CNET editors have rounded up the best gadget gifts this season, from budget picks to high-end luxuries, it’s all here. In additional to the typical cell phones, MP3 players, TVs and digital cameras, we’ve also rounded up the best tech for foodies, green gadget gifts and more.
Find the complete gift guide online at http://reviews.cnet.com/holiday-gift-guide/
CAMERA AND CAMCORDER GIFT IDEAS
Canon Vixia HF200
– CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
– Editors’ Summary: A compact but high-quality flash-based AVCHD camcorder, the HF200 makes a great choice for anyone looking to capture life’s important events or who deserves to step up from a direct-to-Web budget model.
– The cost: $539 – $759
– The bottom line: While it’s more expensive than its sub-$600 competitors, the Canon Vixia HF20 and Vixia HF200 deliver a more extensive feature set for the extra money. The HF200, which lacks internal memory, is probably a better buy than the HF20, though the HF20’s all-black body is a bit classier looking.
Nikon Coolpix S570
– CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
– Editors’ Summary: Simple and stylish, the S570 has a bright, wide-angle lens and 5x zoom helping it stand out from the competition; as does its consistently good photos. Its features are fairly basic with the exception of a Smart Portrait System to help make subjects look their best even when they might not be at their best.
– The cost: $173 – $199
– The bottom line: The Nikon Coolpix S570 is a respectable ultracompact camera, despite average point-and-shoot performance and some high-ISO overpromising.
Kodak EasyShare W1020 Wireless Digital Frame
– CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
– Editors’ Summary: The W1020 is an exemplary digital media frame. The built-in Wi-Fi adapter quickly connects to a wireless network, getting you access to photos, music, and videos on your Windows computers. It can also stream photos from Kodak Gallery and Flickr accounts, send and receive pictures directly from the frame, and view news, weather, sports, and photo and text RSS feeds. There’s an iPhone app, too, for sending shots straight to the frame.
– The cost: $156 – $229
— The bottom line: Kodak may have cut some corners on the build quality of the EasyShare W1020 Wireless Digital Frame, but it offers decent image quality, performance, and a strong feature set for the money.
TECH TOYS FOR BIG KIDS
Roku HD Player (Netflix Player)
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: This is the perfect gift for anyone who already has Netflix. For just $100, this little box delivers thousands of streaming Netflix movies and TV shows on any TV, straight over the Internet _ unlimited viewing, all for one flat monthly fee. In addition, Roku has been adding new channels with more premium and free content: Amazon Video-on-Demand (more movies and TV shows), Major League Baseball (live and recorded out-of-area games), Blip.tv (independent online video) and Mediafly (video and audio podcasts), with more expected soon. It’s not quite enough to ditch your cable subscription _ yet _ but it’s a great way to expand your on-demand viewing choices to any TV in the house.
— The cost: $99
— The bottom line: The one-two punch of Amazon and Netflix makes the Roku Player an enticing choice for anyone looking for a simple, convenient and affordable alternative to cable or satellite TV.
Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: Know someone who’s an avid reader? Bring them into the twenty-first century with the Amazon Kindle. Thousands of books can be purchased at the touch of a button, and many of the world’s top newspapers, magazines, and blogs can be automatically delivered to the device (for a fee, of course) via the Kindle’s built-in cellular connection. The competition in the e-book space is heating up, though _ you should also investigate alternatives such as the Sony Reader and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
— The cost: $259
— The bottom line: While the new internationalized Kindle looks exactly like the earlier U.S.-only model, this e-reader, which uses AT&T’s data network for wireless access, represents an incremental improvement to the Kindle line _ just as serious competition is ramping up in the e-book market.
Logitech Squeezebox Radio
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: What if you had a tabletop radio that could receive nearly every radio station in the world? There’s no need to imagine, because that’s pretty much the mission statement for the Logitech Squeezebox Radio. This Wi-Fi radio taps into your home network to access literally thousands of radio stations available online. It also can stream many free and premium online music services, including Pandora, Last.fm, Rhapsody, Sirius XM and Slacker _ just to name a few _ as well as play music residing on the hard drive of your Windows or Mac computer. It’s one of the most full-featured and easiest-to-use such models we’ve seen to date _ and it’s available at the gift-friendly price of $200.
— The cost: $149 – $205
— The bottom line: The Logitech Squeezebox Radio has an exceptional design, an unmatched variety of streaming music services, and solid sonics, making it the top value pick for Wi-Fi radios.
ECO-CHIC TECH
Dell ST2310
— CNET rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)
— Editors’ Summary: HDMI and DVI are both offered in this low-price, low-energy-consuming 23-incher. Unfortunately, thanks to its low brightness, games and movies look dull.
— The cost: $229
— The bottom line: The ST2310 has a low price and is good for everyday tasks, but it lacks some of the extra features included with similarly priced displays.
LG Flatron W2486L
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: This LED-based monitor offers a unique and thin design, great performance, and a small energy footprint.
— The cost: $329 – $349
— The bottom line: The LG Flatron W2486L is a great LED-backlit monitor that few will choose over its main competitor.
— Full review: http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/lg-flatron-w2486l/4505-3174_7-33769680.html
CAR TECH TOP PICKS
Eclipse AVN726E DVD/GPS receiver
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: The Eclipse AVN726e will cover most users’ hands-free calling, navigation, audio and visual needs in a single installation. That, combined with its 5-volt preamp outputs and easy upgrade options, makes the AVN726e an ideal starting point for building an audiophile-quality car audio system.
— The cost: $729 – $1,299
— The bottom line: The Eclipse AVN726e will cover most users’ hands-free calling, navigation, audio and visual needs in a single installation. It is also an excellent starting point for system builders.
