Three Little Gadgets I am Thankful For

I am always on the lookout for little mobile gizmos/gadgets that make my life either more productive or more enjoyable. Here are three recent purchases that I am thankful for. Any of them make great stocking stuffers for your favorite geek.

My MacBook Air constantly runs hot. Even when all I am doing is running a browser for awhile, the fan kicks in - and it's loud. Targus makes a neat fold up cooling pad called Targus HeatDefense. What I like about it is that it doesn't consume any power, it's easy to fold up and it works flawlessly. Within seconds of putting it under my Air my fan speed dropped 50%. It's under $25 on Amazon.

I have a small desk at home so rather than get a big set of speakers, I found one from Alltec Lansing that does the trick. The one catch is that it runs on batteries, but the sound is amazing. I use it to stream classical music from Pandora off my iPhone. The Alltec iM-237 is under $35 on Amazon.

Finally, I have a laptop bag addiction. I can't seem to find one I like. They're either too big or too small or they hurt some part of my body. Recently, I found one that's like porridge - just right. Brenthaven makes a pair of sling bags that are under $75. They're extremely comfortable, easy to pull on and off, distribute the weight, are thin yet roomy and also offer a lot of laptop protection. My Air fits in the smaller one, though snugly. Gearlog reviewed them recently.

Happy Holidays everyone.