to compromise your financial accounts and steal your money.

The Financial Times reports one business had $100,000 stolen over two days because an executive visited Facebook while on a company computer and unknowingly downloaded a virus. The crooks were able to take over accounts and wire money out to Russia.

Remember, businesses have even less protection in this realm under the Uniform Commercial Code than individuals.

With computers being an undeniably popular item this Christmas season, Clark wants to share a tip to help you save money on one important accessory.

Printers are the kind of purchase that the consumer champ sees people making based on price sensitivity. Few understand that the real cost of a printer is not its upfront expense, but rather the cost of replacement ink over its lifetime.

Most printer manufacturers have adopted the Gillette shaver business model. Gillette takes a loss on every handset and makes it profit on replacement blades.

Hewlett-Packard -- the dominant printer company -- exemplifies this approach. They lose on every HP printer they sell just to make a zillion dollars on ink cartridges.

Yet one printer company has flipped this business model on its head. Kodak makes money on its printers and sells ink at rock-bottom prices. The approach has only won Kodak about two percent market share in the printer business. But it can mean long-term savings for you if you're willing to pay the $150 or so for a Kodak printer upfront.

So often we make short-term decisions that have long-term negative consequences. Another area where this is true is CFLs. You pay four times more upfront versus a traditional bulb. But think about the money you save on energy over time with a CFL.

The Kindle is poised to be one of the hottest electronics item this holiday season. However, this e-reader from Amazon is unusually expensive for a Christmas item at $300-$500 depending on which version you get. The experience is so similar to reading a book and there's almost no eye fatigue. The Amazon people came up with a brilliant interface to download books wirelessly.

A cheaper alternative from Asus will be available in early 2010 for those on a budget. Asus has a color e-reader that folds just like a book that is expected to cost around $160, according to the Sunday Times of London.

Many of the newer e-readers will allow you to download books for free that are in the public domain. It's like having your own library in your hand!

What happens to your accounts, usernames and passwords when you die? A recent Time article titled "How to Manage Your Online Life When You're Dead" addresses this thoroughly modern dilemma.

DeathSwitch.com is a service that repeatedly prompts you for your password to make sure you're still living. If you fail to reply to multiple prompts, the system will then e-blast out a message you've pre-composed (containing usernames, passwords, special messages to loved ones, etc.) to let others know of your untimely demise!

WeRemember.org is another similar service.

But what if you sign up with one of these services and they go bust? What becomes of your sensitive info? There is no clear law in the United States to govern this. In similar instances, user info has even been sold to make creditors whole!

Obviously, there's no perfect solution yet. If you're a braniac, there's a great business idea here, Clark promises you.

And how does the consumer champ handle this dilemma? He's chosen to go a very analog way. Clark has given one of his lifelong friends an envelope that has all his usernames and accounts in the event of his death. If his friend is not trustworthy, he could be broke in a minute!

The batteries in Apple's ultra-popular iPod may be at risk of exploding in flames and possibly causing bodily injury, according to Seattle's KIRO 7 TV.

PCWorld.com reports that there's a fight behind the scenes between Apple and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). At issue is whether customer complaints will go public and whether Apple will have to do a battery recall.

The CPSC reportedly has 800 pages of internal documents that show Apple knew about the alleged battery problems and have changed the design to try to prevent explosions.

Clark is not telling you to stop using your iPod. He simply wants to join the chorus of voices to get Apple to address the issue and do whatever recall is necessary.

How would you like to have unlimited e-mailing and texting for about $16/month? A new handheld device called the Peek offers just that.

Clark first talked about the Peek last November. The device was originally marketed to tweens and teens, but that approach missed a more valuable market segment. Now they've modified their business plan to cater to small business.

Let's face it, corporate types don't know how much their Crackberry or iPhone costs each month; their company is paying for it! But entrepreneurs who are struggling to make a profit need to watch every penny.

The Peek Classic sells for $19.95 and is available in colors that would appeal to teens. The Peak Pronto sells for $59.95 in basic black for business types. And remember, there's never a contract.

In the past, Clark has praised the Kindle -- Amazon's portable e-book reader. It lets travelers access multiple books while on a trip without over-stuffing their carry-on, and it offers a very easy reading experience on the eyes.

But now Amazon has done something with the Kindle that's really riled the consumer champ.

Amazon removed book titles without notice from customers' e-libraries because of a dispute with a book distributor. People only found out when they went to read a book and it simply wasn't there!

Amazon thought they didn't do anything wrong because they refunded the customers' money. But Clark likens this to Amazon sending a burglar to your house to steal back a book from your library!

The company hasn't officially apologized for the debacle, but did tell The New York Times they would handle the situation differently if it arose again.

The worst and most ironic part is exactly which book titles got pulled: George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984, which surely drove the Big Brother conspiracy theorists crazy!

Meanwhile, Amazon is supposedly considering having content-specific ads in the Kindle's e-books, according to report out of London. So if, for example, a character in the book is eating in a restaurant, a food advertisement might pop up.

Clark feels that if the ads make books cheaper than they would be otherwise, he's all for it. But the thievery involving the book titles is unacceptable.

Microsoft has announced plans to make a free version of Office 2010 available online. Your documents will be stored using cloud computing technology where the Internet itself serves as the mainframe. All documents will be password protected.

If you want more robust features, you'll pay extra for the standard boxed-edition of Office 2010.

Why is Microsoft doing this? Because Google Apps and OpenOffice.org, which are both free, pose a threat to the Microsoft business model.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has had great success with a new search engine called Bing. Clark has tried it out and believes he gets vastly superior search results to Google.

In addition, you'll want to keep an eye out for Google's Chrome operating system, which will allow your computer to work almost instantly from the moment you hit the power button. No more long waits during the booting process!

How you access the Internet will also be revolutionized over the next 2 years. Clark predicts that by Labor Day 2011, we'll have basic high-speed Internet in big cities across America for $10/month or less.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Google's latest free service, Google Voice, is being rolled out to the general public after beta-testing among an initial audience of former GrandCentral users.

Google Voice offers users a single number for their cell, home phone, office phone and more to ring on. Other features include free voicemail, call forwarding and conference calling.

It also offers free unlimited long distance calling in the United States and cheap calls overseas. This could be very beneficial for someone with a monopoly landline who has to pay for expensive long distance calls.

With the voicemail feature, you're able to listen in as voicemails are being left and pick up in the middle of the call -- just like you would with an answering machine. You can also have voicemails automatically converted into a text message!

This is a lot of functionality wrapped up into one package.

So how do you get it? Go to Google.com/Voice to watch an introductory video and Google.com/VoiceInvite to get in the queue as new users are added.

RIP-OFF ALERT: We've all been so browbeaten into watching for viruses on our computers that it was only a matter of time before crooks wised up and started creating viruses that actually mimic common anti-virus warnings.

That's the idea behind what's called "scareware," which are bogus virus warnings that actually load a virus on your computer when you click on them! You don't even have to download anything. You're caught from the minute you click on the impostor pop-up window that supposedly alerts you to an existing virus!

