HTC One X Android phone by HTC Corp.
$199.99 at att.com

Because Google Inc. gives away its Android software for smartphones, there are a lot of mediocre Android smartphones. It seems like everybody with a soldering iron has slapped something together, often with unimpressive results.

But when a company like Taiwan’s HTC Corp. sets its mind to the task, it can come up with something exceptional, like this gorgeous new One X, available only through AT&T Inc. It’s got to be the loveliest Android phone ever built, thinner and lighter than Apple Inc.’s iPhone, and with a bigger screen capable of excellent high-definition video.

The One X is compatible with AT&T’s 4G LTE data service, much faster than the iPhone 4S, which lacks LTE. And the HTC phone has an exceptionally good camera, perhaps the best ever built into a phone. It’s especially strong in low-light situations, taking brilliantly sharp pictures even in dimly-lit rooms.

There are plenty of adequate Androids to choose from, but for a little more money, the One X delivers excellence.

Biscotti TV Phone by Biscotti Inc.
$149 at Biscotti.com

For at least 50 years, we’ve been told that home video phone calling is the technology of the future. Yet consumers just don’t seem all that interested. Here’s the latest effort to change that--an attractive and effective little device that quickly turns a living room into a video conference center.

The Biscotti is well named, for it looks just like one of those long, curved cookies you dip into your morning coffee. Inside is a high-quality video camera and microphone. Just plug in to electric power, and connect to your TV set, using an HDMI connector. You also need a home Wi-Fi network and a broadband Internet hookup.

Setting up the system takes a little doing, because you must use a tiny remote control unit and an onscreen keyboard to set up your account. Also, to make video calls, you must add friends and family to the online address book, Biscotti lets you make calls to other Biscotti owners, or to people using Google Inc.’s Talk service, which gives access to millions of camera-equipped Android cell phones.

Once you’re set, calling is pretty much painless. Voice quality is uneven but decent enough. Video is sharp, though occasionally beset by imperfections, depending on the quality of your broadband connection. If home video calling has a future, it might very well resemble a Biscotti.

Broadway TV tuner and streaming system by Hauppauge Computer Works Inc.
$159.99 at Amazon.com

That laptop or tablet of yours has a perfectly good video screen. So these gadgets could easily double as TV sets, if you just had a way to pump in the signal.

And now you do. Hauppauge, a longtime maker of TV tuners for personal computers, has now built a box that’ll capture TV from your cable box or from over-the-air broadcasts, then relay the shows over your home Wi-Fi network.

I tested the Broadway at home, with a rabbit-ear TV antenna that pulls in about 20 stations. Setup wasn’t exactly simple, but everything came together in about 10 minutes. And once it was done, I could watch TV on an Apple Inc. iPad by opening a browser, punching in the address of the Broadway device. Up popped a listing of available channels. Press one, and the show begins. Video quality wasn’t sensational, but quite adequate for casual viewing.

Broadway also lets you plug in a USB stick and use it to record shows for later watching. You can also plug in home security cameras and beam the signal over the Internet, so you can keep an eye on your stuff, anywhere in the world. This decently-priced box is certainly worth a look.

The Feinger cellphone holder
$15.95 at shop.thefeinger.com

Worried about dropping that costly smartphone? Here’s a quirky solution from a small Indiana company that’s found a way to attach your phone to your finger.

It’s simple, really. The Feinger kit comes with an alcohol swab and a plastic device with an adhesive backing. Use the swab to thoroughly clean the back of your phone, then attach the plastic object. Also in the kit is a soft rubber sleeve that slides over one of your fingers. Slip it onto the hand that usually carries the phone. Poking out from the tube is a round piece of plastic that snaps onto the plastic device now glued to your phone. Click them together, and the phone is attached to your hand. Even if you release your grip, it stays put.

I can’t bring myself to glue something onto my phone, and I’d inevitably misplace the finger sleeve. Still, the Feinger certainly seems like it’ll get the job done. The company also offers lanyards that attach to the phone in the same way, so you can carry it around your neck, or a device that you can use to mount it in your car.

It’s not my cup of tea, but if you find it hard to hang onto your phone, maybe the Feinger can do it for you.

