Top 10 Electronic Gadgets To HAve

[Kramer]

1. Creative Zen Vision:M with video
The Creative Zen Vision:M stole the show during CES 2006, walking away with two awards--winner in the MP3 and portable video category and Best in Show. While it's a hair thicker than the iPod, its 2.5-inch screen displays 262,144 colors (compared to the iPod's 65,000). It also has a voice recorder, video support, and an FM tuner and recorder, and it supports subscription music, album art, and simultaneous photo viewing and music playback.




Check latest prices 2. Sony PSP with video
The Sony PlayStation Portable was the portable gadget of 2005. If you haven't gotten yet, you must not have seen one in action. The screen alone will make you salivate. So much more than a portable gaming console, it also plays music and movies. Not only does it look hot, it also has outstanding sound and graphics, a built-in Memory Stick Duo slot, and Wi-Fi. And if you already have one, read our PSP megafeature to unleash your PSP's full potential.




Check latest prices 3. Microsoft Xbox 360with video
The wait for next-gen gaming is over, but Microsoft's Xbox 360 has some growing pains to work out. Namely, overheating, crashing issues, and a hefty $399 price tag. The plus side? It offers the best networked gaming experience we've seen, integration with Windows Media Center PCs, and backward-compatibility with some Xbox games. But you may want to hold off on buying one right now --or until the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution show us what they've got.




Check latest prices 4. Archos AV500 Mobile DVR (30GB) with video
The video iPod isn't the only option for a portable video player (PVP). It isn't even the best. This 30-gig multimedia beast from Archos is the best PVP we've seen so far, armed with a superwide LCD screen, superb audio quality, and audio- and video-in ports so that you can record shows directly to it. The main drawback to the AV500 is its $500 price tag, but that $500 gets you a great tool for taking your favorite shows on the go.





Check latest prices 5. Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK
We still give Sony's gorgeous KDS-R60XBR1 the nod in terms of image quality, but that $5,000 price tag is mighty intimidating. That's why we've bumped Sony's 1080p set in favor of another Editors' Choice pick, Panasonic's 42-inch TH-42PHD8UK. Keep in mind that it's a bare-bones set: you'll need an external HDTV tuner, external speakers, and a stand for it. But it offers clean video and deep blacks, and it's a great deal at $2,500.




Check latest prices 6. Sling Media Slingboxwith video
Want to watch TiVo'd shows at a coffeeshop, the ball game on a plane, or C-Span at a sports bar? All you need is a laptop with Windows XP, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and the Slingbox. This one-of-a-kind device streams live TV or anything on your DVR to a laptop or desktop PC. Similar products exist, but none are as cheap (Sony's LF-X1 LocationFree TV starts at $1,000) or easy (Orb requires a TV tuner card) as the $249 Slingbox. That's a small price to pay for making your living room mobile.




Check latest prices 7. Soundmatters MainstageHD
A good surround-sound system can really bring your home theater to life, but you may not want to nail speakers to every wall in your house. That's where Soundmatters' one-speaker MainstageHD virtual surround system comes in. It's compact, it's affordable ($400), it's really easy to set up, and its low-key looks fit in almost anywhere. If you want to add a bit more boom to your living room, top it off with the $300 Substage 100 subwoofer.




Check latest prices 8. Dell XPS M170 with video
For months, we watched as Toshiba's Qosmio G25-AV513 kicked sand in the face of weaker laptops. Now, the Qosmio has been outmuscled. Dell's XPS M170 is built for gamers, but it also rocks the multimedia world. This lightweight laptop has a blazing CPU, top-notch graphics, and a smorgasbord of ports and connections, so it's not just for gamers. The Qosmio still has a few things on the XPS M170--namely, a TV tuner and handy external control knobs. But Dell's laptop is way lighter than the Qosmio. Beware: it's not for the easily sticker-shocked, thanks to a $3,642 price tag.


Check latest prices 9. Palm Treo 700w with video
You can finally get your hands on a Windows Treo! Could it be the ultimate productivity tool? Thanks to Windows Mobile 5, this Treo puts Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook right there in your pocket. Large attachments won't take too long to download, thanks to support for Verizon's 3G EV-DO network. But you don't get it all with the 700w; it left us wanting integrated Wi-Fi, a brighter screen, and buttons big enough to accomodate thick fingers. In fact, our review even gives the nod to the older Treo 650.




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10. Canon PowerShot S80 with video
No one camera can please both novice and more-experienced photographers, but Canon's PowerShot S80 comes mighty close. This point-and-shooter boasts an array of manual and automatic settings, so there's something for everyone. It also offers top-notch images, and at 8 megapixels, there's plenty of resolution to work with if you want to blow up images to poster size. We also like its nice, big 2.5-inch LCD and durable construction.