Executive producer Christa recently had her computer compromised by a pop-up that masqueraded as a virus warning from Norton Antivirus. It even displayed a virus count as many popular antivirus programs will do.

So if you see a pop-up window that seems to be from your antivirus program, don't click on it. Instead, go directly to the antivirus or spyware program on your desktop and run it from there so it can find any security threats.

Clark particularly likes SpyBot Search and Destroy for protecting his computer. It's a free download that asks for contributions, but they're not required.

Finally, Christa also recommends having multiple browsers like Firefox, Chrome and others. The idea is that you can still try navigating around the web even if scareware hits your usual browser.

For additional spyware and scareware protection, see our list of other free downloads.

Are you using free productivity suite packages like StarOffice or OpenOffice instead of going the costly Microsoft Office route?

Well, Clark has a suggestion if you're looking for another freebie. Zoho.com is a new productivity suite that won't cost you a penny. So far it's been praised in a number of tech reviews.

Zoho is a cloud computing platform, which simply means it is a web-based system that's stored in cyberspace -- there's no software to download. You create a username and password and then can access the service from any computer.

This system was designed with small business in mind. Businesses with up to 9 employees can have accounts for free.

However, there is one great unknown. If this goes bust, what happens to all your stored documents? Chances are they may go off into the ether somewhere. That is one of the potential downfalls of using a cloud computing platform.

Is your computer running slowly because of a virus or spyware?

ComputerWorld.com recently featured a list of 15 free downloads you can use to bring your computer back up to speed.

(Editor's note: Clark is not responsible for the content on ComputerWorld.com. He is merely presenting their list of PC fixes for information purposes only. See below for his free spyware protection options.)

Meanwhile, on a related note, Clark recently read a tech writer's review of the revisions of major browsers like IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and others.

Mind you, the consumer champ is not one of those anti-Microsoft guys. But let's just say the verdict wouldn't exactly please Bill Gates.

Firefox was named as tops and Chrome came in second best. And IE? Well, it was roundly panned.

Google is beta-testing a new free service called Google Voice that builds on their existing GrandCentral technology.

Google Voice offers one number for all your calls. That means you have one number that rings from all your lines -- no need to give out a home number, an office number, a cell number etc.

In addition, Google Voice offers free calling, voicemail, conferencing and more. There are no monthly fees, no minimums and no sign-up fees. As always, this service is likely to be monetized with ads going forward.

With the voicemail feature, you're also able to listen in as voicemails are being left and pick up in the middle of the call -- just like you would with an answering machine. You can also have voicemails automatically converted into a text message.

But the real market disrupter here is the free conference calling. Companies pay big money for this, and here Google Voice has it for nada!

The service is currently only available to existing GrandCentral customers, but you can also sign up to be notified when Google Voice is fully launched.

Clark has a special warning you've got to hear if you use instant messenger programs to chat over the Internet. Hackers are now exploiting weaknesses in a variety of IM programs. The latest to be hit is Google Talk.

Criminals have figured out a way to load a virus onto your computer by getting you to click on a link that comes through your IM. People are so cavalier about clicking on hyperlinks when they're IMing. Apparently, they think it must be safe because it's from someone on their buddy list. But doing so allows hackers to hijack your e-mail account.

The only way to protect yourself is to be sure you know the sender before you click on any hyperlink in any IM.

In addition, Gmail is having a problem with freezing where the program just shuts down. That's why Clark always recommends having more than one e-mail account. For example, he has one with Gmail that's dedicated to e-commerce, and one for private correspondence from another free e-mail provider.

You may have heard the news that Ritz Camera has filed for bankruptcy. As the nation's largest retail photography chain, Ritz was in 40 of the 50 states operating under several different names.

The decline in film processing has contributed to the company's troubles. Many people have switched to digital cameras and no longer ever print a photo! Camera sales have also been hurt as cameraphiles turn to web sellers and the rest of us buy ours from non-specialty stores.

There are several thriving websites you should check out if you want to manage your photos online. These include Flickr.com and Shutterfly.com, among others.

Technology never stops marching along, bringing with it creative destruction as some businesses falter and others rise up to fill the void. If you're a business owner, are you adapting with the times or are you going to succumb to them?

As the father of a teenager, there are times when Clark would have liked to have known where his daughter was at a given moment. But high-tech location services have always been very expensive.

Now Google has launched Latitude, a free application compatible with most smart phones -- excluding the iPhone. Latitude allows your cell phone (and you) to be located and positioned on a Google map for others to see.

What Latitude is not is a stalker service; it's a permission-based program that requires you to voluntarily agree to be tracked and lets you control who can track you.

Google is positioning Latitude for the social networking crowd. As Clark says, the idea is that you and your buddies can locate each other on a Saturday night if they sign up for this service.

In a separate development, Google has made 1.5 million public domain books available for free download to select phones -- including the iPhone.

This could be great if you're stuck at the airport gate and want to read a chapter of a book. But there's nothing more annoying to Clark than reading an entire book on a cell phone screen. Unless, of course, you're doing it on a Kindle -- the electronic book reader from Amazon.

Watching free TV content using your Internet connection sounds great in theory. But have you tried to actually find the programming you want to see?!

Enter Boxee.tv, a new website that serves as an online program guide by letting you know what content is available on the 'Net.

Boxee essentially compiles all the free content that's out there and puts it in one easy interface on your computer screen…so you don't have to go looking for it. You simply click on a network's icon on your computer screen -- CNN or CBS, for example -- and then you're watching their footage for nada.

Want to then get that content on your living room's big-screen TV? Most of today's flat-screens are built so that you can run a wire from your computer directly to your TV.

Clark thinks Boxee is on track to revolutionize television. The pay TV providers should be quaking in their boots!

A listener recently told Clark about CallingAmerica.com, a new website that offers free calling to the United States from anywhere around the world.

In Clark's live on-air test, CallingAmerica.com seemed to falter for a few moments before directing a call exactly as he had placed it. So how does it work? It's ad supported, of course!

Meanwhile, in other news, Apple has introduced tiered pricing for iTunes. Back catalog material will typically be 69 cents per song, while the hottest songs of the day can be up to $1.29 a pop. In even bigger news, iTunes has negotiated with the major labels to remove the digital-rights management (DRM) restrictions that prevented you from taking the music you paid for across platform. Now you'll be able to do whatever you want with your music!

This past New Year's Eve was like any other, according to Clark -- too many drinkers partying it up and then getting behind the wheel. Call him an old fogey, but Clark's rule is to be home by a decent hour on Dec. 31 to avoid running into drunk drivers.

Enter the iBreath, a breathalyzer attachment for your iPod designed to measure your blood-alcohol content. The Los Angeles Times reports the device sells for $79. That's very cheap insurance vs. the price of hiring an attorney to handle your DWI or DUI case.

