Not everyone is exactly tech-savvy and fumbling through a complex configuration system may not be your idea of a fun Tuesday afternoon. The people at Cisco Systems understand and that’s why they have released the Cisco Valet Plus Wireless Hotspot. It’s a wireless router that just about anyone can setup and use.

Instead of navigating your way through confusing menus and cryptic language, the Cisco Valet Plus comes with an included USB key. Simply plug this into your computer and it will automatically run the wizard. The setup process takes about five minutes and only requires about a half-dozen mouse clicks on your part, many of which are simply to click on “next” to continue the process. It’s really simple and you’ll have a wireless-N network running in no time.

The wireless hotspot comes preconfigured with a unique SSID (none of that generic “linksys” or “default” network naming), plus WPA2 encryption for security. The password and settings are automatically entered on your computer, but you can easily change the password and other settings (including parental controls) through the easy-to-understand Cisco Connect software tool.

For more on the Cisco Valet Plus, read this review and then head over to Amazon where it is available for sale for $89.99, including free shipping.

Webcam. Surround sound speakers. External hard drive. We have a lot of gadgets populating our desks these days and it’s easy to run out of available USB ports on your computer. Let’s not forget about the need for USB ports to charge our smartphones, iPods, and other portable devices too.

If you have far too many knick-knacks for the number of ports your notebook PC or desktop computer has, then you may want to divert your attention to the 24-Port USB Monster Hub. The name pretty much says it all: this is a USB hub that puts no fewer than twenty-four USB ports at your disposal.

If you want to go even crazier, it is possible to daisy chain more than one of these hubs to gain access to up to 127 powered USB ports. Even on its lonesome, this product provides automatic over-current protection for each port, hot-swapping connections, and the ability to charge USB devices without the need for a computer. That’s because the hub can be powered by a USB cable or with the provided wall adapter.

The 24-Port USB Monster Hub is available through ThinkGeek for $49.99. That’s a little pricey for “just” a USB hub, but you are getting two dozen ports to power your digital lifestyle.

Winter is just around the corner. Depending on where you live and work, this could mean that it’s almost time to start bundling up with toques, scarves, and thick winter coats. You may also start wearing gloves and mittens to keep your hands warm. The trouble with this is that you may have some difficulty using your touchscreen-equipped devices, particularly those that use capacitive touchscreens.

If you happen to have something like an Apple iPhone 4, it may be worthwhile to consider picking up a silver touchscreen stylus. It’s far from the most advanced product on the market, but this stylus will allow you to interact with your favorite touchscreen handheld (like an iPad) without taking off your gloves in the bristling cold. Produced and marketed by GTMax, the stylus has a soft rubber tip on the end.

This allows you to have incredible precision on the touchscreen, tapping through virtual keyboards and clicking on website links with great accuracy and speed, without worrying about scratching the display. Use some other devices and you could end up with some rather unsightly scuffs. The soft rubber is combined with anti-oxidative medal, making it both durable and flexible.

Perhaps the best part is the price. You can find the universal silver touchscreen stylus on Amazon.ca for $1.38. That’s 86% off the regular price of $9.99!

The Apple iPad has certainly garnered its fair share of attention, especially since it currently has a virtual monopoly on the tablet market. That is very much about to change, since there are several other tablet devices being released by other manufacturers. For instance, BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion is set to launch its Playbook device early next year.

Even before that, though, we will be seeing the Samsung Galaxy Tab. This is a slightly smaller tablet device compared to the iPad, since the Samsung has a more portable seven-inch display. It also runs on the increasingly popular Google Android platform, opening up all sorts of accessibility to Google products, as well as new apps from Android Market. Just as iPhone apps were converted to the larger screen of the iPad, the same will presumably happen with many apps for the Galaxy Tab.

Some other standout features on the Samsung device include integrated 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, a Cortex A8 1.0GHz application processor, and a large 4,000 mAh battery good for more than seven hours of movie viewing time. The Galaxy Tab includes SWYPE input for ease of text entry, front and rear-facing cameras, lots of multimedia support, and the Media Hub.

The expectation is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab will be released in November with availability coming through many of the major wireless carriers in Canada and the United States. You will be able to enjoy a subsidized price on the device should you choose to sign a service contract with one of these providers.

This is perhaps the most expensive product to ever be featured in our weekly Great Gadgets column, but it’s very much worth mentioning. If you’re in the type of business where you do a fair bit of commuting, it pays to have a fuel-efficient vehicle that is also better for the environment. At the same time, you want to have some fun when you’re behind the wheel. It seems you can now have both.

The Honda CR-Z sports hybrid is now available in both Canada and the United States. It takes the same kind of platform powering the Honda Insight hybrid, but puts into a sportier frame reminiscent of the old Honda CR-X. This is also the first ever hybrid vehicle with a true six-speed manual transmission, giving that fun experience along with its hybrid fuel-sipping nature.

Combining the 1.5L SOHC i-VTEC engine with the electric motor (Integrated Motor Assist), the Honda CR-Z is able to generate a reasonable 122 horsepower and 128 ft-lbs of torque. Combined, you get 37 miles per gallon on the continuously variable transmission (CVT) and 34 combined miles per gallon on the standard transmission. There are also three driving modes, offering performance, economy, and something in between.

Pricing in the United States starts at under $20,000, making this one of the most affordable hybrid vehicles on the market. In Canada, the CR-Z goes for the mid-20s.

These days, just about everyone either has or wants a smartphone. They’re not just for business anymore, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not suitable for business anymore either. From BlackBerry to iPhone, these devices are getting more and more powerful by the day. One of the newest announcements was the unveiling of a new suite of smartphones from Nokia.

The most attractive of the bunch is likely the Nokia E7 smartphone. It is powered by the newer Symbian^3 operating system, which allows for customizable homescreens, downloadable apps, and much more. As a business-oriented device, the Nokia 7 also has full support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.

The four-inch touchscreen display features ClearBlack technology, helping to provide better outdoor visibility than conventional cell phone displays. Text entry comes by way of the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, while high-resolution photos and 720p HD videos can be recorded using the on-board eight-megapixel camera. Other features include HDMI out, 16GB internal memory, and 13.6mm of thickness.

There was no explicit mention of a North American launch of the Nokia E7 during the product’s unveiling, but they did note a fourth quarter 2010 release for many markets with the price set at 495 Euro. That works out to just under US$650 with current exchange rates.