Fun Gadget Gifts

Posts Tagged ‘under $100’

Grandparents of the 21 century have embraced technology. Seniors are no longer using quills or smoke signals. Most grandparents are on the internet sending email, checking pictures of their grandchildren and using Skype. Electronic gadgets have permanently entered their homes, but let’s not assume it is easy to pick a gadget gift for a grandparent.

Independent seniors can use most of the electronics, but they still sometimes have hearing problems, vision problems and just general allergies to video games. They might play bowling on a Wii, but that’s as far as you can push them.

Here are some suggestions that require no effort on your part, a little setup help and a lot of help. Good news is that you are not going to go broke. Read the rest of this entry »

Just recently, Sprint and Palm teamed up and released Palm Pixi for $99.99 with a two-year contract. $100 for a smartphone is an incredible deal but the features it has (lack of them, mostly) do not really support the price. You can buy devices with wi-fi, for example, for less.

Well, what do you know? Amazon (and Wal-Mart) lowered the price of Palm Pixi to $25. Well, now we are talking! Of course, you still need to commit to a 2 year contract but it is definitely a good option for those who are looking for an entry-level smartphone for less.
Interestingly enough, Palm Pre also got a price cut. It is available from Amazon for $79.99 – $70 savings if you compare it to Sprint’s price.

Go to source: Palm Pixi Phone (Sprint) is $25.00 on Amazon!

Picking a digital camera as a gift for a teenager is not too complicated. All the camera needs to do is to fit the lifestyle of your favorite teen. For girls, it is all about ease of use, cuteness, and ability to share. All the videos and pictures will be appearing on Facebook, no doubt. The camera has to be small and fit in a girl’s purse or pocket. And it has to be cute. That’s why the cameras we suggest are in red and pink.

Below is the at-a-glance breakdown to help you decide what camera to buy. The models we suggest have good image quality and shoot decent video. Each link will take you to the Amazon page with reviews and more detailed information.

Nikon Coolpix L20
Pros: 10 mpx resolution; large LCD screen; red-eye fix;
Cons: images are good, not great; no auto-off feature; slow in low light conditions
Price: $99.88
More Information
Read the rest of this entry »

G13 Gameboard is quite comfortable to use. A non-slip surface on the bottom of the board keps the device in place. The pad is large – anybody with large hands will have no problem using it. Keys are easy to locate by touch.

The LCD is very bright with adjustable lighting. In dim conditions, you can use built-in backlight: you can see the buttons easily. Customizable LCD display will show game stats (if supported) as well as system info and communications from fellow players.

Customize your experience and save up to 5 ready-to-play profiles. The G13 gameboard offers pre-configured settings for many popular games, including World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and many others. G13 comes with its own software. Scan your computer for compatible games and enjoy a pre-configured gaming profile. Of course, you can create your own profile from scratch. After you create your profile, you can customize your keys: assign key combinations, macros or scripts easily. There are 25 programmable keys available. G13 has LUA scripting language available for hard core gamers.

Buy it for $75.88

Fall asleep faster with NightWave Assistant. If you have a problem falling asleep, you might like this little gadget. It helps you fall asleep naturally. It does not spray you with tranquillizers. Instead, it guides you in a relaxation process while you lie in bed.

NightWave makes no sound. It projects a soft, slowly changing blue light on the ceiling. When the light comes on, you breathe in; when the light fades away, you breathe out. Call it a breathing assistant. The idea is that it takes longer and longer for the light to fade and you breathe slower, naturally relax and fall asleep. The device can be set on 7 minute or up to 25 minute cycle. It shuts off automatically.

NightWave is a size of a pack of cards. You can carry it with you when you travel. Customers say that it helped them adjust to different time zones.

Be aware, that it is not likely going to work right off the bat. Like with any training, it takes time to get used to. Once you learn the proper breathing to slow you down, you will fall asleep easily and naturally.

Buy on Amazon: $59.95

Useful, portable, light, durable, reliable – all applies to this MobileLite 9-in-1 Card Reader from Kingston. It is plug and play. No power source required. Protective wings cover the card slot and USB connector: throw it in your bag or pocket – you will not damage the reader or your card. MobileLite Reader comes with a key chain if you prefer to attach it to something.

The reader has USB 2.0 connector and memory expansion slots for 9 different types of SD and MMC flash memory cards. It has expansion slots on both sides. When you plug it into your computer, it shows up as 3 drives. You can attach SD cards to both sides and transfer files either to your computer or move them from one card to the other. Great for sharing your photos, music – whatever! The slot on side A supports SD/SDHC, MMC, MMCmobile, RS MMC, and MMCplus card formats. The 2 slots on side B support microSD, MMCmicro, and miniSD card formats. The three slots come with a slider — push the slider to take out the card.

