Holiday shopping is going on everywhere and so I’m still trying to give you inexpensive tech suggestions for your friends, family and co-workers. Not only am I looking for gadgets that are cool, I want them to be truly useful. Last week I told you Don’t Forget to Buy Cables to Connect the New Toys which included cables for powering gadgets at home. Today I want to present an option for powering multiple gadgets in your vehicle. I have just such a gadget in my car and often take it with me when traveling.

The first one is the Multi-Use Vehicle Charger PLUS (shown above right). It has two USB ports and two 12 volt sockets (cigarette lighter ports). It isn’t the most attractive in the category and costs around $25, but it seems to provide the best power and has the best reviews. Note I have not tried either of these devices as the one I have is a few years old and I can’t find my model. Another option is the Bestek USB Car Charger Adapter (shown at left). It also has two USB ports and two 12 volt sockets but sells for around $14. I think it looks more attractive, but reviews claim it is not as sturdy as it looks. Take the reviews with a grain of salt. Whether you get one of these devices or you pick a different model, I think you’ll find it comes in incredibly handy.

Many of us carry music with us on some sort of device. Maybe it is an MP3 player and maybe it is a smartphone. Unfortunately there may not be an easy way to listen to our music when driving. Sure, you can upgrade the stereo in your car. That still wouldn’t help when you are in a different car. That’s where having an FM transmitter is really great. It plugs into the headphone jack of your device and broadcasts the music on the FM frequency of your choice. I selected the Coby Wireless FM Car Transmitter (shown at right) as it provides a good looking, functional device for $22. Again I have a different model of device I bought a few years ago and it is really handy when I want to listen to my music!