It’s that time of year again, when we round up some of our favorites for holiday giving and getting. Here goes … So-called “MP3 players” are this year’s No. 1 gift wish for teens and young adults, according to several polls. But let’s not beat around the generic bush; what we’re really talking about here are Apple iPods. Present your kid with any other digital music player, and you’re risking a major moping session.
iPods
The all-solid-state iPod nano ($199 and $249) is a total charmer. It’s not much bigger than a trio of credit cards, yet it holds hundreds of songs – 500 for the 2GB $199 model, 1,000 for the 4GB, $249 version – plus thousands of photo stills, which look fine on nano’s color screen.
The only concern with this cutie is it’s too tiny, fitting into places where it really shouldn’t go (like a back-pants pocket). Protective covers for the player are an overpriced but worthwhile insurance policy. For a laugh, go with the Speck cases that look like Gumby (complete with posable arms!) or a field of AstroTurf.
Also slimmed down for shirt-pocket toting are the new 30- and 60-gig, hard-drive-based Video iPods ($299 and $399 respectively), boasting a super-sharp, 2.5-inch color screen. I wouldn’t want to watch a movie on it, but the display is fine for made-for-TV content, music videos, cartoons and a rapidly emerging cottage industry of podcasts, screen savers and, egads, “adult content.”
Powered speakers
For those moments when you want to share your iPod music, all manner of accessory speakers are available in a matching, “Apple white” finish.
Appealing mostly for its cutes, Hasbro’s iDog ($23-$29) is a small toy pooch that blinks lights and wiggles its head and ears in time to music, while a built-in speaker barks out OK sound.
The TriPod MP3 Player Speaker ($35 at www.zelco.com) is a pocket-sized set of three speakers that open like a tripod to hold an iPod or other audio device. Producing a slightly bigger sound is the 1-pound JBL “On Tour” portable music box ($99), which can keep the party going for 10 hours on four AAA batteries.
Flat-panel TVs
Panel prices have been going through the floor. A 42-inch, good-quality HD plasma complete with high-def tuner can be had for less than $2,000 – that’s for the Philips-Magnavox 42MF230A, which sells for about $1,900.
A lower-resolution, enhanced-definition 42-inch plasma screen from Maxent (a brand of Sampo) will be hitting the skids at $999.99.
Digital cameras
Digital still cameras are another category where less buys more this year, like the $199 list (with discounts available) Nikon Coolpix 4600. It’s a compact with a serious 3x lens, a 1.8-inch LCD viewfinder, red-eye correction and four-megapixel imager – sufficient pixel power to produce a sharp, 8-by-10-inch print.
Price “bump ups” earn a sturdier metal body, a larger 2-inch or 2.5-inch LCD display and higher pixel count, important when cropping.
Panasonic’s $600 list DMC-LX1 is a landmark – the first digital camera with a 16:9-formatted, 8.4-megapixel imager, ideal for shooting stills and also wide-format movies (at 30 frames per second) for display on your high-def widescreen TV.
Digital printers
With all the money you’re saving on that digital camera, you can afford to spend some for a digital printer. Look for cameras and printers that are “PictBridge-enabled” for direct connection with no computer in-between. Epson’s newest and least expensive PictureMate Express Edition ($149) speeds its 4-by-6-inch photo replication to 80 seconds, while per-print cost is down to 24 cents if you buy a 270-sheet pack ($65). Lexmark’s P450 ($199) is the first photo printer that also packs a built-in CD burner to move images off your memory card.
HOME THEATER OF THE MIND
In smaller rooms, “single-point” home theater systems like the Cambridge SurroundWorks 200 ($999) can make a big impression with minimal clutter. Connected with just a couple of cables, the system includes a compact, multi-channel speaker box that angles sound out to the sides as well as straight ahead, plus a separate subwoofer and a sleek, DVD/CD/AM/FM control center.
Decoding Dolby Digital, DTS and even DVD-Audio discs, the explosive surround effects on “Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” enveloped me in the action, while the concert video disc included in the new Bruce Springsteen “Born To Run” anniversary box truly rocked the house. At www.cambridgesoundworks.com or 1-800-FOR-HIFI.
