Growing up, my father had a single-minded obsession: finding the cheapest possible gas for his 70s-era Olds Toronado. To shave even a few cents off his fuel tab, he'd routinely pilot this cruise ship-sized craft miles out of his way, finally docking it at some remote filling station on the edge of town.

Of course, he burned through more gas finding these bargain pumps than he ever saved (and I quickly learned to find other things to do when I sensed the needle nearing E.) But it didn't matter. A bargain was a bargain.

Maybe that explains why I've never been one to shop around for gas. But that's starting to change. Last week I spent $80 filling up my wife's Honda Odyssey. Even my fuel-efficient little Civic has started eating into my beer budget.  A man can only take so much before he's compelled to act.

That's how I discovered some great online tools for finding cheap gas. Now I save money, time, and gas by pinpointing a cheap pump near me before I drive.

MSN Auto

MSN Auto receives daily pricing data from more than 90,000 stations across the country through the Oil Pricing Information Service (OPIS). Just plug in your ZIP Code to see the cheapest pumps in your area and what each charges for various grades of gas.

 GasBuddy

GasBuddy is a grassroots version of MSN Auto. The site relies on volunteers to report pump prices and boasts some 700,000 members. GasBuddy also has a bunch of cool tools.  Mobile phone owners, for example, can get price data beamed to them while they're on the go.  A similar site called GasPriceWatch is also worth a look.

How's your MPG?

Finally, if the spike in oil prices is making you think seriously about ditching your Hummer, you might find the US Department of Energy's Fuel Economy site handy, especially its cool interactive tool for comparing gas mileage between different car and truck models.

<Michael Stroh>

Want easy access to the music collection on your home PC when you’re away?

Recently I discovered Winamp Remote, which I now use to access my music and video libraries from other computers—even my cell phone—via the web. It’s like having my own personal Internet radio station. What’s even cooler is that Winamp Remote is easy to use and set up—so easy, in fact, that I did it by accident when installing the Winamp media player.

Here’s how:

First, download and install Winamp. On the Choose Components setup screen, under Winamp Library, you’ll see the Remote Media option. Make sure it’s checked. (If you’re installing the Full version, it should be checked automatically.)

After Winamp is installed, select the Media Library tab and then click Audio under Remote Media. This will bring up the Winamp Remote installer. Click on the Download Now link to install Winamp Remote.

After the installer finishes, you’ll be asked to create a login name and password to access your media.

Your Winamp media library is now available from any web browser at http://winamp.com/remote. For instance, let’s say I want to stream the album “Deep Cuts” by The Knife from my home PC to my work PC. I just click my New Music folder, where I keep the album.

Then I select all the tracks on the album, and then click the play icon. As you can see, I’m just finishing listening to Deep Cuts and will probably listen to some M.I.A. or Hot Chip before heading home for the weekend.

<Gus Class>

I’m always on the lookout for new music-related inventions. About a month ago, I attended Microsoft’s top-secret, employee-only TechFest, where the company shows off research that’s been going on behind closed doors over the last year. Obviously, I can’t talk about a lot of what I saw there (without getting into trouble, at least). But there’s one project that was also unveiled to the public that majorly piqued my interest: A piece of music software called MySong.

MySong is essentially a backing-band emulator. It takes any melody that you sing into your computer mic and generates chords to go along with it. If you’ve ever spontaneously sung in the shower, and wished you could hear it with musical accompaniment, this software is for you. 

I can’t say I’ve never sung along with an imaginary band in the shower, but I also play guitar and write songs with a real band—so I’m not exactly the target audience for MySong. Still, I found the idea irresistible, both as a fun toy (like Guitar Hero) and a legitimate music tool (like Reason or ProTools). What if my band could use MySong to flesh out melodies as part of the songwriting process? How cool would that be?

When I proposed the idea to my band mates, it didn’t spark enthusiasm, but rather the age-old technology-and-music debate: “Will this really be helpful, or will it strip music of its humanity?” I imagine Johannes Brahms had similar concerns about the player piano in the 1800s. Boy how times haven’t changed.

Whether or not I can convince my bandmates to give MySong a try is beside the point. Right now, Microsoft is developing MySong purely for research purposes, and has not announced any plans to formally release it. I’m crossing my fingers, though, and daydreaming about the future of technology and music. What’s next, a robot guitar?