You know what else is great about this reader? The price! You can get a MobileLite G2 Reader for $8.61. MobileLite Reader with 2GB card goes for $59.99.

This little MP3 player made it on the CNET’s Top 5 MP3 Players list at #4. It also received an August 2009 CNET Editors’ Choice award. Here is the scoop.

If all you want is a music player, this player is a good candidate for your wish list. It is very compact and portable. Now has a memory expansion slot and takes up to 8GB memory cards (2000 songs). Just so you are not bored, it has FM radio with 40 presets too. Want to sing yourself? – Use the integrated voice recorder. You will be very pleased with the playback. Audio quality is superb. And yes, Sansa Clip Plus will play video on a large OLED screen.

Unlike the previous version, Sansa Clip Plus is compatible with pre-loaded microSDHC, slotRadio or slotMusic cards. Buy them for about $40 each and enjoy up to 1000 songs on each. Fan of audio books? You can speed it up slightly for speed hearing with no munchkin voice effect.

The battery will last you about 15 hours. Clip it somewhere and you are ready to go. It is the size of a matchbox and weighs less than an ounce. Square track pad is easy to use and you can navigate without looking at the player. It is great for runners or gym-goers: no need to mess with controls.

Music formats: MP3, WMA, secure WMA, Audible, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC.

Buy it for $62.23

If you have a kid who is just itching to take your thousand-dollar camera for a spin, here is a great solution for the future movie director.

This is one of the cheapest camcorders on the market. It is easy to use, has decent picture quality and acceptable sound. In low light conditions, use an LED light. Cam3000 has digital zoom (not very useful, really), 280×960 resolution for still images (1.3 Mpx), built-in microphone & speaker. Takes SD cards up to 8MB. Video resolution is 640×480, 30fps. The camcorder comes with a USB no-hassle cable. View your movies on the 1.44-inch LCD screen or upload to YouTube.

Bottom line, for about $30 Cam3000 shoots good videos with decent sound and ability to upload to YouTube.

Get on Amazon for $30.24

Logitech is known for good mice for computers. But this little gem is absolutely unbelievable. Logitech’s Anywhere Mouse MX is very compact and fits comfortably in your hand. Plug in a little nano receiver into your computer’s USB port and that’s it! No tweaking, I promise – it just works. The receiver is small and can stay on your laptop forever. Piggy-back up to 6 Unifying compatible device using the mouse receiver, like a keyboard. Super fast scrolling will satisfy even the most speedy critics. Spin that scroll wheel and fly through documents. Flip through web pages using back and forward buttons.

Logitech’s Anywhere Mouse MX works on all kind of surfaces, even on glass. On glass! It uses the dark-field laser tracking. I bet, it will work in space. There is an on/off switch at the bottom of the mouse which also serves as a protection flap for the sensor. The Anywhere Mouse MX uses 2 AA batteries which makes it a bit heavier.

It is a great device for a laptop. No need to carry your mouse pad with you.

Get it for $69.95

The Altec Lansing FX3021 Expressionist PLUS speaker system sports a unique design. They look like something you would send to Mars. You can safely send them to your desk, however, because they are not only portable, but quite stylish. The satellite speakers are tiltable. For customized big sound, the system includes a subwoofer. You can independently control the bass output. For a small guy, this subwoofer delivers.

Some reviews point out flaws in the design. Following an unspoken tradition at Altec Lansing, the satellite speakers are hard-wired together. The cord between them is quite long too. The power button positioning on the subwoofer is a little awkward to use.. There is no headphone pass-through.

Other than that, it is a good value for the price. Most people rave about the sound. Some people don’t, but I suspect they have a audio studio in their house. Use it with a music player or your computer – the sound is impressive for small speakers like these.

Buy on Amazon for $74.99.

When you wear this headset (literally), be prepared for some humiliation from your friends, family and co-workers. The “pendant” in the name should give you a big hint – it is a “wearable” headset. It goes around your neck. The microphone and the battery hang off of it like a pendant. There is a big button you can use to answer or reject calls. Magic, you ask? Bluetooth, I answer. From the pendant come in-the-ear headphones.

If you are listening to music and an incoming call comes, the music fades and you can decide to take the call or reject it. After you are done with your call, the music resumes from where you left off. This is a pretty nice feature, especially when you were listening to your favorite song, when your mom called to tell you that uncle John is on Twitter now. You might want to go back to that favorite song of yours after telling your mother that you are not going to follow uncle John even if she pays you.

iQua Pendant headset (BHS-702) is light and ,some say, has a trendy design. You can consider it if you are a biker and do not want over-the-ear headphones because it is hard to hear traffic noise in them. The sound isolation is good, but not great. The dangling microphone is well-positioned, but is not ideal. Overall, it is a decent gadget, but if you are a guy, consider getting it as a gift for your girlfriend.