UPDATE: The makers of the Feinger pinged me to say that they use a non-permanent glue, so you can remove the device when you choose--a fact not mentioned in the instructions. The spokesperson said they plan an update of their documentation to fix the oversight.

Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Bluetooth speaker by Monster Cable Products Inc.
$449.95 at monstercable.com

I’m no fan of the musical stylings of Dr. Dre, but he puts together a mighty nice speaker. The hip-hop impresario has teamed up with audio equipment maker Monster Cable to create the best Bluetooth speaker I’ve tested so far. And yes, I said the same thing last week about the Geneva XS. But I can’t help it if Monster and the good Dr. have raised the bar once more.

At $450, the Beatbox is for well-heeled music buffs only, but they’ll get a lot for their money. It features a dock for hooking up Apple audio products like the iPhone and iPod. There’s a remote control unit for changing tracks and albums at a distance. You can plug in six D batteries and run the Beatbox anywhere, or just plug it into the wall.

And of course, there’s the joy of Bluetooth listening. As with other wireless speakers I’ve tested, setup was a snap. My Android phone instantly identified the Beatbox and locked on, and within about a minute I was dancing--well, hobbling--to Michael Jackson’s “PYT.” The sound was excellent, particularly the fine, resonant bass.

I’ve never bought a Dr. Dre album and likely never will. But I’m going to hate to part with this exceptional speaker.

Olloclip quick-change lens for Apple iPhone 4 and 4S by Olloclip
$69.99 at Amazon.com

Remember when cellphone cameras were lousy? These days, even pros can fall back on the very nice camera in the Apple Inc. iPhone. But its built-in lens has its limits. Enter Olloclip, with a clever little atttachment that’s three lenses in one--wide-angle, fisheye, and a macro lens that’ll focus on tiny objects just a few centimeters away...

The Olloclip is an attractive gadget that snaps onto a corner of the iPhone 4 or 4S, fitting perfectly over the existing lens. Too bad it also fits over the iPhone’s LED flash. That means you can only use the Olloclip where there’s plenty of ambient light.

The Olloclip is a two-sided device. Two of its three lenses--macro and wide-angle--are on one side. You unscrew the wide-angle attachment to use the macro, or flip the Olloclip to get at the fisheye.

All three lenses take photos that deliver the usual clarity and balanced color of the iPhone 4 camera, but with new perspectives that the standard lens could never provide. The Olloclip is a first-class iPhone add-on for serious photo buffs.

Microsoft takes a cue from the cellphone industry and starts selling its Xbox 360 game console for $99 plus a two-year Xbox Live contract. Will consumers embrace the concept? We'll see...

Geneva XS Bluetooth speaker/FM radio/alarm clock by Geneva Lab
$249.95 at Amazon.com

With so many Bluetooth wireless speakers on the market, how can a company stand out from the crowd? Switzerland’s Geneva Lab has found a way. First, make a speaker that looks and sounds really good. And then, charge a small fortune for it.

The Geneva XS is a sleek white plastic box that unfolds into a sort of travel clock/radio. Yes, you can tune in FM stations; it even has an old-school telescoping antenna. It’s also got a rechargeable battery that’s supposed to be good for about five hours of listening, though you can also plug the XS right into the wall. You can connect a cellphone, MP3 player, or other portable audio device using a standard phono jack. Or if your phone or laptop has Bluetooth, do a wireless hookup.

I fed the speakers a series of selections from my Android phone, and found it the best sounding Bluetooth speaker system I’ve tested. This little speaker can crank out an remarkable volume of sound, with a minimum of distortion. Alas, an even more remarkable feature of the XS is its price, far more than I’d ever pay for a portable speaker. But if you’re an audio buff with deep pockets, the Geneva XS is well worth a listen.

HomeSnap real estate shopping app by Sawbuck Realty Inc.
Free download for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch at the Apple App Store; Android version under development

If you’re shopping for a new home, you might want to buy an Apple Inc. iPad or iPhone first. That way you can use this remarkable app that can provide you with vital information about thousands of homes all over the US.

You launch HomeSnap, point the camera of your portable device at a house that interests you, and shoot a picture of it. Back comes information on the house--its age, estimated value, annual property tax bill, the year the house was built, when it last changed hands and what the buyer paid. HomeSnap can also direct you to a real estate agent who can get busy trying to purchase the place for you. HomeSnap makes its money by collecting fees from these agents.

