The season for GADGETS (aka the Video Game thread)

[Lavabe]

Normally I purchase one Christmas gadget of the year. Kitchen gadgets usually win, and within a few years they are discarded (pasta machine, bread machine, salad spinner, etc...). Although not a kitchen gadget, my daughter spotted a gadget for this year.

Any other MUST-HAVE gadgets for this year?

I'm sort of waiting for the insult cell phone that screams insults when you misplace it.
Thanks,
Lavabe

[billybreen]

Any other MUST-HAVE gadgets for this year?

Well, you already have your iPod Touch, so you have the most important one covered. I'll be getting the wife an iPhone. I expect this to be another record season for Apple, with on the order of 25 million iPods sold.

Not sure if a gaming system fits the definition, but the Wii is a big winner yet again for families. Good luck finding one without paying a premium on eBay.

[Lavabe]

Well, you already have your iPod Touch, so you have the most important one covered. I'll be getting the wife an iPhone. I expect this to be another record season for Apple, with on the order of 25 million iPods sold.

Technically speaking, it's a business item ... I'm already using it in my classes. Having said that, the folks here encourage us to use it outside of school, so I tried it out last Saturday while watching Duke BB with EarlJam.

It's really cool! The photo display is fantastic.

They need to get it so that web sites w/flash will work on it (should be done soon, from what I gather). I'd also like it if I could download podcasts from the iTunes store. I may also need to get some mobile access wifi. This is just too much fun.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Channing]

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/27/s...nystyle-store/

my dad got one of these for his birthday and absolutely loves it.

[billybreen]

They need to get it so that web sites w/flash will work on it (should be done soon, from what I gather). I'd also like it if I could download podcasts from the iTunes store. I may also need to get some mobile access wifi. This is just too much fun.

Yep, Flash is coming. I thought you could grab Podcasts, so hit me on PM (or in Snrubchat) to discuss.

[allenmurray]

Not sure if a gaming system fits the definition, but the Wii is a big winner yet again for families. Good luck finding one without paying a premium on eBay.

I wanted to get a Wii for my son for Christmas. I had heard all the horror stories about finding one. I called all the big box stores and visited all the web sites.

On my way home from the airport one night I was passing Brier Creek Shopping center. I stopped in to EBGames (same chain as GameStop). I walked in and said, "do you have any Wii". the clerk at the register looked down at the floor and said, "yes, I have one left, do you want it?" I bought it.

I then had a conversation with her. She said they get 4 - 6 per week. Because 99% of thier business is in game sales instead of hardware sales she said they never have the runs on them that the big box stores do. She said that probably two to three days a week they still have one in stock at closing time (this was two weeks ago).

If you are loking for a Wii give up on BestBuy/CircuitCity/WalMart/Target etc. Regularly patronize a small store that specializes in game sales not hardware sales. Ask them when thier UPS deliveries are made (that is how they arrive at the store). You may get one with far less trouble than you think.

[billybreen]

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/27/s...nystyle-store/

my dad got one of these for his birthday and absolutely loves it.

A thorough, not entirely positive review.

[rthomas]

Any info/suggestions on xbox 360? My kids want one but I have no clue.

[wilson]

I'm strongly considering getting my bro, the resident handyman in my life, a laser tape measure. He just finished building me an amazing bar on my deck as my early Christmas gift, in time for my holiday parties. He also loves gadgets, so I think it's an appropriate thing. Anyone know anything about one of those little wonders?

[billybreen]

If you are loking for a Wii give up on BestBuy/CircuitCity/WalMart/Target etc. Regularly patronize a small store that specializes in game sales not hardware sales. Ask them when thier UPS deliveries are made (that is how they arrive at the store). You may get one with far less trouble than you think.

That's good advice, but it involves a fair amount of polling (repeated, manual checking). There are a number of online aids, such as iTrackr, that do the polling for you and push results (via e-mail, text messages, etc) as soon as they come available online. I got my Wii last February using iTrackr, and it was pretty painless.

[billybreen]

Any info/suggestions on xbox 360? My kids want one but I have no clue.

What type of info are you looking for? It's a good console, cheaper than the PS3, and has the largest game library of this hardware generation. You shouldn't have any problem finding one.

[rthomas]

What type of info are you looking for? It's a good console, cheaper than the PS3, and has the largest game library of this hardware generation. You shouldn't have any problem finding one.

