Best Valentine’s Day Gadget Gifts
From http://www.retrevo.com/content/special-reports/2008/01/best-valentines-day-gadget-gifts (Permission to repost received.)
Retrevo recommends the best gadgets gifts for Valentine’s Day including GPS, MP3 Players, Digital Cameras, and more.
This year, why not say “I love you,” with something that lasts longer than a dozen roses? The right gadget can score points with your favorite sweetheart and be the one Valentine’s Day gift that keeps on giving.
The iGifts Have It
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For the ultimate gadget gift you could get that special someone in your life one of the sexiest laptops on the market; the recently announced, Apple Macbook Air. This super svelte laptop is so thin it fits inside a manila envelope yet it still boasts a full size keyboard and 13.3 inch LED backlight display. It may not be available for Valentine’s Day but you can preorder it now for $1799.
iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch
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| iPhone | iPod touch | iPod shuffle | iPod classic |
Take your pick of Apple gadgets and score major points with your special gadget lover. You might consider an 8GB iPhone or a 16GB iPod touch for $399. The iPod touch which has everything the iPhone has minus the phone service.
There are many recently redesigned iPods to choose from including ones with different colors and capacities. Watching videos on iPods is very popular with videos becoming more widely available for download especially with Apple’s recent launch of an online movie rental business.
Apple iPod shuffles are smaller than ever and come in many colors. They cost $79 and hold 1GB worth of files which is about 240 songs. The iPod nano comes in colors, displays photos, plays videos or audio files, and costs $149 for a 4GB version and $199 for an 8GB one that will hold 2000 songs.
The iPod classic comes in black or white, has a big 2.5-inch color display. You can buy one with 80GB of storage for $249 or 160GB for $349. The iPod touch 8GB version sells for $299 and the 16GB version $399.
Buying red gadgets can help support the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Apple offers a red iPod and Motorola has a red Razr that are both associated with the charity. Microsoft has a red Zune but it appears to be geared for Valentine’s Day not for Bono’s fund.
Free Engravings
| For a special touch, you can get a free engraving on an iPod or iTouch when you buy it from Apple’s online store. |
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Microsoft’s Red Zune
| Microsoft continues to improve their Zune MP3 player and even offers features not found on iPods like WiFi connectivity which lets you trade songs with other Zune users, surf the web, or use other online interactive features. For Valentine’s Day they are offering a Red, 80GB Zune and free engraving with one of 20 special valentine designs or a personal text message. You can buy this or other similar Zunes for around $249. |
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GPS
The right GPS PND (personal navigation device) might just help find the way to your special friend’s heart. GPS devices continue to get better and cheaper every day. For Valentine’s Day gifts, we recommend looking at a portable unit that fits in a pocketbook or even one of the sports versions that you wear on your wrist.
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| Garmin nuvi 680 | TomTom Go 920T |
The Garmin nuvi 680 could be a very expensive Valentines Day present but for under $600 you can give someone a highly rated, versatile GPS , that has a large 4.3 inch color display and is still small enough to fit in a pocketbook or briefcase.
The TomTom Go 920T is another highly rated GPS that falls in the same price range and feature group.
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| TomTom XL-S | Mio c230 |
The TomTom XL-S sells for around $350. It has a 4.3 inch widescreen display, offers text-to-speech and MapShare which allows users to update maps.
For the budget minded, the Mio c230 is a basic 3.5 inch screen GPS that features TTS (Text-to-Speech) functionality and gets high marks for performance and ease of use for well under $200.
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| Garmin Forerunner 205 | Garmin Forerunner 405 |
The Garmin Forerunner 205 is a GPS device that you wear like a wristwatch. It tells you how far you ran and how long it took. Serious runners rave about this GPS device. You can buy the Garmin Forerunner 205 for around $180. If you prefer to wait, Garmin just announced a very cool wristwatch type GPS called the Forerunner 405 which is supposed to ship in the first quarter of 2008 and sell for around $300.
Photo Frames
Digital Photo Frames were a big hit this holiday season. They provide an easy and attractive way to put your digital photos on the mantle, kitchen counter, desktop, or even on a key chain. Some units play audio files as well.
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| Kodak EX811 | Westinghouse DPF 0802 | Tao 1.4 inch Digital Picture Keychain | Coby DP 151 |
The Kodak EX811 is an 8 inch, 800 x 480 pixel photo frame, with 128 MB of memory that will cost you around $200. You can load pictures with the built-in WiFi, through the memory card slot, or the USB connector.
The Westinghouse DPF 0802, 8 inch photo frame has a wood frame,128 MB of storage, and a high resolution 800 x 600 screen. You load up the frame from your camera’s flash memory card or a USB connection. You can buy the Westinghouse DPF 0802 for around $150.
The Tao 1.4 inch Digital Picture Keychain holds 56 photos and costs $29. It has a rechargeable battery. You load it with a USB connector. They offer a square version and a round one.
The Coby DP 151 1.5 inch Digital Photo Key Chain is a tenth of inch bigger than the others. It stores 62 pictures and is on sale at Amazon for $16. Some users are happy with it, some aren’t.
Digital Cameras
A small and compact point and shoot camera might be just the right gift this Valentine’s Day.
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| Canon SD1000 | Nikon CoolPix P5100 |
The Canon SD1000 fits easily in a pocket or pocket book, offers 7.1 MP and new face technology that makes taking bad pictures harder. You can buy one for under $200.
If you can afford to spend around $300 then take a look at the 12.1 MP Nikon CoolPix P5100 which has optical image stabilization to eliminate fuzzy pictures, a big 2.5 inch LCD screen, and 3.5x optical zoom.
Don’t forget to check out all the latest information for GPS, Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Laptops, and more. You can also find manuals and reviews for all popular gadgets and gear.
