Product: NetSecure SmartSwipe, a personal USB credit card reader for online shopping

Features: Instead of typing in your credit card information when shopping online, swipe a credit card through the SmartSwipe while at the payment screen, and the forms for credit card information will be filled out and encrypted.

Price: $89.99 at TigerDirect.com, but can be found for less if you hunt around

Ups: It reduces the risk of having your information stolen with the extra encryption -- and it says it encrypts within the device, before the data gets to the computer. It was pretty simple to understand how to use and had several interactive demos to walk you through the process. It even has screen where you can do a practice purchase to make you feel more comfortable using it.

Downs: It only works with credit cards (or debit/credit combos, like a Visa Check Card). It also only works on Internet Explorer and only for Windows. It'll prompt you to use it whenever you stumble upon a form that might look like a credit card form, which can be annoying so you'll want to turn it off when not shopping.

Bottom line: Are you worried enough about identity theft to want to spend 80 or 90 bucks on this? Then you'll probably be happy with the extra layer of security. If you rarely shop online, it might not be worth it for you. But you'll have to take a risk shopping without the SmartSwipe in order to actually buy the SmartSwipe online -- a total Catch 22.

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