<Andy Myers>

There’s been a long silence on Click—but it's all for a good cause: We're all beavering away on the next version of Windows. Someday, I'll happily reveal all. Meantime, I want to talk about a Windows-related development that's generating a lot of press these days: Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

Officially released earlier this month, Service Pack 1 (or SP1 for short) is the first major update to Windows Vista. That alone makes it a big deal. But as I read over blogs and newsgroups, it's clear some people remain confused. They're wondering: What the heck is SP1, anyway? Do I really need it? Where can I get it?

If this sounds like you, then I urge you to take a look at the new Vista SP1 website my colleagues recently put together on Windows Help and How-to.  Written in friendly, geek-free language, the new site is designed to help you understand what SP1 is all about and how to install it.

Check it out and tell us what you think. If there's something important we didn't cover, we'd like to know that too.

<Michael Stroh>

When I travel, I like to take advantage of high-tech tools to make life easier on the road. Here are a couple tips for your next vacation:

Turn your digital camera into a travel companion

There's no reason why your fancy digital camera has to be reserved solely for touristy snapshots. My Canon Powershot SD630, for example, is also an indispensable record keeper and navigation tool.

When I go somewhere, I first take photos of my passport, flight or hotel reservation, and other essential travel documents. Since I carry my camera everywhere, it serves both as a reminder of confirmation dates or codes—and as proof in case any of that stuff goes missing. (Under the lost and stolen section of its passport web site, the U.S. State Department notes: “If you can provide the U.S. embassy or consulate with a photocopy of your passport identification page, that will make getting a new passport easier....”)

I also snap high-res photos of handy tourist information, such as this subway map (above) from a recent trip to Toronto. Once the map is stored on the camera's memory card, I can pan and zoom to specific details. It's like having my very own custom travel atlas—without the hassle of carrying one around.

Worry-free recharging

One big hassle for high-tech travelers is how to keep their rechargeable devices powered up overseas.

But what you might not realize is that some devices can run on a range of electrical inputs. For example, the battery recharger for my Powershot camera can handle an electrical current of 100 to 240 volts and alternating current frequencies of 50 and 60 hertz. This is also true for my laptop's AC adapter.

This means that you can use most of the world's electrical outlets without a pricey power transformer. (You might still need an outlet adapter, but these are inexpensive and easy to find.)

Scope out the perfect beach spot

Before I leave home, I use Live Search Maps as a key resource for travel planning. I especially like the bird's eye views.  These low-angle, high-res aerial images give me a sense of the overall terrain and key landmarks I'll encounter when I arrive. It creates a mental map that helps keep me from getting lost.

I recently stayed aboard the Delta King, a riverboat anchored in the Sacramento River. Using Live Maps, I was able to get a real feel for Old Sacramento and its surroundings before my trip. I also use Live Maps to revisit places I've once lived or traveled. A recent search turned up the Arlington, Massachusetts house I'd lived in for five years.  I also relived a favorite vacation memory through this bird's eye (right) of Rockport, MA.

Give Live Maps a try and see if you can find those special places that you want to keep remembering.

<Lorin Catudio>

Microsoft this week unveiled an amazing new initiative called DreamSpark, which allows college-age students to freely download some of the company's most popular development and design software.

It's truly an astounding deal: Students now have easy access to Visual Studio 2008, Expression Studio and a bunch of other tools that pros around the world use to build the software we all buy. Visual Studio alone costs hundreds of dollars in stores. So if you're a budding Bill Gates, or know one in your family, check out the DreamSpark site for details.

In a video interview about DreamSpark on Microsoft's student-oriented Channel 8 blog, Billg himself noted:  "These are the tools people can build a career around—or they can just build fun software for themselves....There's nothing more fun than thinking about software."

Ah, software. I have to admit the announcement made me a bit nostalgic. Today I mostly write about computers, not code them. But there was a time when a deal like this would have made me drool.

A geek is born

The first lines of computer code I ever composed, on a mail-order  Sinclair ZX-80, didn't exactly herald genius. I think they went something like this:

10 Print "Hi"

20 Goto 10

It was 1980. I was an 11-year-old kid in Pennsylvania playing with his first PC. And as far as I was concerned, this cheap-looking hunk of plastic, stuttering "Hi" on my small black-and-white TV, was pure magic.  It was the start of a life-long passion for all things silicon.

Before long, I'd ditched the Sinclair for an Atari 800 (prying open the Sinclair to see how it worked turned out to be a bad move).