The app doesn’t actually recognize the houses you photograph. It uses the iPhone’s GPS chip and compass to figure out your position, then guesstimates which house is in the picture. I found it remarkably accurate. And even when it guesses wrong, HomeSnap generates a list of nearby houses so you can pick out the correct one. Meanwhile, the company plans to turn the users’ snapshots into a photo database of millions of American homes.

HomeSnap is a house hunter’s delight, and one of the smartest apps I’ve tried this year.

Camileo Air 10 pocket videocamera with Wi-Fi by Toshiba Corp.
$179.95 at HSN.com

The pocket video camera market keeps toddling along, despite the death of the beloved Flip camera. This entry by Toshiba has a lot to offer, but less than I was hoping for.

The Camileo Air 10 shoots full 1080p high-definition video and also packs a 16-megapixel still camera. But the feature that sets it apart from the pack is a built-in Wi-Fi chip that lets users wirelessly transmit their images to a home computer, or to online services like YouTube.

It works, too, but not well enough for me. Turns out you can’t use the Camileo to log onto free public Wi-Fi services, the kind you’ll find at a Starbucks or McDonald’s or at the local public library. That’s because its software doesn’t include a browser for logging on to such hotspots. As a result, you can use the Wi-Fi feature to connect to your home or office network, but not for uploading videos when you’re on the road. Which, for my money, is the main reason you’d want a Wi-Fi-enabled pocket video camera.

You can still use the Camileo to wirelessly transfer images to your personal machine. It even lets you stream live video to other computers in the house. But the lack of a way to transmit videos to public hotspots is a major failing in an otherwise attractive device.

Roomba 780 robotic vacuum cleaner by iRobot Corp.
$599.99 at irobot.com

My home could use a spring cleaning as much as the next fellow’s, probably more. But my big problem is clutter--books and digital gadgets everywhere. So to test the latest vacuum-cleaning robot from iRobot, I handed it off to my Globe colleague, Erin Ailworth, proud owner of both a cat and a dog, each of them unable to keep their hairs to themselves.

So was the Roomba 780 up to the challenge of sweeping out Erin’s pad? “I was pretty impressed,” she said. “I didn’t have to do anything except watch it suck up a bunch of hair,”

The Roomba comes with a charging station and a couple of “lighthouse”devices that you can set up in areas you want the robot to avoid. Erin let the machine pretty much run wild. “It found every room in my house,” she said, continuing to sweep up for about an hour before the battery faded. When that happened, the 780 automatically found its way back to its battery charging station and powered up for another bout of cleaning.

The new Roomba is a heavy-duty affair, with sweeper brushes that look as robust as anything you’d find on a standard Hoover or Dyson. It’s also quite noisy, Erin reported. But it did a fine job of tidying up behind her pets. As for me, I’m holding out for a version that’ll return past-due library books. And pay the fines.

LifeProof case for Apple iPhone
$79.99 at Amazon.com

This tough-looking, costly case promises to be waterproof, dirtproof, snowproof and shockproof. Three out of four isn’t bad.

My iPhone 4S is far too beautiful and costly to sacrifice on the altar of journalism. No way was I going to immerse it in water just to test the LifeProof case. Then I realized that I could simply seal up the empty case, dunk it, and check for leaks.

Sure enough, I found a tiny bit of seepage in one corner of the case--probably not enough to harm the phone, but more than I liked to see. Then again, I may not have closed the case properly. The video guide on the LifeProof website warns that this must be done just right to get a watertight seal. If you’re nervous about your ability to follow instructions, this may not be the case for you.

Still, the case kept out quite enough water to protect the iPhone from a casual splashing. It’s certainly adequate to fend off rain or snow, and rugged enough to preserve the phone if you drop it. And the phone works inside the case. You can even make calls on it. Overall, it’s a pretty good case for hiking the Appalachian Trail, but not quite the thing for swimming the English Channel.

C120 pico projector by Acer Inc.
$229.99 at Amazon.com

A portable video projector is just the thing for sharing your home videos with the family, or a PowerPoint presentation with the team at work. And here’s a projector that makes the process a little easier and a whole lot lighter.

