MacBook Pro
Available At: Apple stores, www.apple.com
Desktop computers stay at home all the time, so if they aren’t the most appealing looking things, not many people will notice. But laptops? They’re made for portability, and no matter how hard you try to hide in the corner of a library or coffee house, people are going to glance at them. Apple’s MacBook Pro, built from a solid piece of aluminum, screams minimalistic and sex appeal at the same time. That enough would warrant a purchase for some. Fortunately, what’s inside that chunk of aluminum will appease the performance-minded crowd as well. The Pro comes in three sizes, with a 13, 15 or 17-inch screen. Processing power comes from Intel’s Core 2 Duo range, while NVIDIA supplies graphics chips. The combination, working in tangent with Apple’s gorgeous glass screen, makes browsing the Internet, doing work and watching videos a joy. And the built-in battery delivers seven hours of unplugged use. The MacBook Pro is form and function in one device.
Verizon Droid
Available At: Sixth Avenue Electronics and www.VerizonWireless.com
iWhat? Sure, the iPhone has been one of the most lusted-after phones since its release in June of 2007, but unless you’re an AT&T subscriber, you’ve been watching from the sidelines. But good things come to those who wait, and in this case, it’s a 3.7-inch screen, five-megapixel camera slab of awesome. The Droid is a joint effort from Google, Motorola and Verizon, bringing the search provider’s Android mobile operating system to a powerhouse of a device crafted by the company behind the famous RAZR, with the nationwide coverage of Verizon’s excellent network. The aforementioned 3.7-inch screen is bright, crisp and easy on the eyes. The device runs version 2.0 of Android, bringing with it a laundry list of tweaks and a fully functional GPS application for free. The Droid is just four-tenths of a millimeter thicker than the iPhone, but packs a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. And with a microSDHC card slot, the only limitation to the number of songs, pictures and videos is how many memory cards you can fit in your pocket.
Wii Fit Plus
Available At: Sports Authority
Critics of video games have always pointed to the sedentary lifestyle promoted by sitting down, holding a controller in your hand and staring at a TV screen for hours on end. But that accusation came to an end with the introduction of Wii Fit for Nintendo’s Wii console. That game, bundled with a balance board, brought gamers to their feet—literally—to do strength-conditioning exercises, yoga poses and core-stabilizing motions. Wii Fit Plus takes that one step further, offering additional balance games and poses. The game maintains what makes video games fun in the first place while subtly giving players a full body workout at the same time. Sports Authority, the exclusive sports retailer for Plus, features demo stations in its stores, where shoppers can try out any of the exercises in the game. There’s also an opportunity every day to win a Wii Fit Plus with balance board. Visit www.TheWiiAuthority.com for more details.
There’s only so much excitement a person can fake when they get a gift. Season 6 of Murder, She Wrote on DVD? How thoughtful! A gift card to the Laundromat? You shouldn’t have! Part of the reason such uninspired gifts are exchanged is that, well, where do you go to get awesome gifts? There should be a website that has lots of cool gifts, right? Well, there is—Excitations.com has only fun, unique and exciting gifts for sale. Got an uncle who is a car nut? Get him a day at the race track, speeding around corners in a bunch of different road-ready beasts. Outdoors-friendly cousin? Grab a guided flat water kayak tour. Gifts can also be searched for by category, price and region. The diversity and quality of the gifts Excitations offers makes the site a great “I don’t know what to get…” lifeline.
HP Mini 311
Available At: Best Buy
As technology evolved, computers were born. As technology grew, the laptop was created. Now, with gadgets all around, a sub-genre of the laptop has emerged—the netbook. The lightweight devices usually have small screens, are light on features and get great battery life. Many of the reporters at the Press use netbooks to write, edit and add art to stories from the road. Like the laptop market, the netbook segment is already overcrowded with machines vying for your holiday dollar. HP’s Mini 311 stands at the top of the pack as one the best netbooks available. The Mini 311 has an 11.3-inch screen, and combined with the one-two punch of Intel’s Atom processor and NVIDIA’s ION graphics chip set delivers a very capable machine. Battery life comes in at more than six hours. Best of all, the machine starts at just $399, giving consumers a well-specced machine for a very reasonable price.
Voltaic Converter
Available At: Greener Country
How would the “greenie” in your life like to power their electronic devices using solar power while hiking or biking? The Voltaic Converter is a small, lightweight day bag that holds four watts of solar power for fast charging. The generator charges laptops while the solar panels protect fragile items inside. Included is a protective bag that stores power until you need it, along with 11 adaptors for easy connection to handheld electronics. The bag is fully padded to protect laptops and fits up to a 17-inch MacBook Pro.
Sony Reader
Available At: Sixth Avenue Electronics
Nobody carries around their address book; they store it in a cell phone. Nobody carries around thousands of CDs anymore; they use an MP3 player. So why are people still lugging around thousand-page books? The Sony Reader aims to abolish overweight backpacks and bags. The device measures slightly smaller than seven inches by five inches and is less than half an inch thick. It uses an e-ink electronic paper display and eight shades of gray to display books. The monochrome screen doesn’t cause any eye strain, and capabilities of e-ink allow the Reader to go two weeks on a single battery charge. Books can be purchased from the Sony Connect online store. Two models are available—the PRS-300 and PRS-600. The 600 adds an inch-larger screen, touch capabilities, music and video playback and a memory card slot. No longer will you have to schlep the entire Twilight saga on your morning commute.
The Beatles: Rock Band
Available At: Amazon.com
British accent. Black suit and tie. Dark-colored mop top. Sure, it’s easy to sound and look like one of the Fab Four. But can you rock like them? The Beatles: Rock Band is the closest you’ll ever come to pulling off a “Paperback Writer” three-part vocal harmony, but it’s a terrific alternative. Everything surrounding the title, from the menus and graphics to the character animations and opening video, are plucked straight from the world of The Beatles. Forty-four of the band’s songs are available on the disc, with nearly 20 more available as downloadable content. Playing well is rewarded with photos, audio and video of the group, much of which has never been released to the public. Even the instruments, available when purchased in a bundle, are authentic (if plastic) replicas of the Gretsch Duo Jet and Rickenbacker 325 guitars, Höfner bass and Ludwig drum set.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Available At: Amazon.com
“War! / What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” As it turns out, that’s not entirely true. Real-world war is never pretty, but when it is made of pixels and polygons and sound effects, it’s simply spectacular. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sequel to 2007’s shooter that won Game of the Year accolades from tons of magazines, blogs and industry pundits. Modern Warfare 2 ups the ante. The game’s single-player campaign is engaging and expansive, taking you to Washington D.C., Siberia, Afghanistan, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow in an effort to save the world. There’s nearly two dozen cooperative missions to tear through, guns blazing, with a friend. And online multiplayer—the bread and butter of the game—will speed up the hands on a clock faster than manually moving them yourself. Say goodbye to your loved ones and say hello to my little friend.
