Last Minute Gift Ideas: Motorola Droid X for Verizon

Motorola has released a new version of the popular Droid series smartphone lineup. The new droid features 1GHz processor, 8MP digital camera, 720p HD video capture, 16GB of expandable internal store, HDMI output and high definition touch screen display.

Motorola Droid X can be purchased for $199 with a 2 year contract with Verizon.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: HTC HD7

HTC HD7 is the first Windows Mobile 7 phone on the market. This smartphone is very similar to Samsung Nexus S; however, it uses a totally different OS. It has a 4.3" high definition touch screen, 16GB of internal storage capacity, 5MP digital camera and virtual QWERTY camera.

HTC HD7 can be purchased for $99 on a 2 year contract or $599 factory unlocked.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: Samsung Google Nexus S

Google Nexus S is the lastest smartphone using the Andriod mobile platform. It is also a first smartphone to use Google's lastest version of Andriod 2.3 (Gingerbread). This is the second-generation of Nexus series with the original Nexus released over a year ago by HTC. The newest version has a built-in hotspot capability, better navigation, high resolution contour display, 5.0MP camera and 16GB of built-in memory.

The Nexus S can be purchased for $199 on contract or $529.99 factory unlocked.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: Apple iPod Touch

Apple currently selling their 4th generation of the iPod Touch portable music player. Apple iPod Touch can be purchased in 3 memory sizes: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The latest generation iPod has a new iOS 4 operating system with more features, better internet browser, game center, higher resolution display and HD video recording.

In case you are not sure which version to get, Apple estimates that a 32GB iPod can store up to 7,000 songs or up to 40,000 digital photos or up to 40 hours of video.

Prices start at $229.99 for a 8GB model and go up to $399.99 for a 64GB iPod.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: Netbooks

Netbooks are a very hot item this holiday season. In 2010, almost all major PC builders offered their version of a Netbook. Screen sizes can vary from 8.9" to 12.1", hard drives were expanded up to 250gb, Intel Atom CPU was combined with nVidia Ion graphics for better performance and 4G WiMAX modems were embedded in some models.

Netbooks can be purchased for as low as $249.99 this holiday season. A sleeve and an external mouse can be purchased for $29.99.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: Beats by Dr. Dre

Looking for a good pair of headphones? Monster has teamed up with artist Dr. Dre to develop these unique headphones to deliver rich, professional-quality sound with noise-canceling and powered noise isolation.

The headphones also feature over sized 40mm drivers to deliver deep bass and crystal-clear sound. Beats are fully compatible with Apple iPhone and Apple iPod. Beats by Dr. Dre can be purchased at major retailers for $299.99 this holiday season.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: HP eStation C510A

HP has released a brand new printer right on time for this holiday season. It is called eStation C510A and it features a fully detachable 7 inch Android tablet! The tablet is called Zeen and runs Android 2.1. HP has included a web browser, printing apps, SDHC memory card slot, wifi and all of the other usual Android apps.
In case you are wondering, the tablet cannot be purchased separately. The printer is setup for Photo printing and can print up to 33 pages per minute. HP eStation can be purchased for as low as $349.99 at Best Buy and other retailers.

ZumoDrive

  ZumoDrive is a personal content mover that easily gets all your content onto any of your devices, including your netbook, tablet and smartphone. With ZumoDrive, you can now take your music, photos, videos, documents and other files wherever you go regardless of where the files originated, how much on-device storage capacity is available, or whether you’re online or off.  ZumoDrive is designed to be extraordinarily simple to use, transparent when it comes to your device experience, and equally functional on whichever platforms your various devices may run on. 

DropBox

  Dropbox is a Web-based file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc. which uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet using file synchronization. It was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi as a Y Combinator startup.

 There are both free and paid services, each with varying options. In comparison to similar services, Dropbox offers a relatively large number of user clients across a variety of desktop and mobile operating systems. There are a total of 10 clients, including versions for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, as well as versions for mobile devices, such as Android, iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry, and a web-based client for when no local client is installed. Dropbox uses the Freemium financial model and its free service provides 2 GB of free online storage. The service's major competitors are Box.net, Sugarsync, Mozy, ZumoDrive.

YikeBike

   The YikeBike mini-farthing is a type of folding bicycle released on 2 September 2009 at EUROBIKE. It weighs 22 lb and when folded, it is small enough to fit in a  backpack. The YikeBike was invented by Grant Ryan and designed by a team in New Zealand over 5 years. It is the smallest and lightest electric folding bicycle in the world.

  The vehicle has no chain pedal, gear box, mechanical brake, cables or levers. These functions are provided by a 1.2 kW electric motor and controller. The YikeBike has electronic anti-skid brakes. There are also built-in lights, indicators and brake lights for safety.

Holiday Gift Ideas: Phosphor World Time E-Ink Watch

Phosphor has started integrating E-Ink displays into watches. E-Ink watches are inexpensive, trendy and simplistic. The main advantage of E-Ink watches is very low battery consumption and unique design. E-Ink watches can display time and information in different display modes and assortment. E-Ink watches can be purchased from Phosphor (http://www.phosphorwatches.com) for $150 to $195. 

