Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Besides our usual gift guide, to celebrate the holidays, we're giving away the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY 4G Smartphone for AT&T. Nevertheless the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY 4G isn’t your ordinary Android Smartphone at all, this is a super powerful gaming device in other words the first PlayStation certified smartphone! It comes with 7 games out of the box like Sims 3 and Crash Bandicoot.

Everyone wants to shoot DSLR quality photos. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to invest in in effect learning how to use one to maximize quality. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that quality from a camera that has the simplicity of a photo shoot? Done, thanks to the Sony NEX-5N. It packs in an Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, allows up to 10 FPS shooting, and has a maximum ISO of 25600. Even better, you no longer need to know what any of those things mean to benefit from the beautiful pictures they allow you to take. Just point and shoot, and get top-notch pictures thanks to high-end research and a detachable, high powered lens. Giving the gift that brings at the same time the best of both worlds isn’t cheap - the NEX-5N is going to cost you about $700, including an 18-55mm lens.

The outside

It may not look like anything special from the outside, nevertheless it’s what inside that counts. And, what’s inside the Sonos Play:3 is loads of HiFi goodness for the audiophile in your life. Should the contingency arise to high-quality sound that doesn’t get distorted at high volumes, the Sonos Play:3 makes it easy to stream music from most of your devices straight to your speaker system. When using an iPhone or an iPad, it’s possible to use the Sonos app as a remote control for one or more Sonos speakers in the home, controlling volume and track selection, among other things. To top it off, the Sonos Play:3 can play local radio stations and is compatible with online music services, including Spotify, Pandora, Sirius XM, and Rhapsody, among others. Sound good? Just make sure you’re equipped to deal with the price - the Sonos Play:3 is going for about $300 right now off Amazon.

Need a knock-out gift this holiday season? Here’s a bright idea. Smart TVs are making old TVs obsolete, thanks to their Internet connectivity and access to entertainment apps. Throw in picture quality in other words second-to-none, and you have the Samsung 55” 3D LED HDTV. The screen features 1080p resolution and can produce 3D images. The real bonus is the smart parts, even though - an app-based navigation system that gives you access to Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Twitter, Facebook, and a lot more. You can even stream media from your smartphone to your TV. It’s the ultimate entertainment hub for your home, and if you want, you can just use your smartphone as the remote control, using a specially made app. Pretty smart. Just be ready for the price tag - about $1,900. Pull this one off, and you’ll be the unquestioned holiday hero this year.

The popular high-end headphones are now bringing a little more color to the world of music. Beats by Dr. Dre now come in pink, blue, red, white, orange, purple, and silver, should the contingency arise to the original black. People have been going nuts for Beats, lauding the combination of comfort, fashion, and deep bass fidelity. Add in noise-canceling that deep down forms an audio wall between you and the rest of the world, and you can start to see why these fall into the big spender category this holiday season. Each pair of headphones from the legendary soundsmith goes for about $300. For the music lover who needs both style and substance, accept no substitutes.

Budding music professional in your family

If you have a budding music professional in your family, give them a real surprise this year with the Akai SynthStation25. It’s a handheld iPhone and iPod Touch dock that features two octaves of velocity-sensitive, synth-action piano keys. There are pitch and modulation wheels to the side, too. Your favorite composer can use the SynthStation25 with Akai’s own app, or use it with any number of apps that have been created by third parties for the device, including 50-in-1, Music Studio, iVoxel, and nanoStudio. Recording your own hot new tracks on the go comes at a reasonable $63 price tag, off Amazon.

At $150, it might eat up a pretty big chunk of that budget, so make sure this one’s for someone special. The ARCHOS: 35 Home Connect is the straightway step in alarm clock radio research, and that’s a lot more exciting than it sounds. The Home Connect runs on Android 2.2, and features a 3.5” touchscreen. You can access over 50,000 web radio stations, or use the Alarm Clock app to wake up with traffic, weather, and news. Combine that with high-quality sound and portability, and your special someone could have the ultimate home and office companion. Who ever thought you would be able to check your email on your alarm clock?

We’re inundated with gadgets these days. That means a whole lot of wires everywhere when it comes time to charge everything up for the night. The Fuse Powerslice 06810 Universal Charger solves that problem - one cord, and you can charge up to three gadgets simultaneously. The base of the Powerslice has room for four "slices," sold separately, that match up with a certain line of gadgets - iPhones, LG phones, Micro USB ports, Mini USB ports, and Samsung phones. The Powerslice comes with two iPhone charging slices, and the rest are sold separately for $10 each. The base sells for $40. Not a bad price on the other hand for cutting cords completely.

The FREETALK Connect Me Phone Adapter

You can ease someone’s phone bill this holiday season with the FREETALK Connect Me Phone Adapter. Connect Me bridges an Internet connection and a landline, allowing anyone to make or receive Skype calls using their landline phones. It’s a great way to take advantage of Skype’s low international and long-distance calling rates, and won’t interfere with normal use of a landline. You can give the gift of gab for about $40.

The old 9:00 - 5:00 sit-at-your-desk job is quickly going by the wayside. Today’s world demands mobility, and there’s tons of tech out there to help us on the go. So, whether you have an intrepid world explorer or a high-powered businessman or woman in the family, you’re sure to find someone who will love one of these gifts as their then and there cherished companion on the road.

The V-Moda Crossfade M-80 Headphones are one of many high-end, bass-friendly headphones on the market. They sound great, and the inclusion of Apple and non-Apple optimized cables is a sweet bonus that you won’t find in too many other products. So, why are these the way to go for the road warrior? For the in the open air adventurer, the only good product is one that will hold up to abundant punishment. That’s what the M-80 headphones are designed to do. Bend them, drop them, drop something on them - they’ll take all you can dish out and keep pumping out sweet tunes at high quality, and look great during they do it. Bring music to the ears of your special world traveler this holiday season for $230.

