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Posts Filed under: $250 and Under

This GPS Device Tracks Your Dog, Kids, and Interns (Video)


While the yet-to-be-invented GPS-enabled remote control will be Man's crowning technical achievement, the Zoombak Advanced GPS locator gets pretty close in the awesome department. The 2.5-oz. device is small enough to fit in your pocket, yet it's powerful enough to send location updates to the Web for five days without a recharge. Watch the video for a demo of how the Zoombak works.

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For the Traveler: Samsung P2, a Real iPod Killer




Samsung P2
$250, samsungusa.com

Most so-called iPod-killers hardly live up to the name, much less Apple's digital audio player, but Samsung's P2 is pretty darn close. The size of a pack of Dentyne, and yet boasting a three-inch, 16:9 touchscreen, the P2 is a perfect alternative for iTunes haters, or just somebody who's got a lot of WMA or cell-phone-music-store-purchased tunes on their PCs. The elegant and kinetic onscreen interface is playful and surprisingly responsive, which makes browsing for everything from pictures and non-iTunes songs (Napster, Rhapsody, and the like) to TV shows purchased from Amazon Unbox and Wal-Mart a pleasurable cinch. Oh, and volume goes up to 11.

For the Music Hound: Sony HD Radio



Sony HD Radio
$200

Sick of the same-old, same-old chart-based tunes and endless ads you hear on the radio? You're missing the party, or the talk-orgy, that's happening on HD radio, which is the technology that allows more than one programming feed to broadcast on the same FM frequency. Provided you have an HD radio such as this minimalist cherry wood and black mesh speaker tabletop model from Sony, you can essentially quadruple the amount of broadcasts – and the variety of music genres or talk-radio programs – that are normally available to you on a standard FM radio.

From SonyStyle.

The Skinny on the Latest Holiday Gadget Deals


Hi friends. In the mood for a good deal on a gift? We did a little poking around this morning to find some worthy stocking stuffers you might consider -- especially since the price tag is nice.

Amazon today is offering deals on SanDisk Sansa MP3 players, including a 68 percent off the list price for a 4 gigabyte Sansa e260, which will now only set you back $79.

eCost is wasting no time moving a small collection of JVC Everio High-Definition Camcorders. This is an excellent device that we've used personally and while a little on the bulky side compared to other consumer models the large hard drive and HD capability make for a fine experience. Normally priced at $1,700, eCost is willing to give it to you for $779. Move fast, though, not many are left.

Don't underestimate what a truly capable universal remote control can do you for you. Buy.com has a deal going on the Harmony Advanced Universal Remote, normally listed at $249 but right now going for $166.93 and you get free shipping.

We'll keep our eyes and ears open to help you out with your last minute shopping. We know you're just like us, waiting until the last possible moment...


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Breaking: Nintendo To Offer Wii 'Rainchecks' for Out-of-Stock Consoles

Nintendo Wii Rain Check
Today, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced that due to massive demand for the Nintendo Wii, the company will offer a rain check program for those who can't get the console.

The program, announced by Fils-Aime on a conference call with Switched.com and others in the gaming press, will be offered via Gamestop retailers on December 20 and 21. If the store is out of stock, you can buy a "rain check" for a Nintendo Wii that you are guaranteed to get in the month of January. You will have to pay for the rain check in full at $249 and pick up the Wii by January 29.

So, even if you can't get the actual Wii on Christmas, maybe you'll get a little piece of paper that says you'll get one some time in January.

Also, Fils-Aime promised that "six major retailers" will have Wiis this weekend, so... good luck!

Verizon Wireless 'Swiveling' Flipshot Phone

Verizon Wireless recently released the FlipShot by Samsung, a snazzy new 3-megapixel (MP) camera phone with swivel 'technology.' The crisp 240x320 pixel phone display swivels 180 degrees to allow for different viewing angles and easy sharing of multimedia with friends. To activate the camera, you just open the clamshell halfway and swivel the display 90-degrees towards you and begin shooting (similar to the Nokia N93 camera phone). The pictures can be resized from the high-end of 2048x1536 to the low end of 160x120 for ease of sharing videos through text messages and MMS (multi-media messaging), or you can even print them wirelessly using PictBridge. Most phones coming out from Verizon these days support the EV-DO high speed data networkm, and the FlipShot is no exception. You can stream music and video from Verizon's V Cast Music and Video service or even quickly download songs that catch your fancy. You can then store your downloaded songs and video on up to 4 -gigabytes (GB) of memory via the MicroSD slot provided (card sold separately of course).