Clark has been on a freeway in Norway when authorities detoured every single motorist to the nearest exit to perform a breathalyzer test. As a near teetotaler, he had nothing to worry about. In fact, the penny-pincher always limits himself to one beer whenever he's out and about.

If you're like two-thirds of people, chances are you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer to surf the web. But right now, doing so could pose a serious threat to your computer's safety.

All versions of Internet Explorer have a security flaw that could allow hackers to gain access to your computer. Clark is advising people to stop using Internet Explorer until further notice. Try instead using Firefox or Google's Chrome browser. The consumer champ is particularly fond of the latter, which is designed to take advantage of the entire range of multimedia on today's websites.

Clark's initial warnings about this bug specified that you should not access your bank or brokerage house from Internet Explorer until further notice. But in addition, this flaw potentially allows hackers to take control of your computer and view sensitive e-mail data. So there are also concerns about corporate espionage now.

Parents often call Clark looking for advice on software they can run on the family computer to prevent their children from accessing objectionable websites.

But now the penny-pincher wants to share a tactic that can help adult children who are worried about their elderly parents getting ripped-off online. Elders are prone to give up their credit card numbers on the web and get taken by marketers pushing all kinds of products they don't need.

In fact, Clark recalls doing a TV story about a senior who filled every nook and cranny of her home with things she bought on the web -- and she was virtually broke in her golden years. Can you imaging how disturbing it must be to adult children if you think your parents are set and then they become destitute?

The San Francisco Chronicle reports there is a way to protect your aging parents in cyberspace. Safe Eyes -- a software program designed to protect children on the web -- also works well for seniors. You can set it up so that your parents will be prohibited from any checkout screen. The program sells for anywhere from $35 on up.

In related news, The Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that the cell phone increases the strength of the family unit. For example, Clark's teen daughter texted him twice while he was on air talking about Safe Eyes. It turns out she's bored in math class!

Thanks to the cell phone, the concept of long distance is almost becoming a thing of the past. When Clark was in college back in the Stone Age, a long distance call was a minimum of $3.55 so you never picked up the phone unless someone died. Not so today.

There is, however, a real danger to cell phones when people become so engrossed in their conversations that they ignore what's going on around them. Clark recently saw a real estate agent who walked across an intersection while talking and right in front of a car that nearly hit her. She never noticed the near-collision. So be careful out there.

Like all Americans, Clark was saddened to hear about the terrible train crash in California that looks like it happened because the operator was busy texting instead of monitoring track signals.

When Clark commutes, he's shocked at how many people around him are texting or e-mailing on smart phones. He too was guilty of reading e-mails while he drove until he heard about the train crash. However, he was never crazy enough to try texting while driving.

After all, a car on the freeway travels about 25 yards in just one second. That's a sobering thought.

Nothing is so important that you have to text or e-mail about it while driving. But if it simply can't wait, try Jott.com. This service used to be free, but it now costs $3.95/month. Jott allows true hands-free texting and e-mailing with voice-recognition software that types your message for you (and sends it) as you speak.

The netbook trend has really taken off in the world of electronics retailing. Netbooks are ultra-cheap lightweight mini-laptops. Their genesis goes back to an MIT initiative to provide cheap computers for Third World children.

The for-profit computer manufacturers responded quickly when they caught wind of MIT's non-profit plan. One of the first companies to make money with netbooks was Asus with their Triple E PC. Today, the Triple E retails for around $279 and has sold some 6 million units.

Other manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Acer all have their own netbooks. The typical screen size is about 9 or 10 inches and they generally operate on Windows XP or Linux. For around $350, a business traveler can take a 2-pound netbook as a substitute for a regular laptop.

During the coming holiday season, you should see netbook prices in the $250-$500 range. So if you're a road warrior, you don't need to spend a grand for a heavy old laptop anymore!

Google has launched an interesting service that could be a real boon to house hunters and celebrity star gazers. Their "street view" function (be sure to click the street view tab) allows you to type in a street address and see high-quality pictures of houses and whole neighborhoods. You can even "walk" or "drive" up a street by using the mouse to scroll around!

Talk about a testimony to Google's immense wealth. They're sending photographers all over the country to take digital photos of every house, and then they're marrying it to the existing Google maps technology.

Not every street is mapped as of yet. Once you type in an address, you know it is mapped if a thumbnail image of the property pops up.

Think about the value of this service in the real estate world: You can get the inside scoop on a house and see real pictures -- not the staged ones you may see at an agent's site.

Remember when people would buy a map of the stars' homes in Los Angeles and spend the day driving around looking at their residences? Now you don't have to go to L.A. to gawk at the homes of the famous and near-famous. You can do it from the comfort of your living room using ZabaSearch.com to determine street addresses and this new Google Maps function to actually see them!

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. (Editor's note: As of August 2009, Venjuvo's site was no longer up.)

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!

He may be behind the curve, but Clark just discovered the handheld cameras that are part of the Flip Video Ultra Series. With prices starting around $100, this line of ultra small camcorders made a great gift for his wife on Mother's Day.

Let's face it, most handheld video cameras are just bulky enough to be annoying. Plus they have too many buttons to operate with ease. But the Flip is simple to use and about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It even passed Clark's own "dunce cap test," which means that he didn't need to look at the owner's manual to operate it.

The Flip comes in mostly feminine color schemes and is small enough to slip into a woman's purse. There is also an all-black model that may appeal to men. One feature that Clark and his wife really like is the built-in USB connector that pops out of the side. Once it hooks in to your computer, you can instantly e-mail your videos, burn a DVD and more.

The real beauty of the Flip is that it ends the frustration of fumbling around for your camera at the right moment. Clark's only problem now is that he hopes his wife gives him one for his birthday!

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 have a small business, you know that software can be expensive. Surprisingly, only 6% of people have ever used software alternatives to Microsoft Office. But our Free and Cheap List has no-cost options like OpenOffice.org, which is now offering the newest version of its office suite-style software for free. Clark's not an anti-Microsoft person, but he'd rather you save the dough. OpenOffice is inter-operable with Microsoft Word if it's used correctly. What if you're a small business owner burdened by the hassle of making appointments? You might want to check out GenBook.com for free online appointment scheduling software. That way you can focus on making money, instead of playing phone and e-mail tag with clients.

Many people would like to have a website, but it's either too expensive or they're techno-idiots like Clark professes to be. Well, now Google has launched a new website -- Sites.Google.com -- that allows you to easily build a website for free. Google's new tools can be used for non-commercial purposes or as a shared internal resource in a small business. They provide all the servers for free and store all your information offsite. Some people may get creeped out by that, but increasingly this is how things will be done.

This business model really takes us back to how networks used to be built, where you had a computer hooked up to a mainframe. Google is playing the role of the mainframe. The neat thing is that economy of scale becomes possible so they can provide you with a webpage for almost nothing. There's always the chance that Google may just be yanking Microsoft's chain with Sites.Google.com. Microsoft launched a similar initiative, but it isn't free. So the competition between the 2 leaves you as the ultimate beneficiary.

