Report: No matter the carrier, U.S. 3G service is nothing to shout about

AT&T is the favorite whipping boy for spotty 3G coverage, but according to a new survey, there's plenty of blame to go around when it comes to slow or non-existent 3G service in the States.MocoNews has the details on the survey, which found that the average 3G download speed in seven major U.S. cities—San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, and New York—was just 245Kbps, a figure that's "closer to dial-up" than blistering bullet train of broadband that the big carriers promise in those slick TV commercials. The fastest download speed recorded: 645Kbps, still well short of the average speed you'll get out of a so-so broadband cable connection.

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JBL Creature Speakers

original JBL Creature speakers were released seven years ago, Apple's designs have (d)evolved into metal bricks. But that doesn't top JBL from selling the sci-fi-inspired Creature III exclusively through Apple channels. The original Creature speakers are recaptured in the $130 Creature IIIs, though the latest edition features a more compact subwoofer than Creatures of yore. Does the design hold up all these years later? You tell us.

Tech gifts for the geek with everything

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini- A nifty speaker and iPod/iPhone dock that's a sort-of miniaturized version of B&W's beautiful full-size Zeppelin. Never mind that it doesn't actually look like a zeppelin at all... it's still a very cool gadget. $400

LoSafe Disaster-Proof Hard Drive- Your external backup drive does you no good if your house burns down. IoSafe drives are fireproof and waterproof and start at $149, not much more than a standard external hard drive.

Moshi Voice Control Alarm Clock- A travel clock with a twist: You set the time and alarm via voice... and you can even snooze it by command instead of pushing a button. Just $20, it makes a great stocking stuffer.

Jabra Stone- A strange and unique Bluetooth headset, the latest Jabra sinks into a smooth pebble-like device for charging and storage. A conversation piece, to say the least. $120

Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements8- $100 gets you slimmed-down and simplified versions of these industry-standard photo- and video-editing applications. Get your friends and family off of Windows Movie Maker and Paint and into something legit.

Livescribe Pulse Digital Pen- Perfect for your hyper-organized student, the Livescribe Pulse records audio, transfers handwritten notes to your PC, and even plays Hangman. $200

ICON Rogue Flashlight- A distinctive and bright LED flashlight, powered by a single AA battery. $40

TomTom GPS for iPhone- If your loved one already has an iPhone, there's no need to bother with a standalone GPS receiver. The TopTom app is the best iPhone GPS navigator that I've tried to date, with complete text-to-speech voice nav features. $100

Boggle- Because everybody loves Boggle. $19