Price: $99.99. Get it on Amazon for $77.05. They seem to keep selling out.

There are literally hundreds of digital frames out there. Why this one? Well, storage size and functions. It has 1GB of memory, it can read 6 different SD card formats, and it plays avi video files. Those are the biggies for me. It has little speakers and will play music if you would like along with your picture slideshow. The picture resolution is 800×600 px (4×3 ratio). It has a touch screen. You can have a date and clocks displayed too. If you do not want to touch the screen, there is a remote control. Pretty cool frame.

This photo frame replaces the 512MB model. Get yours on Amazon for $99.48.

This is an awesome present for a person who enjoys watching movies. Roku Player is a tiny box. It works with any TV, unless it is a family earloom. Installation is very simple – connect it to your television via cable (HDMI or component) or wi-fi and you are good to go. You have to have an internet connection too, of course, because Roku box will use it to stream video directly to your television.

You need at least 1.2 Mbps to watch movies instantly on the Roku digital video player with decent quality. The faster your connection, the better the quality (although this rule-of-thumb peaks out at about 5mbps). Roku will automatically detect your bandwidth speed and adjust the streaming so there are no interruptions. The experience is like watching a DVD: you can watch, play, fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume play later.

Roku Player integrates with Amazon Video on Demand as well as Netflix. If you have a Netflix account you can watch Instant View movies. Any movie you can buy or rent on Amazon, you can buy or rent on Roku. If you buy a movie on Amazon, it is always in your library and you can watch it at any time on your Roku. Selection? 50,000+ movies and TV shows.

You have 3 buttons: Netflix, Amazon, and Major League Baseball. Yes, for $20 (currently) you can watch any game, even when the game is over. You can fastforward, rewind, or watch the game live. The unique feature though is that you can pick play-by-play announcers too – home team or away team. That is something a true fan can appreciate. And if you have enough bandwidth on your internet, you can watch games in high definition. Roku supports all HD formats except 1080.

The Wall Street Journal, CNET, WIRED, and other publications rave about Roku player. Roku plans to add video podcasts in the future. The box is PC and Mac compatible, but you knew that already becase you do not need to connect it to a computer at all. And they have great customer service, from what I hear.

If you have a Netflix account, it is no-brainer.
You can get one on Amazon for $99.00. There is $118 package that includes cables

Specifications

• Networking: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support; 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45)
• Video Outputs: Composite video, S-Video, Component video (Y/Pb/Pr), HDMI
• Video Modes: 16:9 HD (720p), 16:9 anamorphic (480p), 4:3 standard (480i)
• Audio Output: Stereo (L/R RCA), Digital Optical (Toslink), Digital over HDMI
• Remote Control: NEC protocol, supported by various universal remotes
• Power Input: 5V, 1.5A provided by included AC adapter
• Power Consumption: 5 watts peak, 3 watts in standby
• Size: 5 x 5 x 1.75 inches (130 x 130 x 41 mm)
• Weight: 11 oz (300 grams)

This gadget is very inventive and cool. It makes your house look occupied when you are out of town. Fake TV creates an illusion that someone is home watching a high-def television. The gadget creates effects of scene changes, fades, swells, flicks, on-screen motion, and color changes. So, the illusion is very real even though the size of this gadget is very small.

It is a series of flashing LEDs. You aim it at the window. Best to pick one that is not near a street light. Fake TV has a built-in light sensor and timer, it automatically turns on at dusk. Most televisions do not work with timers– they turn on with push buttons. Burglars know this, making FakeTV very effective.

This might be a good gadget for you or for someone you know if:

• If you are selling your house and it is vacant, you might want to make it look lived in.
• If you have a vacation home
• If you are a frequent traveler
• If you live alone and come home late
• If you want to give safety-minded someone a fun gift

Of course, if someone thinks you have a high-def television in your house and break in later, you are out of luck. Better think this whole thing through. If you want to get yours on Amazon, it will cost you $34.99.

This is a very modern-looking hard drive. It has piano black glossy finish. The LCD is always on and displays a personalized drive name and available free space – even when disconnected. You can rename the drive easily from your computer. All info is updated every time you connect or disconnect it from a PC or Mac.

Simple to install, simple to use, an eye candy. Comes in 500GB ($118.99) and 320GB ($98.24) versions.

InSight hard drive is small enough to carry around in your brief case. It is also faster than a lot of similar drives and supports both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 at 5400 RPM. You have to be proficient in Drag-and-Drop technology to use it. Nero backup software is pre-installed and easy to use if you plan to back up files. Of course, you don’t really need it for backup, but it is nice to have if you prefer simplicity.

Get yours on Amazon.com:

• 500GB Portable External Hard Drive
• 320GB Portable External Hard Drive