It's Here! The Holiday Buyer's Guide 2004

Cold Hot Lead

Computer geeks need a good soldering iron, and we've found one. The Coldheat Soldering Tool activates only when the tip is in contact with the soldering material. Cooling instantly when lifted away, it is safe for your fingers and people around the house.

The Coldheat tool runs on four AA batteries, which is enough for about 700 solders. A white led light illuminates your target and a red light shows when the tip is hot. Simply press the tip to the wire and in three seconds it heats to 800 F, but cools when taken away from the wire. We bravely tested this with our own fingers, and are glad to report that we suffered no damage.

You can purchase the Coldheat Tool on the Coldheat Website for only $19.95 + S/H. You can also buy it for $16 at Costco, where it is called the Coleman Coldheat. Four batteries, four spools of soldering wire and a carrying case are included. You can also purchase different soldering tips online.

Mobile Freedom

As Bluetooth gains acceptance, we will see more devices like the Logitech Mobile Freedom headset, which can be used with both Bluetooth-enabled phones and PCs.

The lightweight headset is comfortable enough to be worn for hours. Battery life is around 250 hours of standby or seven hours of talking. Logitech's WindStop technology reduces the impact of wind noise and automobile air conditioners.

The Logitech Mobile Freedom headset is $69.95 and can be purchased at the Logitech online store .