By MARIO ARMSTRONG
Gift Ideas for the Holidays
The Digital Lifestyle is here and this year’s gizmos and gadgets won’t let you down. From Japan to the United States this year’s list covers music, fashion, education and entertainment all with a touch of extravagance. These must-have devices will amaze your friends; make new enemy’s and initiate new conversations.
Sushi USB
Never again will you have to choose between having sushi or having a USB memory drive--thanks to the USB sushi drive. These keychain-sized file storage devices are hand-made in Tokyo sushi replicas. The convincing USB sushi drive comes in several flavors and several storage sizes. A great idea for an office gift or for a student. Available at: Dynamism.
Price $99.00-$219.00
Video Game System the whole family can play
The new Nintendo Wii video game system is groundbreaking and innovative. The first-of-its-kind controller sets this system apart from the others, for example in the Wii Sports tennis game, players swing the handheld remote like a racket to hit the ball. The Wii is a new an interactive way of gaming that gets you off of the couch. An enjoyable game system the whole family will enjoy. Available at major electronic stores and Nintendo.
Price $249.00
Getting crabby on TV?
This is one crab you don’t eat. This is a loveable cuddly crab that’s actually a 10 inch LCD TV that could be the perfect addition to a child’s playroom or bedroom. No one gets crabby with this TV. If you are looking for something unique for the kids or the household sports fan take a look at Hanspree’s LCD custom TV’s. When was the last time you TV was a conversation piece? Available at: Hannspree.
Price $199.00
A picture is worth a thousand words
The PowerShot SD40 Digital ELPH is elegant, economical and is a perfect go anywhere, shoot anytime 7.1 megapixel digital camera. Has a retractable 2.4x optical zoom lens, easy-to-read 1.8-inch backlit LCD monitor, offers new face detection technology to optimize results and is available in four attention-getting colors. Available at: Canon.
Price $309.00
GPS tracking for your pet
Pets want holiday gifts too and apparently keeping your pet indoors or paying for a fenced yard is old-school. Enter the RoamEO GPS tracking system for pets. The GPS-enabled collar sends the exact location, movements, and velocity to your handheld tracking unit, your pet still turns MIA if it wanders more than a mile away. Has some limitations but may be ideal for multi-pet owners. Available at: RoamEO GPS Tracking System for Pets.
Price $459.00
Ipod Jeans
You knew it was going to happen sooner or later, with several million ipod users carrying their players, the denim master Levi’s now offers iPod jeans called Redwire. The new line of jeans that will have a built-in docking cradle and retractable headphones and will make your iPOD carrying teenager totally stylish. Hmmm, how will you wash them? Available at: Levi's.
Who says Pluto isnt’a planet?
The SkyScout is a handheld device that instantly identifies and locates any celestial object visible to the naked eye. The SkyScout uses advanced GPS technology with point and click convenience to identify thousands of stars, planets and constellations, providing educational and entertaining information. Small enough to carry anywhere, it’s like having a telescope in your pocket. Available at: Celestron.
Price $399.00
Take your TV with you
Perfect for the traveler or on-the-go professional, the Slingbox enables you to watch and interact with your home TV from wherever you are. You can watch live tv, record, rewind, pause and change channels from your Internet-connected PC or laptop, whether you’re in another room in the house or in another country. No subscription fees and an intuitive setup will get you started. All you need at home is a hi-speed internet connection and a digital video recorder from Comcast, Direct TV or Tivo. Available at: Sling Media.
Price $199.00
Never lose battery life again for any of your devices
Have your portable electronic devices ever run out of power at the most inconvenient times? A possible one-stop solution to having the power you need anytime, anywhere is the lightweight XPower PowerSource Mobile 100. Weighs about the same as a bottle of water, supplies backup battery power to run your laptop, Blackberry, iPod, cellphone, digital camera, dvd player and other devices. Best of all you no longer have to carry an awkward assortment of cables, chargers, and spare batteries. Available at: XPower.
Price starts at $99.99
Capture memorable moments in Hi-Definition
The Xacti HD1A is both a hi-def camcorder and a 5.1 megapixel digital camera. Features include a 2.2-inch fold-out LCD viewfinder, 7 recording modes, video resolution up to 1280 x 720 and 30 frames per second, okay battery life (keep a charger handy), ability to record in wide-screen mode. Weighs a mere 8.3 ounces and stores images directly to a secure digital card – no tapes. Available at: Sanyo.