Holed up in my room with phone-book-thick copies of BYTE magazine and a 6502 programming book, I gradually taught myself to code crude Asteroids knock offs and other simple games. (6502 was the name of the Atari's 8-bit microprocessor "brain"—the same chip found in both the Apple I and Apple II.)

Being Bill Budge

Other kids I knew were obsessed with rock stars or outfielders. My hero was a guy named Bill Budge, the wizard behind the Pinball Construction Set. A game within a game, PCS essentially allowed you to build your own pinball machine. To me, it was pure programming genius.

I dreamed of creating software like that, or like one of the other games I played every day after school: Castle Wolfenstein, Ultima, Wizardry, and Microsoft's Olympic Decathlon.  Anybody else remember that one? My friend Wiley and I used to spend long Saturday afternoons bashing the keyboard on his dad's Apple II, trying to set new world records.

It's funny where the roads in life can lead. In college, I decided I wanted to write about technology rather than create it (a few Ds in chemistry and calculus helped provide career clarity). And that's what happened: I spent the next 15 years covering science and technology at various newspapers and magazines.

Now I'm back where my 8-bit dreams all started. At Microsoft, one of my jobs is to help develop the next generation of Windows, working alongside teams of programmers with their own Bill Budge-like powers.

I'd like to think that 11-year-old kid back in Pennsylvania would have been impressed.

 <Michael Stroh>

If you’re into digital photography, then you probably know last week was the biggest week of the year for announcements of new cameras, lenses, and other photo-related stuff. That’s because PMA—the largest photography trade show in North America—held its annual extravaganza in Las Vegas. (PMA officially doesn’t stand for anything anymore, but it used to mean Photo Marketing Association).

There are already zillions of compact point-and-shoot cameras available, and PMA brought hundreds more to market, with announcements of new models by heavyweights Canon, Nikon, Sony, and most other camera makers. According to one report, more than 700 new point-and-shoot compact cameras were announced at PMA. (I didn’t bother to count them all—that could take hours.)

The trend I found most interesting, however, was the flood of new digital SLRs, including several from Sony, a relative newcomer to the digital SLR market.

Not too long ago, if you walked around in public with a digital SLR hanging from your neck, you looked super-serious about photography. I remember getting my first digital SLR in 2002 (a Nikon D100). People were always surprised when they noticed the LCD screen on the back of the camera and realized it was digital, not film-based. They stared at it and often asked me if they could take a picture.

No one looks twice at digital SLRs anymore. Today, you can find several models for less than $600. That’s about the price of a high-end point-and-shoot camera just two or three years ago.

The new digital SLRS announced at PMA ranged from ultra high-end to low-end. At the top end, Sony announced plans to release a new, “full-frame” digital SLR (no price given) by the end of this year with 24 megapixels of resolution. That’s a new record for digital SLRs, surpassing Canon’s 21-megapixel 1Ds Mark III, which costs a cool $8,000. Full frame means the camera’s digital sensor is as large as a 35mm negative, giving it the ability to capture images with incredible detail.

Only pro photographers and wealthy amateurs buy cameras like these, but since camera technology trickles down quickly, announcements like Sony’s generate a lot of interest from all serious photographers. Many are already predicting that affordable full-frame digital SLRs are only a few years away.

The majority of digital SLR news at PMA was about modestly priced cameras (under $1,000) that use conventional-size camera sensors, such as two new models due out this spring from Sony, which seems intent on challenging established leaders Nikon and Canon. The Sony A350 (pictured above) will have 14.2 megapixels, built-in image stabilization, and sell for $900, including lens.

Nikon and Canon both fought back with new entry-level models announced at the show: The Nikon D60 ($700 without lens, 10.2 megapixels) and the Canon Rebel XSi ($800 without lens, 12.2 megapixels).

Pentax and Samsung also showed new digital SLRs at PMA that both use the same 14.6-megapixel sensor developed by Samsung—the $1,400 Samsung GX20 and $1,300 Pentax K20D.

I’ve listed the resolution of these cameras, but that’s just one feature of a digital SLR, and not necessarily the most important one. All these new cameras contain a dizzying array of features, such as image stabilization in the camera, automatic dust removal (for when case dust gets on the sensor), and high dynamic range (the ability to capture images with a wider range of tones).