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!

What's the price of web surfing nowadays when you travel abroad? Whatever it is, Clark doesn't like to pay it! That's why he was excited in 2003 when he first heard about some vaporware from FON. This Spanish company now offers a router that allows consumers to share their Internet connection with travelers passing through their area. In return for sharing upfront, they too get free Internet around the world from other members when they travel. This is a big deal in Europe where British Telecom is installing 2.7 million FON routers across England. If you become a phone member here in the United States, you will routinely have access to free Internet when you travel overseas. So what's the cost? FON sells their router for a one-time fee of $40 -- that's it! Some cable and phone companies in the United States are hostile to this sharing model, but Time Warner is among those who have embraced it. Clark plans to order a FON router for his condo building in Florida and make his Internet connection available to his fellow residents for free. FON's routers even come with security so others can't eyeball your financial info. On a related note, The Los Angeles Times recently reported that both AT&T and Verizon reserve the right to fire customers if they say anything bad about them. Why should they monitor free speech? Clark thinks it's shameful what these monopolies are doing.

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!

Have you ever parked at a big event and lost your car? One of Clark's staffers recently told him that she was at a racetrack for a concert and couldn't find her car for a full hour after the event. She eventually located the vehicle when security drove her around to look for it. Similarly, the husband of Clark's executive producer once wandered around an airport parking deck for four hours when he couldn't recall where he parked following a weeklong trip. Imagine if you could avoid these kinds of scenarios in the future. GPS maker Garmin has developed a device that can help: a car finder. Clark recently read about it in The Kansas City Star. It will electronically mark where you leave your car and walk you back to the spot later. This is one device that Clark himself could really use; he fesses up to forgetting where he parks at the radio station about twice a week. And that's after working for only six hours! If you're in the market for a basic GPS, Clark thinks we'll be seeing Black Friday sales in the $99-$129 range. And in a few years, every car will probably come standard with a GPS -- just as mostly every car has a radio.

The Apple nation is in an uproar because the computer giant has slashed iPhone prices by $200. When the iPhone first hit the market, it sold for $600; now it's selling for $400. All the Apple loyalists who stood in line and camped out to buy the iPhone on the first day feel the company owes them back their extra $200. Early adopters always get their wallet emptied out for them. They pay big money to deal with the bugs of something that's new so the rest of us can benefit from it down the road at cheaper prices. No word yet from Apple if they'll make any concessions to those who paid $600. Meanwhile, one big gripe from iPhone users has been that the whole system is built on AT&T's outdated Edge system. So now Apple is offering the iPod Touch. For the same price, the Touch features all the iPhone capabilities except for the phone service! It works on wifi networks, so savvy customers who use Skype and other VoIP providers will still be able to use it to make calls.

In other tech news, there's a new product out there being marketed under the Vudu brand. Vudu is essentially a $400 box that hooks up to your TV and allows you to watch movies on demand instantly. There are 5,000 titles at your fingertips ranging in price from 99 cents for older films to $3.99 for new releases. When you hit play, the movie starts with no download delay. This is possible because the first few minutes of all the movies are stored in the Vudu box. The remainder of the film you select is then downloaded while you watch the flick uninterrupted. Best of all you don't have to leave your home to rent a DVD or wait for it to come in your mailbox. This is very convenient, but you'll be a beta tester if you buy this now. Historically, whenever you shell out for new electronics you're always at a disadvantage. Clark recalls paying $499 for his first GPS unit and now he sees sleeker models that are easier to use for $149!

People tend to think that e-mail at work is private. But Clark recently read about a company that uses software to temporarily detain every e-mail leaving its network. The outgoing messages are reviewed by an artificial-intelligence program during the hold time. The program looks for keywords -- such as a competitor's name -- and flags suspicious e-mails for review by an actual person. What if you use third-party e-mail accounts like Yahoo! or Gmail at work? You still don't have any privacy rights if you access them through your employer's network. So make sure you're not sending anything that could get you in trouble. Speaking of compromised e-mail security, have you heard about the Spirit Airlines CEO who received a customer complaint forwarded to him internally by a colleague? Instead of just replying directly to the colleague, the CEO hit "reply all" and sent a curt reply back to the already disgruntled customer and others. The gist of the reply was that the airline didn't owe the customer anything for his troubles and that he would be back again when the airline saves him a penny. Clark thinks people should start treating e-mail like they would a party line or message board. Know that what you e-mail can be seen by unintended people. Meanwhile, Yahoo! has launched some new technology that combines IM, text messaging and e-mail capabilities into one. So for example if you get an e-mail, you can respond to the sender via text or IM; if you get a text, you can respond by e-mail or IM and so on. This is great for people like Clark who use all three platforms regularly.

The United States has fallen to around 45th in the world in Internet availability and use because our government allows the phone and cable companies to monopolize the field as Internet service providers. But there's something really good coming down the pike, according to Clark. With TV switching its signals from analogue to digital, the stations are giving back their analogue spectrums to the government. The licenses for these spectrums will soon be auctioned to new players who will use them for all kinds of new communication possibilities. So the feds will be helping to create a licensing opportunity for an open system -- a high-speed network that Google may own if it wins the auction. This open system will accommodate cell phones that surf the Internet at high speeds for extra cheap, plus it will host new devices that we can't even imagine yet. Once that day comes, we'll leapfrog from 45th place to much higher. Then the phone and cable monopolies will have to innovate or become obsolete in the marketplace.

Already there's been a lot of talk in the cell phone industry about how America is one of the few places where you can't just use any brand of cell phone you want on any carrier of your choice. Verizon in particular is hostile to any open-market changes. In fact, many cell phones manufacturers have to remove factory-enabled functions in their phones before Verizon, Sprint and other will adopt their product for their systems. AT&T, on the other hand, took the opposite approach when it allowed Apple to pack all kinds of goodies into the iPhone. Maybe soon Verizon, Sprint and the others will smell the coffee and open their systems. On a related note, look for companies to offer unlimited cell phone calling for free in the future -- in return for delivering ad content to your mobile handset. Virgin Mobile is already experimenting with this business model, and it's going to be great for people on a tight budget.

If you have kids, you probably know that Facebook is big among teens. This social networking site is becoming one of the main ways that young people communicate with each other online. But the problem is that if you want to use Facebook, you have to list info about yourself on a public page. This makes you a target for identity theft. A recent study found that nearly 50 percent of Facebook users put enough info -- things like birth date, hometown, family information and more -- to aid ID thieves. Kids don't understand the risks inherent in using some of this new social networking technology. It should be up to parents to educate themselves so they can have an intelligent discussion with their kids about the issue. Clark advises parents to sign up for their own accounts and figure out how these things work so they can safeguard their kids.