Free the music captive on your computer with a Sonos Digital Music System, built around powerfully amplified Zone Players and sleek wireless controllers that look like oversized iPods. Sonos is wirelessly expandable to 32 rooms, each enjoying its own stream of music from your library, online radio stations and Rhapsody services – $1,199 buys a two-zone starter system at www.sonos.com.
DVD recorders used to be priced in the thousands, but the latest LVW-1105 model from Lite-On delivers the goods for below $100. Recording on DVD+ and – format discs guarantees compatibility with other DVD players in your house, while the ability to read MPEG-4 video means you can watch content captured on the Internet.
CAR TUNES
Millions of Pioneer car “head end” units (equipped with IP-Bus changer controls) are ready to take on the company’s new Sirius tuner (SIR-PNR1, $120), just in time for Howard Stern’s arrival. While this tuner box gets stashed out of sight, the channel, artist, album and song information all pop up on the Pioneer head unit display.
harmon/kardon has a smart, sleek $200 (plus installation) solution for bringing the iPod into your car, called Drive + Play. The familiar iPod menu appears on a backlit display mounted on the dash, while operation is handled with a round, five-button controller, also aping the Apple way.
PHONE PHUN
For the mobile phone phanatic on your list, Verizon Wireless is pushing the LG VX9800, a nifty little multimedia all-in-one that features an MP3 player and a 1.3-megapixel camcorder/camera, both working with removable (hurrah!) miniSD cards.
Better still, its flip-up face plate reveals an internal LCD color display and mini stereo speakers (great for watching V-Casts) and a (relatively) easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard. Oh, and it does Bluetooth, too.
Trade that comfy keyboard for a higher-res camera on the Samsung a970 from Verizon, upping image ante to 2 megapixels with a 2x optical zoom, auto focus and sturdy swivel/flip grip design. Also boasts MP3 storage/play on removable memory cards.
Both these phones are $300 when you sign up for a two-year contract.
KEEPING THE PEACE
Get rid of coffee-table clutter and ease the frustration of using your complicated home entertainment system with the Logitech Harmony 880 ($249), latest and greatest in the Harmony line of all-in-one a/v remote controls.
Connect the unit (temporarily) to your computer and Harmony takes care of custom programming the remote to fit your equipment array. Recharges on a custom base.
Night owls and sleepy heads will co-habit better if the late nighter’s wearing Sennheiser cordless headphones. Transmitting hi-fi-quality audio signals on the 900 MegaHertz frequency band, the headphones let the user roam around the house, enjoying the music or a TV soundtrack while others sleep in peace.
Tweeter is offering a super, $50 deal on last year’s RS100 cordless Sennheisers. The similar RS110 is widely available for about $75.
Another form of headphone peace comes with the Bose QuietZone 2 ($299), the world’s best noise-reduction headphones, now made even better with subtle technical tweaking. Wear them on the plane or train, and you’ll come home more relaxed and well rested.
Also smoothing out the kinks is GN Netcom’s GN 6210, the first wireless Bluetooth headset that works seamlessly with office and mobile phones. The base station charges the headset and makes any office phone Bluetooth-capable ($249).
HOME AND HEARTH
Know someone who loves the glow of candlelight, but not the mess of melted wax? Give em a Philips Aurelle LED Candle that creates the illusion of a real candle flickering inside an attractive, frosted glass container ($24.95 at Home Depot, Walgreens and Amazon.com).
Single-serve coffeemakers are multiplying again this season. New from Cuisinart is Coffee on Demand ($99), which serves up to 12 individual cups at the push of a button.
Braun jumps in with the Tassimo TA 1400 ($160-$170), which reads the bar code on special T-Disc pods to prepare the coffee, tea, hot chocolate, espresso or cappuccino of choice.
For the hairy dude on your shopping list, the Norelco 6-in-1 Professional Grooming Kit (G290, $29.99) will really clean up his act. Included are a microshaver, hair clipper, beard and moustache cutter, plus a nose/eyebrow and ear trimmer.
Help someone spiff up for the holidays with Buff “n Shine, a hand-held, battery-operated shoe polisher retailing for under $10 (including brushes and batteries) at Wal-Mart.
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AP-NY-11-30-05 1500EST
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