A mechanical watch is one which uses an intricate set of springs, gears and other tiny parts to move its hands around the dial . Collectively, this set of tiny pieces is known as a mechanical movement. Watches featuring mechanical movements don’t have batteries to replace and can last decades if serviced every six or seven years.

If you always get your cup at a coffee shop, you may have no need for coffee gadgets, but if you ever make coffee at home, rest assured that a gadget or two could probably improve your results. This Tech Talk issue will provide tips on getting the most from your homemade coffee.

Laptop computers are commonly grouped into four classifications: ultraportable, thin and light, mainstream, and desktop replacement. Ultraportables, the tiniest of these options, pack a lot of power into a small package. If a laptop weighs less than four pounds and has a 12” or smaller screen, it’s considered ultraportable.

Why would you consider an ultraportable? If you’re a frequent business traveler, a college student or anyone who always likes to have a computer nearby, an ultraportable may be a great solution. You can connect using WiFi to the Internet at the Hinsdale Public Library, take notes in class, watch a movie on a plane, or compose a letter while taking the Metra to Union Station; many of these activities may be too much of a hassle with a seven-pound laptop.

The recent holiday gift-giving season has spawned many first-time digital camera owners. Digital cameras, which capture images on memory cards instead of film, have grown in popularity over the past few years (see Tech Talk: Vol. 1, No. 3). Featuring many of the same controls as film cameras, bright LCD screens which allow users to preview pictures before taking them, and physically small, yet capacious memory cards, these cameras make it easier than ever to quickly amass a large number of photographs.

Unlike film cameras, where your decisions begin and end with selecting a photofinisher, digital photography gives you more control over the output. You get to choose which of the images to keep, edit, and print, how you want to print them (at home or via a commercial service), and whether to share the images over the Internet with others. This series of choices can be daunting to a newcomer.

Tech Talk to the rescue. This issue will guide you through the steps necessary to get your pictures into final form. Once you learn the options available, you may find working with digital images to be more convenient than the traditional develop-and-print routine.

Technical clothing, sometimes called high-performance clothing, is designed to keep the wearer dry and at a comfortable temperature (a characteristic known as thermoregulation) regardless of weather conditions.

To illustrate the benefits of technical clothing, consider the standard cotton t-shirt worn practically as a Saturday uniform in some areas. It feels great against the skin when you put it on, but as soon as it becomes damp with perspiration or rain and is allowed to cool (particularly in the shade), it becomes clammy and uncomfortable. In comparison, a shirt made from a synthetic fabric like polyester or nylon will wick moisture away from the skin to the surface of the fabric where it evaporates, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable.

Game consoles play video games stored on optical discs using your television. You can drive monster trucks, rescue princesses, attack goblins, throw 65-yard passes, and search for buried treasure from the comfort of your sofa.

It figures to be a big December for consoles, as the Big Three game system manufacturers — Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft — will be battling for a share of the seventh-generation game console market (the seminal 1972 game Pong was considered a first-generation system). As compared to their predecessors, these state-of-the-art game systems promise improved controls, more vivid graphics, and enhanced multimedia capabilities. The PS3 and the Wii are hogging most of the headlines this holiday season, but it would be a mistake to overlook the year-old Xbox 360, which still has much to offer.

There are a couple of reasons why you might want another pair of headphones (sometimes called 'phones or cans). First, the sound quality of stock headphones suffers in comparison with many aftermarket models. In addition, you may find that aftermarket headphones may provide a more comfortable fit than the factory pair.

If you have ever been annoyed by tiresome radio personalities or frustrated by the need to juggle several CDs to find a specific song while driving, you may be surprised how easy it can be to enable your car to play your iPod audio. Solutions exist for nearly every budget and car stereo. Keep in mind that some of the techniques described below will work with other brands of MP3 players besides the Apple iPod.

Founded in 1995, eBay (http://www.ebay.com) is by far the largest Internet auction site, boasting more than 100 million users. It’s become a worldwide phenomenon, radically expanding the marketplace for new and used items.

Sellers, once relegated to listing items in newspaper classifieds or unloading them at garage sales, can now use eBay to attract buyers from across the globe. Buyers also benefit. From the obscure to the nostalgic, eBay’s diverse and constantly changing collection of auctions offers something for everyone.

Handheld gaming systems are video games that fit in the palm of your hand—they are designed to allow you to get a video game fix at the doctor’s office, on a plane ride, or at grandma’s house without lugging along the TV.

Of course, the idea of portable video games is nothing new. In the 1970s, handheld electronic games like Mattel’s Football were very popular, but these systems were one-trick ponies, allowing the user to play only a single game.

Nintendo’s Game Boy console, released in 1989, popularized the concept of interchangeable games in a portable console. Despite black-and-white, low-resolution graphics, the Game Boy was a smash hit, especially among the young.

Today’s handhelds have beautiful color displays, stereo sound, and, most importantly, a wide variety of games from which to choose. The battle for on-the-go entertainment devices is fierce, with Apple’s iPod digital audio players leading the charge. But handheld gaming systems provide something that most other handheld electronics can’t offer—an experience both immersive and interactive.

Back in the 1970s and ’80s, dueling videocassette formats VHS and Betamax (Beta) waged a long battle for supremacy in the marketplace. JVC’s VHS format emerged as the ultimate winner, but supporters of Sony’s Beta were embittered to see their investment in a technically superior format rendered obsolete.

History seems to be repeating itself as two next-generation video disc formats, Blu-Ray and HD DVD, are facing off in the marketplace. Motion picture studios and electronics manufacturers are attempting to repress their bitter memories of the VHS vs. Beta debacle by focusing instead on the truckloads of money to be made from consumers seeking the latest and greatest video players to complement their shiny new high-definition television (HDTV) sets.

It’s simple. By using the techniques listed in this report, you can easily save 10 to 20 percent compared to typical store prices. In addition, you may be able to achieve these savings without driving to the store and waiting in line to pay for your purchases.

LED flashlights use an electronic component called a white light-emitting diode (LED) instead of a traditional incandescent bulb as a light source. LED flashlights enjoy several advantages over incandescent lights:

• LED flashlights typically have longer battery life than traditional flashlights, which waste a lot of their energy via heat.
• There is no need to replace the bulb during the typical lifespan of light, as LEDs will last up to 100,000 hours (or 11 years of continuous use).
• LED flashlights are much more shock-resistant than traditional flashlights, which rely on relatively fragile bulbs to produce light.
• The small size of the LED “bulb” allows for great flexibility in design.

The company which makes the popular Maglite ® flashlight has just announced that it will be joining the party with its MAG-LED TM line of flashlights, providing further evidence that LEDs are here to stay.