With “quality” webcams ranging in price from $50 to $200, it’s hard to understand why the market share for these devices keeps growing despite the relative affordability of the far superior camcorders (see Tom’s Hardware).

In the effort to fit the most functionality into the smallest space, the humble webcam is achieving a market penetration that the better-quality HD camcorders will not achieve. Between smart phones, security systems, video blogging, video telephone, video conferencing, gaming, digital music players and home-entertainment systems, WinterGreen Research, Inc. projects the webcam market to reach $3.2 billion by 2015.

It makes a certain amount of sense; if you can get a “good enough” image of friends and relatives in other cities or continents, are you going to worry about whether the 640×480 image running at 15 frames per second is broadcast quality? Within the next few years, if past trends are any indication, the resolution and frame rate will improve.

But it does beg the question of how long a wired webcam is going to be useful. With video devices being embedded in mobile phones and laptops, as well as the availability of wireless webcams, it’s hard to understand the viability the wired versions.

The wired USB HP HD – 3110 Webcam is a device dedicated to desktop Windows machines. You can’t run it on a Mac. You can’t download drivers for it (the HP software and driver download page kindly sends you to a CD-ROM order page, presumably because the software is from ArcSoft), so if you’re running the camera out of the office, you’ll have to pre-install the software via your network.

Once you get it installed the software is somewhat misleading; the settings panel has a suite of camera control sliders that appear to promise more than they deliver. Do not be fooled by HP’s one-package-for-all-cameras software design: zoom, pan, tilt and roll controls will not work for this device. When that kind of functionality is miniaturized to fit into a webcam, we may be able to fly the devices around the room as well.

On the other hand, the ArcSoft WebCam Companion allows for some creativity. In addition to the basic and advanced editing functions, there’s a masque (face morphing) and fun frame (auto capture). Just the thing to amuse aspiring social media divas.

The HP 3110 appears to be positioned for at least three areas: social networking, security monitoring (face and motion detecting) as well as social media-style clip editing. As such, it’s perhaps not surprising to get continual warning dialogues that higher resolution recording will reduce functionality.

This webcam may need a certain amount of adjusting. Despite the potential 1280×720 resolution, it was difficult to get any kind of quality out of the video recording; images were blurry and not very vibrant, although the video stream was smooth enough. File sizes may also require some work; 17 seconds of video produced an 867Kb .wmv file. Finally, the grip mounter, although allowing for manual tilt and pans, was extremely weak, begging the question of durability.

Available for $49.99 at Best Buy.

Good Reader ($0.99, v.2.2)
Why you’ll like it: Do you need to review e-book-like documents when you travel? Do you need to review huge images as part of your work? Good Reader lets you read enormous documents from PDFs to JPEGs to MS Office (PowerPoint docs with too many embedded images anyone?).
How it works: Upload a file to the device or download it from the net.
What we like: Neat trick: if you find a giant file online and want it sent to Good Reader, just type a ‘g’ at the beginning of the URL and you’re good to scroll. Screen readability is decent and page flipping is easy. In other words, the Good Reader will tide you over until you can get a Kindle.
What to fix: Jargon in the help/setup instructions (the computer version of trying to assemble Ikea furniture). Apps should be intuitive and accelerate your work, not slow you down as you figure them out.
Bottom line: The popular reader AirSharing works if your file sizes are average, but if you deal in design review or need to read book-length documents on the go, Good Reader is, well, a pretty good option.

Jott (free, but $3.95/month for a mandatory online account)
Why you’ll like it: Just remembered something you forgot to do but you’re walking from your office to your car? This app records your voice, transcribes the task, asks for a due date and can send the entry to your Google calendar as well as a reminder to your email. Jott also created versions for salespeople and admin assistants.
How it works: Sign up for an account online, download the app and start talking.
What we like: The transcribing works extremely well and the interface is intuitive – all making for a short learning curve.
What to fix: It’s still not clear why you need a pricey Jott account. Make this effective app a little slimmer feature-wise so it can stand on its own, and don’t pretend to be free when you’re not.
Bottom line: VoiceMemo shipped with the iPhone 3.0 upgrade should have been there in the first place. Still, Jott makes the process easy. Raise your hand if you know what MMS means. If you don’t, you’ll need to study up on VoiceMemo. Jott’s service makes it easy, so don’t bother wrestling with something as easy as talking to yourself.