The FlipShot is also quite reasonably priced at $199 with a 2-year contract with Verizon Wireless, and is sure to be appreciated by creative types and amateur shutterbugs everywhere.

From BetaNews.com

Philips AJL308 Alarm Clock/Photo Frame

Philips AJL308
A perfect bedside item, this all-in-wonder functions as a clock radio, alarm clock, and 7" digital picture frame. It's nice and small and cleanly-designed; the dual alarm clock radio will wake you with your favorite FM radio station, or your own MP3s -- all while slowly flipping through digital photos of your loved ones (it has a SD/MMC card slot and USB connection for actually getting the content onto the device). Or perhaps it's more motivating to wake to pictures of your boss looking angry? On second thought, we wouldn't suggest that. Maybe a picture of a hot cup of coffee instead? Either way, Amazon has them for cheap.

From Amazon

Best Headphones for the Gym

It's the holiday season and we're all eating a bit more. Unfortunately, going to the gym is such a drag that the only way to make time pass (and exercise more bearable) is to blast some tunes while we work out. Unfortunately, many of the headphones we like to wear on the street (because they're stylish), at home (because they're audiophile-quality), or while we travel (because they block out airplane cabin noise) just don't cut it on the treadmill. Headphones have a tendency to fall off our heads while we jog, for example, or just hurt out ears. But have no fear: We put five highly-touted, gym-friendly headphones to the test by taking them with us on some recent workouts. Here's what we found.



H2O Sport Headphones

The only over-the-ear pair of headphones we tested, the H2O Sport is a pretty good option for budget-conscious athletes: For 30 bucks, these things actually provide decent bass response and get plenty loud. The neckwrap helps keep the headphones in place while you get your sweat on, and the coiled cord conveniently retracts to three feet (six feet when extended). That said, the plastic construction is a bit chintzy, and the cord feels like it might rip if you tug it too hard. The phones are a bit bulky and feel like they may give out after a year or so, but until then, they'll definitely get the job done whle you work out.

Audio-Technica QuietPoint Active Noise-Canceling Headphone

Holiday Gift Guide: Audio-Technica QuietPoint Active Noise-Canceling Headphone

Audio-Technica is known for making audiophile-approved products at reasonable prices. Now, noise-canceling headphones can run high, price-wise (like, $300), but Audio-Technica's ATH-ANC7 Noise Canceling Headphones can be had for as little as $120 . And the good news is your frequent-flier audio-buff, uncle (or whomever) will really appreciate the sound these babies can make (and the sound they can hide while, say, in a noisy airplane cabin).


These bad boys are even surprisingly compact, for over-the-ear cans. The cable detaches and the 'phones fold flat for easy storage in the included carrying case. Meanwhile, a=a single AAA battery will keep the active noise cancellation technology running for 40 hours.

Sensors detect and remove 85 percent background noise such as engine drones on a plane, background chatter at the office, or even the sound of hyper ctive children in your living room. You can even ditch the cable and use them to cancel out sound without plugging them into an iPod or portable DVD player.

From Audio-Technica

AT&T Releases the Samsung SLM with Napster Music Downloads

Samsung SLM

Remember Napster? They're still around, and the file sharing-gone-legit company has teamed up with AT&T to release a mobile phone that is optimized for downloading songs from its online catalog of more than 3 million songs. The SLM from Samsung comes with the basic things you expect, like 512 megabytes of storage, BlueTooth 2.0, and a 2-megapixel camera. The big deal, though? It's the SLM's high-peed data connection for the Napster subscription service with downloads averaging around ten seconds per song.

The dual-band 3G clamshell has a brushed metal finish and a swivel-camera for taking pictures or video calls over the high-speed network.

Napster To Go on the SLM will cost $7.49 for five tracks per month and additional tracks can be purchased for $1.99 each. The phone itself will set you back $150 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

From Dailytech.com

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