Your typical projector is the size of an old-school phone directory and weighs even more. The Acer C120 is smaller than a paperback book and weighs a pound. Yet it projects a bright clear image that’s more than adequate for use in small rooms. Setup and operation is painless; the projector plugs into a computer’s USB port. It takes a few seconds to install a bit of software--oddly, I had to repeat the process each time I used the projector--but from then on, everything worked without a hitch. Projectors never produce images as bright as a good monitor, so darker videos were a little too dark. But overall performance was more than adequate for casual video viewing or displaying slides to a small group.

Pico projectors have been around for quite awhile now, but I rarely encounter them in the real world. Acer’s C120 might help change that. It’s an attractive alternative to standard projectors, at a reasonable price.

Cubby cloud storage service by LogMeIn.Inc.
Free with five gigabytes of storage. Available by invitation at cubby.com

Ever have too much online storage? Me neither. So I love it when yet another company launches a new service that gives away data capacity in the cloud. The latest comes from Woburn-based LogMeIn, which made its name as a producer of remote control software for personal computers and smartphones.

Their latest offering, Cubby, follows in the footsteps of products like Dropbox and Microsoft Corp’s SkyDrive. Users download a client for Windows PCs or Apple Macintosh computers. This program allows you to identify any folder on your machine as a “cubby,” and stash a backup copy of it online.

Your folders don’t move from their present location, so finding your stuff is as easy as ever. Files are accessible through any device with a browser--laptops, tablets or smartphones. And you can share your cubbies with anyone you choose. Just enter the other fellow’s e-mail and he gets access to that folder, and only that folder. Your other cubbies are still locked down.

For now, new members are being allowed in slowly, to avoid overtaxing the system in its early days. But free online storage is always worth waiting in line for.

iZon remote room monitor by Stem Innovation, LLC.
$122.37 at Amazon.com

Video security cameras have popped up pretty much everywhere over the past decade or so. Why should your living room be any different? Especially when you can get a camera as sharp-looking and capable as this one?

The iZon is a small white cylinder that generates sharp, clear images. The camera connects to the home computer network via Wi-Fi; also required is an Apple device--iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch--to run the software app that manages the system. There’s no Android version yet.

Setup is simple and painless. Once it’s done, you can see the interior of your home in the palm of your hand. The iZon is more than a camera, though. It’s also got a built-in microphone and motion sensor. You can program it to ping you if there’s something or somebody moving around when there shouldn’t be. And you can order it to record video images for later viewing. In all, a very impressive little security gadget at a decent price.

Zoom Q3HD video camera and audio recorder by Zoom Corp.
$299.00 at Amazon.com

I’m still trying to figure out why Cisco Systems Inc. killed off the popular Flip pocket video camera. But other, smarter people have given up wondering. They’re too busy filling the void that Cisco left behind, by making cool new pocket cameras like this one.

The Zoom shoots very nice 1080p high-definition video. There’s no image stabilization, so things get kind of jumpy when you move around. But the picture is crisp and clear when you hold still. At the top of the device is a rather odd-looking microphone array that delivers clear stereophonic sound. Also on board is an SD memory card slot, an HDMI port that lets you pump the video straight into your home TV, and of course a USB dongle for downloading to a laptop.

Unlike some other HD pocket video cameras, this one will run on a pair of AA batteries, but bring along lots of extras if you’re planning to reshoot Gone with the Wind.

Cellphone video cameras were supposed to render “pure” pocket video cameras obsolete. But I haven’t seen a video camera this good on any phone. So this potent and powerful little gadget is well worth a look if your Flip is showing its age.

Sportiiiis Heads-Up Display System for Athletes by 4iiii Innovations Inc.
$199 at Amazon.com

If you can’t bear to go five minutes without knowing your heart rate, I’ve got just the gadget for you. This clever device, designed for hardcore athletes, uses lights and speech to keep you constantly aware of your exertions.

You’ll need to wear glasses; the device attaches to one of the temples, either left or right. It features a plastic boom that curves in front of one eye, just within peripheral vision. This boom is lined with colored lights that flash green, yellow or red to alert you to your physical state.

