by Jon Chase on December 6, 2009 at 01:01 PM

FujiFilm Instax Mini 7 (Style-o-Phile, under $100)
Polaroid may come and Polaroid may go (and then come right back again), but there will always be a place in our hearts for instant film. Especially when it's as easy, foolproof, and cheap as Fuji's $85 Instax Mini 7. For the uninitiated in this digital age, the idea is that you snap a shot and a full-color 2 x 3-inch print pops out and is ...
by Leila Brillson on December 6, 2009 at 12:30 PM

No one wants to purchase just a 'point-and-click,' and for those who fancy themselves an amateur photographer (with emphasis on amateur), the Coolpix S640 is a solid intro that can help trigger-happy shooters grow into themselves. Shiny features like four sharp colors, a 'skin softening' feature, and in-camera red-eye adjustments appeal to the fashionable or self-conscious, as does the feathery ...
by Jon Chase on November 22, 2009 at 05:01 PM

JVC HA-NC100 Noise-Canceling Headphones (Novice, Under $100)
We'll be the first to admit JVC's HA-NC100's are long in the tooth for a tech item, having debuted in 2005. But we don't care, because we haven't come across a better set at the same price since then. Like your fancy-schmancy Bose models, these use active noise-canceling to block out ambient sounds, which means besides having giant ...
by Matthew Zuras on November 14, 2009 at 04:19 PM

NoPoPo Eco Water-Powered Flashlight Set (Gadget Head, Under $100)
Both eco-conscious and smartly-designed, the NoPoPo Eco Water-Powered Flashlight ($55) is a must-have for the gadget fiend. By sliding the cover, the unit works as both a regular flashlight and a unidirectional lantern. But what's most interesting about the flashlight are the NoPoPo batteries, which run on liquid (apparently ...
by Brian G.Morrissey on November 6, 2009 at 04:50 PM

HYmini Green Charger (Earth Lover, Under $100)
Eco-conscious people, however dedicated to their ideals, enjoy the same fruits of modern technology -- smartphones, MP3 players, and digital cameras -- as the rest of us. One company has created a sustainable way to charge those gadgets using multiple renewable energy sources including wind, the sun, and even a handcrank. The HYMini Green ...
by Evan Shamoon on November 6, 2009 at 02:29 PM

Blue Microphones Mikey (Creative, Under $100)
For those who like to get creative with sound, Blue Mikey ($79.99) is an excellent addition to your potable digital tool belt. Essentially a mic that plugs into the bottom of your iPhone or iPod, Mikey lets you capture anything from live music to lectures. You interface with the hardware as you would the iPhone's built-in mic; you can either use ...
by JP Mangalindan on November 5, 2009 at 06:28 PM

'Batman: Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition' (Gamer, Under $100)
When we say 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' ($89.99 for Collector's Edition, $49 standard edition, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) is the best superhero game of all time, we mean it. Because that's what Rocksteady Studios has achieved -- a gorgeous, adult action adventure that does the Dark Knight justice. Taking place over one evening, ...
by Jon Chase on November 4, 2009 at 06:19 PM

Grado iGi Earphones (Media Hound, Under $100)
To the audio obsessives who consider the quality of their sound gear a way of life, the mere mention of the name Grado elicits the kind of response usually reserved for Santa or, well, Steve Jobs . Since most Grado headphones are priced in the relative stratosphere, its new iGi model ($89) is a welcome entry-level sampler for the iPod generation. ...
by Matthew Zuras on November 4, 2009 at 06:14 PM

Fitbit (Sports Fan, Under $100)
For the more reluctant Sports Fan just getting into fitness, or even for the calorie-counting obsessive, look no further than this unobtrusive little gadget. The Fitbit ($99) is a small clip-shaped device outfitted with a three-dimensional motion-sensor that functions as a personal wellness indicator. With the device's ability to track calories burned, steps ...
by Evan Shamoon on November 1, 2009 at 11:48 AM

Wacom Bamboo Pen + Touch (Creative, Under $100)
Wacom has long been the de facto purveyor of pen tablets for both Mac and PC, and the Bamboo Pen and Touch may be its sweetest option yet. This $99 job plugs into any computer's USB port and effectively lets your beloved creative effectively draw with a cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus. This plastic drawing area on this ...
by Thomas Houston on November 15, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Freestyle Audio Soundwave (Jock, Under $100) Oddly enough, we've got years of swimming experience here at Switched, and we've always thought runners and other dryland athletes lucked out -- they're able to use headphones while working out, and swimmers have been stuck swimming lap after lap without any musical beats. The Freestyle Audio Soundwave might offer a glimmer of hope for all those ...
by Thomas Houston on November 15, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Griffin Simplifi (Style Maven, Under $100) We've seen an explosion of USB cables, hubs, iPod docks, card readers, and other clutter as more and more digital devices work their way into the workplace and home. Even if you buy an all-in-one computer system, your desk is sure to be consumed in no time by a mess of wires as you hook up your printer, external hard drive, camera card reader, and the ...
by Evan Shamoon on November 15, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Aiaiai Y-Com/Y-Model Earbuds (Music Lover, Under $100)
While there are seemingly as many headphones out there as there are heads, few compare to the Y-Com from Aiaiai. Available in a host of subtle color combos and in both iPhone and iPhone 3G versions (the latter is called the Y-Model), they're full of design tweaks: the Y-shaped plastic bit and thicker cords prevent tangled wires, and the ...
by Evan Shamoon on November 15, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Wacom Bamboo Fun (Creative, Under $100)
There are few more useful tools for the digital artist than a Wacom tablet. As anyone who has attempted to draw onscreen with a mouse is well aware, it's virtually impossible: tablets let artists go to town just as they would with a pen and paper, but with all the digital tools in the world at their disposal. While Wacom makes a wide range of tablets ...
by Evan Shamoon on November 15, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Mophie Juicepack (Traveler, Under $100) While the iPhone 3G is unarguably a great piece of technology, it has one fatal flaw: horrible battery life. Enter the savior: plug it into your standard iPhone charger, and Mophie's Juicepack holds an additional 28 hours of audio playback, eight hours of video playback, and six hours of 3G talk/data time (these are best case numbers). You can leave it ...