Posts from — July 2008

With sky rocketing gas and grocery prices, many of us are cutting corners everywhere we can.  But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on having fun new gadgets.  Here are 3 budget friendly gadgets, all priced under $99.

The Sansa Fuze:  Made by SanDisk, the Sansa Fuze 4GB MP3 player holds 1000 songs and plays for 24 hours on a single charge.  The Sansa Fuze has a slot for an SD card, and it retails for around $75-$80.

Polaroid i634:  Here’s a digital camera with nice capabilities for the price.  The Polaroid i634 is a 6.0 megapixel digital camera with 3X digital zoom.  This budget friendly digital camera has a 16 MB internal flash memory and an SD card slot for storing more photos. The Polaroid i634 retails between $75 and $99.

Kodak EasyShare P720 photo frame:  Digital photo frames are all the rage, and this one provides a lot of features including a touch screen menu and two decorative mattes for matching your decor.  You can load your photos using a USB cord and your camera or a memory stick.  The Kodak EasyShare P720 retails around $95.

Can’t seem to keep your video camera dry? The Sanyo Xacti E1 digital video camera might be just the trick. It’s a waterproof video camera that can handle being submersed in 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Using a 2GB SD card, the waterproof camera will record up to 10 hours of video or 4,000 still shots. The Xacti E1 video camera offers a 5x zoom lens,a 2.5 inch swiveling LCD monitor, and automatic image stabilization.

My favorite feature of this digital video camera is the ability to shoot still photos while filming video. Simply hit the shutter button while the video continues to roll. That means not having to choose between video and once in a lifetime photo opportunities.

The Xacti E1 digital video camera easily synchs with your PC, offering drag and drop options for moving and saving videos.

The Weemote 3 remote control for kids let’s you control what your kids watch on television, and gives your kids a cool gadget to call their own. Parents can program up to 10 channels with the Weemote, limiting the child’s viewing options. With 5 dedicated channel buttons, the Weemote remote control seems simple enough for a toddler to use. The control panel on this child’s remote control is hidden under a cover plate, out of sight for curious tots. Made by Fobis Technologies, the Weemote is also available in a senior citizens and child’s DVD version. It retails for $24.95 at www.weemote.com.

The Zen MP3, made by Creative Labs, is a 4GB MP3 player with a lot of cool built-in gadgets and features.   The MP3 player, measuring a mere 3.25 X 2 inches (approximate), includes a built-in FM radio with 32 presets, a voice recorder, microphone, and an alarm clock.  The Zen MP3 holds up to 1000 songs, and it has 8 EQ settings, including acoustic, digital, jazz, disco and more.  It also has a slot for an SD card and you can get up to 25 hours of play time on a single charge.  And, if you’re into staying organized, the Zen MP3 syncs with Microsoft Outlook and includes a USB cable.  The Zen MP3 retails for around $99.

Oh, the things you can do with a little creativity and a couple USB ports. The “Crunching Dogs” USB gadgets workout, tirelessly doing ab crunches while plugged in to your computer’s USB port.

Of all the USB gadgets I’ve seen, including coffee warmers and mini-vacuum cleaners, I think the “Crunching Dogs” have the most personality- by far. But, according to Coolest-Gadgets, these little guys have no on/off switch, so you may have to eventually pull the plug on them if you want to get any work done. However, I bet everyone at the office will somehow be jealous of these four-legged USB accessories, even if they occasionally get annoying. These USB dogs are available at Think Geek for $9.99 each.

Ever wish you could take your PlayStation 3 on the road? Add this to your PS3 accessories list. Now you can play PS3 games anywhere with the Clearvision PlayStation 3 LCD screen. The 7-inch LCD screen and speakers combo unit attaches to the top of your PlayStation 3 console allowing you to play it anywhere you can plug it in. While it’s not exactly the most compact combination I’ve seen, I guess this is just the thing for die hard PS3 folks. I found the Clearvision PlayStation 3 LCD screen at Shenzhen Madcow. Hey, what about one of these for a Nintendo Wii? I’d like to see Wii users waving those controllers around in public places.

Is it a keyboard or a fruit roll-up? I love the squishy design of the Super Kool keyboard from Newton’s Universe. The folding keyboard, for use with your notebook or PC, is made of silicone, so it’s flexible and water-resistant. Looks like you could toss this thing into a bag without having to worry about damaging it. The portable keyboard hooks up via USB port, and is even compatible with Sony PS/2.

I like the idea of not having those little spaces between keys that pick up grime, goo, and who knows what else. Coming from someone who’s buried a laptop thanks to a soda spill, I’m pleased to have found a notebook keyboard that just might hold up to my Diet Coke habit. The Super Kool keyboard retails for $39.99 at Newton’s Universe.

Samsung’s E250 packs a lot of gadgetry in to a very sleek design. This triband cell phone features a VGA camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth, USB connection, and even an FM radio. The compact design of Samsung E250 Slider makes this phone great for tossing into a backpack or handbag. There’s also a micro SD card slot so you can store extra pictures and data, and you can surf the Web with Samsung’s EDGE Internet connnection.

Packed with gadgets, this phone also offers a calendar, organizer, currency converter, calculator, to do list, alarm clock, and photo address book, and polyphonic audio. This looks like a great smart phone, but I’m partial to my Blackberry 8310. I must admit, however, that I am green with envy over that FM radio feature.

Sometimes finding a reliable and sensitive cordless mouse for gaming or graphics is a difficult task. This one by Logitech is one I’d like to try. The Laser V450 cordless mouse offers laser tracking via a 2 laser system, which is ideal when precision is important. Logitech has prevented lagging and connection problems with 2.4GHz of power in this cordless mouse. In addition, the Logitech Laser V450 cordless mouse comes with Logitech’s trademarked Tilt Wheel Plus Zoom technology. This feature allows users to scroll from side to side, up and down and zoom in and out. The battery in this cordless mouse will last for about a year, it has an on/off switch for conserving power, and an ergonomic grip.

Here’s a great way to retreat to a peaceful place without going anywhere. These Bose Quiet Comfort 3 noise canceling headphones automatically detect outside noise and reduce it via a built-in sensor. And, all without compromising the integrity of your listening selection. The noise eliminating headphones come with a host of headphone accessories, including a stereo phone plug, a carrying case, and a rechargeable battery with charger. Bose has ergonomically-designed the Quiet Comfort 3 noise canceling headphones for maximum comfort and they fold flat when not in use. Truly a treat for the ears, Bose Quiet Comfort headphones retail for approximately $299.