44. An efficient photo scanner

Epson FastFoto FF-680W Photo and Document Scanning System, available at Amazon, $499.99

Scanning photos is a chore, but the FastFoto FF-680W makes it look like child's play. As its name suggests, it's fast: Just load a stack of photos and the scanner goes through them in no time. Once scanned, you can use the included software to edit them; imagine bringing old, faded photos back to life. —Les Shu, guides editor