Have you been receiving phony e-greeting cards in your inbox lately? If you open these, you might get spyware and others kinds of malware on your computer. Clark is really upset about this trend because e-greeting cards should be a pleasant thing. Unfortunately, something so innocent has been corrupted. The latest incarnation in this rip-off scheme works in the following way: Criminals send out bogus e-greeting cards and if you open it, you download a program that steals e-mail addresses from your contacts list. Once the criminals have those e-mail addresses, they send out another fake e-greeting that appears to be coming from you, staring the cycle all over again. The worst part is that when you opened the initial e-greeting, you probably also unknowingly downloaded a key logger program. This program tracks every key you type, including usernames and passwords for your bank, brokerage or mutual fund accounts. Under the law, you are protected if money is stolen from your bank account, but not from your brokerage or mutual fund account. Some brokers have issued their own policies that allow for customer protection. But the bottom line is that you must run anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Clark likes Spybot - Search and Destroy, a free program that will eliminate key loggers and other spyware on your system. Hopefully the legitimate e-greeting businesses will find a way to regulate their industry so people can again have faith in their products.

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!

People are already lining up to buy the iPhone, even though it doesn't go on sale for a few more days. To get it, you're going to need to sign a two year contract. AT&T always claims they make you sign contracts in order to subsidize the phone, but this time, they're just lying--you're purchasing this phone from Apple! Apple's made the iPhone as sleek and easy to use as their other products, and it's packed with features. In other countries, there are no restrictions on what features a phone can have, but in the U.S., the cell phone companies control what a cell phone is allowed to do. Let's say you want GPS....U.S. phone companies want to be the ones to sell you that service, so they make cell phone makers deactivate the GPS feature. Apple has been aggressive towards these cell phone companies, and maintain that no one can say what the phone does except them. Apple has made this a true consumer purchase, letting the consumer decide what it will do, as it should be. So ultimately the iPhone is going to democratize the cell phone industry.

The internet can be a difficult thing to navigate. You start to type in an address of the site you are looking for and you end up going to a site that you definitely did not want to go to. This can make things very scary for parents who don’t want their kids to go to adult content sites by mistake just because of a mistype. There are now fantastic services available that help parents monitor and control what their kids see when on the internet. Parentalcontrolbar.org and Kidrocket.org are several of the best tools out there for you to check out what your kids are viewing when on the internet. These sites are great for not allowing your kids to see things you don’t want them to see. So try them both for free.

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.

The Sansa Connect, which works in conjunction with the Yahoo music subscription service, has gotten great reviews by technology people. You pay for the player and a $140 2 year subscription fee. You are then able to listen to any music under the subscription service. You can put music you like directly on the player as well. One of the coolest features is that if you are in a wi-fi zone you can stream music straight to the player as well. Remember though, if you decide not to renew your subscription, you haven't actually purchased any music, so you lose it all. If this is a way that you like to listen to music though, give it a try. It's easy.

Do you have an old computer monitor lying around the house? Maybe it’s in the back of a closet somewhere, taking up space because you don’t know what to do with it. No one wants the big monitors anymore because people now use flat screen monitors. So, people don’t know what to do with the bigger, older monitors. Well, Staples has a solution for you. You pay $10 and Staples will erase the hard drive and properly dispose of it. You can erase the hard drive yourself by removing it and then smashing it like Clark does. But that may be a little too much work. There may be some free programs in your area, so do some research on the topic. Just be careful of how much “e-waste” you’re creating.

Technology is great when it works. But what about when it doesn’t. Three tech-crash incidents occurred in the past week alone, causing lots of high blood pressure among users. You probably heard about the Blackberry crash heard around the world that had folks on Wall Street in a tizzy. It was a huge deal in New York and D.C. and elsewhere around the world because people are basically addicted to these devices. Secondly, Vonage admitted this week that it may go under soon, which could affect millions who’ve switched to VOIP calling with this company. In technology, you have to be the smartest – not the first. Lastly, TurboTax – the largest electronic filing company in existence – crashed on tax day. Christa, Clark’s EP, could not file her taxes that night because of the crash. As a result, TurboTax users got two more days to file. Intuit, the company that makes TurboTax, went to the IRS and asked for a reprieve and it worked.

Clark has wondered if there would ever be a portable computer that would fit in a purse or pocket and still have a screen big enough to read. It’s always been kind of a niche product, and several companies have tried. Well, the latest one is here. Samsung has just released the “Mobile Intelligent Terminal” or MIT. The entire device (monitor included) weighs one pound and works on wireless networks. It was launched in Korea this week, but will probably be available in the U.S. in the next year or two. Compaq tried to build a compact, portable computer several years ago but it weighed 40 pounds and had a tiny screen. Clark thinks more companies will copy the MIT and we’ll see lots of them on the market in a few years. But check out the MIT if you get a chance.

People have been asking Clark for awhile when he will start offering podcasts of his show. Well, that time is fast approaching. We are working through the details with our host company, but our launch date for offering podcasts and archives of the show is now December 5. We’ll keep you posted on this as we get closer. But as of now, you’ll be able to listen to previous shows on your computer or download them automatically to your Mp3 device. We’re also going to collect scam alerts and our favorite calls so you can hear those too! There will be a new section added to the left navigation on our site called "Audio Archives." Look for it soon!

Think about how much free stuff you can get off the Internet, yet people don’t take advantage of it very often. People pay for Microsoft Office because it’s the “de facto” program, but there are tons of similar programs out there that are free. One of these is new from Google. It’s a word processing program called "Google Docs & Spreadsheets" and it has the equivalent of the Office programs for free. Now, often these programs aren’t compatible with other programs. So, when someone sends you something in Word, you can’t open it in another program. But Google’s program is supposedly “inter-operable,” meaning it can read anything in Word. And if you send something in Google’s program, someone who uses Word can still read it. In addition, it's supposedly Web based, meaning you can check and change your docs from anywhere. Christa is going to check it out and let us know.

Let’s say you need to do some research online, but you’re about to get on an airplane. Well, there is a new service called “Webaroo” that allows you to collect information from Web sites and then view it while you’re in the air. You can store information from newspapers, magazines and other sites on your laptop. Then you can browse the Web without being connected to the Web. It works with other devices as well, and Clark thinks the idea is ingenious. Better yet, it’s free!

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In other technology news, there is now a program that allows you to shut down your computer and access to anything on it if it’s stolen. If you carry a laptop with sensitive information, you should consider this service. It’s called “CompuTrace” and it costs $35 a year. There are also programs that you can install that will track your laptop if it’s stolen. Laptops are not such hot commodities anymore because they’ve gotten pretty inexpensive. Decent laptops are in the $299 range, so criminals aren’t really interested in them. So, unless you’re doing a very specialized function, there is no need to reach the $1,000 mark.

