Santa's Helper Blog: Wi-Fi

If you have a reader to buy for this year, you might want to take a look at a Kindle reader from Amazon. Right now, there is a price war going on and you can purchase one of these readers for under $200. Who knows how long this will last, so now is the time to buy. Christmas will be here before you know it and by then the price may return to almost $300.

The Kindle comes with free wi-fi connection and the ability to access so many different types of reading material that it makes your head spin. This device will allow you to read books, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc. with ease. This is a slim, lightweight device that is much easier to carry around in your bag. No more wasting time waiting at the doctor's office or in line at the store. Now you can be connected and be reading no matter where you go.

Here are just a few articles in the news about this topic:

E-reader Price War --Wednesday, June 23, 2010
On the Business Beat, our focus is on the electronic reader and a new layaway plan.
The electronic reader war continues heating up today.
Bottom line, the prices are coming down.
Target is now selling the Amazon Kindle, with the price down to $189. The price drop follows Barnes & Noble cutting the price on its "Nook" to $149, and its 3G model to $199.
Also out there, the Borders version, called the KOBO, selling for $149 [...read more...]

Amazon Kindle sees price drop -- June 21st, 2010
Amazon just announced that their Kindle e-reader will receive a price drop to $189, falling all the way from $259. It would be interesting to see just how this rather steep price drop will help boost the Kindle’s sales in wake of the iPad’s phenomenal release and sales performance figures thus far. For those who have been living under a rock for the past few years, the Amazon Kindle is the 3G wireless portable reader which allows you to think of a book and be reading in 60 seconds, regardless of where you are – subject to availability of a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, of course. Best of all is, there are no monthly fees or annual contracts to worry about, and you can choose from more than 600,000 books. Woe to those who purchased the Kindle just a day earlier at the full $259 price, eh? Press Release

Bought a Kindle Too Soon? Ask For a Refund -- June 22, 2010, 4:43 PM ET
Some people who were on the fence about buying a dedicated e-reader may be celebrating Monday’s price war between Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle. For the first time, both devices now cost less than $200.

: Associated Press; Amazon’s Kindle

But there was one group who wasn’t celebrating: People who recently bought the devices at their former price of $259. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble were promoting the devices as Father’s Day gifts at the higher price (although Barnes & Noble was including a $50 gift card with purchases).
Now some good news: Both companies say they’re willing to refund customers who bought their e-reading devices recently. You just have to ask for it.
Amazon says it will give the $70 price difference between an old and new Kindle as a credit to customers whose devices were shipped in the last 30 days.
Barnes & Noble says it will give customers a $10 refund and $50 gift card to Nook customers who are still within their 14-day return policy period. You can contact customer service, or just find the store manager at your local Barnes & Noble branch.
Follow Geoffrey Fowler on Twitter.

For information on Kindle visit The Kindle Reader.

This really does seem to be the Christmas for gadgets and electronics. Here's another article that lists some of the hottest buys this year. You cannot go wrong with any of these products--just be sure to match the product with the appropriate recipient.

I know I love gadgets, but I have trouble staying up with all the new technological changes. I probably will need to look into a few of these for myself--just for research purposes you understand.

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If you can’t find that perfect gift for the tech loving person in your life we have listed a few options you may not have considered. From gaming systems to pico projectors and mobile phones, this is the Inquisitr Top 10 Gadgets List for 2009, a list composed of “mostly” readily available Gadgets that you can buy for your loved ones this Christmas.

1. PS3 Slim

While The Sony Playstation 3 has been around for a while, Sony recently released the Slim version of the device and at $299 users can beat the gaming systems Blu-Ray and Gaming Capabilities. If you have a gamer in your life who doesn’t have a PS3 or needs to replace their old console, this is a great and fairly cheap option. Also watch out for game bundles that are offered with some system sales.

2. Motorola Droid

While we love the iPhone, the Droid really does do everything users could want from a device and it does it with the hottest new mobile operating system on the market (Google Android 2.0). We love the feel of the device, the thousands of apps now offered for Google Android and the fact that AT&T isn’t shoving it in our faces. If you’re a Verizon customer this is the only phone you should be considering. Price: $199 with a two-year contract.

3. Flip Mino HD

This device comes with 4GB and 8GB options. Regardless of the size you choose you’ll love the small candybar style design with 720p recording capabilities and an upgraded mic that provides better (not perfect but improved) voice recording. While 1080P camcorders are still our number one choice, you can’t beat the starting price of $199. They’ve already received moderately good reviews, although if you need “professional quality” videography you’ll definitely want to look elsewhere, this is more for recording your kids school plays and family vacations.

4. Barnes & Noble Nook

This device is one of our favorites for the year, but beware, it’s only worth the buy if you don’t mind giving it as a late present (January 15th expected delivery date). Even with the late date we couldn’t leave the device with it’s dual displays, including a 3.5 inch color LCD screen, e-Ink features and expandable memory off the list. We also couldn’t ignore the WiFi and AT&T 3G capabilities of the device and the ability to download full books for reading while in Barnes & Noble stores and the devices sexy look that makes the Kindle look old fashioned.

5. Nintendo DSi

With the PS3 Slim taking our top console spot we felt it only fair to acknowledge Nintendo’s handheld gaming system. We love the inclusion of an integrated camera (even if it is only 0.3MP), the larger 3.25″ screen (original had 3″), the MicroSDHC card slot that can playback audio and most importantly the new DSi shop, after all you can’t have a truly connected device these days without an App store of some kind.

6. Windows 7

Yeah I know the purist will say “that’s not a gadget” but software powers the top gadgets we use and Windows 7 finally fixed many of the gripes users had with Microsoft OS’s. We love the new user interface, jump lists, the taskbar with full screen previews, webslices, better device management, increased security that isn’t so obtrusive and many other features of the new OS. If you want to buy someone a product that will reduce their Windows Vista headaches a nicely wrapped copy of Windows 7 is a great way to go.

7. Apple Magic Mouse

It was a given that we’d like this option from Apple more than their crappy Mighty Mouse and we were right. The first mouse to feature touchpad use is ergonomically pleasing, orgasmic to look at and fairly cheap at $69. If you have a Mighty Mouse its time to ask Santa for the Magic Mouse, you’ll wonder how you lived without it all these years.

8. Novatel MiFi 2200

If you’re on the Sprint or Verizon networks and you travel a lot or you want a makeshift WiFi network for your home or business you need to buy this device. The MiFi 2200 turns your phones 3G into an impromptu WiFi network. Just be warned that downloading huge files can quickly zap your typical 5GB monthly data allowance. The device is very portable and extremely simple to use with quick network access at the core of the device.

9. PowerMat

If you have an iPod and two cell phones sitting around you might run into issues if you only have one wall outlet available. Then again why would you both plugging in your electronics to charge them when you can just place them down on a mat and let that device charge your electronics without any wiring. If you want to avoid clutter at home or the office this is a must have gadget for all of your electronics charging needs.

10. 3M MPro120

Pico projectors have been all the rage in 2009 and the 3M MPro120 was one of the most impressive mini projectors
to grace retail locations. The unit can fit in your hand comfortably, yet it’s capable of creating images on surfaces from 8 to 50 inches away and it works with various device including cameras, phones and computers. For the traveling business person in your life who has everything this is a great option for $350.
Those are 10 of our top picks for 2009. There were many other gadgets that also received our attention, however these were units we got our hands on, thoroughly tested and found to be at the top of their class.
Feel free to add your own picks as a comment and we’ll put together a “users choice” list in the coming weeks.

To see the original article posting>>>click here

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