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I love the nightlife: get the gear you need
Today's poll:
Which gear is a must-have for this trip?
Which gear is a must-have for this trip?
Car
Whether you're in the bridge-and-tunnel crowd or acting as designated driver for the night, your car needs to accommodate your friends and look good enough so that hottie you escort home won't opt for a cab instead. A good sound system makes the journey all that much more enjoyable as intoxicated friends dance and sing to you. Of course, an easily cleaned interior isn't a bad idea either.
Whether you're in the bridge-and-tunnel crowd or acting as designated driver for the night, your car needs to accommodate your friends and look good enough so that hottie you escort home won't opt for a cab instead. A good sound system makes the journey all that much more enjoyable as intoxicated friends dance and sing to you. Of course, an easily cleaned interior isn't a bad idea either.
Selected cars for a night on the town
Cell phone
You want to find out where your friends have wandered off to, but the noise level at most clubs or bars makes carrying on a conversation impossible. That's why they invented texting--and your phone needs to handle it. Web surfing also helps when you get alerted to a new bar and need to track down the address or when you're settling bar bets. And Googling that person trying to get your phone number might let you know about stalker tendencies in advance.
You want to find out where your friends have wandered off to, but the noise level at most clubs or bars makes carrying on a conversation impossible. That's why they invented texting--and your phone needs to handle it. Web surfing also helps when you get alerted to a new bar and need to track down the address or when you're settling bar bets. And Googling that person trying to get your phone number might let you know about stalker tendencies in advance.
Selected cell phones for texting and surfing
In-car GPS device
The best places to go are always out of the way and hard to find. And you might not even have an address--just an intersection and some landmarks. GPS in the car can get you through unfamiliar streets on dark nights, leading you to that magical club where all your dreams come true. And when you've followed some kind stranger's directions and the place turns out to be a bust, a GPS device will get you home safe.
The best places to go are always out of the way and hard to find. And you might not even have an address--just an intersection and some landmarks. GPS in the car can get you through unfamiliar streets on dark nights, leading you to that magical club where all your dreams come true. And when you've followed some kind stranger's directions and the place turns out to be a bust, a GPS device will get you home safe.
Compact digital camera
The more fun you're having out with your friends, the less likely you'll remember it all. Take snapshots during the evening with a small digital camera, and you'll have shots of your friends acting goofy, good blackmail fodder, and pics to share on Webshots. And it's extra points for making sure the flash goes off in the faces of people trying to have serious conversations.
The more fun you're having out with your friends, the less likely you'll remember it all. Take snapshots during the evening with a small digital camera, and you'll have shots of your friends acting goofy, good blackmail fodder, and pics to share on Webshots. And it's extra points for making sure the flash goes off in the faces of people trying to have serious conversations.
Video camera
For those really special occasions, such as birthdays and bachelor or bachelorette parties, kick it up a notch and bring along a video camera. Nothing beats footage of drunken dancing, unexpected hookups, and the always amusing out-of-focus floor shots. Edit the video with software such as AVS Video Tools, add your own soundtrack or commentary, and copy it on to DVD for your friends.
For those really special occasions, such as birthdays and bachelor or bachelorette parties, kick it up a notch and bring along a video camera. Nothing beats footage of drunken dancing, unexpected hookups, and the always amusing out-of-focus floor shots. Edit the video with software such as AVS Video Tools, add your own soundtrack or commentary, and copy it on to DVD for your friends.
I love the nightlife: make your gear work
We can suggest some gadgets to bring along on a bar-hopping night, but it's a bit more complex than that. Find out how your gear will work with our editors' answers to some reader questions, such as how to keep that cell phone secure.Top tips for making your gear work on a night on the town
FAQ 1: Secure your cell phone
FAQ 2: Fees for car navigation systems?
FAQ 3: Are SD camcorders ever better than HD?
There's been a lot of press lately about the lack of cell phone security. What are the ways people access and/or sabotage a cell phone that's not theirs, and what can be done?
Submitted by Samantha, via e-mail
by Kent German, senior editor
You can take steps to ensure your data is safe in the event your mobile falls into nefarious hands. Of course, you should start by assuming you will lose your phone at some point. With that in mind, don't store anything that you wouldn't want anyone else to see, including credit card numbers, bank account information, and other sensitive data. Also, be sure to use passwords to protect your phone book or the phone itself (this varies by handset). But remember that if you store anything on your carrier's servers (as with the T-Mobile Sidekick II), those files will be much more vulnerable to snoopers. Finally, if you have Bluetooth, turn off the Discoverable feature when not in use.
Submitted by Samantha, via e-mail
by Kent German, senior editorYou can take steps to ensure your data is safe in the event your mobile falls into nefarious hands. Of course, you should start by assuming you will lose your phone at some point. With that in mind, don't store anything that you wouldn't want anyone else to see, including credit card numbers, bank account information, and other sensitive data. Also, be sure to use passwords to protect your phone book or the phone itself (this varies by handset). But remember that if you store anything on your carrier's servers (as with the T-Mobile Sidekick II), those files will be much more vulnerable to snoopers. Finally, if you have Bluetooth, turn off the Discoverable feature when not in use.
