If you’ve ever wanted to have a tiny David Pogue on your desktop, advising you on the implications of sensor size or carrier choice, now is your chance. Somewhat less cute than a desktop pet but considerably more knowledgeable, Pogue comes to you in living color and motion via this little tool at the NYT website. If it works for you, that is — I can’t seem to make the man understand that I’m pressing the buttons indicating my choice. Anyone else having problems?

It’s pretty snazzy, but I prefer our own little gift guide. You only have to hear me talk if you want to, and there’s no extra layers between you and our reviews. Still, there’s something to be said for green screening yourself into a web app, although it is a bit Tronnish.