The bottom line: If you’re still using a point-and-shoot and have considered upgrading to a digital SLR, now is a good time. There are a lot more choices in the market, and entry-level digital SLRs now have features such as fully automatic program modes so you don’t have to adjust a thing (unless you want to). The main advantages of a digital SLR are sharper photos with more detail and better exposure, and instant picture taking when you press the shutter button.

No discussion of PMA would be complete without mentioning the many digital SLR lenses announced there. Among the highlights were five new lenses from Pentax, three from Nikon (including an exotic tilt-shift lens), and two from Sony.

But Sigma blew everyone away by announcing nine lenses, including several big, expensive telephoto zooms. The topper was a 200-500mm f2.8 zoom (pictured above) that weighs 35 lbs and will fetch $25,000. Even if Sigma only sells a handful of these monsters (which some have dubbed “Sigzilla”), it was great PR for the company. Almost every story about PMA showed a picture of the big green lens, which drew a lot of traffic to the Sigma booth.

<John Swenson>

One of the top-selling computer products of 2007 was—prepare for a shock—the digital photo frame. Market researchers estimate about 6 million were sold last year, a huge leap from 1.7 million in 2006. They predict sales of 9 million this year.

Why are millions of people flocking to them?

Mainly because they make great presents. The majority of digital frames are purchased as gifts, according to market research firm Parks Associates. 

That doesn’t surprise me.  My wife and I were among the millions who bought one for this very reason last Christmas. We purchased it as a joint gift with her brother and sister-in-law, who came up with the idea of getting one for my wife’s parents. A photo frame is one of those products you don’t want too badly for yourself, but think your parents or grandparents will love.

I bet the conversation that took place in our home last fall was echoed in millions of others. “Hey, why don’t we get your mom and dad one of those picture frame things that show digital pictures? That way they can look at pictures of their grandkids all the time!” If the exploding sales of digital frames proves anything, it's that there’s no shortage of parents who believe grandma and grandpa will never tire of gazing at a rotating assortment of their kids’ photos.

This may be true, but the frames themselves don’t always live up to expectations.

My father-in-law tried to hide his disappointment on Christmas Day when we hooked up his new 7-inch digital frame next to my 24-inch flat-panel computer monitor. Other than the obvious size difference, the resolution wasn’t even close. His frame had a paltry 480 x 234 display, making photos appear grainy and fuzzy. It was no match for the 1900 x 1200 razor-sharp pixels on my screen.

I later learned my in-laws quietly returned the photo frame we bought them, trading it in for a higher-resolution model that cost twice as much. (Being the techie in the family, I wanted to buy them a more expensive model to begin with, but was outvoted.)

The contrast and brightness of their little frame also left a lot to be desired, demonstrating that it pays to look at a model's specs before you buy. Most digital frames have a contrast ratio of 400:1 or 500:1. Don’t settle for less. As for resolution, forget anything below 640 x 480. High-resolution is especially important if you buy a large frame, say 10-inches or bigger. If the box doesn't specify a resolution, move on.  (To sample the variety of models now available, check out all 83 frames sold on Newegg.com.)

But trust your eyes more than the specs. Find a store that has its floor models turned on and loaded with images so you can judge screen quality before you buy.  The price tag will also tell you something. Don’t expect greatness from a $75 frame.

One promising trend: digital frames are getting bigger. One company, PhotoVu, offers three models ranging from 19 to 22 inches. But with prices for larger frames in the $800 to $1000 range, they cost far more than most people (read: I) want to spend.  You can buy a same-sized computer display for two to three times less.

Until digital photo frames improve and prices drop, I’m sticking with my 24-inch LCD monitor for showing off family photos at home. I can’t put it in my living room, but no electronic frame can hold a candle to a high-end computer display.

<John Swenson>

I recently got one of the best holiday gifts ever—a Swiss Army knife that includes a laser pointer and USB drive.

"Ooooh, cool!" is the general response from my envious co-workers.

This fits in well with my existing family of gadgets.  My flashlight, for example, recharges when you shake it.  My radio has a wind-up crank.

Then there's my other favorite kind of gadget: Windows Vista Sidebar gadgets.

These are mini-applications docked on my desktop. Like my new Swiss Army knife, they have a variety of possible uses.  By tapping the web, gadgets can deliver stock prices, weather information, news updates, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, and even slide shows of online photo albums.

