Small But Very Powerful Gifts

Digital music, palm pilots, cellular phones, cameras and much more for the holidays

Portable music players are the "in" thing, palm pilots can do almost anything, and digital cameras come in all shapes and prices. If you really want to impress this season, check out these suggestions. Buona Befana!

Digital Cameras
1) Canon PowerShot A75
The perfect gift for the artistic-minded friend or family member who wants to get started in digital photography. This 3-megapixel camera is the perfect combination of price, image quality and capture speed.

2) Fuji FinePix S5000
The FinePix S5000 offers point-and-shoot simplicity combined with advanced exposure control. It offers a super long 10X optical zoom and a very fast shooter. Amateur photographers will love this inexpensive but fully loaded camera.

3) Nikon D70
The ideal camera for a wide range of photographers. Excellent image quality, interchangeable lenses, the D70 sports a terrific continuous-shooting performance. The 6-megapixel camera will deliver unmatched digital-photography experience for the enthusiast.

Digital Camcorders
1) Canon Optura 40
This is a great general-purpose camcorder that you can take just about anywhere, and its 2-megapixel still photos will pass muster if you don't like carrying both a camcorder and a camera. Perfect for shooting home movies, after-school sports, family reunions, and baby's first steps.

2) Panasonic VDR-M70
The Panasonic VDR-M70 camcorder is tailor-made for videographers who enjoy on-camera editing and are willing to pay for the quality and durability of DVD media. Ideal for amateur moviemaking perfectionists who tend to do lots of editing.

3) Sony DCRPC350
Compact small and light this 3.3 Megapixel MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with Carl Zeiss Lens Technology is ideal for any situation. The compact size is ideal for the vacation.

Cell Phones
1) PalmOne Treo 600
The Treo 600 is like a powerful palm-sized information terminal. It's everything you need and more in one device to keep you in complete control of your business day while on the go in Canada or around the world. Make phone calls, do e-mail with attachments, research the Web, manage your calendar, take pictures and synchronize with your desktop.

2) BlackBerry 7100r
It looks like a phone. Feels like a phone and works like a phone. The BlackBerry 7100r is the newest way you can communicate and keep connected to your information. If you need the convenience of a wireless phone first, but still want occasional to moderate access to e-mail while on the go the new BlackBerry 7100r has been designed especially for you!.

3) Sony Ericsson T637
The T637 features a clear high-resolution TFT colour display screen, Bluetooth and Infrared connectivity, multimedia messaging (MMS) and an assortment of entertainment features. The integrated VGA digital camera let you easily, take, save and send picture messages.

Handheld:
1)PalmOne Tungsten T5
Ideal for mobile professionals who like to mix work and play, the newT5 combines a zippy 416MHz XScale processor with a design that ranks high on the coolness scale.

2) PalmOne Zire 72
A mix between work and... other things. Following up on the popular Zire 71, this successor boasts more memory and a faster processor, in addition to the camera and multimedia fun. If you're looking for a basic handheld with some nice features the Zire 72 will be ideal for you.

3) HP iPaq H1940 Pocket PC
For those who favor Windows Mobile devices and are looking for a solid entry-level handheld the H1940 can represent the perfect choice. Sporting an attractive and slim design, the H1940 delivers a basic handheld for an affordable price.

Hard drive-based MP3 Players
These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive starting from 10GB and up to 60 GB. Thanks to the big HD they can hold up to 17,000 songs, no doubt they can store your entire music collection. HD players can do more than just play music.

1) Apple iPod
After three years still the best MP3 player in town. Simple, elegant and easy to use. Competitors tried to copy it, they tried to bash it but this year's best holiday gift is still the revolutionary Apple player. iPod, iPod U2 or iPod photo it's just a matter of choice and needs.

2) Creative Zen Touch
It looks like an iPod, it weight like an iPod but it's not an iPod. However the Creative Zen Touch has some good cards to play like the 24-hrs battery life. Navigation requires a little bit of understanding but overall the gadget can be a nice surprise.

3) iRiver iHP-120
Feature-hungry music fans will find their appetites whetted by this supercharged, high-capacity portable music machine. Line-in and voice recording, long battery life, FM tuner. Scrolling the song library can require some effort, as scrolling control is too small.

