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Posts with tag Holiday Gift Guide

Top 11 Cell Phones for Ladies

by Tobey Grumet Segal, posted Jan 2nd 2008 at 5:34PMFeatured Story

Sanyo KatanaStill wondering what to get the lady in your life for the holidays? Well, you certainly waited until the last moment. Not to worry, we're here with some of the best cell phone picks for ladies -- and you're sure to find one that's right for her.

There's no mistaking it these days: Many cell phones are made with the female form in mind. Gone are the clunky, unattractive phones that took up way too much purse space -- replaced instead by sleek, stylish, colorful phones that are easy to use and tote around. But before you buy your lady a new mobile for the holidays, take a look at our feminine faves.

Of course, if that special someone is locked in a contract, you might want to take a look at Amazon.com, which has an array of unlocked cell phones. These phones provide service by allowing you to insert any SIM card from any compatible carrier. Nice and easy.


Sanyo Katana

A little longer and boxier than the groundbreaking RAZR, the Sanyo Katana powered by Sprint, is a pretty flip phone with a VGA camera peeking out over a small color screen. Its Cherry Blossom Pink color attracts the fairer sex and its Web browsing functions, four-hour talk time and wireless Bluetooth keeps them coming back for more.



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Top 7 Holiday E-Cards

by Colin McDonald, posted Dec 24th 2007 at 11:12AM

'Tis the season to spread holiday cheer by inserting photos into ridiculous cartoons (after you've finished shopping, of course)! Here are the top 7 options that you can use to keep things fresh, because friends, family, coworkers, and all of your targets deserve a uniquely festive brand of e-spoofing.


What are these crazy foreigners doing? Dive in and find out...
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Holiday Deals: Free Vudu, Books, and Other Gadget-Buy Extras

by Will Safer, posted Dec 24th 2007 at 10:35AM

Vudu


You're buying so many tech gifts this year, so wouldn't it be nice of those companies actually gave you a present in addition to their products? Yes, we thought so, too.

We saw an interesting deal between Sharp and new video-on-demand service Vudu, where the purchase of a new Aquos LCD display gets you a free Vudu set-top box and $50 in download credit. You'll put that to good use, for sure.

But instead of melting your brain on all that video, wouldn't it be nice if you actually read a book now and then? Click your way to Sony's site, where you'll find a deal that will put 100 classic books in your hands when you buy one of its Readers, a competitor to the Amazon Kindle. The books offered include such classics as Mark Twain's 'Huckleberry Finn' and H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine.'

Finally, if you're looking for an audio experience, buying the Microsoft Zune will garner you a $20 gift card from Best Buy or $15 in downloads from Amazon.com.

Let's see, that's video, words, music... looks like we've covered our bases.



Related links:

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Top Tech Toys for Tots

by Tobey Grumet Segal, posted Dec 23rd 2007 at 4:22PM

Smart Cycle

Parenting is hard enough without having to come up with the best gift ideas. You're bombarded by TV ads, which don't really tell you enough, and your child deserves a present that's cool, that's tech, and that maybe ISN'T EXACTLY THE SAME gift that all his or her little classmates will be getting this year.

Here at Switched, we asked our inner child -- and an actual tech-lovin' Mom -- to help us compile a list of the best tech toys for tots. Here's what we found...

Smart Cycle

The Smart Cycle (Mattel, $99.99) is a physical arcade game that connects easily to your TV. Just pop in a supported game cartridge and your child will happily pedal away, burning up all types of energy and leaving you free to pay some bills or start dinner. Cartridges focus on areas such as learning, discoveries, games and races -- and, of course, there are multiple levels that wee ones can can move up as they get better. Smart Cycle also teaches upper and lowercase letters, numbers and counting, spelling, problem-solving, shapes, matching and spatial reasoning.
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For the Traveler: Samsung P2, a Real iPod Killer

by Tom Samiljan, posted Dec 23rd 2007 at 4:01PM




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.
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For the Music Hound: Sony HD Radio

by Tom Samiljan, posted Dec 23rd 2007 at 3:46PM



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.
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For the Video Hound: Vudu

by Tom Samiljan, posted Dec 23rd 2007 at 3:31PM



Vudu
$399, vudu.com

About as big as a Mac Mini, the Vudu box gives you access to over 5,000 movies for rent or purchase. Vudu uses the same peer-to-peer technology that pirates use to illegally swap movies online, but for good purposes like letting you watch a movie instantly even though it's not done downloading. The service just started offering HD movies you'd actually want to watch – like the 'Bourne Ultimatum' – but the mostly standard definition (SD) movies on offer still look stunning since the box upscales video to quasi-HD quality, while the ergonomic remote is the most responsive to come along since Tivo.
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Gift Guide: Boynq Abibi

by Evan Shamoon, posted Dec 23rd 2007 at 2:58PM



Boynq Alibi (Style maven, $100 and under)

