Top 10 Gadget Gifts Of 2007
From among the most innovative gadgetry released this year, CTV.ca.'s tech expert Kris Abel profiles ten hi-tech gift ideas to hide under the tree for your secret agent this 007 Christmas.
|
 iPod Touch
$330
An iPod that can surf the internet is head-turning enough without mentioning the touch screen interface already made famous by the iPhone.
A few swipes of the finger across its widescreen, colour display will let you do everything from watch videos, play games, and flip through both photos and songs. The Jukebox-like Coverflow interface along with the flickable landscape mode makes this the ultimate gadget for showing off your personal content.
Web surfing is done through a Wi-Fi connection, with support for both 802.11b and g frequencies and special software support for easy access to YouTube. Although it only comes in black, there are two storage options with either 8GB or 16GB options and both are thin and lightweight. |
Rock Band
$170
Rock Band is a simulation kit for both non-musicians and experienced players.
It contains two guitars (lead & bass), a microphone, and a drum kit all of which can be connected to your favorite video game system (Wii, 360, PS3 or PS2) for a Simon Says-like experience where you press coloured buttons or sing lyrics to match note icons on your television screen.
The result is you and your friends rocking out to David Bowie, The Police, Radiohead, The Killers, and OK Go among other hot acts. For those nights when the gang is busy, you can connect online and play with other Rock Band owners for a virtual jam session. Built upon the already successful Guitar Hero trend, Rock Band kicks the party game experience up a notch. |
Blackberry Curve
$500
Of all the smartphones, the Curve is where fashion and enterprise meet best. It offers the most comfortable of QWERTY keyboards, a pearl trackball, and a stylish liquid-silver finish on a curved body that is most unlike your typical world phone Blackberry.
With Bluetooth, 2MP camera/camcorder, noise-cancellation, spell-checker, and an expandable memory slot for SD cards, the curve offers all the core functionality of a top-of-the-line Blackberry. The only feature it lacks is support for GPS, which you can find in its equally recommendable, but less attractive brother, the Blackberry World Edition. |
Thermablades
$400
These battery-powered Hockey blades are no trendy gimmick.
Designed to replace the blades of most adult-sized skates, the Thermablades use their rechargeable battery power to heat its steel to 5 degrees Celsius, enough warmth to melt a microscopic layer of water on the surface of the ice, making it easier to skate with more precision and control.
Designed in a special shock and water-resistant housing, the blades also feature a microprocessor for heat efficiency, a proximity switch for power control, and come with a rechargeable cradle for the swappable lithium-ion batteries (70 minutes a charge). This is one of the best designed products to create a whole new category of gadget. .
|
Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph
$500
It’s the wide-angle 28 mm lens that sets this ultra-compact 8.0 Megapixel camera apart from the rest.
With optical, not digital, image stabilization, an ISO of 1600 and a 3.8x optical zoom, it is the ideal point-and-shooter.
Advanced features include Face Detection for better auto focus, noise reduction to keep photos clear, and a large 3” LCD display for proper playback (all of which work really well). It has 17 shooting modes including video clips with sound and has the comfortable and ease of use that the PowerShot series is known for. |
N1 Vision Wireless Router
$200
Finally a wireless router that fits your living room décor. Built for the home, the N1 Vision offers an esthetically pleasing piano black finish along with an LCD screen that coolly displays the time, the number of devices connected, and a dashboard-like read out of connection speeds.
The three antennae offer an extended range that will reach every corner of even the largest house (1,600 feet) and a set-up process that is literally plug-and-play easy.
Although simple to use, it offers plenty of advanced features including a guest mode, multiple security modes, and mixed compatibility for the current a/b/g frequencies as well as the new 802.11n-draft that is emerging on the tech horizon. With support for 16 wireless computers, the N1 Vision is ideal for today’s wireless family. |
iMac With Mac OSX Leopard
$1,200 - $2,300
The newly designed, thinner iMac offers a glass screen and a minimal, all-in-one anodized aluminum frame that reduces the number of environmentally hazardous materials.
Intel Duo Core Processors offer both the speed and the flexibility as owners now have the choice of installing either/both the Mac OSX and Windows operating systems (using Boot Camp).
The included iLife software of music, photo, and movie applications is now enhanced with the latest build of Mac OSX “Leopard” that includes an amazing back-up utility, new ways to visually organize and access files, and enhanced security and parental controls. Together, these two products deliver on the promise that Windows Vista failed to live up to. |
Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000
$200
A leap beyond all other keyboards, the WED 8000 is a Bluetooth wireless, rechargeable, wafer-thin desktop with backlit keys, touch-sensitive controls, and a built-in proximity sensor that “wakes up” the keyboard whenever you approach.
It has added multimedia, gadgets, and Media Center keys along with a navigation pad should you want to use the keyboard from your couch without a mouse.
It comes with 4 extra USB ports and a little docking “house” for the included rechargeable laser mouse which itself has a magnifier button to zoom in on details and a selector button to easily switch between open applications. With a brushed aluminum finish, the WED 8000 is an elegant, futuristic approach to both work and home entertainment. |
Flytech R/C Dragonfly/Barry B. Benson Flyer
$60
Of all the radio-controlled micro, mini, and “palmsized” helicopters and planes that have swept the market in the past year, none have been as adapt, durable, and affordable as the Flytech Dragonfly.
Now being released in bee form to coincide with Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee” movie, the Flytech models are designed for indoor use and with a dual wing design can perform dive bombs, corkscrews, and special stunts that others can’t.
With two control modes – one for beginners, another for experts, a range of 50 feet, and its own rechargeable batteries, these fluttering insects deliver a lot of wow for their dollar. |
Samsung HD Conversion 1080P DVD Player DVD-1080P7
$100
Forget the whole Blu-ray/HD-DVD fiasco.
Samsung’s latest DVD player can take any standard definition DVD movie and upscale it using a system that increases the number of pixels and adds progressive scanning to “upconvert” the movie to 720p, 1080i, or even 1080p High Definition resolutions through an HDMI cable connection.
The results, while not true High Definition, are shockingly close enough. With a high-gloss finish, a wide range of playback features including instant replay and support for DivX formats, this bargain priced solution is the HDTV owner’s secret delight in the current HD format war.
- Kris Abel
|
del.icio.us
DIGG
Reddit
Facebook
