Top Christmas Gift Ideas 3 of 3

Portable Audio/Video
Entry level
Phillips Aria 4GB (Rs. 4,999)
For a 4GB device with good features, an MRP of Rs.4999 is pretty good. Also, the end user price should be a bit lower. The quality of the player for audio is good, though its two-inch screen is not suitable for watching videos. In our Philips GoGear Vibe we suggested you buy a good pair of earphones/headphones to go along with your player. Here you get good earphones as well, which makes the Aria a good alternate to the Vibe.

Midrange
iPod Nano 16GB (Rs. 11,200)
Apple has just given the nano a major shot in the arm, turning an impressive little music player into an incredible all-round multimedia device. The addition of camera really came as a pleasant surprise and what's better is that it does not disappoint in its performance. 

The addition of FM radio and voice recording, which admittedly are a bit late compared to the competition, finally complete the feature list. No longer can critics claim the iPod nano to be all show and no go. The audio quality remains impressive, although I wish Apple had used a higher quality display on the nano, which could have made the video and photo playback just as impressive.

I am not a big fan of the click wheel and wished the camera captured still images as well. However, all these are minor drawbacks when you consider the overall performance, which is on par with the best the competition has to offer. Priced at Rs. 9,400 for the 8 GB model and Rs. 11,200 for the 16 GB model, the new iPod is sure to attract a lot more buyers than the one before it. The already strong sale of the world's most popular player has no place to go but up.

High end
Cowon iAudio S9 (Rs. 17,250)
I'm sure you guys were expecting the iPod Touch here but remember, we are talking about the best audio/video device and no one does it better than Cowon. For roughly Rs. 17,250 you get the 32GB version that lets you play Xvid and DivX movies. This means no more conversion, you can just directly dump movies and your set. The screen may be a bit smaller than the iPod Touch but the colour and contrast of the S9 is equally good. The S9 also has noticibly better audio quality and you get FM radio for those who care about it. Overall, between this and iPod Touch, we pick this for superior audio quality.

Thumb drives

Kingmax 16GB (Rs. 1,450)

The Kingmax Super Stick mini 16GB is one of the tiniest USB Flash drives around and it can certainly pack in a lot, thanks to its huge capacity. Though tiny in size, it is constructed ruggedly and can easily weather the elements of nature. The performance is good when it comes to read speeds, while the write speeds are a little below average.

It does not come with any software bundle, which is something expected when the drive can do so much with its huge 16GB capacity. With a lifetime warranty, the Kingmax Super Stick mini 16GB is available for an estimated street price of Rs. 1,450, which is pretty much a steal for a 16GB drive.

Portable Storage
2.5" Laptop based
Seagate FreeAgent Go - 500GB (Rs. 4,800)
Both Western Digital and Seagate are priced similarly around Rs. 4,800 for 500GB, which is a pretty sweet deal. The reason we chose Seagate is because you get a five-year warranty with it instead of a three-year.

 
3.5" Desktop based
WD My Book Essential Edition 1TB (Rs. 5,100)
If you need more space then you can pick the WD My Book, which sells for Rs.5100. Just a little more than the FreeAgent, since its using a standard desktop hard drive instead of the laptop kind. The size is slightly larger but not too much and will still fit snugly in your backpack.

DVD Player/Home Theater System
LG HB954TB BluRay home theater (Rs.47,000)
The LG Home Theater HB954TB sells for Rs. 47,000 with a one-year warranty. As compared to the previous Home Theater we saw from Samsung, this makes for a much better choice. The LG Home Theater HB954TB has a Blu-ray player and a much better audio experience. The pricing too is appropriate, so it's a good selection for those looking for a Lifestyle Home Theater System.

Phillips Soundbar HD HTS8160B (Rs.79,990)
The Philips SoundBar is a class apart. It sells for Rs. 79,990 with a one-year warranty. Being a premium lifestyle product it has the aspects that give it certain appeal. The slot loading tray that emerges from the center console of the bar takes things to a level of being sci-fi. It supports all media formats including Blu-ray and has USB and a 3.5mm jack input for connecting plug-n-play devices. The Philips Soundbar is not just all show, as it packs a punch with its six speaker angled setup providing good sound and surround effect. For a single piece it's quite good. The woofer too has the required thump and is well sized to suit large living rooms. All in all one could only wish for wireless communication between the woofer and the console but even otherwise it'll make an exceptional buy.

Top Christmas Gift Ideas 2 of 3

Mobile Phones
You can classify mobiles in countless number of ways but for this guide we wanted to keep it short and sweet. Following are the three hottest phones currently available under their respective price brackets.

Under 10K
Samsung Corby (Rs.7,800)
Attractive, easy to use and affordable, that's the best way to describe the Corby. Samsung has really brought the touchscreen technology to the masses with the release of phones like Star and the Corby. This phone takes it even further by being truly affordable. It looks very attractive, is slim and light and also well built. The interface design is good and easy to use and the display is also fairly large to enjoy your images, videos and for browsing the web.