TomTom One 140 S portable navigation device
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: TomTom’s One 140 S distinguishes itself from the low-price crowd with its MapShare user-generated updates system and IQ Routes algorithm. Graphic lane guidance and text-to-speech turn-by-turn directions are features that up until recently could only be found in flagship models.
— The cost: $129 – $199.99
— The bottom line: The TomTom One 140 S benefits greatly from feature trickle-down, bringing high-end features to an entry-level model without much price bloat.
CELL PHONES AND SMARTPHONES TOP PICKS
Samsung Rogue
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: The Samsung Rogue offers an impressive 3.1-inch AMOLED display, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO Rev. A, a 3.5mm headset jack, and an HTML browser with Flash Lite support. It’s only $99.99 with a two-year agreement, but it requires a data plan.
— The cost: $79
— The bottom line: The Samsung Rogue is a great multimedia touch-screen messaging phone for Verizon Wireless customers.
Nokia E71x (AT&T)
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: It’s not often that Nokia’s E series of business smartphones get offered in the U.S., so we were thrilled when AT&T picked up the Nokia E71x. We were even more excited when we found out that it would cost less than $100. The sleek device offers robust messaging capabilities, productivity tools and it balances it out with multimedia features. The E71x costs $49.99 with a two-year contract.
— The cost: $49 – $349
— The bottom line: Affordably priced, the Nokia E71x for AT&T is an incredible value for business users and consumers looking for a robust messaging smartphone.
HTC Touch Diamond2
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: The HTC Touch Diamond2 is a great example of less is more. The smartphone doesn’t have the flashiest design; it’s clean and simple, and, with the brushed-metal finish and bright 3.2-inch WVGA touch screen, it’s certainly stunning.
— The cost: $499
— The bottom line: The HTC Touch Diamond2 brings some notable improvements over its predecessor and promises to be a powerful touch-screen smartphone when it finally arrives in the U.S.
HDTV TOP PICKS
Panasonic TC-P50V10
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: Plasmas are the go-to choice of discerning videophiles everywhere, and this is the best-performing model made by the king of plasma itself. ‘Nuff said.
— The cost: $1,895 – $2,099
— The bottom line: The high-end Panasonic TC-PV10 series of plasmas delivers the overall best picture quality of any flat-panel HDTV we’ve tested so far this year.
JVC LT-32P300
— CNET rating: 3 stars out of 5 (Good)
— Editors’ Summary: It’s an inexpensive LCD TV with a twist: a built-in iPod dock that flips down from the front. Yes it can play videos, music and even photos from your iPod or iPhone, but this JVC also manages to deliver a decent picture.
— The cost: $539 – $649
— The bottom line: The dock on JVC’s LT-P300 series of LCD TV provides a well-designed and easy way to enjoy iPod and iPhone content in the living room.
Sony Bravia KDL-46W5100
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: Sony adds Netflix on demand to a list of interactive video and content options that seems a mile long, including Yahoo widgets and network streaming. If you like your Web video served up on the big screen, it’s worth considering.
— The cost: $1,229 – $1,399
— The bottom line: With a full suite of interactive features as well as solid picture quality, the Sony KDL-W5100 series might be worth the higher price to streaming video fans.
LAPTOPS AND NETBOOKS TOP PICKS
— Apple MacBook Pro
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: Apple added an SD card slot, improved the battery life, and lowered the cost of its already excellent all-aluminum laptop. Even though it now has a “Pro” in its name, it’s a more affordable Mac notebook than ever before, and with solid specs.
— The cost: $1,149 – $1,199
— The bottom line: Previously known as the MacBook, Apple’s basic 13-inch aluminum unibody laptop has been promoted to the “Pro” series, all while adding features and cutting the base price.
Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: Toshiba’s Windows 7 thin-and-light is one of the most affordable we’ve seen, while still providing a dual-core ultralow-voltage processor and plenty of battery life to spare. For $700, the only thing it lacks is an optical drive.
— The cost: $681.00 – $749.00
— The bottom line: Toshiba’s slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but if you’re going to get one, make sure it’s the dual-core T135-S1310, and not its single-core cousin.
HP Mini 311
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: Equipped with an Nvidia Ion graphics processor, this Netbook can achieve graphics that approach mainstream laptop-quality, including HD streaming video and even a small amount of mainstream gaming. For $400, it’s a complete Netbook for any occasion.
— The cost: $399
— The bottom line: HP’s Mini 311 adds a larger, high-definition display and advanced graphics to a basic Netbook, while keeping the price very appealing. Once it starts shipping with Windows 7, this could become our favorite Netbook.
GAMING GEAR TOP PICKS
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB)
— CNET rating: 4 stars out of 5 (Excellent)
— Editors’ Summary: The PS3 Slim is sleeker and sexier than its bulky predecessor and is now only $300. While it doesn’t retain all of the features of the original PS3, the fact that it’s one of the best Blu-ray players on the market sweetens the deal.
— The cost: $299
— The bottom line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
— CNET rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding)
— Editors’ Summary: Mario and Luigi are back fighting together in their latest RPG epic, Bowser’s Inside Story. You’ll play in tandem with Bowser, alternating control between him and the brothers. Fans of the side-scroll Mario Bros. games won’t be disappointed.
— The cost: $33 – $34
Nyko Wing Wireless Classic Controller
— CNET rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 (Very good)
— Editors’ Summary: The Nyko Wing is the absolute best controller for use with the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console. It’s comfortable, feels solid in your hands, and is compatible with every Virtual Console game available. As an added bonus, the onboard Mini-USB port can charge your batteries when you’re not playing.
— The cost: $20 – $29
— The bottom line: The Nyko Wing Wireless Classic Controller is a must-have accessory for Wii owners who play a lot of Virtual Console games as it improves on the Nintendo original in almost every way.
