Dollar Daze, a regular feature on Sympatico’s Sync blog, profiles a recommended gadget from your local dollar store. If you want to prevent the “Are we there yet?” from the backseat, consider this $1 gadget.

It’s been one of those years, so in this round-up of recommended games and tech toys, I tried to focus on value gifts that deliver a lot of bang for not a lot of buck. This includes a free online PC game, inexpensive dSLR, iPod nano, Blu-ray Discs, and more.

At the Intel Extreme Masters in Edmonton, a professional gaming tournament that awards more than $50,000 in cash and prizes, I chat with thre three members of the Microsoft SideWinder-sponsored Check-Six pro gaming team (World of Warcraft), how they got started and what advice they can give on starting out.

Headphones that turn into speakers? Earbuds that flash coloured LEDs to the beat? if you’re looking to pick up a unique gift for a mobile music lover this holiday, watch this video for some suggestions.

It’s a cross between a netbook and a desktop, and this Acer Aspire Revo — designed to connect to your HDTV — works like a charm as a family room PC. This short video explains why.

Hey Sync readers, if you’re not busy on Friday, Nov. 27 at 12pm Eastern, log in to watch a “webinar” co-hosted by yours truly. The topic du jour? Great games — whether you’re a PC enthusiast, console connoisseur or mobile maniac. Type in your questions for answers.

Rogers upcoming on-demand service will allow any Rogers/Fido customer to watch streaming television from any connected device.

OK, so I’ve been yammering on about Nintendo’s awesome New Super Mario Bros. Wii game — as it’s a great pick for up to four kids to play at the same time — but here are some other family-friendly video game suggestions, just in time for the holiday gift giving season.

Have an iPhone or iPod touch? Love creating music? A new app from the folks at Makayama lets you write songs on your smartphone.

You’ve probably seen that video circulating on the Web about a guy who cracks open a 6V lantern battery and finds 32 AAs inside. We thought we’d put this to the test. You might be surprised what we found.