A new scam alert from TechWeb.com warns about a new phishing scam involving phony telephone systems designed to steal your banking information. These criminals have somehow been able to duplicate your bank’s phone system exactly. It’s the first of its kind and apparently the message sounds identical to the one your bank would leave. So, if you get a message from someone claiming to be your bank and asking for account and PIN information, do not call back. They will leave a toll-free number for you to make it easier for you to call back. But it's not your bank's number. Check in the phone book and call your bank for real to let them know. In other tech news, Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the main gateway for the phishing e-mails out there. That’s why Clark uses Firefox as his browser. But Microsoft has released its latest version – No. 7 – and it supposedly has spam protection. Check it out at msn.com. Lycos is also offering a free security bar, which uses “anti-phishing” technology. Even better, Lycos is coming out with free inbound fax service. Instead of paying a fee to computer fax services, you’ll get the service for nothing. Keep your eyes open for these services.

You’ve probably heard of Google, the company that has established itself as the best search engine in the world. The company has been so successful that the company has started its own e-mail, discount merchandise site and more. Now, Google is getting into the online auction industry. That’s right; Google is working on a free alternative to eBay. Word leaked out recently that Google is testing a free seller’s service that will compete with eBay and its partially owned company, craigslist.org. The company would be called Google Base. The company is also creating a payment service that would compete with PayPal. We’ll keep you posted on this.

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Along those lines, Skype – the free phone calling service – is growing by leaps and bounds. A million new customers are signing up every 6 days. It took Vonage about four years to get 1 million customers. So, there is so much content for free on the Internet and so many alternatives. Clark thinks every one of these innovations is going to be hugely successful.

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.

Dell Computers has been so successful at selling computers that the company seems to have forgotten how to provide customer service. Dell is a terrific company, but its execs haven’t really focused on the customer service problems they’ve been having. Instead of fixing those problems, the company is trying something new that will further alienate people who are having problems already. To explain further, Dell is starting a “premium” line of computers that costs three times as much as the basic model. People who buy these computers will receive top-of-the-line customer service. But if you buy the basic model, you won’t get much help at all. It’s sort of like flying in first class versus coach. According to the Dallas Morning news, the company hopes to make 80 percent of the “coach” customers happy, which is pretty paltry.

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In other computer news, the $100 computer is a reality. It will be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks and include all the necessary parts of a computer for much less. Clark will keep you updated on it.

A professor at the University of Pennsylvania has developed a backpack that generates energy as the person wearing it walks. It recharges all of your electronic gizmos as you walk, and that could include an MP3 player or night vision goggles. It’s something the Pentagon bought into because of the benefit to soldiers. It comes at a very good time when people are discouraged about energy prices and the cost of gas and oil. People always seem to come up with innovative ideas exactly when we need them most. That’s the beauty of free enterprise.

Two music chains – FYE and Coconuts – have come up with a very effective advertising technique. These two music stores use Bluetooth technology to send people messages on their Bluetooth phones as they walk into the store. You may see special deals or hot items in the store because you allow the companies to send you these messages. You have to agree to accept the messages first. So, you’re not just going to get spammed all of a sudden. Sending private messages to people is also the idea behind DING, an airline technology currently being used by Southwest. DING lets customers know when an airline sale pops up. It even sends those people customized airfares based on the typical prices they pay and their travel patterns. In other words, airlines are able to offer one-person sales instead of sales for everyone. It’s all done through data mining and it’s going to get bigger. Northwest is also experimenting with a system that sends people special, private deals. We’ll keep you posted.

It’s a little late in the game, but Yahoo is now offering a subscription service for music. Customers pay $60 a year for an unlimited amount of music that can be loaded onto select music players and basically “rented” for a year at a time. Yahoo needs market share and they decided to try this. So, Clark decided to try it for his wife, Lane, and it worked up until about three days ago. He can’t get the device to play and it took three days to get an answer from Yahoo. The response he got was highly technical and it didn’t help fix the problem. He’s gone back and forth with Yahoo for several weeks now and nothing seems to work. The device miraculously started working again, so maybe Clark helped them fix a bug. But it should be easy to use the devices and to get help. If Yahoo is trying to compete with iPod, the company needs to get more customer oriented.

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 is very cheap, as we all know, except when it comes to some new communication gadgets. Clark owns the breakthrough gadget that allows you to e-mail and talk on it as a phone. It’s called the Treo 600 and it was quite expensive. But more offerings are coming on the market that will cost a lot less and do a lot more. Blackberry has created a new consumer version of its original device that will cost about $200. It will only be available to T-Mobile customers initially, but will later be available for everyone. The new gadget figures out what words you’re trying to write as you type them. Treo is also coming out with a successor to its original model that will be more reliable. And the Sidekick II – a scaled down version of the Sidekick - is also coming out. It will only be available to T-Mobile customers at first, as well. Some people aren’t that psyched about sending e-mail over the phone. But Clark thinks that by 2006 people will no longer be able to talk on cell phones in public places. The text messaging systems will solve that problem, so they are only going to get bigger.

Clark has been on the air since 1987 and he just started getting calls from retirees about three years ago. They want to know how to handle money in their retirement years. You don’t want to spend too much because you’ll run out of money before you die. And you don’t want to spend too little because you’ll live a very frugal life unnecessarily. So, basically you want to spend just the right amount of money. You might have a couple IRAs, some 401ks and some small pensions. Now what do you do? Fidelity Investments may have the answer for you. The company has just spent about $75 million developing software programs that provide support to people in retirement. It allows you to take all of your retirement plans and then customize how much you can afford to spend from each one. More than one in four people are going to retire in the next five years, and many of them are not sure how to spend money. Odds are that one member of a couple will live until 92. So, you need to parcel out the money so that you don’t outlive it. Check out Fidelity’s plan. The good news is that you don’t have to be a Fidelity customer to use it.

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 than he could handle and figured it was more for the techno whizzes out there. So, Clark was delighted to read the column of Walt Mossberg, the technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal. Mossberg couldn’t make it work either. He said he had to load the software over and over and had to call the company several times for help. He said, “The average user would have given up long before we did with good reason.” So, Clark feels vindicated. Kellie, director of the Web site, wants to give it a shot. So, we’ll report back to you on how she does with it.

You’ve probably seen the kiosks in the mall that take pictures of babies in the womb. They are often called “Vanity Ultrasounds,” and they produce very clear pictures that mothers love. Until now, they have been seen as another exciting way mothers could get a glimpse of their unborn children. But according to Google News, they have not been proven safe. The FDA has issued a report saying the long-term effects of repeated exposure to ultrasounds are not fully known. So, it may seem harmless and cute. But you probably want to stick with ultrasounds in hospitals.

Downloading and installing software off the Internet and onto a computer can be pretty difficult for most people. If you have a dial-up connection, it can be even more frustrating. It’s much easier to pop in a software disc and let it do the work. But not every computer store or retailer has every software program or patch out there. So, Comp USA has come up with a new way to give people the software they want on an easy-to-install disc. A couple dozen stores now have an ATM-like machine that allows people to enter the name of the program or patch they want and the machine spits out a disc. It’s called “Software to Go,” and it has the most immediate updates on hand. You’re able to get the latest version by punching in what you want on the ATM. You are handed the disc at check-out and you’re on your way. It’s a great way to give customers exactly what they want.