Want to get your college-bound, studying-abroad, jet-setting son or daughter to actually video-chat with you? Try getting them a webcam -- particularly one that looks as fresh as Boynq's Alibi. Though its primary function is video, the unit doubles as a speaker as well: While it's only able to crank out five watts, it sounds better than your laptop's internal speakers. The camera is able to angle itself 25 degrees left and right, and and it even rotates 300 degrees, allowing you to record video of most of a room without having to move the body of the webcam itself. Aside from its look, the design is full of nice touches: Rather than a volume knob, the Alibi has a tall ring around its body, which you slide to adjust volume. Oh, and coolest of all? The camera head pops up when in use, and hibernates into its plastic body when idle. Comes in four purdy colors.

Price: $59.99

From Boynq
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Robot Dog Listens to Your iPod, Dances, and Seeks Attention

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 8:24PM



Finally, a gift for the child who wants a puppy, a stereo and a robot for Christmas: The iDog Amp'd, quite possibly the strangest iPod accessory we've seen since the iCan't-keep-making-i-jokes-anymore.
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Gateway One: a Windows PC Dressed Like a Mac

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 7:17PM


Finally, an all-in-one Windows PC with some style sense. Check out the video for more on the Gateway One.
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B&W Zeppelin -- the Best iPod Dock We've Tried

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 5:02PM


It may look a little strange, but the $600 B&W Zeppelin sounds perfect and sets a new standard for acoustics and ergonomics in the all-in-one iPod dock category.
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Our Best TV Pick: Pioneer Kuro Elite 50-Inch Plasma HDTV

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 11:10AM


For the videophile who's been really, really good this year, there's no better way to say "I love, but I'd like you to stop talking so much" than by giving the top-of-the-line Pioneer Kuro Elite 50-inch PDP-5010FD. With picture quality so pristine that, from 3.5-feet you can see the film grain -- but not the pixels -- this TV will leave anyone speachless.
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Palm Centro Mixes Business with a Little Pleasure

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 9:39AM



Once upon a time, you were a nobody if you didn't have a Palm-powered PDA holstered beneath your power suit. With BlackBerrys and iPhones getting all the glory, can Palm's new Centro compete? Josh Fruhlinger reports.
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Don't Snub the Sony E-Reader -- We Actually Like It

by Tom Samiljan, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 7:22AM



Sure, the Amazon Kindle -- the electronic book reader with the easy-on-the-eyes, glare-free E-Ink screen -- may have stolen all the hype this holiday season, but it's sold out and going for $1,000 or more on eBay. So what's a gift giver who wants to wow an avid reader to do? Well, we've been playing around with both portable-book-reading devices and think that the Sony Reader is a fine alternative -- it's slim with a brushed-metal body, making it sleeker and sturdier in that quality-Sony-gadget kind-of-way than the cheesy-feeling plastic Kindle (plus, the Reader comes with a nice leather case). The Reader's screen is actually easier to read, and the pages turn faster than the Kindle. Sure, you need to sync the Reader with a computer to get new content, and only about 45,000 books are available from Sony Connect versus the Kindle's direct-to-device content downloads and 90,000-book library, but Sony's also only charging about $299 for the thing (about $100 less than the Kindle). Plus, Sony is offering $100 of free classics '(War and Peace,' 'Madame Bovary,' and the like) to anyone who buys the Reader before January 31st. Regardless, the traveler in your life will love that they can carry 160 books in this 9-ounce, 1/3-inch thick thing.

From Sony Style
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Holiday Gadget Deals For You, From East to West

by Will Safer, posted Dec 19th 2007 at 1:34PM

iRobot Roomba 400


Do we send too many discounts and deals your way? Hardly. In gift-giving, it is indeed the thought that counts but that doesn't mean you should also count away all your dollars when we can easily help you save a few. Something you may not know is you can often find great deals at so-called regional electronics chains instead of only relying on the big nationals or Amazon.com. And the good news is that all of these retailers let you get the same deals online and have merchandise shipped wherever you want. Here are three that could work for you.

Abt Electronics, a stalwart of the Windy City and one of the biggest consumer electronics retailers in the country that still happens to be family owned, is offering a Panasonic 32-inch high definition LCD TV for only $698 and free shipping. This normally goes for about $200 more.

Go West to Frys.com, which has the iRobot Roomba 400 for only $89.99 while it lists for $119 elsewhere. This little automatic vacuum cleaner seems smarter than some small dogs – or that kid you knew in school who ate the paint chips.

Finally, look to New York's B & H Photo and Video for a decent deal on the Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray Disc player. They're listing it for $289.95 while it often goes for about $100 more.

Happy shopping folks! Let us know how it goes.

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