By Cheryl Currid

Call them toys or call them tools, you can find plenty of stocking-stuffer sized technology devices that just make life easier.

I've been searching through the newest technology delivered to my home office (which now looks like Santa's distribution center) and developed a list of a few favorites. Here are three:

Do you want to read images or transfer music from a media card? And, if you have been working with digital cameras or MP3 players, do you have more than one type of storage media?

SanDisk has just made your life easier with its new SanDisk ImageMate. No matter what media you use -- CompactFlash Type I and II, SmartMedia, Secure Digital, Memory Stick or MultiMedia card -- you can transfer your files at a blazing data rate of 480 megabits per second. This is the first memory card reader supporting the new, lightening-speed USB 2.0 technology. It's also backwardly compatible with USB 1.1.

I tested it with a Windows XP computer and three different media cards. As I put each card in the slot, it assigned a unique drive letter to each media card. It required no drivers, no installation techniques, no configuration -- it's really plug and play.

Or, are you ready to put your notes into a computer? If so, check out the io personal digital pen from Logitech. This $199 super-sized electronic pen records what you write on a piece of paper and then transfers it to your PC as an image file.

It also works with Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes for e-mail. If you use a special "digital notebook" with the pen to compose e-mail, the software can determine the addressee and subject lines, convert them to text, and then generate an e-mail.

It's a clever approach and could be the first digital step for someone who likes to take notes, but hates to transcribe them into a computer.

Or, how about toy/tool that will confuse everybody. It's called the Flipster, and is the brainchild of PoGo! Products.

It's a portable media player that looks like a cell phone. Starting at $399, the Flipster is the first multimedia player equipped with Microsoft Windows Media Player. It can play movies, digital audio, or just show still images. It also has a voice-recording function and a game. If you use Microsoft Outlook, the Flipster will let you download and view address information from your contacts list.

On a single battery charge, you can listen to eight hours of music or see three and a half hours of video. The Flipster uses a MultiMedia card to store the contents, and it can be upgraded easily. Like a clamshell cell phone, the Flipster opens to show its bright 2 1/2-inch screen color screen and key pad. At four ounces, it's very light, and comes with a docking station that connects to the PC with a USB cable.

If you already have a personal video recorder on your PC, you can compress the file and send it to Flipster. Then, you can watch your favorite show or movie when you get the time. It's a great device to take with you traveling.