The device connects to body sensors that use the ANT+ wireless system for transmitting medical data. The company sells a $69 chest strap that monitors your heart rate, and a $59 pod that attaches to your shoelaces and counts your strides.

Using software that installs on a Mac computer or a Windows PC, you can set up the Sportiiiis device so it flashes red when you’re jogging or cycling too fast or too slow, or when your heart is beating too slow or too fast.. A tiny speaker aimed right at your ear will also alert you.

I couldn’t set up the device on a Windows XP computer, but it worked fine with Windows 7. After that, it performed just as advertised. But the complete setup runs well over $300.. I’ve got a cheaper exercise system that works just as well. I call it “running out of breath.” Perhaps I’ll patent it.

G-Go portable Bluetooth speaker from Boombang Inc.
$69 at Target

Don’t let the recent cooldown fool you. Summer’s on the way, and it’s time to think about outdoor gadgets. For example, a ruggedized, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker.

The G-Go isn’t completely submersible, but it’s designed to tolerate a few casual splashes. Its rubberized body should also be capable of surviving a fair number of accidental drops and kicks. Pushbutton controls are coated in rubber to prevent leaks, and all access ports are locked behind plastic doors.

The G-Go comes with an AC adapter and has a USB port that lets you recharge other portable devices, like smartphones. Or you can stuff it with four AA batteries. There’s a jack for plugging in an external music player, but why bother? Instead, load the tunes on a Bluetooth phone, then sync it with the speaker--a totally painless process. The Bluetooth feature has very nice range, continuing to play music from my phone when I was over 40 feet away. The speaker delivered decent quality sound with quite enough volume to rock a good-sized picnic. Throw in a waterproof case for your smartphone and you’re just about ready for the beach.

eSport Clip camera/radio/music player by Ematic
$19.98 at Walmart.com

Cheap enough for you? Not long ago, you couldn’t hope to pay less than $100 for a device that plays MP3 music files and FM radio, takes still pictures, and shoots video. Now you can buy one for 20 bucks. The iPod it’s not, but the eSport Clip is a dirt cheap multimedia gadget that’s easily worth its price.

The Clip comes with four gigabytes of built-in memory and a Micro SD slot for adding still more. Image quality from the Clip’s five-megapixel camera is pretty weak, but good enough if your iPhone’s at the repair shop. The built-in 1.8-inch video screen makes the camera images look even worse, but it’s an adequate viewfinder when shooting pictures.

On the other hand, audio quality is fairly decent, so the Clip would make a fine little music player for trips to the gym, with enough storage capacity to hold thousands of tunes. That’s your $20 worth right there.

High Power Wireless-N Gigabit Router by Amped Wireless
$141.76 at Amazon.com

Remember what it was like to live without Wi-Fi wireless Internet access? Some of us get a reminder every time we go to a remote part of the house. Many standard routers don’t have the oomph to deliver good Internet connections over longer distances, or through walls or floors.

Amped Wireless says it’s got the solution--a high-powered router that’s supposed to deliver a decent signal even in structures as large as 10,000 square feet. That’s a lot bigger than my pad, but I hooked up the router anyway. The result--a slight but noticeable improvement in Wi-Fi signal strength over my old router, even when I stepped outside. Results at your home could be better or worse, depending on building type and router placement.

Setup was delightfully painless; a browser-based program walks you through it. There’s also an easy way to configure temporary “guest networks” so visitors can get onto the Internet even as they’re barred from your home or office computers. If the far reaches of your house are a wireless dead zone, this router might be worth a try.

MP3 Wireless Doorbell by Swann Communications USA Inc.
$45.08 at Amazon.com

At last, our doorbells are catching up with our phones. For years, we’ve had cellphones that can be programmed to play an infinite variety of ringtones--Top 40 hits, movie sound effects, or snarky comments from a favorite comedian. Now the engineers at Swann have come up with a doorbell that’s just as versatile.

You mount a small battery-powered pushbutton device outside your front door. Inside the house, there’s a larger device, powered by three AA batteries. It’s got an SD memory card slot, the same as you’ll find in the typical digital camera. You can use the included software to edit your tunes, so the doorbell will play just the first few seconds of the Imperial March from Star Wars. Or just stuff the card with the songs or sounds of your choice.

