Tag: HGG-CREATIVE

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 ...

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 ...

27-inch Apple iMac (Creative, Under $2500) We generally agree that Mac users get hit with the legendary Apple Tax for some models, but the recently updated iMacs have us buzzing about bargains. Overall the 27-inchers are very respectably spec-ed out for starting at $1700, with a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (or 2.66Ghz quad-core Intel Core i5), 4 gigabytes of memory, a 1 terabyte hard drive and a ...

Booq Python Blur Backpack (Creative, Under $250) Anyone attempting to travel with loads of multimedia equipment may be wondering if they don't also need a sherpa. Not with the Booq Python Blur Backpack. Polished and sleek enough to belie its function, the Python Blur is a full-featured audiovisual backpack with space for a laptop, camera, books and other accessories. Featuring a cutting edge ...

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 ...

JVC HD Everio GZ-HM400 (Creative, Under $1,000) If you aspire for your homemade movies to be more 'American Beauty' than America's Funniest, you'll need to forgo the raft of pocket-sized but underpowered HD camcorders and opt for a higher-end model. Which is where's JVC's newest Everio, the GZ-HM400 HD camcorder steps in. Able to record both crisp 1080 at 60fps HD video, as well 600fps ...

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 ...

Believe it or not there are people out there willing to pay $8 for a box. Seriously, an empty cardboard box. It probably makes more sense when we explain that the boxes are gag gift boxes from our favorite source of satire, The Onion. Though they went on sale in 2006, the GotchaBoxes have soared in popularity. The empty boxes are carefully designed to look like packaging for crappy gadgets that ...

Some of us geekier types have trouble performing basic human functions, such as talking to member of the opposite (or same) sex, dressing ourselves, and wrapping gifts. As messy as a geek-wrapped gift may be, there is something oddly charming about the crooked folds and sloppy taping job. Gadget e-retailer, Firebox, is offering a service it's calling CrapWrap. CrapWrap allows anyone to offer ...

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 ...

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 ...

Innovative Cricket Laptop Stand (Creative types, Under $50) For those of us who have thrown caution to the wind with our own jury-rigged laptop stands, Innovative's offering is a total godsend. Whether used as a simple prop to angle a laptop's keyboard up and allow heat to better circulate, or to plug in a full-sized keyboard and have the screen go vertical, the Cricket can handle it. And ...

iCarly Digital Camcorder (Kids, under $100) You could let your kid run around the house with your fancy camcorder to capture those precious moments, like when they squash a bug or jump off the garage roof. But doubtless it'll end in tears (for you) and some serious quiet corner time for them while you pick up the pieces of your precious Canon. The iCarly is a kid-friendly camcorder, which ...

Nintendo DS Korg DS-10 (Music Lover, Under $50) Presumably targeted at precocious, modern-day Mozarts or budding sound engineers, the Korg DS-10 is a full-fledged synthesizer/sequencer/music machine. Based on the legendary Korg MS-10 keyboard synthesizer, this software version takes advantage of the DS's split screens to make robust tune creation relatively easy, and, well, completely portable. ...

Gorillapod Focus (Traveler, Under $250) The last thing shutterbugs want to lug around on vacation is a big, bulky, heavy tripod. Unfortunately sometimes you need one to get the shot you want, which is what makes Joby's line of flexible, fold-up tripods so excellent. Their newest Focus model is, well, focused on professional or prosumer types (of both the still and video varieties) who tend to ...