Fun Gadget Gifts

Posts Tagged ‘over $500’

Novatel MiFi 2200 Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot Modem (Verizon Wireless) has been around since May of 2009. The 2 ounce black square is a portable wi-fi hotspot. You can connect 5 devices to it. The one I use is from Verizon. It requires a 2 year plan ($39.99 for 250MB/mo; $59.99 for 5GB/mo; $15/day with no contract). When you buy MiFi 2200 you will be hit with a $35 activation fee.

Why MiFi 2200?

Here are some features that set this device apart:

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15-inch laptop with 3D technology built in. It is pricey, but totally cool. You have to wear glasses. Check out the review!

Canon just came out with a new professional EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR. Since the release of the original 1D series in 2001, it has been the camera of choice for many professional photographers because of its great image quality, high speed performance, reliability and waterproof construction. Canon improved all these qualities in this new model.

1D Mk IV is big and heavy (1.2 kilograms) even without the lens. It has improved ergonomic body. The handgrip feels very secure and comfortable in both vertical and horizontal positions. The controls are positioned perfectly under the fingers.

The improved three-inch LCD monitor has a 920,000-dot screen and 170 degree viewing angle. The construction of the monitor produces a sharp picture in all lighting conditions. The ISO ranges from 100 to 12,800 and is expandable to an incredible 50 – 102,400 ISO – the highest sensitivity of any current DSLR camera.

The most significant improvement is the new APS-H sized 16.1-megapixel CMOS sensor. It measures 27.9mm x 18.6mm and gives a crop factor of 1.3x compared to a 35mm camera. The new sensor is coupled with the same dual DIGIC 4 processors as in EOS 5D Mk II. The camera will produce full-resolution shots at 10 frames per second in continuous shooting mode with full continuous autofocus. The buffer is capable of storing a sequence of 121 shots.

The new 45-point autofocus system is extremely fast and its tracking function seems to have no problem focusing in low light conditions. It includes 39 cross-type AF points with f/2.8 support. Photographers can select their own default focus point through either the camera’s Multi-controller or Main Dial/Quick Control Dial. To get the most out of sports photography, it is possible to choose to have primary focus supported by adjacent focus points.

An advanced noise reduction system helps ensure sharp, low-noise images. Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) automatically adjusts the brightness and contrast during impage processing and is available in most shooting modes.

If fantastic pictures are not enough, the EOS-1D Mark IV features HD video recording as well. It will shoot full 1080p video at different frame rates. Stereo audio can be recorded through an optional external microphone. The camera connects to your HD TV though an HDMI jack for playback. For slow motion effects, use 720p or VGA resolutions at higher frame rates. The camera allows full manual exposure control to avoid blown highlights, achieve depth of field adjustment an other creative effects.

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV is expected to come out in the end of December. Already in high demand, it is available for pre-order now for $4,999.99.

New Nikon image-stabilized micro lens is very impressive and is coming soon to the Internet near you. This lens is perfect for close-up, nature, portrait and general photography. This 85mm f/3.5G lens fits Nikon DSLR cameras like the D90 and D5000.

This lens is compact and lightweight. The lens has an impressive list of features. It is motorized for fast silent autofocus without changing the length of the lens.

It cures shaky hands with second-generation vibration reduction (VR II) system. This system provides both a steady viewfinder image for composition and sharper results at slow shutter speeds – up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible. As a result you get noticeably sharper images.

With a picture angle equivalent to a focal length of 127.5mm in FX/35mm format, it extends options beyond those offered by standard kit lenses, ideal for portraits. Quickly enhance the look of your photographs with background blur by utilizing the rounded nine blade diaphragm. You get more natural appearance of out-of-focus image elements. This lens gives 1:1 magnification and minimum focus distance of 28cm. This lens gives a flattering perspective for portraits.

If you were trying to break into close-up photography without spending a lot of money on the glass, this lens could be your ticket to extreme macro photography.

