Fun Gadget Gifts

Archive for the ‘Christmas Gift Ideas’ Category

CNET editors came up with a list of most innovative consumer electronics products of the decade. You can probably guess most of the items on the list, it is still humbling to reflect on how far ahead of 2008 we are just in one year. Most of the technologies existed in the previous years, but were significantly improved this year. There is a clear trend that all electronics share – yes, sharing. And, of course, image quality. We are definitely in HD territory.

Go to source: The 20 most innovative consumer electronics products of the decade

Some grandparents have embraced the fascinating world of technology and electronics. They can find their way around a computer. They can even send email and have viewed pictures online once or twice. They have heard of Facebook and, possibly, Flickr.

If your grandparents do not own a computer, check out our posting “Grandparents Gifts: Gadgets That Require No Setup.” If your grandparents are capable of finding internet and send email, read on. Here are some gadget gifts for your computer-familiar grandparents.

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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 came across a fascinating write-up from Gizmodo on Black Friday Anti-deals.

Black Friday may be when prices drop, but if you’ve carefully read the list of deals, you can tell it’s also a BS marketing gimmick.

So many online shops offer much better deals on products than you get in the store. Interestingly enough, some of the online prices are lower than you can get for the same product in the store. And most of the online shops offer free shipping.

Read this write-up before you are ready for the Black Friday.

Source: Gizmodo “What Not to Buy on Black Friday“

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!

Cell phones might not make the greatest gift. It is hard to know all the variables – how the person likes to use the phone, what plans they prefer, what carrier they are using, etc. If you are comfortable with a wild guess, check out this guide from CrunchGear. No doubt, it will help you make the right decision which phone to buy. The list is broken down by most popular offerings and combined with your budget restrictions. Check it out! You can even buy a gift for yourself – there is no law against it!
Source: Gift Guide 2009: Smartphones

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

Are you related to that person who never asks for directions and is always late? Or maybe your best friend gets lost all the time. Or, maybe, someone you know often finds themselves in unfamiliar places with no idea how to get home. There are great options for those people in need. And you – the gift giver – will be a lifesaver. Those options are GPS devices. They range from stocking-stuffers to feature-packed super gadgets.

Garmin nüvi 260W is preloaded with North America maps and POIs. Updating maps is easy – buy them from Garmin’s website or on Amazon. Garmin nüvi 260W has 4.3-inch touchscreen display. Switch between 2D and 3D mapping perspective and enjoy the road just the way you like it. No need to get distracted – voice guidance and text to speech will get you to your destination providing turn-by-turn directions. Take your Garmin 260W on a walk or a hike. Built-in battery will last you for hours. It is a steal on Amazon: buy it for $139.99
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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

Flip video is shipping 2nd generation, upgraded, “premium” version of its MinoHD pocket camcorder. It has a sleeker design with rounded corners and brushed-metal front – does not attract fingerprints. The new form factor makes the camcorder feel solid in your hand. Like the first generation model, it has solid 720p video (@30fps, 120 min) recorded as MP4 files, slim design and rechargeable battery. Battery life is slightly improved. The video quality is amazing. It is also super easy to use.

Unlike the previous model, the LCD screen is larger (2 inch), the internal memory is doubled (8GB vs. 4GB) and the upgraded FlipShare software now allows you to directly upload your video to Facebook, YouTube, etc. You can also share privately with your family and friends. Keep in mind though, that the uploaded video will not be in high definition, just HQ quality. You can still do it, but will have to upload the file from your computer, not directly from MinoHD camcorder.

The camcorder has a new Movie Magic mode that arranges your clips into a movie. Add your own music to provide a more personal touch. Freeze-frame capabilities allow you to grab snapshots. MinoHD 2nd Generation has HDMI output. It is compatible with both Macs and Windows. Connect to your computer through a flip-out USB arm.

The new MinoHD is fairly pricey. Unfortunately, there is no SD/MMC card expansion slot. And if you want to play your video on your TV, you will need to provide your own cable. Power adapter is not included, but the camcoder will charge from your computer if it is connected.

The botoom line, this new generation MinoHD is one of the nicest models available. For the same price as the original model, you get better design, double the memory and an HDMI output. It might not be worth upgrading, but if you are looking for a portable HD camcorder, this new model might fit the bill.

Buy it for $229.99

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

If you do not have patience for slow electronics, you might want to check out the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 camera. It is one of the fastest point-and-shoot cameras on the market. The camera is very compact, has 10.2 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and takes great photos in low light conditions. When using its Twilight mode, the camera fires off 6 shots and then compiles them together to make one photo. Result – impressive photo quality. And yes, Sony f/2.4 G Lens might have something to do with that quality too. Don’t expect it to take pictures in “no light” conditions howerver. In good lighting conditions, the camera is good, but not spectacular.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 has several shooting options including burst mode (10 frames per second). The feature works as advertised, but the impatient among us should know that after the burst, you will wait for 2 to 3 seconds for every picture to be saved on your memory stick. Better put this camera down and do something else, like taking wide angle panorama shots next time or admiring the camera’s anti-motion blur mode. You can see the results of your handy work on a 2.7-inch LCD Plus screen which is plenty clear.

Parents are always struggling to capture their kids (especially babies) in the process of smiling. No such frustrations using this Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. It will take a picture only during the “smiling moment” if you press the Smile Shutter button. You can select adult and child priority and indicate the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity. Freaky! If only this camera had an ability to read children’s minds, it would have been completely perfect. This camera even has a Pet Mode. Overall, there are several “intelligent modes” available on the camera and they can be used together or separately.

5x optical zoom will work when you take pictures or capture HD quality video. I am not sure how useful video capturing is on a point-and-shoot camera, but if it matters to you, you’ve got it. 720p high definition MPEG4 format video will look pretty good on large-screen television. Your 2GB card will fit about 29 minutes of video.

DSC-WX1 has in-camera retouching tools to enhance your photos, trim them, correct red eyes, etc. In just seconds you can add music to your pictures and produce slide shows with standard visual effects. Why do you need a computer? Maybe, to share your pictures and video online? Sony has Picture Motion Browser that will keep you entertained for hours sorting your creations, organizing them by face, place, etc.

Despite all the intelligent features and impressive technology, some customers are not impressed with movie quality in low light conditions. There is no compression control on the camera. You get a proprietary USB/Composite cable with your camera – no surprise with Sony products. There is no USB charging and no HDMI.

All in all, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a great, fast-performing snapshot camera that falters in picture quality. It is better than most cameras in its category. Get yours on Amazon for $320.25.