Hi everyone,

Let me take a moment to introduce myself: my name’s Keith Ward, and I’m your new host for the PriceGrabber GottaHave blog. We’ll be looking at all kinds of gadgets, both expensive and inexpensive, useful and not-so-useful; some may be just plain weird or goofy.

First, let me say that I owe a debt to the former author of this blog, Dian Schaffhauser. She did a great job with GottaHave; I’ll do my best to try and live up to her high standards, while infusing this blog with my own style and wit (or lack thereof, you may find.)

To start off with, I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite gadgets. These are items I’ve used for some time and enjoy a lot. They’re available now, and have the added advantage of being relatively cheap.

First, you should know that my favorite all-time gadget is my 3G iPhone. That means that some of my other favorite gadgets are those that work with my iPhone. And the one indispensable gadget for my phone is my Griffin windshield mount. It allows me to easily view the phone when I’m using it as a GPS; more importantly, it increases my safety on the road, since I don’t have to fumble around with my phone up to my ear — I just hit the speaker button, and my hands never leave the wheel.

The mount was easy to put together, even for someone as mechanically inept as yours truly. It swivels nicely, and has a long reach (with an included extension.) The key factor for something cradling my precious iPhone, however, is how securely it holds the phone. The Griffin excels at that. It’s never fallen off the windshield, and holds the iPhone in place with nary a tremor. Get one, and make your driving safer.

Another key iPhone gadget is a Bluetooth (i.e., wireless) headset; they let you make and get calls hands-free. I’ve used a number of them over the years, and the best one I’ve found is the Motorola H710. Its best feature is the tiny form factor. It’s small and light enough that you barely notice it’s there. The answer and volume buttons are easy to use, and the call quality is terrific. It lasts for many days on a single charge, speaking to its excellent battery life. I’m no Siskel and Ebert, but I give it two thumbs up.

Well, that’s it for now. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, and feeding your gadget appetite.