The lens is available for pre-order for $529.95

If you are a fan of mobile computing but picky. You find a notebook to be too small and a full size laptop – too big. You want a thin computer that has great battery power to do basic stuff, nothing like creating or editing video. You are in luck – check out Asus UL30A thin and light laptop.

Thin & Lights are between notebooks and full-size laptops. They run ultra-low voltage processors and often have compromised performance in exchange for a slim form. But that is not true in the case of UL30A which delivers what you are looking for in thin and light.

UL30A comes with a 500G SATA Hard Drive and 4G of RAM. The processor inside is 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage processor. UL30A measures 12.9 x 9.3 x 1 inches and weighs 3.7 pounds. It is a little less than 1 inch thin and feels really solid and compact. The back of the laptop is covered with aluminum. The keyboard has a little bit of flex, but feels nice and comfortable to type on.

The 13.3 HD LED LCD backlit display is nice and bright. HD video looks great on it. Like in all thin and light laptops, there is no optical drive. But there are plenty of ports and connections for your periferals: HDMI, USB, SD card slot, 802.11n as well as bluetooth..

The multi-gesture touchpad is made of the same glossy plastic material as the rest of the palm rest. Even though it is a little dimpled for your fingers, it does not provide as much traction as other touchpads.

The battery life is fantastic: allows for 6-7 hours of playing videos. Asus claims you can get up to 11 hours. UL30A comes with Vista Home Premium (32 bit) but you can upgrade to Windows 7.

Get Asus UL30A on Amazon for $889.99

HTC Hero is another great-looking Android phone coming to the neighborhood near you in a couple of days. It is very sleek-looking; made of metal. Like many other phones, it has touch screen and virtual keyboard. The absence of real keyboard makes it thinner than the predecessor. The phone is 0.57 inches thick. The virtual keyboard itself is pretty intuitive. The phone display has the usual 320×480 HVGA resolution.

What is exciting about HTC Hero is customization on steroids. You can customize your home screen with all kinds of widgets which you can see at a glance. Good bye bulky menus. But don’t stop there! Personalize the widgets themselves selecting size and design that fits your personality. If you are giving it as a gift, personalize it to fit the person you are giving it to and be sarcastic or romantic.

The phone has a new profile feature – Scenes. With Scenes, you can create personalized profiles and switch between them depending on your mood. Who needs a mood ring if you can have a mood phone, which also can ring depending on your mood?

Change the perspective you look at things. In your inbox view all your conversations, collections of notes and documents (including email attachments). Your photo album connects to Facebook and Flickr.

All your social networking connections are integrated, of course. It plays music (dah!), and has a web browser. The feature integration is seemless and simple. HTC Hero consolidates all different ways you communicate into one display when you view people: you see different ways to get in touch as well as all your interactions. It is a breeze to check for social network updates and event notices as well as the latest pictures your friends uploaded to a photo sharing sites.

Dialing is simplified. Dial a number or first few letters of their name. Search will look through everything – even your Twitter posts. The phone has stereo Bluetooth, Windows Mobile, built-in Google maps, GPS, wi-fi.

The camera is a little underpowered – 5mpx. The trackball in the middle of the phone serves like the sutter. When using a phone camera, you have to have a finger on the trackball to take a picture. It is a little uncomfortable and results in camera shakes.

All in all, the phone is very modern-looking and fast. User interface is fantastic. The phone is packed with great features. It is pricey unlocked: $669.91 in black and $621.10 in white on Amazon. It looks like it will be $179 on Sprint with a contract.

HTC Hero Android G3 A6262 Smartphone will be available on October 11.

Dan Ackerman from CNet reviewed the new Toshiba Qosmio X505. This new laptop is a good candidate for a desktop replacement. It has 18.4-inch display and Intel Core i7-720QM. It will cost around $1,500, and will be available on October 22 with Windows 7 installed.