Until now, you on the whole only found that little blue OnStar button built-in to GM vehicles. Now, with OnStar FMV, you can purchase the car safety and security system for any vehicle, even though it will need to be professionally installed. OnStar became popular for its crash assistance program, which can contact emergency services after all of an accident. OnStar FMV can automatically sense when a crash has occurred, and can transmit GPS information to nearby emergency services if you have been incapacitated. Other features include turn-by-turn GPS, aided by real-life advisers and handled hands-free, GPS tracking for law enforcement in case your car is stolen, and a hands-free Bluetooth wireless service that allows you to make and receive calls without using your phone. It’s the ultimate companion for anyone who spends a good deal of their life on the road. This gift won’t come cheap, even though - OnStar FMV costs $274.99, plus parts and labor for the installation.

The move all the time

When you’re on the move all the time, it’s hard to get back to home base so you charge all of your gadgets. And there’s nothing more frustrating than a dead smartphone right when you need it most. So, give your road warrior a little extra juice to get them through the day with the Powerbag. The Powerbag is a massive, sturdy, and waterproof backpack ideal for any outdoor explorer. The big draw is the inclusion of a 6,000 mAh or 3,000 mAh battery, depending on which model you get. This backpack has ports for the wearer to charge their tablets or smartphones, including Apple, mini-USB, and micro-USB connectors. With a button press on the backpack, you can as well see the charging progress of each device, and the backpack automatically stops charging any device that has reached a full charge. The tireless wanderer in your family will be forever grateful for the new lease on life the Powerbag will give daily to their gadgets. The Powerbag starts at $140, and goes up to $180 for the business class pack.

If you want a surefire hit when gift shopping this year, look no furthermore than the smartphone market. Unfortunately, there are tons and tons to choose from. It’s hard to even know where to start looking. So, start here, as we cover the highlights of the industry, so you can find that perfect smartphone for that special someone.

The first time

For the first time, an iPhone is available on Sprint’s network. There’s no shortage of reasons to jump ship over to Sprint, too. Sprint is the only iPhone carrier however offering unlimited data plans, with no throttling and no metering. Even those grandfathered in to AT&T’s unlimited data plan are even so subject to throttling, if their monthly usage is high enough. More importantly, Sprint’s plans are just more affordable. Unlimited calling and data comes in at $110 per month, however you can get 450 minutes and unlimited data for an excellent $80. They’re far better deals than anything AT&T or Verizon is offering. Plus, with the witticisms of Siri and that new high-powered dual core A5 processor, there’s never been a better time to go Apple. The Sprint iPhone 4S sells for $200 and $300 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models, respectively, with contract.

Members of the business world will love seeing this gem in their stockings this year. The newest iteration of the BlackBerry Bold packs in both a physical keyboard with trackpad and a 2.8” touchscreen, making it a flexible, useful addition to the professional’s collection of gadgets. Add that to integrated social networking apps that come installed and the excellent BlackBerry Messenger Service, and you’ve got the makings of a winner this holiday season. The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is $250 with a two-year contract from Verizon. Do keep in mind, even though - this smartphone hasn’t made the leap to 4G but. The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is for all that just a 3G device.

The thin, lightweight Samsung Galaxy S II is the must-have smartphone for the entertainment lovers, with a 4.3” Super AMOLED display that sports in point of fact second-to-none picture quality. Samsung’s media Hubs make obtaining books, movies, music, and more a breeze, and the 8 MP camera takes high-quality photos. Not to mention, it’s an HSPA+ capable device running Android 2.3. It’s smart, it’s sleek, and it’ll have people going nuts when they score one this holiday season. You can be someone’s holiday hero when you buy the Samsung Galaxy S II for $200, with a two-year contract with AT&T.

HTC Radar this holiday season

Your social media crazed teenager will certainly flip if they unwrap an HTC Radar this holiday season. This Windows 7 Phone packs in tons of social networking features out of the box, keeping friends close and accessible. Sharing is a snap, and if your social butterfly wants to share photos, the Radar has an excellent camera featuring an F2.2 lens and a BSI sensor, which takes photos that approach or match standard point-and-shoot digital camera quality. To top it off, the phone works on T-Mobile’s excellent 4G network. The HTC Radar isn’t on sale just but, nevertheless you can rest assured it’ll be in stores earlier the holiday crunch in effect sets in.

Virgin Mobile is quietly offering very affordable rate plans for data and talk for their line of smartphones. One of the best available is the Motorola Triumph, running on Android 2.2. It packs in just about everything you would expect of a smartphone these days - 1 GHz processor, 4.1” touchscreen, 5 MP camera, a front-facing camera, and a camcorder capable of 720p HD video. It might not be the technical powerhouse you’ll find from the major smartphone players, nevertheless it’ll get the job done for anyone, be they entertainment junkies, high-powered businessmen or women, or social networking fiends. The Motorola Triumph has a high entry cost at $300, yet those low rate plans might just make this 3G smartphone worth it.

Android phones and tablets when all is said and done get their own speaker dock this holiday season, with a focus on quality audio. The Fidelio doubles as a charger, holding your device in place with a micro USB connector. The communication between device and speakers is in fact handled by Bluetooth, and the speakers are controlled via the Fidelio app, which as well gives you access to tons of radio stations from around the globe, should the contingency arise to your own music library. With audio quality in other words a cut above the norm, the Philips Fidelio for Android should be music to the ears of any Android fan in your life this holiday season. You can pick one up from Amazon for about $130.