Amazon Kindle
Ebook readers historically are a sleeper category of electronics. Sony was considered the heavyweight in this category for awhile, but has seen itself pushed aside by the giant online shopping portal Amazon.com. Its reader, the Kindle, became a hot item in 2008, to the point where the company is well out of stock as of this writing.
The reason behind the run away success of the Kindle? It probably has to do with the built-in wireless EVDO network support for purchasing and downloading books. The Kindle connects through Sprint's high-speed data network, presenting an easy to use interface for book shopping. The Kindle isn't the prettiest device to look at, but the ease of use and huge selection of mainstream, popular titles from leading publishers make it an appealing alternative to hauling around a suitecase of books on a long trip.
Apple iPhone
The Apple iPod is the dominant king of MP3 players, long holding the most market share of any similar product. It is no wonder than that the Apple iPhone, in particular the second generation model currently available, is hot on its heels as an up and coming portable device.
The iPhone turns most traditional mobile phones on their heads with its intuitive interface and ease of use. You just find it feels right as you make calls on it, browse the Internet through its Web browser and listen to music or watch videos through its iPod-esque functions. The newer 3G model, less expensive than the first iPhone go around, also lets you get things done online faster, making it a must have for tech lovers everywhere.
Nintendo Wii
Microsoft and Sony take note – your next generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles might be cool, but they seem to hold little public traction compared to the Nintendo Wii. This all hands-on console from the creators of Mario continued to crush its competitors in 2008 by a wide sales margin.
The Wii, unlike other consoles, gets you off our butt and into the game. You use the Wii Remote, for example, to swing a virtual tennis racket by swinging the remote itself. Just be careful not to throw it into the TV. You can also use the console to browse the Web or play your friends online in various games.
LG BD300
There's no question that Blu-ray is gaining in popularity as a next generation disc format. It beat out rival HD DVD at the beginning of 2008 and, as prices come down on players, is becoming more popular in consumer households. One Blu-ray player stands above them all though for a first – the Netflix friendly LG BD300.
The LG BD300 does all of those Blu-ray things you love, of course, but it is also the first device of its type to let you stream Internet movies via the popular online video service Netflix. This offering, granted, is still growing in mainstream movie content, but it represents a further melding of various home entertainment options into one device. LG also recently announced plans to bring streaming video content to its network-connected Blu-ray players from other providers, giving you yet another reason never to have to leave your sofa.
Flip Mino HD
Consider, for a moment the average, expensive camcorder – it does a lot more than you'll ever really use it for. You'll record video with it, but how many of the advanced functions do you need to record yourself doing something stupid? That's what has made the simple, cheap Flip camcorders so popular – they record well for the price tag and keep it straight forward in how easily they work.
The Flip Mino HD is one of the latest of this pocket size camcorders. The reasons it stand out are several – it is small, records 60 minutes of 720p HD video and sports a rechargeable battery. You can also easily upload the video recorded to a favorite Web site like YouTube. You want simple in recording a video? It doesn't get much better than this.
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