Micro Hard drive-based player
Smaller than the bigger brothers these models aim to give you the best of HD technology by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch in diameter) with capacities of up to 5GB. They cost less, they weigh less but they also hold less.
1) Apple iPod Mini
This gadget is selling like hot cakes. It's small, pretty and comes in five different colours in order to satisfy everybody. Apple engineers squeezed all the best features of iPod into a case weighing just 3.6 ounces and smaller than most cell phone. The best feature is of course the easy to use click wheel that lets you navigate your entire library with a thumb.

2) Rio Carbon
Simple, ultra slim design; the Rio Carbon comes with its built-in voice memo recorder, very useful for your notes. It's missing some nice features that other players have but overall it is a good player.

3) Creative Zen Micro
Creative is probably the company that is trying harder than anybody else to compete with Apple in the MP3 player field and this product is an example. Built-in FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder, a wide array of colour choices (10), built-in PIM syncs with Outlook. The design is a little poor but it does the job.

Flash-based players
The smallest and cheapest players in town. They weigh almost nothing, they're perfect for jogging but in proportion the cost-per-Megabyte ratio is much higher than with HD-based players.

1) Creative MuVo
The Muvo is a compact digital music player with a built-in FM radio. It requires no cables, software or drivers. Just plug it into any USB port, drag-and-drop MP3 or WMA music or any data files, and away you go with four hours of your favourite songs. Plus, it also offers a recorder with built-in microphone.

2) Panasonic SV-MP30
The Panasonic MP3 player comes with voice recorder and FM tuner, incorporates a built-in 256MB memory and a 4 line full dot matrix LCD display. The SVMP30V is easy-to-use, with drag and drop transfer. Battery life is average.



Digital Music Gift Certificate

1) iTunes Music Store (http://www.ap-ple.com/itunes/store/)
If you don't want to spend a fortune on mp3 players you can always send a gift certificate from the iTunes Music Store. Decide your budget and give a friend the opportunity of downloading the tunes that they like the most directly on their computer.

2) Napster (http://www.nap-ster.com/shop.html)
Even Napster offers the gift certificate option. You can send a gift card to buy songs or just subscribe to the Napster subscription service that will allow you to listen to all the music for a period of time. Napster catalog is however much smaller than iTunes and does not include some of the latest hits.

MP3 player accessories
This category includes only the iPod family because other MP3 players lack accessories.

1)Bose SoundDock
If you don't mind paying for great sound, then Bose's SoundDock could be just the extra MP3 player speaker set for you. Stylish and sleek, this system meshes perfectly with any docking iPod, and it even charges your favourite player while you listen. The SoundDock is loud enough to fill a small to medium-size room and it comes with a basic remote.

2) Altec Lansing inMotion iM3 Portable Audio System
This tiny, ultra-portable, battery-operated stereo system has been designed exclusively for the iPod. A highly efficient amplifier powers four full-range micro drivers to deliver a full spectrum of pure, distinct sound.

3) iPod cases
Talking about choice, here you can spend an entire day deciding on how to protect your partner iPod. From the armband to the leather case with belt clip, variety is always good.

4) Monster iCarPlay Wireless Plus
Play your iTunes wirelessly through any FM station on your car radio while charging your iPod. Simply tune your car radio to any clear FM station, tune iCarPlay_Wireless Plus to the same station, hit play on your iPod and you're ready to roll.

Others
1) Airport Express
With Airport Express you can enjoy your iTunes music library in virtually any room of your house. AirPort Express with AirTunes brings via wireless your iTunes music in your Mac or PC into your living room - or wherever in your home you have a stereo or a set of powered speakers.

Software
Transform your computer in a music studio with just a few dollars.
1) GarageBand: Make your own music
With GarageBand it's easy to perform, record, and create music, whether you're a musician or just want to feel like a rock star. GarageBand turns your Mac into a high-quality musical instrument with amazing built-in sounds and gives you the complete power of a recording studio. (http://www.ap-ple.com/ilife/garageband/)

2) Cakewalk Home Studio
Turn your home PC into a complete music studio. You will find Cakewalk products to be fun, easy to use, and affordable. There's no better way to start creating music on your PC, no matter what your experience level. (http://www.cake-walk.com/homemusicians.asp)

Portable Console
1) Nintendo DS
The new portable console with two LCD screens offers one of the most groundbreaking gameplay advances ever developed. Dual screens with touch-screen technology, wireless communication represent the two most interesting technology behind this new gadget.

2) Nokia N-Gage QD
The N-Gage QD is a big improvement over Nokia's original phone/gaming console, and the selection of games for it is improving. Ideal for a young person who wants a phone and a portable gaming console in one unit.

Publication Date: 2004-12-05
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4680