Jonathan Takiff: Tech-centric gifts for Mother's Day

UH-OH, Mother's Day is nigh. Not gonna foist flowers on her again, are you? The woman toils all year 'round for you. Show some love with a tech-centric gift that will ease her burdens and bring her joy for many, many a day.

MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER: Suspect the baby sitter's not taking your infant out for that promised daily stroll? Want to be sure your latch-key kid has arrived home safely? Or that your teenager isn't sneaking in after curfew? The new Schlage Link keypad lock/home management system ($299, consumer.schlage.com/link) lets a mom (or dad) remotely track household comings and goings on a computer or Web-enabled smart phone.

The starter system includes a battery-run keypad lock that opens the door with a four-digit user-identifying code that's sent to a computer-connected hub and Internet tracking site.

Up to 19 unlock codes can be assigned to family members, friends and workers. Or remotely open the door just once to let someone in.

The starter package also has a light dimmer switch. More light controls and keypad locks, plus soon-coming Web cams and a remote-control thermostat also work with this easily installed system, which requires a $12.99 monthly subscription fee for activation/monitoring.

The cost for peace of mind? Priceless.

LOOK MA, NO HANDS: When mom's up to her elbows in dinner or dirty diapers, she's often reluctant to take a phone call. Easing the stress are the just-out Panasonic KX-TG7400 series digital cordless phone/answering systems - true enhancements to Caller ID.

A Talking Caller ID feature announces a caller in a clear, loud, female voice.

The Panny phone's text-to-speech technology enables voice alarms like "it's time for lunch" or "please charge." A Choice Mail feature lets you view and retrieve specific messages from the built-in answering machine without having to hear the whole bunch. Users can create a Call Block list that sends an unwanted party an instant busy signal.

And mom can pre-set individual cordless handsets to go into a Silent Mode during nap time for a child - or TV time for mom.

These smartly designed phones use DECT 6.0 technology for clear, long-range reception. A bundle with base and two cordless handsets, the KX-TG7432, goes for $95 at Best Buy.

READ MY LIPS - A BETTER BOOK: Text-to-speech is just one of the special features that make the new Kindle 2 e-reader a book lover's best gift ($359, www.amazon.com).

For starters, users order books, magazines, newspapers and blogs wirelessly on this slim, lightweight, 6-inch screened tablet, dipping into the Kindle Store inventory of 240,000+ titles. Delivery happens in less than 60 seconds (thank you, Sprint network) and the price for a book is usually $9.99, significantly less than a trade paperback.

To ease weary eyes, push a button to increase text size on the glare-resistent display. Or activate the voice translation feature, and the device magically reads aloud in a fairly human-sounding male or female voice.

LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT: Both conventional and e-book readers would appreciate another Amazon-sold nicety, the Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 book light ($20). This goose-necked illuminator boasts two super LED lights that spread an even, warm glow across the page/screen. The metal flexarm holds its position and a strong clip securely grips even a large tome.

CAMERA (DE) OBSCURA: The "world's best mom" is often the world's worst picture taker. But it's almost impossible to take a bad, blurry shot with the new Lumix DMC-FS7 digital still camera, thanks to its "intelligent Auto" mode.

This brainy circuitry compensates for a shaky hand, motion in the shot, face positions and lighting. The metal-bodied, ultra-compact, 10 megapixel shooter also boasts an excellent, 4x Leica zoom lens, a big, 2.7-inch view screen and good-quality movie mode.

It comes in female-friendly colors such as rosy pink, emerald green or medium blue, as well as black or silver, and it's reasonably priced at $159.

Also cool for femme photo bugs: the National Geographic Walkabout Tote Bag ($75, www.bhphotovideo.com). It's an attractive, multi-purpose bag with a padded (and removable) insert that holds a compact DSLR and lens but doesn't advertise that there's expensive gear on board.

KITCHEN KAPERS: A serious cook likes to grind her own spices for maximum flavor. The Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder ($39.95) makes the job easier. It's the first we've found with a removable bowl/blade mechanism for fast, thorough clean up.

Also bearing the distinctive, brushed-aluminum Cuisinart look (collect the whole set!) are the company's first Vertical Rotisserie ($199) and a 3.5-quart Slow Cooker ($59.95), both with set-and-forget timers for on-the-go moms.

If pink-toned cook stuff is her thing, consider KitchenAid pink kitchen essentials (ShopKitchenAid.com), special for the holiday and generating a donation of up to $50 each for the breast-cancer-fighting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Items range from pink spatulas and mixing bowls to 5-quart stand mixers in all-pink or white with pink stripe.

Celebrate mom's treasured recipes in an HP Creative Studio custom-designed cookbook boasting a "store-bought" look, available in single or multiple copies (starting at $12.95 each, www.hp.com/create).

While you might not have time to assemble the cookbook (using free software) before Mother's Day, you can purchase and print out Blurb gift certificates ($40, $75 and $150) for presentation with a promissory note. *

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@ phillynews.com.