Price $849.00
The Scooba™ Floor Washing Robot by Irobot
Preps, washes, scrubs and dries all by itself, good for kitchen and hardwood floors. I've tested the vacuum version of the Roomba, and am getting the Scooba in this week, so Ill let you know if it lives up to expectations but based of the previous vacuum only model I'm sure it will live up to it's reputation. Cost: $399.95 (yeah I know sounds s bit much for a hi-tech mop, but what price tag do you place on your time and the energy on mopping, if you constantly mop than this is just for you). Website: Sharper Image
Cordless Phones that can montior your baby
The Panasonic GigaRange 5.8GHz cordless phone isn’t your average home phone. It doubles as an intercom and security camera. Offering a 1.5" color LCD screen on the handset, connect it to an optional cordless camera and monitor your child or pet. Customize ring tones, built-in digital answering system. This is a phone the Jetsons could appreciate. Available at: Panasonic or area electronic stores.
Price: $149.99
Music lovers, create the perfect ambience
From the bedroom to the backyard, Sonos is the first wireless, multi-room digital music system that lets you play your digital music all over your house. Connect up to 32 rooms playing different genres of music simultaneously with only 1 stereo system. Sound impossible, we thought so too, it get s better you can control each rooms audio from one wireless controller. Available at: Sonos.
Price $999.00
Technology meets fashion
Just in time for the cold weather, the SeV Fleece 4.0is a fashionable jacket with 12 hidden pockets to conceal all your gadgets. So you can geek out and still look good. Jacket has removable sleeves, to double as a vest and has subtle reflective piping, great for nighttime walkers or joggers. Other features include the key holder, back pocket, magnetic closures and a bottle holder. Great for adults and for gadget-toting teenagers. Available at: Scottevest.
Price $139.99
USB Turntable - turn old records into digital mp3's
The USB turntable by Ion is a great way to transfer all that classic vinyl you have in your basement. Yes 33 1/3, 45 even 78's can spin on this turntable you just connect this turntable to your pc with the usb cable, play the record and hit record on the included software and your vinly will become digitized. You can also use the software to remove hiss and pop if necessaryCompatible with MAC and PC. Available online at: Ion Systems and other e-tailers as low as $115.00.
A computer in your pocket
The sought-after OQO model 01+ ultra-portable computer is now available. This handheld device is 5inches wide and 1 inch thick and can do everything your laptop or PC can do. Features include Wifi, Bluetooth, a 30gb shock-mounted harddrive and an easy-docking solution to connect all your peripherals. Comes with a full version of Windows XP, weighs less than a pound and will give you instant rock star attention. Available at: OQO.
Price $1,699.00
Enhance kids learning with a cool Pen computer
The FLY Pentop Computer by LeapFrog is a fun, educational and practical device for your kids. If you've got a math problem, it can help solve it. Use it as a scheduler and it will remind you of upcoming activities. Draw drums and keyboards on the included special FLY paper and then play those drums and record your own tunes. Available at: Leap Frog
Price $99.99
1950’s jukebox gone digital
Listen to your digital music in a reminiscent 1950’s jukebox-style cabinet. Can store up to 1500 hours of content is powered by a Mac Mini computer and accessed via touchscreen. USB ports are on the front for an iPod or keyboard. Truly a décor statement and an instant conversation piece regardless of its location in the home. Available at: Crosley.
Price $4,995.95
Share family moments with out of town relatives without a computer
Digital photo frames have become very popular, most only allow you take the memory card out of your camera and insert it into the frame to playback your photos. The Ceiva frame does that and alot more. I've had this product for 2 years, it works as advertised. It's the best way to send photos to those with out a computer. Just plug the picture frame into a wall outlet and use a regular phone cord to plug into a phone outlet and your frame is set. Family and friends can now email pictures from their computer or cell phone to the frame. Each night the frame updates itself with any new photos emailed to it. What's also neat is that it includes free access to news, local weather forecasts, sports, daily calendar, horoscopes, and TV listings, displayed in a daily slide show. It can even connect to your home wireless network if you have one. Website: Ceiva
Cost: $149 and you also have to pay $99 for their yearly PicturePlan service.
Mario Armstrong is a technology talk show host, writer, consultant and public speaker that explores how technology impacts the way we work, live and play. He is heard on NPR and XM radio and seen on WMAR-ABC2 TV.