Gadgets of the Year
Nintendo WiiWii is the latest gaming console by Nintendo. Pronounced ‘WE’, Wii takes on two major consoles -- Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Wii’s USP is its motion-sensored Wiimote that resembles your TV remote. Playing with Wiimote is pure fun compared to other gaming console controllers. For instance, if you are playing bowling, you have to face the screen and bowl virtually.
Why would I want this? If you’re heavily into graphics, Wii is not for you. But it’s perfect if you are a casual gamer who just wants to have fun while gaming.
Price: 250 USD (Approx 15,000 INR)
The king of digital audio players, iPod has ruled the market since its launch. Not even Zune, Microsoft’s biggie offering, could dethrone this player from the top. And Apple just keeps making the iPod better. The iPod video comes with massive storage capacity, bright screen and a battery that lasts longer. For the uninitiated, iPod video can play videos and music, and display images; you can even play games with it.
Why would I want this? iPod Video is a player with a mammoth 80 GB capacity. The screen is 60% brighter than its predecessors and it has a really long-lasting battery. Add to this is the incomparable click-wheel that we are all familiar with, and great audio output.Price: Rs 23,600
Apple MacBook Pro
Load it with Windows XP, Mac or even Linux… this one accepts all. It’s powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which packs the power of two processor cores (up to 2.33 GHz) inside a single chip. The MacBook Pro comes in 15 and 17 inch widescreen displays and has a built-in iSight (camera) that makes video chatting more entertaining. You can use the Apple Remote to control your videos, music etc; you can navigate through your work and play from anywhere in the room.
Why would I want this? It’s powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processor. And now, Windows and Linux fans can own a Mac.Price: Rs 1,15,800
Canon Powershot S80
Here’s a camera from Canon that both professionals and novices can use. The Powershot S80 comes with 8-megapixel lens that allows you print images in sizes up to A3. There’s a vivid 2.5-inch display, 3.6X optical zoom and DIGIC II imaging processor responsible for quality snaps. The S80 also supports 12 different shoot modes, USB 2.0 connectivity and PictBridge, which enables the user to print photos on the fly
Why would I want this? The Powershot S80 delivers quality pictures, ideal for professionals and novices alike.
Price: Rs 32,995
Nokia N73 ME
The latest addition to the Nseries stable by Nokia is the N73 ME (Music Edition). With better keypad layout and a dedicated Music button, the NSeries has an outstanding speaker that delivers crisp sound. The music sounds greater with the bundled ear-phones. The 2-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, shines on the imaging front. All Nseries phones from Nokia now come pre-loaded with 100 songs from old classics to latest masala mixes from artistes like A R Rahman, Jagjit Singh, etc.
Why would I want this? Great sound and camera and now with pre-loaded music from the legends.
Price: Rs 26,000
Sony VAIO VGN-AR18GP
The VAIO VGN-AR18GP is the first laptop sporting a Blu-ray writer that is capable of burning Blu-ray discs with capacities of 50Gb and 25Gb and standard DVD discs as well. This Vaio is powered by the dual core Intel Centrino Duo T2600 processor clocking at 2.16 GHz. The laptop comes with 1Gb of RAM and Nvidia GeForce GO 7600 GT graphics card with 256 MB of memory. This machine is an ideal gaming system. With support for 1920x1200 high resolution display on its 17-inch TFT, watching 1080p HD video is a visual treat. Comes with standard features such as USB ports, FireWire port, ExpressCard, media card reader and Wi-Fi support.
Why would I want this? The first Blu-ray equipped laptop with great configuration makes it ideal for power users.
Price: Rs 1,99,900