People who talk a lot on cell phones or work on laptop computers complain quite a bit about battery power. We hear it all the time. People are desperate to find something that will lengthen the battery life of their chargers and gadgets. Well, The St. Louis Post Dispatch claims on college student has come up with a solution. A St. Louis University graduate student has invented a technology that will power a telephone or computer with vodka, beer or anything that contains ethanol. It’s a bio-fuel, which is much safer and environmentally friendly than the lithium batteries used now in cell phones. Once the device is charged up, it will run a cell phone for a week and a laptop all day without needing a charge. Even if this doesn’t get it done, something will come along that does.

Most people have resisted buying HDTV because there are technical problems, programming problems and the product itself is very expensive. But there are two attempts to change all of that. The first involves the cable TV industry, which is pushing HDTV during the NCAA basketball tournament. They’ve worked out a deal with Samsung to offer discounts on HDTVs. And the company is going to run a lot of ads about how great the product is. In addition, Dish Network has a flat rate HDTV deal that costs $999. You can either get a big screen 40-inch monitor or a traditional 34-inch TV, along with the HDTV equipment and the antenna. They hook it all up and you’re done for under a grand. That’s great under today’s standards. So, if you can’t wait anymore, this could be your chance. There is still a lack of programming, so that’s a bummer. But prices are going down and they will keep going down.

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What if you didn’t need a TV at all to watch TV? Sounds strange, huh? Well, it’s happening. The picture just appears magically wherever you are in the house and you can watch TV wherever you choose. Clark saw a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about this technology, which costs $115,000. That’s a little pricey for Clark’s taste, but we’ll see how it does.

Clark was in Chicago this weekend, and on the main shopping drag there is an Apple computer store. Clark went in and the store was packed. What were they gathered around? The iPod display. It’s truly causing revolution in the world of music. You see people everywhere with iPods these days. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a device about the size of a deck of cards that holds the equivalent of an entire music store. Apparently, people have bought 50 million songs so far on the iPod site. Music stores are filing bankruptcy because of devices like this. People no longer need to go to the stores to buy expensive CDs when they can go right to their computer and download what they want.

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If like a cup a joe with your music, head over to Starbucks and see what's on their music menu. The coffee company is burning CDs of the music played in its shops because people have asked about the songs so much. Songs on Starbucks CDs are $1.40 each, compared to 99 cents through regular music sites. So it’s a bit pricier. But it’s likely to attract people who like expensive coffee and don’t care about cost anyway.

These days, it’s pretty easy to track people down via cell phone, but it can sometimes get them in trouble. So, what can you do if you planned to play golf when you’re supposed to be working? Two European entrepreneurs have started “Sound Alibis,” a company that produces background noises for cell phones. These sounds play while you’re talking on the phone, and you pick the one you want depending on what your alibi is. Some of them include traffic jam noises, roadwork, a parade, the drill in a dentist’s office, and you can even fake a call coming in that you have to answer. These work with Nokia products right now, but it will probably be available with others later.

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Also from Europe is a portable television that you can carry around in your pocket. It has a hard drive and it records 20 to 30 hours of TV that you can then play when you’re on vacation or traveling. Right now, they are pretty pricey at $300 to $400. But prices will go down as word spreads.

Personal video recorders such as Tivo and Replay TV have reached almost cult-like status these days. These services are expensive, though. Usually, people have to buy the device, pay a licensing fee of about $250 and pay a monthly charge to get the service. But companies are coming up with less costly alternatives that function just like Tivo using your home computer. Basically, you buy software and install it on your home computer, which becomes the brains of the operation. You can then buy adapters to hook up to your TV and you’re good to go. One of the products is called “Beyond TV3” and it costs $80. You can try it for a few weeks for free, and then buy it if you like it. It includes all of the functions of Tivo, plus a “skip commercial” feature. Clark is going to try out one of these services and let you know how it goes.

“Tracking” is a new activity that is gaining popularity today. Basically, anything can be tracked, including books, cars and people. It’s allowing people to do self check-out at the library and at retail stores, all with the help of tiny radio frequency chips called RFIDs. In fact, Wal-Mart is forcing its stores to use RFID when shipping merchandise. In the future, the distance over which RFID products can travel will grow. In certain police departments, the officers will be tracked while on duty to see where they are. It may sound creepy, but the same technology can also save your life. Toyota has built the new Smart Car, which knows exactly where you are at all times. And, depending on where and how fast you’re driving, the car automatically slows down. These chips control what your car can or cannot do based on your driving history. One site that offers information about GPS tracking devices that send information via cell phones is travelbygps.com. Check it out to learn more.

Some technologies are coming that have caused turmoil in the radio business. These are things that will provide new ways to get information, some you may like and some you may not. First of all, Nextel has started a system in California whereby drivers can see exactly how traffic is moving on their cell phones. As you drive, green arrows are displayed if people are going full speed, yellow if people are slowing down and red if it’s stop and go. Cell phones know where you’re going, so you no longer have to ask for directions. You can learn more about it at zipdash.com. (Editor's note: This company no longer has an active website.) The technology has existed in Germany for a while. If another driver is in a wreck up ahead, the system alerts the driver to get off the road right away. The satellite radio services – XM and Sirius – also provide a similar service. They provide local traffic and weather information in certain areas. But people who have these satellite radio services are not very excited this new technology because the reports are very canned and computerized. It’s all about choice on demand. And people who live in congested areas will have more and more choices when it comes to getting their traffic.

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On the other hand, something radio people may love is a new Tivo-type for radio. Let’s say there is a favorite radio show you love to listen to but you can’t. This little handheld radio works just like a digital recording device for television. You can record it ahead of time and listen at your leisure. There is also a rewind function that allows you to record and play back as much or as little as you want. It’s available from Pogo Products and is about $150.

What would you do if you could snap your finger and your car just drove up to you? Or, what if your car is a pilot-less vehicle that parks itself? You could sit back, read a book and relax while your car drove you. That is the idea behind robotic transportation, which is very much a possibility in our future. There will soon be a test of these cars in the Mojave Desert sponsored by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a federal outfit. The purpose for the test is to see if these robotic cars and gadgets can be used in war. But the contestants are more interested in changing transportation. Often times, inventions from the space and defense agencies become huge breakthroughs for the general public. The military hopes that about one-third of all vehicles will be unmanned in the near future. Before that happens, though, we are going to see personal jets on the market. Eclipse, the first innovator, has gone back to the drawing board on its private jet design. But there is a new generation of jets that the wealthy will be able to afford for a couple hundred thousand dollars.

Clark has talked about all of the uses – good and bad - for GPS (global positioning systems) these days. Clark loves using GPS for directions, and Hertz was the groundbreaker in that area with its “Never Lost” system. GPS in cars that we own is still rare and typically comes only in ultra luxury vehicles. The standard cost for that is about $2,000. But handheld GPS systems are becoming more and more popular. Prices are in the $500 range for these gadgets, and some are even less. You will probably see them as low as $275 by this year’s holiday season, which is great news.

