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DAVE GUSSOWFeatures are up, prices are down for electronic gizmos on this year's holiday wish lists.
Gift givers, give in. You're going to see more electronic gadgets than ever on holiday wish lists this season.
And while sorting out the difference between a DVD-R and a DVR may be as confusing as ever to the uninitiated, prices are down and features are up.
Just ask John Morris about the season's bounty of gadgets. "We'll do 85 to 100 new reviews a month," said Morris, executive editor of hardware and software coverage at CNET, a technology and online media Web site (www.cnet.com) The site has up to 2,000 reviews posted at a time.
Most holiday hot lists begin with digital cameras, but they don't stop there. Digital music players, DVD players and recorders, cell phones with an array of features, high-definition TVs and more will get some attention.
Shoppers will find more places to buy consumer electronics, as computermakers Dell and Gateway try to expand by selling TVs and digital music players.
As usual with electronics, prices are subject to change, so frequent searches of retailers or online comparison shopping sites are a good idea. Here's our scouting report on the season's gadgets:
Digital cameras
Consumers don't have to look far to know why this is the hottest of the hot categories.
A year ago, 3-megapixel cameras fell below $400; this year, some are available for less than $200. The 3-megapixels camera is the sweet spot for today's family photographer, although a 2-megapixel camera can be a good deal for as little as $120 if you don't plan on prints bigger than 4-by-6.
Some cameras can shoot video as a bonus feature. These short snippets of motion, sometimes with sound, can be downloaded to a computer and e-mailed to friends as a video attachment.
Another trend is small cameras. Really small. Casio's Exilim line (exilim.casio.com/) is downright slim, with the EX-Z4U ($399) weighing in at 4.5 ounces with 4 megapixels.
For serious photographers who want the ability to change lenses, digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras have broken the $1,000 barrier for the first time.
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel $999 with lens, $899 without, www.canoneos.com/ comes up frequently in conversations because of its price, but there's more to it than that. The 6.3-megapixel camera's performance has received good reviews.
Among cameras that Personal Tech reviewers liked this year: the Canon PowerShot A300 ($299), Olympus C-5050 Zoom ($799), Kodak EasyShare DX6340 ($399) and Olympus Stylus 300 ($399).
A useful accessory for digital photographers might be one of the new portable storage devices. Those are used to download and store photos when you're away from your PC so you can keep shooting without overloading your memory card.
The FlashTrax www.smartdisk.com $499.99-$699.99, depending on hard drive size has a small LCD screen to view the photos, and it also can be used as a digital music player. The RoadStor ($249, www.micro-solutions.com and the EZDigiMagic DM220 $295, www.EZPNP-USA.COM) double as portable CD burners.
These devices aren't cheap, so you might simply buy more or bigger memory cards for your camera.
Not everything related to photography is digital. In fact, one-time-use film cameras are incredibly popular. So for the next wedding, church event or other special occasion, you might consider the Picture Yourself Timer & Tripod $9.95, www.joyinnovations.com/ It lets you set up the disposable camera on a minitripod so you can scurry over and be included in that special group shot.
The big picture
A few years ago, you needed an armored car full of cash to buy a high-definition TV, and you'd be lucky to find any programming to take advantage of it.
Prices on HDTV sets have come down. You still can spend thousands, or you can start modestly - say with a 32-inch Sanyo model starting at $700. That's substantially less than the $1,000 floor we found last year.
More HD programming is available, with the major networks showing a majority of their prime-time lineups in HD, with clear, crisp images. Bright House Networks carries four local TV stations and offers HD premium packages on its cable system.
Sets labeled "HD-ready" don't have a built-in tuner. If you plan to use an antenna to pick up local stations, you'll need a tuner, which will add hundreds to the cost. If your cable or satellite system offers HD, as Bright House does, it will provide a special set-top box for the HD channels. At some point, all HD sets will have built-in tuners.
As for picks, Consumer Reports recommends the 32-inch Sony FD Trinitron Wega KV-36HS510 ($1,800) and the Panasonic Tau Pureflat CT-32HL43 32-inch model ($1,200, among others.
Big sound
The TV is only part of the equation to turn a family room into a well-equipped theater. Home theater in a box does for sound what HD and DVD do for the picture, and it doesn't have to cost a lot. Systems start at $150 or so.