TimeManagerPro ($0.99, v3.0)
Why you’ll like it: This task management app is robust, flexible and it only costs a buck. Use it to track billable hours or make grocery lists. (There is also a free “light” version.)
How it works: It’s pretty standard. Enter, categorize and schedule tasks. Run a timer if you want to know how long tasks are taking, instead of trying to remember later and entering data from memory or scraps of paper.
What we like: Help files on every screen and online chat support! The stats module will help you figure out where your time sinks are (and you can send reports to your email). Most of us have some blurry space between work and home, and this app gets that with a category to manage your personal time.
What to fix: Intuitive integration with desktop calendars like Outlook or Google Desktop would make this even handier.
Bottom line: Understanding where the time goes is the first step to effective time management. TimeManagerPro’s task analysis takes it to the next level. See everything on your plate at once and reprioritize your time. U

All apps were tested on an iPhone OS 3.0.

Last we counted there were dozens of itty-bitty netbooks, PDAs smarter than a fifth grader, super-light notebooks and even nettops – those mini PC desktops with an identity crisis. (Am I netbook? A desktop?) With so many options, how can a guy or girl pick up an electronic mate these days? We look at their profiles.

A few years back, on the ferry to Victoria, I saw a man in a BC Ferries uniform at the cafeteria door. Grey haired and affable, he greeted patrons as they deposited burgers and Nanaimo bars onto their trays. The line was long; I was hungry. I turned to a friend and said huffily, “What, our tax dollars are paying for greeters on the boat?”

Later, I saw him at a table with a spoonful of clam chowder in one hand and a BlackBerry in the other. Those were the olden days, when only CEOs had BlackBerries. Oops. His phone instantly elevated him from greeter to an off-duty ship captain.

I’m not sure I see the value in a Prada handbag or a pair of Jimmy Choos. But we can all distinguish a BlackBerry from an iPhone. Turns out your phone does speak volumes.

The iPhone may be cool, but your boss is bound to wonder how you can afford the roaming fees. Carry this and you’re either fiscally irresponsible or operating a grow-op in your basement.

The Helio Ocean is the twentysomething’s answer to the iPhone. It’s less expensive, has GPS navigation and instant messaging. The “Buddy Beacon” application lets you share your location via Mapquest. Which isn’t creepy at all.

Research In Motion may be hipping up some of its lines (like the Pearl), but the BlackBerry 8830 remains the unmatched choice for serious, work-minded types; its mobile email is unrivalled. Looks like that $450-million lawsuit payout was worth it.

Sony Ericsson holds the illustrious title of favoured handset for ambitious young men, according to one 2007 survey, and the Sony Ericsson W580i is best for the gym rat, with a pedometer and a speaker that beats the iPhone. Put down the weights and get back to work, slacker.

The same survey declared Nokia the station wagon of cellphones, popular among middle-aged managers. The only phone that could be worse for a young person on the make might be the LG, common to stay-at-home parents. Don’t get it in pink. U

It goes by many names: donkey, grasshopper, horse head, thirsty bird and, yes, pump jack. Those creaky, bobbing structures in farmers’ fields are as common to rural Alberta as hay bales and crumpled cans of Kokanee. The pump jack goes to work after the drilling rig has packed up, drawing residual oil from formations where the underground pressure is weak (sometimes more than half a well’s total production). The design is virtually the same as Texas inventor Walter Trout’s 1926 patent. “It was such a funny, odd thing,” he said, “that it was subject to ridicule and criticism, and it took a long time before we could convince many the idea was a good one.” You’ve seen thousands, but do you know how they work? U