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2006 holiday tech gift guide: Gadgets
Find a gadget, game or program that your Someone Special will really want.
Compiled by SCOTT LONG
Published November 27, 2006
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Canon Pixma MP810 all-in-one photo printer
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[Photo: Canon]
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[Photo: Hammacher.com]
ILoad
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[Photo: X-tremegeek.com ]
T.one SOB mini hard drive
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Thermos Element 5 beverage bottle
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[Photo: Amazon.com]
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Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know. You want an iPod this year. A portable music player is the tech gift of choice this holiday season, says the Consumer Electronics Association. Hey, we have to ask for something, since we know we're not getting a PlayStation 3, right? Well, don't get too excited. That same group says the tech gift we plan to wrap most this year is a digital camera. But there's good news, music fans. Shoppers plan to spend $195 a household on electronics this holiday season, so if Mom and Dad have a little left over after buying that Canon PowerShot, maybe they'll give you an iTunes gift card. But if you're looking for something a little different to suggest to Santa, take a gander through this section and find a gadget, game or program that your Someone Special will really want. Thermos Element 5 beverage bottle $39.99, Amazon.com Have trouble keeping your cool? This 20-ounce wonder won't help a hot temper, but its double-wall vacuum insulation will keep a cold drink cold for 24 hours. Prefer hot tea? A cup brewed Monday morning will be hot 24 hours later. The interior and exterior are made of ultra-durable stainless steel. The loop and clip make it easy to snap this Thermos to a backpack and go. Levitating picture frame and display base $19.95 for frame, $99.95 for display base, Scientificsonline.com This picture frame (Item No. 3036983) is guaranteed to draw attention to your cubicle and pictures of your loved ones. Using magnets, the metallic frame - sized to fit 6- by 4-inch photos perfectly - "magically" levitates. The base features an auto-rotate setting that, when activated, will slowly spin the frame clockwise or counter-clockwise. A separate levitating globe is included with the 12-inch-tall base. HP 39GS Graphing Calculator $69.98, Walmart.com Hewlett-Packard says a graphing calculator actually can be cool. Its 39GS is a versatile, stylish update of a tool required for many high school and college math students. Unlike many other graphing calculators, the 39GS offers wireless capability to share data with compatible devices. A USB port can be used to share or save programs to a PC. A hard, slide-on cover protects the screen. It's also permitted for use on SAT and ACT tests. Redwire DLX jeans $250, Levisstore.com Can't get close enough to your music? Levi's, the inventor of blue jeans, has you covered with pricey pants that feature an iPod docking cradle instead of a nigh-useless watch pocket. A miniature joystick atop the high-tech pocket allows the wearer to control the iPod without removing it from the cradle. Retractable wires built into the jeans are handy, but the provided headphones should be replaced. Fits most iPods, but not the iPod Shuffle. Remove the iPod, and the pants are machine-washable. They're also available in junior sizes. T.one SOB mini hard drive $99.97 for 4GB, $139 for 8GB, X-tremegeek.com Need to carry lots of digital info around with you? This USB-powered mini hard drive is not much bigger than a matchbook, but it holds up to 8 gigabytes of information - enough space for multiple movies or thousands of MP3s. The pivoting connector folds into the body of the device to protect it during transport. T.one is compatible with Windows or Apple computers. Ion USB turntable $139, X-tremegeek.com The treasured tunes of millions are trapped on vinyl, aka LPs before the compact disc revolution. Converting the music on records into digital files has never been easy, until now. This plug-and-play USB turntable connects to your computer - Windows or Mac. As soon as you put the needle down, it starts cranking out WAV, WMV or MP3 files. Included software helps clean up inherent pops and audio hiss. It features RCA plugs, so the turntable can be used with regular stereo systems. Canon Pixma MP810 all-in-one photo printer $369.51, Amazon.com Looking for a home office assistant that does everything? Canon's latest Pixma line not only produces stunning color photographs, but excels as a copier and scanner. This printer helps save trees by offering an option to print on both sides of one sheet of paper. Up