Gadgets can also merge information from multiple sources. For example, the Live Search Maps gadget provides an at-a-glance view of the current traffic conditions for over two-dozen cities. Traffic information is  automatically updated, and you can easily display a full screen view of the map by clicking on the stoplight icon.

Windows Vista provides an essential set of gadgets to get you started, including a calendar, clock, and weather gadget. The Windows Vista Gadget Gallery carries hundreds more that you can download and enjoy. (For detailed instructions on adding and removing Sidebar gadgets, see this handy article on Windows Help and How-to. The site also has a very cool video on Vista gadgets.)

One of the more interesting gadgets I've downloaded is Moon Phase II, which displays a realistic representation of the moon and its phases. A configuration panel allows you to set the latitude and longitude for your location. You can also display a calendar of the current month's phases of the moon. This is a great gadget for planning outdoor activities, such as star gazing.

So go ahead and starting collecting your own gadgets. Which ones do you like best?

<Lorin Catudio>

With the Consumer Electronics Show 2008 winding down and the flood of product announcements over for another year, I’ve been wondering what it all means for Windows users. How much will the gee-whiz stuff announced at CES enhance your overall computing experience?

In some cases, the answer is obvious.

New microprocessors from Intel and AMD, for example, make computers faster, allowing you to do more tasks simultaneously—or ones you never could before, such as editing high-definition video on a laptop. Toshiba, Sony, and HP all announced laptops with the new Intel Penryn family of Core 2 Duo mobile processors, which use less power while offering more speed. Other mobile PC makers will no doubt follow.

It’s less obvious, on the other hand, how new high-definition TVs, handheld gadgets, and hundreds of other related devices at CES that don't fit inside a computer will benefit PC owners.  But they will. Computers are becoming more and more intertwined with consumer electronics.  More people are using their PCs to record and playback video on their HDTV, send music around their house, make phone calls, and do other things perform other tasks once not considered computing tasks.

Here’s a look at some of the products at CES I think will have the biggest impact on PC users in the near future:

• Bigger, higher-resolution computer displays, such as the new Dell 30-inch UltraSharp 3008WFP. Big flat-panel monitors are going mainstream. Forget 22 inches, soon two-foot screens will be the standard. I bought a 24-inch Dell UltraSharp model last year and have been very impressed. Many large-screen monitors were announced at CES, including some bargains under $400. But look to the high end for what’s coming: Dell’s 3008WFP is the company’s second-generation 30-incher. It’s pricey at $1,999, but the previous model (the 3007WFP) is available for $600 less, making Dell one of the few companies selling more than one 30-inch model. I’ll bet these drop below $1,000 before long.
• Faster graphics cards and chips—especially in mobile PCs such as the massive new HP Pavilion HDX. This 20-inch laptop now comes with a powerful Nvidia GeForce 8800M graphics processor, which should satisfy all but the most demanding gamers.  Laptop owners once had to settle for “business graphics” most of the time. That’s changing. Nvidia, AMD, and Intel now offer some of their fastest 3D graphics chips for mobile PCs as well as desktops. The new ATI HD Mobility Radeon 3000 series from AMD is one example.
• Solid state drives (SSD). I touched on this in my previous CES post. But these futuristic drives—like the new 72GB model from SanDisk—are the most obvious and dramatic enhancements coming to PCs.  Laptop owners will likely benefit the most. Because they have no moving parts, SSDs are faster, more rugged, and use less power than conventional hard drives. They're still pricey, but that should change as capacities jump. Several models are already available in the 72 to120GB range.
• Better-looking case designs for both desktop and mobile PCs, such as the slick new Lenovo laptops (pictured above). Unimportant, you say? Well, for many people looks do matter—a lot. Why else would so many people be so obsessed with the design of Apple’s latest Macs? PC makers want to get in on the design action, too. Microsoft even took part, holding a PC fashion show.
• Bigger, better, cheaper flat-panel HDTVs. CES was awash in plasma and LCD TVs this year—devices that just get better and more affordable each year. Now next-generation OLED TVs are on the way, which are spectacularly thin and beautiful. As more people's homes go high-def, it's natural that the living room is where they're going to want to enjoy all their PC-stored photos, video and web content. More people will start connecting their HDTVs to their PCs, either directly or through a home network or some sort of Media Center extender device such as the Xbox 360. At CES, companies were already showing off a host of gadgets to make that link easier, including many new wireless routers and Media Center extenders.

<John Swenson>