Tag: HGG-500

Epson P-3000 Multimedia Photo Viewer (Creative, Under $500) We've found that new owners of DSLR cameras quickly come to a few realizations: the first is that they had no idea how mediocre their old cameras (and photos) actually were; and the second is that they had no idea how big the files were. There's nothing worse than being on a vacation with a maxed-out memory card and having to delete ...

Earth Lover, Best Under $500 Barnes & Noble Nook eBook Reader With the endless flow of eReaders hitting the streets every few hours now, the market has gotten thick real quick. The Kindle is obviously the iPod of the bunch so far, but we think Barnes & Noble's Nook is a real contender for the title. It's gorgeous, fun to use, extremely versatile, small enough for a big pocket (7.7 x ...

Wowwee Cinemin Swivel Pico Projector (Gadget Head, Under $500) Despite being a strong candidate for worst product name hall of fame, Wowwee (also a candidate for worst company name) did a swell job with the Cinemin Swivel ($300), a mini video projector that lets you plug in a video source -- iPod, iPhone, PSP, Flip Video, digital camera, netbook, whatever -- and then throw it up on a wall at ...

Garmin Approach G5 (Sports Fan, Under $500) To some, the game of golf is nothing more than a good walk spoiled. For the true disciples of the game, it is a test of character and mental fortitude. Both parties agree that it can flat out embarrass you. For those who could use an ace up their sleeve (we're talking to you, everyone that isn't Tiger Woods) the Garmin Approach G5 might be just ...

Videophone Touch AiGuru SV1T (Novice, Under $500) For the grandparent who has neither the time nor the interest in learning to use a computer, the ASUS Videophone Touch ($299) makes an amazing gift. Essentially, the all-in-one device allows the user to make unlimited video Skype calls, without using a computer or other hardware. The 7-inch touchscreen, built-in camera, and speaker make the ...

Samsung Go N310 Netbook (Style-o-phile, Under $500) A secret about good design: Beveled edges are always a win. But weighing under three pounds, coming in four rubberized colors, and boasting a battery life of about nine hours helps as well. We took this little guy to NY's Fashion Week, and the fast start-up time, large pebble keyboard, and crisp, LED background display made onlookers a little ...

PlayStation 3 Slim (Gamer, Under $500) If you've been holding off on buying a PlayStation 3 (PS3) for one of many reasons -- it's too expensive, it's too big, it looks too much like a George Foreman Grill -- then you may have run out of excuses with the PS3 Slim. This smaller, lighter, quieter, and more energy-efficient hardware comes in at a perfectly manageable $300, and the beautiful ...

"High-end" and "iPod dock" are seldom combined, but Wadia Digital has made it so with its 170iTransport, a squat little component that can turn Apple's portable audio and video capabilities into a stellar home media server. The first product to offer iPod's native digital audio output--over SP/DIF coaxial cable, included--the 170i enables your compressed music collection sound purer than it ...

OLPC XO-1 Laptop (Kids, Under $500) The OLPC foundation?short for One Laptop Per Child?was founded with the goal of developing and then sending out a low-power, low-cost but fully functional computer to as many kids in developing countries as possible. It's a pretty great idea. But they're now available to us first-world types as well, so you can let your kiddies in on the fun with what is ...

Sonos with iPod/iPhone app (Domestic God/Goddess, Under $500) Sonos, the multi-room wireless music system that lets you stream music from the Web and your PC, can now be controlled with that device we all know and love: the iPhone (and iPod Touch). The new iPhone app (free for any Sonos user) is big news for several reasons. First, the touch-based interface is a huge improvement over Sonos' ...

Drobo (Creative, Under $500) Anyone who uses their computer to make music or movies has run into the problem of dwindling disk space. So rather than giving them another hard drive to clutter their desktop, how about the gift of Drobo? This all-in-one storage solution holds up to four drives, and it's a gift that keeps on giving: when the time comes, they just pop out one of the old drives and ...

LiteOn IT Skyla Memoir Photo Frame (Domestic Goddess/God, Under $500) We love it when something so obvious and so useful that no one ever bothered to think of it suddenly appears. The first entry in LiteOn's new Skyla line of products is the Memoir, a digital photo frame. Big whoop, right? Well this one also brings photo-scanning magic to the game?pop a 4 x 6 print in the slot at the base and ...

Optoma PK-101 PICO Pocket Projector (Traveler, Under $500) For gadget lovers, the PICO is the equivalent of a biologist seeing an entirely new species for the first time: It's a revolutionary new breed of portable gadgetry. About the size of a point-and-shoot camera, the PICO is able to project video, still images and graphics onto a wall-or anything else put in front of it?from 6 inches ...

Olympus Stylus 1030 SW (Jock, Under $500) Point-and-shoot cameras are designed for maximum convenience, but that all usually ends once you get out of the house and into the great outdoors: they just aren't built for spills. Olympus's 1030 SW is pound-for-pound the most rugged camera on the planet, able to snap photos in extreme cold and heat, on land and sea?down to a scuba-worthy 33-feet ...

WowWee Rovio (Man/Woman Who Has Everything, Under $500) To the torment of otherwise rational gadget -buyers, robot maestros WowWee have unleashed their insanely covet-worthy automated home sentry, Rovio. Beyond his battlebot-ish good looks, Rovio allows you to snoop on whatever he sees or hears via any web-connected PC, and even communicate to people nearby over a built-in microphone and ...