Systems from well-known audio companies such as Sony, Yamaha, Panasonic, Philips and others are available. A recent entry that caught our eye is the NIRO 1.1. Instead of five speakers and a subwoofer, this system in $599 and $799 versions, www.niro1.com uses only one speaker and a subwoofer, cleaning up cable clutter. It was engineered by audio legend Niro Nakamichi, who invented the first audiocassette deck with Dolby noise reduction capabilities.
Beyond the VCR
Now that you have the audio and video setup, isn't it time to take control of the TV schedule?
Pause a live show to answer the phone and pick up where you left off. Watch a recorded show and sail past the commercials. The jargon du jour is "time shifting," and the best-known example is TiVo.
The device, a set-top box with a computer-like hard drive that can record about 40 or 80 hours of TV shows of your choosing, depending on the model, starts at $199 plus $12.95 a month for a programming guide that's updated over your phone line in the middle of the night. An alternative is a onetime flat fee subscription of $299 for the nightly updates.
An even better deal for cable customers may be the TiVo-style digital video recorder (DVR) that Bright House Networks is offering to its "digital tier" subscribers for $6.95 a month.
But the programs stored in these DVR devices aren't portable. For that, there's the latest generation of DVD recorders that let you make your own digital video discs.
Prices are becoming more inviting, with some DVD recorders going for about $400, compared with about $700 a year ago. But they have drawbacks, too.
The industry has confused consumers by coming out with multiple, not always compatible, DVD formats. Also, discs can be expensive, depending on format, starting at $2 or so apiece and going up.
DVD recorders have pluses, too.
Some DVD recorders come with a hard drive so you can store a bunch of your favorite programs, as you would with TiVo, and decide later which ones to save on a disc. Some models include connectors so you can hook up a camcorder to transfer video to DVD, or a VCR to convert your old tapes into DVDs.
Consumer Reports lists the Panasonic DMR-E60 $550, www.panasonic.com and DMR-E-60 ($500) as two of its top three picks. Pioneer has a number of models, such as the 510 ($800, www.pioneerusa.com that includes an 80-gigabyte hard drive and TiVo service.
"It's a category I wouldn't be surprised to see a whole lot more," CNET's Morris said. "It just makes sense to combine those into one gadget for the home."
Basic DVD players for movie watching have become commodities, costing as little as $70. But there are also portable DVD players that start at less than $200 (the smaller the price, the smaller the screen), and players to mount over the back seat of your SUV or minivan that can cost $1,000 or more.
Music mania
Digital music clearly has struck a chord with consumers. Millions have downloaded songs, legally, from sites such as Apple's iTunes Music Store, Napster 2.0 and Musicmatch.
Portable players seem to be everywhere. Jukebox players have hard drives and can store thousands of songs. "Flash" memory players have built-in storage with more limited capacity but they're lighter and less expensive.
The bestselling jukebox device is Apple's iPod $299, $399, $499, www.apple.com Its good looks and ease of use have won it a legion of fans. But it has some hot competition, including Dell's Digital Jukebox ($249 and $329, www.dell.com which has received early critical praise. Samsung's YP-910 GS Digital Audio System ($349.99) is tied in with the Napster music service www.napster.com
Rio Audio www.rioaudio.com the name that started the music player revolution five years ago, came out with a new line of devices, including the Nitrus ($299), which is billed as a hybrid between the jukebox and Flash players.
Another major player in Flash models is iRiver www.iriver.co) with a line of models starting almost as small as a Bic lighter and ranging in price from $99.99 to $299.99.
One of the interesting twists this year is adding video to MP3 players. The Archos AV320 $549.95, www.archos.com is called a personal entertainment center: TV on its 3.5-inch screen, MP3 music player/recorder and an electronic photo wallet.
Cell phones, handhelds
Photos, music, e-mail, TV - today's cell phones pack a lot into a small package.
Camera phones in particular have attracted attention, and models in the $100 range have been popular. But sorting through all of the cell phones is a challenge.
A couple we tried: The Sony Ericsson T616 $219.99, AT&T Wireless, www.attwireless.com takes good low-resolution pictures providing the light source is adequate. It also has Bluetooth wireless capabilities, so it can work well with a headset and synchs with a computer without wires. It's also a nice, reliable phone.
