2007 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple iPod nano 3rd Gen

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Teens,

Many were anticipating that the short and stubby iPod nano would be a disappointment when the rumors of the device were running rampant. Once Steve Jobs introduced it, all fears were quelled. Just get one into your hands, and you will no longer be a skeptic. The 2-inch screen obviously isn’t the best for watching full-length movies, but for music videos and the like, it’s worthy. If you are all about the audio, the nano holds up to 8 GB worth of data. It’s thin (0.3 inches), the screen is fantastic, and the battery lasts for 26 hours. Just stay away from Cover Flow on this one - it’s sluggish.

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2006 Holiday Gift Guide: Dyson DC17 Animal

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Smart Home, Women,

Dyson promises that it’s DC17 Animal will never tip over, thanks to it’s low center of gravity. Of course, that isn’t all that this powerhouse of a vacuum boasts, as this beast is said to offer the most powerful suction on the vacuum cleaner market. Debris is sifted through it’s three nested chambers, and the air that is expelled contains about 150 times less bacteria and mold spores than our normal, everyday air - not other vacuum expelled air, we mean air in general!

Price: $550 (Compare Prices)

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2006 Holiday Gift Guide: Black & Decker Infrawave Speed Oven

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Smart Home, Women,

After being featured on 30 Rock, many were wondering if this thing was the real deal. Turns out, it is. The Black & Decker Infrawave Speed Oven is smaller than your average microwave, but also packs a lot more power. The Infrawave Oven uses infrared light to cook food, using two heating elements that cycle on and off. The cycling uses various wavelengths, allowing it to roast, broil, or bake in just about half the time it would take to do it in your traditional gas or electric oven. Sure, it can toast your bread and heat your frozen pizza - but the Infrawave Oven can even cook bone-in meats. Oh, and unlike your microwave, it heats everything in your food, not just the water. That spells out juicy, evenly-heated grub.

Price: $129

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2006 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple iPod nano

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Music, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Techies, Teens,

The recently overhauled iPod nano is almost a splitting image of the old-school iPod mini. You know, the anodized-aluminum casing that is available in multiple colors? Yeah, that’s the one. The new casing is much more scratch-resistant than the original nano, and features a brighter screen along with better battery life (26 hours!) and a thinner shell, if you can believe that. The new iPod nano also features updated software which includes a nice search interface. What you aren’t getting, though, is the ability to play movies or the new iPod games that are available in iTunes - however, we think that most people on the lookout to purchase a nano aren’t necessarily the gaming type. Plus, who would want to play Zuma on a screen this tiny? Still, for a flash-based portable music player, we give the nod to the iPod nano. Hey, you can even get the RED nano and help in the fight against AIDS. Feel free to check out our iPod nano unboxing video.

Price: $149 - $249 (Compare Prices)

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2006 Holiday Gift Guide: Nintendo Wii

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Home Entertainment, Video Games, Family, Women, Men, Kids, Techies, Teens,

With Wii, Nintendo seems to be poised to be the talk of the videogame town once again. Wii (pronounced “wee”) doesn’t match up to the PLAYSTATION 3 or Xbox 360 in terms of processing power, but makes up for it by boasting the best library of classic games on the planet, along with what many consider to be the most user-friendly controller ever to grace a home console. The Wii Remote (or Wiimote as it’s affectionately known) has a built-in accelerometer that works with a sensor bar that sits above or below your television. It senses movement and tilt in three dimensions, and even has a speaker for audible feedback directly out of the controller itself along with force feedback. Throw in built-in WiFi, and you have a console that is ready to download classic games from the 80s and 90s, as well as interacting with other Wii owners around the globe.

Price: $249.99 (Compare Prices)

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2006 Holiday Gift Guide: Canon EOS 30D

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Features, Women, Men, Techies,

The 30D is an evolutionary upgrade from the EOS 20D and shares many of the same components/features such as the 8.19-megapixel CMOS sensor, shutter speed (1/8000), and autofocus system.  New to the 30D is the 2.5” LCD with a greatly increased viewing angle as compared to the 1.8” LCD on the 20D.  A deeper burst depth allows you to take more pictures in rapid succession before the camera writes to memory and is a welcome improvement when shooting in RAW mode.  ISO speed is now adjustable while looking through the viewfinder and should make shooting with changing light conditions a much easier task.

Price: $1,399 (Compare Prices)

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