With a range of about 300 feet, you can put the playback unit pretty much anywhere in the house. Carry it around with you, if you like; it even doubles as a personal MP3 music player, just like your smartphone.

Portable LED Monitor by AOC
$99.99 at Amazon.com

I recently bought a compact laptop with a 14-inch screen. It’s just the thing for most applications, but sometimes one feels the need for a bit more space AOC has an appealing solution--a 16-inch auxiliary LCD monitor that’s light, bright and easy to use.

This two-pound monitor is sleek enough to fit in the same back as your laptop. And it doesn’t need a separate power cable or a standard VGA or DVI video connection.. You just plug it into any standard USB port on a Windows or Macintosh computer, install the enclosed driver software, and you’re ready to go. It acts as an extension of your main screen, so you can spread those extra on-screen documents or browser windows over a larger area. You can rotate it as well. Just set it on end, and you’ve got a tall viewing area, well suited to reading longer documents.

The image quality isn’t first rate and its glossy surface delivers some manageable but annoying glare. Still, $100 is a pretty good price for so much extra real estate.

SlimScan pocket document scanner by Planon System Solutions Inc.
$149.95 at Amazon.com

Now and then you come across a product that gets the job done, but still doesn’t quite make sense. That’s my take on the SlimScan, a new document scanning device that’s little larger than a business card,

You place the SlimScan on a business card or some other printed item, then slowly roll it across. Careful; holding the device at the wrong angle or varying the speed of the scan can produce blurry, illegible results. Once you’ve captured the image, you can use software to digitize the text, so it’s usable in documents, address books and the like.

The SlimScan feels flimsy, suggesting it’d fall apart under heavy use. Its control buttons are confusing and hard to manipulate. But my biggest problem with the SlimScan is the smartphone I never leave home without. I’ve long used its camera to take snapshots of magazine articles and book excerpts. And there are apps that translate scanned documents into digital text. All this from a device that millions of us already own. So why spend an extra $150? Good question.

BluCan portable Bluetooth speaker by GinNii International Corp.
$99.95 at giinii.com. Goes on sale in April

The engineers at GiiNii keep coming up with slick new ways of listening to audio from our digital devices. A few weeks ago I wrote about AudioBulb, the company’s odd but clever combination of a wireless loudspeaker and screw-in light bulb. Now comes a product that’s impressed me even more. BluCan is a portable Bluetooth speaker that sounds about 10 times better than you’d ever expect.

As its name suggests, BluCan looks like a sawed-off soup tin. It runs off a built-in rechargeable battery, and connects easily to the Bluetooth wireless chip in the typical smartphone. With its built-in microphone, you can use the BluCan as a portable conference calling system.

But the real thrill comes when you use it for playing music. As with other Bluetooth speakers and headphones, you can pipe tunes wirelessly from the phone to the BluCan. But GiiNii engineers designed this speaker to transmit lower-frequency sounds through the base of the BluCan. So if you put it on a table, the entire tabletop radiates the sound. The result is exceptionally good--a little tinny on the higher frequencies, but loud and rich lower down. This itty-bitty wireless speaker is one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Asus Transformer Prime tablet computer
$499.99 at Amazon.com; optional keyboard dock $190.45

The quest for the title of world’s second-best tablet computer continues. Forget about taking on number one--nobody’s going to catch up with Apple Inc.’s iPad anytime soon, and the upgrade announced last week should keep the company well out in front. But Apple only holds about two-thirds of the tablet market. So there’s still room for rivalry.

Especially when the opposition serves up a product like the Transformer Prime. This little marvel sports a quad-core processor and a superb graphics chip that does an excellent job with high-end action games. Its eight-megapixel camera is decidedly better than the one in the iPad 2. And the Transformer Prime runs Ice Cream Sandwich, a version of Google Inc.’s Android operating system that’s much more elegant and intuitive than earlier efforts.

I also like the optional docking station. Sure, you can get keyboards for the iPad as well, but when you plug the Transformer Prime into this dock, it suddenly takes on the look and feel of a true laptop. Besides, the dock’s battery dramatically boosts the Transformer Prime’s power reserves--up to 18 hours, the company claims.

Most people with $500 to spare will probably hold off until March 16, when the new iPad goes on sale. But the Transformer Prime is a legitimate Android alternative.