GEAR TO GET

11 Gift-Worthy Gadgets

These hot gadgets (starting at just $6) will make any traveler's eyes light up—with or without batteries.

By Brian Reed, December 2011/January 2012 issue | Subscribe to the magazine

FOR ROCKING YOURSELF TO SLEEP
Bedphones' foam earphones are comfy enought to wear all night, sure. More impressive: They actually sing you to sleep, thanks to an Android app that gradually lowers the volume over time—or shuts off entirely when you've stopped stirring. bedphones.com, $30.
(Levi Brown)
FOR DISTRACTING THE LITTLE ONES
Keeping your kids busy on a long-haul flight no longer means surrendering your iPad. LeapPad, LeapFrog's durable new tablet (for children 4 to 9), runs for eight hours per charge and mines a library of more than 100 educational games, books, videos, and apps. leapfrog.com, $100.
(Levi Brown)
FOR TAKING TRIP VIDEOS ANYTIME
Kodak's PLAYFULL Video Camera is one of the smallest HD camcorders out there—but its image quality is still top-notch. Throw in an integrated still camera, editing tools, and advanced sharing capabilities, and you've got an all-in-one media whiz that's about the size of a Snickers. store.kodak.com, $130.
(Levi Brown)
FOR PLAYING ART SLEUTH
Armed with the 3.25-inch Palomar ZoomArt mini telescope, you'll get a 6x-magnified view of the Mona Lisa's dimples or every detail of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling—no matter how many pushy museumgoers have elbowed you out of their way. palomarweb.com, $54.
(Levi Brown)
FOR SENDING A LITTLE MESSAGE
With these 2.5-inch-tall Mini Walkie Talkies, you can send a spy to scope out all kinds of things: the hotel's breakfast bar, the line at that new roller coaster. Just don't get too ambitious—the toy's range only extends to 200 feet. whistle-stop.com, $15.
(Levi Brown)
FOR SYNCING UP WITH SEATMATES
Skip the ho-hum in-flight movie and stage your own screening (on a laptop, an iPad, or a DVD player) with the Branch Earphone Splitter, which lets three listeners tune in to one device. amazon.com, $10.
(Levi Brown)
FOR MAKING A KID SNAP-HAPPY
From the juice-box-shaped case to the single, foolproof button—the straw—the 35 mm Juice Box film camera is the perfect entry-level shooter for aspiring shutterbugs. photojojo.com, $25.
(Levi Brown)
FOR AVOIDING A BAG FEE
As overweight-bag charges soar, we could all use help lightening up. The new Heys Touch Scale (in six fun colors) does the trick: Simply slide the hook under any bag's handle, lift, and tap the display to see the specs in pounds (up to 110) or kilograms. heysusa.com, $35.
(Levi Brown)
FOR LETTING THERE BE LIGHT
The palm-size, pop-art-inspired Chill Pill lamp is just what the doctor ordered for late-night reading or brightening the corners of an unfamiliar hotel room. kikkerland.com, $6.
(Levi Brown)
FOR UPGRADING YOUR ALBUMS
Bridging the gap between point-and-shoots and pro-level gear, the Olympus PEN E-PM1 packs serious camera guts—a 12.3 MP sensor, interchangeable lenses—inside a superslim body. getolympus.com, $500.
(Levi Brown)
FOR BEING PREPARED, ANYWHERE
Thanks to a built-in LED flashlight and nine other handy implements, the Gerber Fit Light Tool Blue outshines the traditional pocket-knife competition. gerbergear.com, $41.

(Levi Brown)