The phone comes with convenient widgets for all the popular social networking sites, which I'm sure would be well appreciated. The only areas where the phone does not perform well are in the camera department and the lack of a few features such as 3G or accelerometer. But for the price of Rs. 7800, the Corby makes you ignore all those flaws and just go out and buy the phone.

 
Under 20K
Samsung Jet (Rs. 16,500)
The Samsung Jet has recently witnessed a price drop, which makes it a very attractive buy. It has a blistering fast 800 MHz processor, a brilliant 3.1", 480 x 800 pixel OLED display, a 3.5mm headphone jack, DivX/XviD playback and excellent audio quality. You couldn't possible ask for anymore in a multimedia phone. The phone is also priced superbly at Rs. 16,500, which is great, considering the features and performance on offer. Little doubt that it won our Editor's choice award.

Above 20K
Nokia N97 Mini  (Rs. 27,000)
The younger brother of the N97 packs in most of the features of the older brother but sheds a few millimeters and the D-pad to achieve a more compact body. The phone packs in almost all the features that the N97 has. You get the full QWERTY keypad for all your messaging needs. Then there is the large 3.2-inch, 640 x 360 pixel touchscreen display, 5 Megapixel camera, VGA resolution video recording, 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo loudspeakers and a full range of connectivity features covering 3G HSDPA to W-Fi and GPS. The N97 mini has everything that you'd want from a smartphone and more. The phone is priced at Rs. 27000.

Notebooks
Cheap Ultra portables
Asus EeePC 1005HA (Rs. 23,500)
You can find the 1005HA for as low as Rs. 23,500 which is a very good price for the features it offers. The Acer D250 also retails for around 20K but it's not as slim as the Asus. The 1005HA strikes a good balance between those who wanted the long battery life of the 1101HA and the compact size of the 1008HA but didn't want to spend so much. It has all the ingredients for a good portable netbook like light weight, good ergonomics, battery life and decent bundle.

The one place where it loses points though is in the feedback of the keys. It could have been better and the glossy finish completely ruins the show. If you ignore these minor things then yes, it makes a good buy.

Acer 751h (Rs.23,250)
The Acer 751H is not a brand new product as it has been in the market for quite sometime and I'm really impressed with its overall design and performance (battery life in particular). The design is completely different from Acer's Aspire One 10-inch netbook, making it a lot sleeker and lighter. Add to that the well lit 11.6-inch screen and you've got a very good and practical netbook for the price of a 10-inch netbook.

This is the icing on the cake, as Acer seems to have hit it spot on. This is currently the only 12" netbook that sells for Rs. 23,400 (end user price), which is a very attractive price.

General purpose
Acer 4810TZ (Rs. 34,000)
The Timeline 4810TZ sells for Rs. 34,000 with a one-year warranty. This makes the laptop well priced as well. The Timeline doesn't really suffer in terms of performance as its smaller sibling. So once again we have an ideal laptop solution from Acer in the 14-incher laptop segment. This is an ideal work or casual solution, but not a gaming solution mind you. If you want gaming prowess then you can look at Dell. Word is that even a good Sony laptop will soon be within ones reach and is decently powered for some gaming as well.

Ultra portable (High End)
Apple MacBook Air (Rs. 93,000 - 1,12,200)
The MacBook Air is an incredibly slim and light notebook. It is these attributes that would endear it to those who want an ultra-portable notebook while traveling. But it is not just slim, as it also packs in a potent hardware that makes it a fairly powerful machine to work with. The large, bright display and comfortable keypad make the Air a pleasure to use and the good battery life means you'll be using the Air for a decent amount of time. The prices (Rs. 93,300 for 1.86GHz model and Rs. 1,12,200 for the 2.13GHz model) are on the higher side but compared to the VAIO X, which is another strong competitor in this segment, the Air is a lot more powerful and practical.

Multimedia
Sony Vaio CW (Rs. 57,000)
Backed by a good performance and build quality, the Sony VAIO CW is here to give stiff competition to the HPs and Dells that dominate this segment of the notebook market. Styled brilliantly with plenty of ergonomic features to back it up, the CW is very comfortable to use and can easily handle anything you throw at it.

It's not all work though, the bundled Nvidia GT230 will handle today's games with ease. The day is not far when we'll be able to play high-end 3D games on affordable notebooks and the VAIO CW is a perfect example of that. However, there are a few negatives. One is the battery life, which is strictly average and second, is the weight, which makes it a little difficult to lug it around.
Overall, the Sony VAIO CW is a great notebook for those looking for a powerful all-round solution for work as well as play. This particular model is priced at Rs. 57,000 including taxes.

Samsung R470 (Rs. 38,000)
If the Sony CW is a bit too much for your wallet then take a crack at this baby. The Samsung R470 sells for Rs. 38,501. For that price the R470 is one of the best bang for the buck models in the Rs. 40,000 range. With nearly the same configuration the Dell Studio 14 costs a little over Rs. 45,000. The mixture of fairly powerful components, good build quality, unique features and a competitive price makes the Samsung R470 an ideal recommendation to anybody looking for a multi-media machine under 40k.

