They've been touted as the energy-saving savior of the lighting industry: LEDs (light emitting diodes). They last forever (10 times longer than CFLs), use half of the electricity consumed by CFLs, and throw off just a fraction of the heat (thus reducing the cost of air-conditioning). LEDs are also very durable and don't contain any mercury (the toxin that gives CFLs a bad rap).

However, LEDs have faced several problems:

The light they emit is very focused, so it usually takes an array of LEDs to produce adequate reading light, which can also result in a strange multiple shadow effect.

Neutral white light can be difficult to produce in LEDs, which is why those inexpensive Christmas tree lights you picked up on sale look blue.

Lastly, household replacement LED bulbs are wicked expensive. A good LED equivalent to 65-watt incandescent can cost $50. Nevertheless, there are a few products that have overcome these early limitations. One model is the Humanscale Element, a desk lamp (or more properly "task lamp") that uses a single LED to produce an eye-pleasing white light without all the weird shadows.

Also available are the Klipsch LightSpeakers: they're LED lights and....wireless speakers. To learn more, watch the clip above.

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Are We Ready for 3D TV?

More to the point, can we afford 3D TV?

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas 3D television is being pushed--and pushed hard. Not only is there a new 3D version of Blu-ray coming, there's also a slew of new 3D-capable HDTVs headed to stores later this year. Of course, sceptics like myself point out that you have to wear goofy, uncomfortable glasses to watch it. On the other hand, ESPN, Sony and Discovery, and Twitter Bad Boy Mark Cuban are all promising new HD channels (with DirecTV waiting in the wings). So are we ready for 3D TV? Find out here.

Looking for the last-minute gifts segment, try the JQ on TV page.

Ever since Google debuted its Android software for mobile phones and devices, people have been waiting for a sophisticated phone with a sexy design to really make it shine. That phone has arrived in the form of the Motorola Droid.

The Droid is available on Verizon, a response to all those iPhone users who complain about poor AT&T service. It also has a larger, sharper screen than the iPhone, a better camera, a memory card slot, and a removable battery (no more visits to the Apple store just to replace a dead battery). The Droid also has a great slide-out keyboard. (No more of those error-ridden text messages from iPhone users.)

And where the iPhone has a more femine physique (there, I've said it: it's a chick phone), the Droid is all manly angles and corners. It looks destined to become the Thinkpad of smartphones.

There are some reviewers who have whined that the iPhone platform offers 100,000 applications (according to Apple) while the Android platform only has 10,000. But how many stupid Bic lighter or pouring milk apps do you need? All the best and most useful applications are also available on the Android phones, like the Droid. Moreover, more sophicated applications are available for the Droid because the phone can multitask, which the iPhone cannot. A perfect example is the free (yes, free) turn-by-turn navigation program on the Droid.

Want to know more about the Motorola Droid, watch JQ's segment by clicking on the photo above.

Tivoli Audio, Philips, AR, iLuv and others offer new models

Communications

If you still haven't done your taxes (and we know who we are) you don't have time to read this article. So click on the video, left.

If you can't play the CBS report, here's the quick rundown:

Those earning $54,000 or less can file their federal returns for free online at IRS.gov. As a come-on, the IRS is claiming that those who file electronically will receive their rebate checks sooner.

While servers will doubtless start to become overwhelmed as the April 15 deadline approaches, there are three software packages/online filing services we typically find to be the most reliable: TaxAct, TaxCut, and TurboTax.

TaxAct is the least expensive at about $17 to file both federal and state forms. However, it's a bit slow (one question per page) and it won't find deductions for you. However, for EZ filers, TaxAct is a good choice.

TaxCut, about $45 for both forms, is from the folks at H&R Block. It has steadily improved each year, and this season it has even more relevant advice, such as pointing out how certain deductions get phased out according to income. However, TaxCut doesn't have all the data importing abilities of TurboTax.

TurboTax, starting at about $50, is from the makers of Quicken. In terms of completeness, this is the market leader. TurboTax makes it easy to import W-2s and 1099s directly from many employers and financial institutions. There's also a new audit risk meter (hey, doing your taxes can be like playing a game—not!).

But do-it-yourselfers shouldn't get too sanguine. The closer you get to the deadline, the tougher it will be to get support calls through. So get to it.