The Samsung SPH-A600 $349.99, Sprint, www.sprintpcs.com is a small clamshell model that easily slips into a pocket or purse. Its pluses include good battery life and a bright screen. The camera took good photos but e-mailing them wasn't easy.
Moving up, the combination phone/personal organizer is getting more attention, in particular the Treo 600 $599, www.handspring.com It's smaller than its predecessor and has a bright screen. But to achieve those enhancements, its designers scrunched up the keys.
If you're looking for a handheld without a phone built in, the Sony UX50 Clie ($649.99) has been drawing raves for its cool clamshell design and its wireless capabilities. Palm's Tungsten line and its low-price Zire models (starting at $99) also have been popular.
Healthy choices
Defibrillators are used to shock a heart back into action after it stops, a familiar scene on TV medical shows. Once the province only of medical professionals, heart defibrillators have been making their way into more workplaces, golf courses, cruise ships, schools, malls and other public areas. Now, the HeartStart Home Defibrillator from Philips $1,995, www.heartstarthome.com is being marketed for home use. Philips claims that it's easy enough for a sixth-grader to use.
The Ironman Data Link $90, www.timex.com is a combination sports watch and personal digital assistant (PDA). Keep your golf score, count calories and organize your schedule from your wrist. The Garmin Forerunner 201 GPS ($160, www.garmin.com takes satellite technology to the wrist, giving runners information such as speed, distance and pace info.
And Hokey Spokes $29.95-$39.95, www.hokeyspokes.com/ connect to the spokes on your bike, providing an LED light show in the colors of your choice as you ride along.
Geek gear
Don't forget the computer, because we spend so much time around it. This year has brought a flood of peripherals, many of them wireless.
Among the keyboards and mice we tried: Logitech's Cordless Navigator Duo $99.99, www.logitech.com offers a wireless keyboard with programmable buttons for controlling your "digital hub" and a wireless two-button mouse with scroll wheel. You can assign functions, such as opening an application, Web page or folder, to the programmable keys.
Microsoft has similar keyboard/mouse combos, including the Wireless Optical Desktop Elite $99.99, www.microsoft.com/hardware Its Tilt Wheel technology adds left-right movement to up-and-down with the scroll wheel.
Fellowes' Secure Touch Mouse $107.99, www.fellowes.com uses a biometric security system. You set it up by placing one of your fingers on a built-in sensor, and only that fingerprint will allow access to your PC or protected documents.
Adding a DVD burner to your computer won't break the bank. Sony's internal DVD burner DRU-510A, www.sonystyle.com is $149 after a $30 rebate and its external burner (DRX-510UL) is $269 after a $30 rebate. These drives record in all DVD formats, ensuring that discs can be played on other machines.
Printers keep getting better and cheaper, particularly photo inkjets. Models from Epson, HP and Canon have gotten a lot of ink this year. We tried and later purchased the Canon i560 ($129.99, www.canonusa.com It's small and fast.
For home videophiles, gadgets are available to convert your old videotapes into DVDs. There's the Hewlett-Packard DVD Movie Writer dc3000 $399, www.hp.com ADS Technologies' Instant DVD Xpress ($145, www.adstechnologies.com and the Digistor DVD Burner ($250, www.digistor.com/
For those tired of solitaire, Living Scenes Jigsaw Puzzles $29, www.livingscenes.com provides an alternative. A waterfall puzzle has images of flowing water and sound effects. Soothing for those dull Tuesdays in the office.
For road warriors and presenters, the Tote-Remote $79.95, www.atek.com is a wireless device that lets you control your PowerPoint presentations from up to 30 feet away.
Odds and ends
Some quirky gadgets that caught our eye: The Electronic Locater $49.95, www.sharperimage.com lets you find those often-misplaced items such as keys, glasses and remote controls. Attach a disk to the object, then when you can't find it, press a button on the Locater. The lost item will beep. (Assuming, of course, you can find the Locater.)
The Ceiling Projector Clock $59.95, www.hammacher.com shines the time on the wall or ceiling so you can squint up at it when your morning alarm goes off.
And what seems to be the electronic version of the hand buzzer or Whoopee cushion, the Electric Shock Pen $10.99, www.gizmos-us.com/ will give an unexpected jolt to the unsuspecting.
- Times staff writer William Lampkin and correspondent Jules Allen contributed to this report, which includes information from Times wires and files. Dave Gussow can be reached at gussow@sptimes.com and 727 771-4328.