What is E-Ink?

E-inks are used in e-book readers like the Sony reader and Amazon Kindle. The main advantage of e-ink technology over conventional LCD displays is great battery life and no eye fatigue. E-ink displays only use the battery to change the screen content. Once the screen content has changed, it can be displayed for weeks without any battery drain. E-ink is slowly making a transition to other industries like magazines, advertising and watches.

Visit E Ink's homepage (www.eink.com) to learn more about this exciting technology.

Holiday Gift Ideas: Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Keyboard

Wireless devices tend to be heavy and bulky due to the battery. Typical wireless keyboard goes through a set of batteries within a month or two. Logitech has taken it to the next level, and made a solar keyboard. The keyboard has an ultra-slim 1/3-inch profile and separate (chiclet style) keys. Ambient light solar panels are located on the top of keyboard and eliminate the need for batteries. Logitech claims that the keyboard can run for three months with no light source present for recharge. K750 is already available for purchase at big box retailers for $79.99.

Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor

Tech industry analysts say e-readers are going to be one of the hottest gadget categories this holiday season. Last year, only a handful of companies had e-book readers. Last year's e-readers had very basic functionality, no color and were out of budget for a lot of shoppers. This year, basic e-readers can be purchased for as low as $99, and color touchscreen e-readers for $249.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds is one of the most popular games for portable devices like iPhone, iPad and other smart phones. The game is simple, addictive and constantly adds more levels for free. The basic idea is to hurl an angry bird at a structure which is hiding an evil green pig that stole the birds' eggs. The game is developed by a Finland based developer called Rovio. Over 10 million copies of the game have been purchased to date. The game can be purchased for $1 on iTunes.

Sony PlayStation Move for PS3

PlayStation move is a recently released motion-sensing controller from Sony. Move's motions are tracked by a camera called PlayStation Eye. It will compete with the Wii Remote with Wii MotionPlus and Kinect motion control systems for the Wii and Xbox 360 home consoles. The PlayStation Move motion controller features an orb at the head which can glow in any of a full range of colors.

PlayStation move retails for around $99.99 and is expected to be a hot selling item this holiday season.

Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360

Microsoft Kinect is a new device which enables gamers to play video games without a need for a conventional game controller. Kinect is based on a webcam styled attachment which enables gamers to interact with the console via gestures, movements and voice. Kinect is designed to broaden Xbox 360's gaming audience and make it easier to play for non-typical gamers. Kinect competes with the Wii Remote with Wii MotionPlus and PlayStation Move motion control systems for the Wii and PlayStation 3 home consoles, respectively.

Kinect sells for $149.99 without the console and $299.99 bundled with a console.

Can you recognize these Computer Brands?

Every computer has a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is responsible for logical, arithmetical, input/output operations of the system. CPU is also known as the brain of the computer. Most CPU's are designed by Intel and AMD. Both companies design and produce CPU's for workstations, laptops and netbooks.

Intel is an American company founded in 1968 and based in Santa Clara, California. Intel also produces motherboards, flash memory, circuits, network controllers and graphic chips.It is also the world's largest chip maker by revenue. Intel is also famous for their Pentium line of processors which became a household name in 1990s.

AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) is an American multinational company founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California. AMD also specializes in graphics, handheld devices, motherboard chipsets and servers.AMD is the second-largest global microprocessor supplier. AMD is famous for their Athlon line of processors which were popular with gamers and computer enthusiasts.

Do you know these Computer Video Card Brands?

All computers have chips or video cards to produce video output. ATI and nVidia are the 2 competing manufacturers that specialize in computer video cards. You can recognize the which one is installed in your computer by looking for the following logos:

ATI Technologies Inc is a Canadian company founded in 1985. ATI designs and produces GPU's (graphic processing units) and chipsets. In 2006, the company was acquired by major computer processor manufacturer AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). Starting late 2010, ATI will be re-branded as AMD; however, we are likely to see ATI logos on current computer system for years to come.

nVidia is a multinational corporation based in Santa Clara, California, founded in 1993. nVidia specializes in GPU's and chipsets for mobile devices, workstations and personal computers. nVidia is famous for their GeForce line of video cards which offered a good value between price and performance. As of June 2010, nVidia holds 59.11% of the PC video-card gaming market share.

Do you know these Operating System Logos?

3 major computer operating systems can be found on most PC's. Each operating system has a unique logo and style.

Windows Logo

Windows is a popular operating system created by Microsoft. This logo can be seen on over 85% of all personal computers. Windows logo was first introduced in 1985 with the release of first Windows operating system.

 

Mac OS

This logo was created by Apple Corporation for Mac Operating System. Apple computers are very popular in graphics and video editing industries.

Linux Logo

Linux is a well-known operating system in business and IT world. Penguin named Tux is the official logo of Linux. It was created in 1996 by the creators of Linux operating system.