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Another controversial use of GPS is to spy on people. Pinpointing someone’s exact location can bring up invasion of privacy issues. But it’s a great solution for people on house arrest or parole. State prison systems are outrageously overcrowded and it’s taxing budgets. But keeping track of prisoners with GPS offers a huge cost savings.

Clark cannot cook to save his life and he can’t even heat things up that well. Often he overcooks or undercooks things in the microwave and it can be a disaster. So, he would benefit from a microwave that cooks the food for you – just the way you like it, right? Well, now that is possible. A special microwave from one of those overpriced catalogs allows you to scan the item you want to cook and the microwave knows how long it should be cooked and any other special instructions. There is actually a bar code reader built into the microwave. It has a built in memory for 20,000 items. Isn’t that neat? It’s running for about $150 these days, so it’s a bit pricey. But for those of us non-cooks out there, it could come in handy.

We get questions from listeners who have bought brand new cars from dealerships that have undisclosed hail damage. It’s a messy subject because hail damage is an enormous problem for auto manufacturers and their dealers. The fleets are sitting there like sitting ducks, so dealers can suffer massive losses. But the good news is that Nissan has come up with an amazing new technology that could prevent hail damage to owners and dealers. According to the Jackson Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, the technology senses when hail is coming, creates a sonic wave in the atmosphere that disrupts the forming of hailstones within a one-mile radius. Nissan modified the machine, which was originally used by farmers. It’s a win-win for everyone, and the systems are affordable enough for dealers to have in their car lots. Who knows? You may be able to afford one for your home. What does it mean for the rest of the weather, though. Are we messing with Mother Nature?

There is a push going on by two musicians, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno, to get the control of the record industry back in artists’ hands. The two have started a group called MUDDA - Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloaded Artists. Artists who join this organization will be able to sell their music directly to people without the involvement of the record labels. Artists have always been taken advantage of by the music industry. Contracts they sign basically allow the music label to take most of the profits from the sale of the records. The music industry spends money promoting certain bands that they think could be a hit. But if they become a hit, the label gets most of the money. And it’s hard for artists to get picked up by one of the five big music labels. So, if you would like to get your name out there as a musician and keep your dough, you might want to check out MUDDA. Go to wired.com to learn more.

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And if you are trying to get your music to play on an MP3 player, there is a new service to help you out. At Rip Digital, you can have all of the music from your CD collection put into your MPs player. It’s roughly $1.25 a CD, and about $1 a CD if you have tons of CDS. To find out more, go to ripditigal.com.

If you are a woman and you carry a purse, finding items such as car keys and lipstick can often be tough. It doesn’t even have to be a big purse. Things just seem to get lost in there. But what if you opened your purse and a light came on that illuminated everything inside it? It’s not available in Canada and Europe, and it will be coming soon to the U.S. The Weekend Journal describes how women are ordering these purses at very high prices because they are in love with the idea. The lighting - called “electro luminescence” - is going to revolutionize purses and products in general. The slang term for the technology is “EL,” which is basically a chemical process that is coated on to fabric. It gives off no heat and is very sought after. One of the most expensive Mercedes models has an “EL” headliner, for example. So, companies will buy the product and work out the bugs. Then, within a couple of years, it will be widespread and cheap. Think about the example of having an EL system on the back of your VCR or DVD player. That way you can see everything and you don’t need to hold a flashlight while you try to adjust wires. In addition, it uses no energy.

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In other tech news, what if your child no longer needed to lug around a backpack and instead could carry everything he or she needed on one flat screen that can be folded up and put in a pocket. It’s called a “flexible display screen,” and the Washington Post reports that they are now ready for production. Every textbook and every homework assignment can be saved on this gadget. They weigh a couple of pennies and can be rolled up or folded up. A research journal called “Nature Materials” has more information on this product and how it works if you want to read more. They should be available later this year.

Would you like to enhance the look and functionality of your toilet? How much would you be willing to pay for a fancy, automated toilet? Well, according to the Personal Journal, people are buying up $5,000 toilets as if they were going out of style. These toilets come with heated seats and basically take care of everything for you once you finish your business. Some of them are even remote-controlled, so you can raise or lower the seat at will. These toilets have been popular in Asia for about 30 years and now they are being exported to the States. The problem is that they cost more than $5,000 a pop. In addition, they require special installation because of the electronic capabilities. In Clark’s opinion, sometimes there are solutions looking for problems. If you need an instruction manual to operate a toilet, something is wrong. It seems like another obsession with all flash and no cash. So, flush the idea of a $5,000 toilet unless you’re just rolling in dough.

Clark has been reading stories about the Consumer Electronics show held recently in Las Vegas. Apparently, there was a sideshow for people who buy ultra high-end audio systems. These are customized for your home and cost in the six-figure range. One reporter went to this show with an MP3 player to find out how the music would sound on his player. Turns out that it sounded just fine. So, there is no need to spend a fortune on these systems, when the bare minimum would do just fine. Clark paid $249 for his and it includes everything he needs to create a great system.

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In other technology news, Tivo has come up with a new device that allows you to transfer files from your Tivo to your laptop computer. It’s called “Tivo To Go.” What you do is download the show into the device, which then plugs into the USB port on your computer and you can play it there. This new technology is all over. It’s possible to watch shows through your eye glasses, for example. Is that a problem waiting to happen or what? Clark recommends that you buy current technology, not state-of-the-art products.

How would you like to be riding down a road and all of a sudden you pass through a toll with no gates or moving arms to pass through. An eye in the sky from a satellite automatically bills you for the toll. How is that possible? Through GPS. Cars and cell phones are more and more GPS enabled, so the toll can either show up on your cell phone or on your credit card bill. Think about it. IF your car can be tracked that easily, who else will know exactly where you are. Access is a big issue when it comes to this topic. GM, for example, has tons of money tied up in its tracking system, “OnStar.” So it is giving away bunches of these cars to get them out there. It sounds very cool to be able to pinpoint where you want to go with turn-by-turn directions. But people who have these devices can now be tracked on how they drive. For example, if you make a turn and don’t put on your signal, you are in violation of the terms of your agreement with your insurance company. And you could be sent a ticket in the mail. Basically, everything you do that shows you as a bad driver will boost your insurance rates. Conversely, your rate will go down if you are a good driver. The creepy factor is huge. But as long as it’s voluntary, that’s fine.

As you listen to the radio in your car, sometimes you forget what station you’re listening to or you lose the phone number from the ad you just heard. Or sometimes, you hear a traffic report but you miss what interstates it involves. How would you like to see all that information flash across the screen on your radio? This technology is widespread in Europe and is spreading to brands in the United States. It’s called RDS radio and it’s now in such cars as Lexus, BMWs, according to the New York Times. GM, Ford and Chrysler are also including this technology in their cars. Apparently, the political activist Ralph Nader is furious about this new technology because stations can also blast ads across your radio screen. What could be more distracting than that? Obviously, we already have a lot of distractions while we drive. Do we really need even more?