to 31 pages a minute can be copied or printed in black. The Pixma also prints 24 color pages a minute. Borderless 4-inch by 6-inch photos take about 20 seconds. As a scanner, the MP810 can quickly digitize treasured family photos, 35 mm slides and negatives, or documents. It's compatible with a Mac or PC and requires a USB port. iCar $29.99, Amazon.com Can't afford a Cadillac Escalade, but want to pimp your music experience? Just plug your digital music player in and the SUV rocks right to left, front to back and up and down to your favorite tunes. And, yes, the wheels spin. Don't have an iPod? Don't worry - the iCar comes loaded with its own music. Sharp SD-SP10 home theater speaker system $539, Audiocubes.com A great-sounding home theater system does not require walls covered with speakers; this minimalist setup proves it. The Sharp system simulates a 5.1 Surround Sound system with two speaker enclosures - the center channel box houses a pair of 2.5-inch woofers and 2-inch tweeters, while the subwoofer has a 4.5-inch speaker for plenty of rumble. The audio magic is possible with help from Audistry, the latest technology from Dolby Laboratories. Unlike most 5.1 systems, no setup is required; just plug and play. The SD-SP10 is difficult to find in America, but that shouldn't stop anyone with an Internet connection. Logitech Freepulse wireless headphones $99.99, Logitech.com These new headphones, recently approved by the FCC, employ advanced Bluetooth 2.0 wireless technology to deliver the clearest signal possible from your iPod or other music device. This latest incarnation of Bluetooth transmits information three times as fast, consuming less battery power. Rechargeable batteries last up to six hours. Interference-free audio has a range of 33 feet and the FreePulse is compatible with almost any device that has a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack. Casio Hunting Timer Watch $39.47, Walmart.com This timely timepiece will help hunters bag their limit during deer season. The rugged digital watch is loaded with features that help plan optimal hunting times, such as sunrise, sunset and moon phase information. Standard functions, such as a stopwatch, five alarms and silent vibration alert are included. It's water-resistant to 100 meters. Casio has a similar model for the angler on your holiday list. Analog versions are available. ILoad $249.95, Hammacher.com (Item No. 73037) You no longer need a computer to stuff an iPod full of tunes. ILoad extracts audio from a compact disc, converts it to MP3 format and shoots it to your portable player. An entire CD can be converted in less than 10 minutes; individual tracks take seconds. An internal database automatically provides artist, song and album. The database can be updated by connecting the device via USB port to an Internet-connected computer. USB Beverage Chiller $29.99, Memoryexpress.com Um, okay. Usually we want to warm up our coffee when working. But if you'd like to cool off your iced coffee, well, here's something you'll like. CoolIT Systems, which has patented liquid cooling computer technology, brings you this chiller that you plug into your computer's USB port. Put your drink on it, and the plate will chill it to 45 degrees. Maha C-808M battery charger $89.97, Nimhbattery.com Digital cameras, boomboxes and other electronic devices eat batteries. This huge unit keeps rechargeable nickel metal hydride, or NiMH, batteries powered up, even the larger sizes required by portable stereos and flashlights. Independent charging circuits make it possible to mix and match up to eight AA, AAA, C or D batteries. An LCD display monitors charging status. Smaller batteries can be recharged in about an hour, while the larger C and D version take two and five hours, respectively. To prevent damage, the charger automatically shuts down if nonrechargeable batteries are used or rechargeable batteries are inserted improperly. Systems: Nintendo DS Lite Wii Games: Gears of War Guitar Hero II The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Okami Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis Viva Pinata Brain Age/Big Brain Academy Sid Meier's Civilization Chronicles Your Custom Home on DVD Speak More Spanish, StarFlyers 2nd Grade Learning System, PrintMaster Greeting Cards Deluxe 2 12 tech terms you need to know before stepping into the store 5 tips you need to know before logging on online What we're giving 1. Digital cameras 2. DVD devices 3. Cell phones 4. Portable music players 5. Video game systems 6. Portable CD players 7. Carrying cases for laptops or audio players 8. Televisions What we want 1. Portable music players 2. Digital cameras 3. Computers 4. Televisions 5. Video game systems 6. DVD devices 7. Cell phones 8. Camcorders Consumer Electronics Association
[Last modified November 27, 2006, 06:50:54]
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