Gadgets

If you're among the 100 million iPod owners who won't be buying an Apple iPhone when it goes on sale tomorrow, don't worry. There are plenty of gadgets that can satisfy your desire to part with bundles of cash for an improved "i" experience. In fact, for the same $600 that Macolytes are spending on high-end iPhones, you can engage the services of George, an elegant if pricey speaker dock with one of the coolest remote controls I've seen. Yes, that's a $600 accessory for an iPod whose list price tops out at $350.

Our diets are woefully low in fruit and vegetables. Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount the government recommends, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the growing evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity, most of us need to double the amounts we eat. Part of the problem comes down to preparation. Mothers say they don't know what to do with fruit and vegetables and need ideas on how to fit more into family mealtimes, according to a new survey conducted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Nintendo/Sega [Wii and Nintendo DS] Rating TBD There's more For more on tech, including Mike Himowitz's column, tips on troubleshooting your computer and the lowdown on new gadgets, check out the Plugged In page today. In Business

The nation's early switchover to daylight-saving time Sunday is likely to interrupt more than your circadian rhythms. It could make life tougher for computers, smart alarm clocks, personal data assistants and other gadgets that automatically switch over to daylight-saving time. And that could make life tough for you. The reason: Many devices manufactured before last year are programmed to expect that daylight-saving will begin the first Sunday in April, as it did for 20 years. They have no way of knowing that Congress changed the law to extend daylight-saving time by a month, starting this year.

Remember Y2K? That temporal computer glitch is a hazy memory today, but there's another one on the horizon that could cause us grief in less than three weeks: Call it the Daylight Saving Devil. Y2K, you'll remember, was the result of years of neglect by programmers who cut corners by using two digits for the year in date calculations - threatening worldwide crashes when the clock ticked into the year 2000. This time, Congress created the Daylight Saving Devil by approving the U.S. Energy Act of 2005.

One problem with owning a quilt shop is that it doesn't leave much time for making quilts. On the plus side, you can bring your dogs to work, and you meet people who share your love of sewing together pieces of fabric to create something timeless and beautiful. Dee Maier, who owns the Main Street Quilt Shop in Elkridge with partner Denise Lassiter-Vachon, hardly ever indulges her passion for quilt-making these days. She is too busy choosing fabrics to sell, conducting classes and stocking up on the latest quilting-related gadgets.

Tyson J. Carter slept through a hailstorm as he camped outside a Target store to nab a PlayStation 3 last month. But the deluge of woe began when he got Sony Corp.'s $600 video game console home. The system crashed repeatedly when the 19-year-old tried to adjust the music settings. Others complain that some games from earlier generations of the console did not run properly. And the high-definition picture promised by the PS3 doesn't work on some older televisions. "I'm not surprised," said Carter, a student of multimedia design who lives in Pittsburgh.

One of the perks of this column is the chance to try out electronic gadgets -- especially during the holidays, when gadget shopping reaches the frenzy stage. After all these years, however, it takes a pretty good gadget to get my attention. Here are a couple that passed the test this year because (a) they solve real, if not terribly important, problems, and (b) they're fun to use. By coincidence, each costs $299, which seems to be a popular limit for impulse-buying these days. Verizon G'zOne Type-V Rugged Phone.

Like almost everything else these days, there's some assembly required and batteries are not included for those who hunt. With fewer hours to devote to their sport because of family and work commitments, hunters have turned to gizmos and gadgets to make them more efficient and effective. Lightweight, battery-driven cameras act as electronic scouts, taking pictures of bucks walking through the woods. Amplifiers shaped like hearing aids pick up the sound of hoofed feet. Electronic boxes mimic the calls of turkeys.

Like almost everything else these days, there's some assembly required and batteries are not included for those who hunt. With fewer hours to devote to their sport because of family and work commitments, hunters have turned to gizmos and gadgets to make them more efficient and effective. Lightweight, battery-driven cameras act as electronic scouts, taking pictures of bucks walking through the woods. Amplifiers shaped like hearing aids pick up the sound of hoofed feet. Electronic boxes mimic the calls of turkeys.