Top Christmas Gift Ideas 1 of 3

The holiday season is here and as the urge to spend our hard earned money grows stronger, we suddenly realize there's so much to buy and not enough time or money. You could be shopping for gifts for your friends, family or maybe even for yourself - a little self indulgence doesn't hurt once in a while. So how do you decide on what to buy? Well, that's where we come in the picture.
This being a technology site you'll notice a common trend among all products we've chosen, so if you were looking for a fridge or a microwave, then you'll be disappointed. Below, we've listed some of the most common and popular tech gifts. Without further ado, let's check out some of the best buys for the season.

Digital Camera 
Digital cameras have been separated into three categories; point-and-shoot, prosumer and DSLR. Out of these we've chosen one for each category.

Point-and-shoot
Sony DSC W190 (Rs. 10,000)
This Cybershot packs in 12.1 Megapixels, CCD sensor and comes with a 2.7-inch LCD display. This large screen makes it very easy to view photos, compose shots and toggle between menus. The 3x optical zoom lets you capture images even from a distance; while the macro lets you shoot images from as close as two inches. Other features include, Smile Shutter, Face Detection, Image stabilization, various scene modes, Multi purpose resize function and lots more. The camera is powered by a Li-Ion battery for easy recharge. All this is packaged in a very simple but elegant design that won't scare away novices.

Prosumer
Canon SX120IS (Rs. 15,000)
This is a newly launched model that aims to replace last years SX110IS model. The most notable change is the resolution, which has been bumped up to 10.0 MP. But apart from this, the body remains pretty much the same with similar dimensions and weight. You get a 10x optical zoom, Image Stabilization, 3-inch LCD display and most importantly a new image sensor (DIGIC 4) that should provide improvements in noise, autofocus and auto exposure.

DSLR
Canon EOS 1000D (Rs. 27,000)
The 1000D takes many of the features from its older brother and puts it in a lighter and less expensive format. This makes it a perfect option for someone who wants to get their feet wet in professional photography.

Featuring a 10.1 MPixel CMOS sensor, 7-point wide area AF system and up to 3fps continuous JPEG shooting, this makes it an ideal "first DSLR" for a budding photographer. Some of the highlights of this camera are listed below;

• 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• 7-point wide-area AF
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 2.5" LCD with Live View mode
• Large viewfinder
• DIGIC III processing
• SD/SDHC memory card compatible
• Compact, ultra-lightweight body
• Compatible with all EF lenses and EOS accessories

LCD TVs
Stepping into the world of LCD televisions, we've split this group depending on the size of the TV. We therefore have the best 32-incher, 40/42 -incher and 46-incher.

32-inch LCD TV
LG  32LH35FR (Rs. 37,000)
This was a toss up between the Samsung LA32B530P7R and the LG 32LH35FR, as they are both priced very similarly around 38K. In the end we had to go with the LG and here's why. Both TVs have similar specifications like Full HD resolution, very high Dynamic contrast ratios, low response time and so on. As for performance, both aren't that different once calibrated well, but where the LG pulls ahead is in the connectivity. Here you get an extra HDMI port as well as a USB port, which supports DivX files and the NTFS file format.

40/42-inch LCD TV
LG 42LH60YR Jazz Theater (Rs. 73,000)
If I was to focus purely on picture quality then the Samsung 6-Series would probably beat the LG, but when you consider overall performance and value for money, you really can't beat the Jazz Theater. For roughly 73K you're getting a 42" Full HD TV, 200Hz Tru motion (which I'll admit does a bit more harm than good), 700W PMPO belted through a nine-speaker system and not to forget the cool blue neon light on the side. Plus, you also get a USB port that supports DivX.
46-inch LCD TV
Samsung Series 6 UA46B600VR LED TV (Rs. 1,40,000)
Samsung has done a brilliant job with their new design. The full glass stand itself is sure to attract a lot of attention. The build is typical Samsung; solid from the ground up and made to last. Due to its slimness, they had to sacrifice a couple of composite ports but you get four HDMIs, which make up for that.

The one thing that it retains from its predecessors is the picture quality of the L6 series televisions, which is nothing short of amazing. BluRay's never looked as good as it does on this panel. However, this is not without some niggles.

The USB port does not support video files, which is a let down. Apart from the price there's nothing much to crib about, as it delivers as promised.

LCD Monitor
22-incher
Samsung 2233SW (Rs. 8,800)
I think the features of this monitor are pretty well known by now. But put simply, this is the best 21.5" Full HD LCD monitor currently available in the market. You can currently find this monitor for as low as 8.8K, which makes it really good value.
24-incher
BenQ G2412HD/Samsung P2350 (Rs. 10,800)
The colour gamut for this monitor may not be that impressive but for the price and features it offers, we can overlook this small shortcoming. The G2412HD comes with a slimmer bezel, HDMI port and most importantly a good price of just Rs. 10,800 or even lower depending on where you're located. Another very good alternative is the Samsung P2350 Lavender, but you'll have to sacrifice the HDMI port.

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