I love the nightlife: make your gear work
We can suggest some gadgets to bring along on a bar-hopping night, but it's a bit more complex than that. Find out how your gear will work with our editors' answers to some reader questions, such as how to keep that cell phone secure.Top tips for making your gear work on a night on the town
FAQ 1: Secure your cell phone
FAQ 2: Fees for car navigation systems?
FAQ 3: Are SD camcorders ever better than HD?
I have a couple of questions regarding car nav systems. How often are the maps updated? And is there a monthly service fee? Or any fees after you buy the system?
Submitted by Randy, CNET reader e-mail
by Wayne Cunningham, senior editor
Every device maker has its own schedule for releasing updates. TomTom and Magellan often release map updates with general software updates, which can occur a few times a year. Garmin releases map updates separately from program or firmware ones. Navteq, the company that creates the mapping information used in most devices, releases quarterly updates. The price varies as well. The Garmin North America DVD currently goes for $150, and a TomTom upgrade CD costs $50. Of course, you don't need to update every time a new map CD or DVD is released. I'm not aware of any subscription services for map updates, but some devices are starting to incorporate traffic and weather information for your route, which will probably require a subscription.
Submitted by Randy, CNET reader e-mail
by Wayne Cunningham, senior editorEvery device maker has its own schedule for releasing updates. TomTom and Magellan often release map updates with general software updates, which can occur a few times a year. Garmin releases map updates separately from program or firmware ones. Navteq, the company that creates the mapping information used in most devices, releases quarterly updates. The price varies as well. The Garmin North America DVD currently goes for $150, and a TomTom upgrade CD costs $50. Of course, you don't need to update every time a new map CD or DVD is released. I'm not aware of any subscription services for map updates, but some devices are starting to incorporate traffic and weather information for your route, which will probably require a subscription.
I love the nightlife: make your gear work
We can suggest some gadgets to bring along on a bar-hopping night, but it's a bit more complex than that. Find out how your gear will work with our editors' answers to some reader questions, such as how to keep that cell phone secure.Top tips for making your gear work on a night on the town
FAQ 1: Secure your cell phone
FAQ 2: Fees for car navigation systems?
FAQ 3: Are SD camcorders ever better than HD?
I want to get a camcorder for home movies that will provide the best-quality picture. I had thought that the Sony HDR-HD1 was the right one, but I am now not sure after reading your reviews. Does the Panasonic AG-DVC30 produce as good an image even though it's not HD? How can this be?
Submitted by Rodney Newman, via e-mail
by Lori Grunin, senior editor
In answer to your first question, let me direct you to our top home-movie camcorder list. Those really are our top choices--we're not keeping any wonderful models a secret for people who e-mail us directly. That said, your question about standard MiniDV video vs. HD video quality is a very good one. I suspect you're confusing the HD video you see and hear about for home theater with the HD video you can record with a camcorder. Since broadcast and film companies usually have extremely high-quality footage, the HD content they distribute is generally superior to SD (standard definition) video. But for a camcorder, video quality is determined by lots of variables, including the lens quality, CCD characteristics, and in-camcorder processing. HD differs from SD in two ways: It's higher resolution, and it supports a broader color gamut than standard video. Those two factors have an important impact on video quality, but as I mentioned before, they only partly affect it. The Sony HDR-HD1, for example, uses a single CCD, which generally results in poorer color reproduction than a three-CCD model, such as the AG-DVC30. In addition, camcorders such as the HD1 use HDV-standard encoding, which allows them to record on standard MiniDV tapes. In order to do so, they must compress lots more video information into the same-size stream, which they accomplish by compressing video between frames as well as within a frame. MiniDV compresses only within the frame. As a result, poor compression algorithms or limited bandwidth will also deliver suboptimal video quality.
Submitted by Rodney Newman, via e-mail
by Lori Grunin, senior editorIn answer to your first question, let me direct you to our top home-movie camcorder list. Those really are our top choices--we're not keeping any wonderful models a secret for people who e-mail us directly. That said, your question about standard MiniDV video vs. HD video quality is a very good one. I suspect you're confusing the HD video you see and hear about for home theater with the HD video you can record with a camcorder. Since broadcast and film companies usually have extremely high-quality footage, the HD content they distribute is generally superior to SD (standard definition) video. But for a camcorder, video quality is determined by lots of variables, including the lens quality, CCD characteristics, and in-camcorder processing. HD differs from SD in two ways: It's higher resolution, and it supports a broader color gamut than standard video. Those two factors have an important impact on video quality, but as I mentioned before, they only partly affect it. The Sony HDR-HD1, for example, uses a single CCD, which generally results in poorer color reproduction than a three-CCD model, such as the AG-DVC30. In addition, camcorders such as the HD1 use HDV-standard encoding, which allows them to record on standard MiniDV tapes. In order to do so, they must compress lots more video information into the same-size stream, which they accomplish by compressing video between frames as well as within a frame. MiniDV compresses only within the frame. As a result, poor compression algorithms or limited bandwidth will also deliver suboptimal video quality.