KompoZer, like Dreamweaver, is an all-in-one solution for managing a website.  With it, you can take care of the design, updating and editing.  There is a built-in FTP client to shuttle your changes on to the servers, and the HTML editor is WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”) so it is just like editing a Microsoft Word document or PowerPoint presentation.

KompoZer to its benefit, works on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux machines and it is based off the Mozilla Gecko engine, so any websites you create with it should be standards-compliant and look fine in any browser on any computer.

Many people do not have the need for Dreamweaver’s advanced toolset when creating a website.  Even more people do not have the money to pay for a full version of Dreamweaver.  KompoZer is a worthy option for both of these camps.

[LINK to download KompoZer.]

Seashore is open-source, like GIMP.  In fact, Seashore is built off of GIMP technology.  However, the difference is that Seashore was coded from the beginning to be a program for Macs.  This means the code is native Cocoa, so Seashore will not require X11 to run, like GIMP does.  This means Seashore will run faster and smoother on Mac OS X than GIMP will.  This also means that for the most part Seashore is easier to use than GIMP.

The only downside to Seashore is that it does not carry over all the features of GIMP.  Some advanced tools are left out.  However, for many people, Seashore will be more than capable of handling their image editing needs.  Plus, since Seashore is free, there is no harm in trying it out.

[LINK to download Seashore.]

The WikiReader is exactly what it sounds like.  It puts all of Wikipedia into the palm of your hand in a dedicated touchscreen device.  While this may sound a little pointless in the age of smartphones and wireless broadband, there is more appeal to this device than meets the eye.

Hardware wise, the WikiReader is nothing special.  It is a 4 by 4-inch square-shape powered by 2 AA batteries.  The front of the device is a capacitive touchscreen monochrome LCD as well as three buttons for search, history and a random article.  All the articles are stored locally on an 8GB microSD card, so there is no need to connect to the internet to look up an article.  Updates to Wikipedia corpus can be downloaded for free or mailed to you on an microSD card for a price.  While the choice of a black-and-white screen may seem archaic, I believe it is the right choice because it is the most legible solution that also uses the least power.  Plus, a color screen for Wikipedia does not add a great deal to the experience.

At $99, the WikiReader might seem a little pricy for a device that is so single-minded in its abilities.  However, it is an example of a product that does one thing and does it very well (such as the Flip video camera and Peek email handheld).  The WikiReader is well aimed at families and younger children with its built-in parental controls.  This allows kids to look up Roman emperors without hogging the computer or looking up inappropriate topics in the process.  And that is certainly worth the asking price.

The choice of a capacitive touchscreen really makes quite a difference in the user experience of the WikiReader.  The whole device just has a high quality feel in you hand.  The screen is precise and is thankfully devoid of the mushiness that is all too common on touchscreen products these days.  From my brief experience using the WikiReader, I can say that it is very straightforward and built like a product costing many times more.

While there are those naysayers that will scoff at the WikiReader for being such a one trick pony, I can think of many people I know who would love a device like this.  And at the price of $99, it falls just within gift-giving territory.  Finally, since the WikiReader is based off the open-source OpenMoko project, you can imagine that the features of the WikiReader can only get better from here on out.

I’ve been using a trackball regularly for almost twelve years now.  It all started for me with the Logitech Marble Mouse.  Which amazingly is still sold today, with some minor improvements as the Logitech TrackMan Marble.  The ambidextrous shape of the Marble allowed it to be used for hours comfortably, and because you let your fingers do the work, it is almost effortless to use.

After awhile though, I did miss the ease of having a scroll wheel, so I upgraded to the Logitech TrackMan Wheel.  Amazingly, my nearly decade old TrackMan Wheel is virtually identical to a new one you would find on the shelves of your local big box electronics retailer.  That is how perfect this design is.  They really have need to ever improve it.  Like I said before, I am not making the argument that trackballs should replace all mice, but I do find them great for standard computing.  For everyday tasks, you do not need the extreme precision or adjustable dpi resolution that hardcore gamers or graphic artists demand.  For run-of-the-mill jobs, the trackball provides significant ergonomic improvements, and that is something that anyone who spends a great deal of time on the computer can appreciate.

Unfortunately, as you might have guessed from the age of the trackballs I have mentioned, there has not been any major improvements in the functionality of trackballs in quite awhile.  However, Kensington has tried to up the style and cool quotients of trackballs recently though.  The red ball of their Slimblade Trackball looks like some orb of power out of a science-fiction movie.  The Kensington SlimBlade Trackball is not just a pretty face though.  The single ball can serve multiple functions such as scrolling, zooming, volume and media playback controls.

While my trusty old TrackMan Wheel shows no signs of giving out, when it does someday (hopefully in the distant future), I hope that there will be at least some improvement made to trackballs so I will be able to replace it with something better, because that is what it would want me to do.  I hope peripheral manufacturers are out there listening, because trackballs are not a dead market and they should see at least some innovation after 10 years.