For the past 10 years, Apple’s iMac has worn the laurels for best computer design. But here comes the competition in the form of the Gateway One, a smooth all-in-one desktop that will surely blur the line between work and play.

Driven by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the GZ7220 model is hopped up on memory, with more than 3 gigabytes of RAM and 256 megs of dedicated video RAM. The One’s 500-gigabyte hard drive is more than ample, but it’s a necessary specification considering that the device also packs an analog/digital TV tuner. It’s more than likely that some large video files will be taking up residence on this machine, but they can be archived with the One’s slot-loading 8x DVD±R/RW SuperMulti Drive. The One is also a wireless wonder, with the fastest Wi-Fi networking available, a wireless keyboard, and a gorgeous black River Rock wireless optical mouse. If you’re planning on using the One for work, you might have to hide the media center remote control during business hours. But as long as you call chatting with the 1.3-megapixel webcam “video conferencing,” you can write it off as a work expense. $1,799; gateway.com

Since the advent of the dot matrix, computer manufacturers have long crusaded against style by imposing loud, boxy printers on the offices of the world. No more, says Samsung. The company’s SCX-4500 multi-function printer looks sharp and offers performance that’s just as sleek. The piano-black printer and flatbed scanner works with whisper-quiet efficiency while its Darth Vader–esque display keeps users abreast of functions in process. But the comparisons with the Sith lord end there. The SCX-4500 is a little thin in the paper tray, but we’ll let that slide. You can’t expect a machine this pretty to be all that deep anyway. $299; samsung.com

“Everything that can be invented has already been invented.” Charles Duell, director of the U.S. Patent Office reportedly made that statement way back in 1899. As such, Plantronics’ Calisto Pro doesn’t do anything particularly new, but it does it all well. A Wi-Fi-friendly cordless phone with a Bluetooth headset, this device can also receive calls forwarded from mobile phones and VoIP services (like Skype or Yahoo! Voice). The Calisto Pro’s compact form packs in all the other bells and whistles too, like speakerphone, voice mail, and a 200-name phonebook that can pull contact info from Microsoft Outlook. Note to Duell: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). $279; plantronics.com

The Navigon 7100 is not your average GPS — with subscription-free traffic data and Zagat restaurant reviews, this device will not only get you to where you’re going, but it will probably get you there faster and recommend a good place to eat along the way. The 4.3-inch touch screen displays in an easy-to-read 16:9 format, though its controls lack the sensitivity and accuracy of other touch screens on the market. But all is forgiven when you see Navigon’s Reality View — an onscreen display that shows lanes and intersections as clearly, if not more so, as a look through the windshield. $649; navigon.com

Anyone with three remote controls knows the frustration of clutter. But anyone who’s ever tried to program a universal remote knows you need the equivalent of an engineering degree to abandon all your other clickers. Acoustic Research wipes out the clutter and the confusion with its WiFi Universal Remote, a clever gadget that integrates wireless Internet with flexible functionality. Its color LCD delivers Internet content such as the latest news and weather and doubles as a programmable “soft-button” window where users can program commands from “Watch DVD” to “My Shows.” Now that’s a smart remote. $399; araccessories.com

If only music’s electrical power equaled its emotional power — then we could light entire cities with great tunes. Actually, with the Inflight Power Unit, that dream isn’t far off. The device connects to any headphone jack (including the one banging out “The Hit Factory” in the arm of your airplane seat) and draws the juice to run USB-powered devices. Completely safe for inflight use (since it’s only converting an already existing signal), this gadget is great even after you deplane. For example, by plugging it into the audio jack of your digital audio player and a mobile phone, you have an instant, on-the-go charger (provided your audio player is charged up). $49.99; inflightpower.com

Every mobile phone manufacturer claims its product offers excellent service. But few, if any, can offer the dedicated concierge capabilities of Vertu’s phones. Need table reservations, tickets to the Knicks, maybe a bathtub filled with beluga caviar? Just press the button on the side of the Vertu handset and a personal assistant immediately answers and takes your requests. (One year of the service is included with purchase.)

That kind of coverage is worth its weight in gold, or diamonds. As such, Vertu’s hand-built handsets are covered with materials ranging in opulence from titanium and hand-stitched leather to sapphires and rubies. The Vertu Signature Rose Gold Pink Diamonds Edition is one of the best in the line, packing a minimum of 7.2 carats of stones, including three shades of rubies, six kinds of sapphires, and both pink and white diamonds. $73,000; vertu.com

USB, or the Universal Serial Bus, is a standard interface socket that allows a variety of devices to connect to any computer, provided both have a USB plug. Removing the wires from the equation would dramatically change the technology, one would think. But that’s not so, says Jeff Ravencraft, president and chairman of the USB Implementation Forum (USB-IF).

“It’s just like USB, without the wires,” says Ravencraft, who also works as a technology strategist for Intel. By connecting to wireless USB–equipped computers via ultrawide-band radio waves, the new technology can deliver data transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps at 10 feet. It broadcasts at low power over an extremely wide spectrum (3.1 to 10.5 GHz), keeping wireless USB devices from interfering with other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi Internet or cordless phones.

“From a user perspective, it operates exactly the same,” says Jon Kenton, USB-IF’s director of marketing. “Once you have associated a device with your wireless USB–equipped desktop or laptop, it looks and works exactly the same as a USB device would.”

You may wonder how this is different from Bluetooth, and the answer is in bandwidth. “At short range, wireless USB is 500 times faster than Bluetooth,” says Ravencraft.

However, one big difference between wired USB and the wireless entity released last year is that wireless USB will not power devices, like the earlier standard does. Wireless USB–certified devices need to be self-powered, either through an electrical outlet or by batteries.