Well, there are a bunch of bundled console/game packages. Is it better to buy bundles or separate console/games?

[billybreen]

Well, there are a bunch of bundled console/game packages. Is it better to buy bundles or separate console/games?

Unless the bundled games are things you want, go a la carte. IIRC, there's no real price break on bundles.

[hc5duke]

A thorough, not entirely positive review.

I just don't get ebook readers - I don't think there is a big enough market for such a specialized product. People who want to read lots of books are unlikely to fork over $300-$400 for this kind of device, and gadget-oriented users will just deal with the poor(er) battery life of laptops and read pdf's on their computers instead. The technology isn't quite there yet either - readers typically take a whole second to refresh the screen, not to mention they don't have color yet in production models. Touchscreen isn't always available, and usually it's DRM'ed.

I had an interview with Amazon Kindle earlier this year. The compensation was about better than my current job, but I didn't want to work on a project that I won't be proud of... not to mention, if Amazon scraps it in a year (which is my estimate) I'll be in the job market again or have to move to Seattle (no offense, DevilAlumna and other residents of the Pacific Northwest ).

[prefan21]

Any info/suggestions on xbox 360? My kids want one but I have no clue.

The 360 will be perfect. What age are your kids?

Here are the hottest games this year:

Rock Band or Guitar Hero 3 - simulate either starting up a rock band (good if your kids like playing together) or playing as a famous guitarist, respectively. Very addictive - you play hit songs on a "guitar" with colored buttons instead of strings. (As well as a mic and drums in Rock Band.) Fun for all ages.

Skate - perfect for a teenage boy, a freeform skateboarding game where the player explores a city and comes up with elaborate tricks.

Halo 3 - insanely popular shoot-'em-up defending against an alien invasion. Most popular among the college crowd. (Bioshock, Gears of War, and Call of Duty 2 are similarly popular.)

The Simpsons Game - fun for younger-ish kids, a well-designed adventure game starring the Simpsons.

The Orange Box - three games in one box. Comes with Half Life 2 Ep 2 (alien killing adventure), Portal (unique and thrilling puzzle adventure), and Team Fortress 2 (capture-the-flag style multiplayer game).

Other top games - Madden if they like football, FIFA 08 if they like soccer, Viva Pinata or Beautiful Katamari if they're young or imaginative, Forza Motorsport if they like realistic racing.

[SouthgateWindsor]

Don't know if this qualifies, but I got my husband one of those Leatherman tools about 8 years ago and he *still* talks about how great of a gift it was.

[billybreen]

Skate - perfect for a teenage boy, a freeform skateboarding game where the player explores a city and comes up with elaborate tricks.

The Simpsons Game - fun for younger-ish kids, a well-designed adventure game starring the Simpsons.

I have these two on my wish list, and I'm 29. So there's universal appeal.

[Cavlaw]

I'm 27, but they're not on mine. Different tastes, I suppose (though I'm at least curious about the Simpsons game).

I still only have one long term keeper on the X360: Rainbow Six - Vegas.

I did play through Mass Effect over Thanksgiving. It was solid, but neither the storyline nor the writing was anywhere near as good as Jade Empire, Bioware's last title.

[billybreen]

I'm 27, but they're not on mine. Different tastes, I suppose (though I'm at least curious about the Simpsons game).

I still only have one long term keeper on the X360: Rainbow Six - Vegas.

I did play through Mass Effect over Thanksgiving. It was solid, but neither the storyline nor the writing was anywhere near as good as Jade Empire, Bioware's last title.

I'm not a fan of shooters, so I can't roll with Rainbox Six, Halo, or the like. Very much looking forward to Assassin's Creed, and it's worth noting that the 360 version has not suffered from the software issues experienced on the PS3. That's been something of a trend in the first year of availability for the consoles -- the PS3 is such a different architecture that development houses are more likely to stumble.

[Cavlaw]

I'm not a fan of shooters, so I can't roll with Rainbox Six, Halo, or the like. Very much looking forward to Assassin's Creed, and it's worth noting that the 360 version has not suffered from the software issues experienced on the PS3. That's been something of a trend in the first year of availability for the consoles -- the PS3 is such a different architecture that development houses are more likely to stumble.

I traded in Assassin's Creed after a few days. There are only a few tasks in the game that are rinse and repeat multiple times per mission. At first I was awed by the graphics and the animation, but after several hours of game time that wore off and I didn't feel like I was doing anything new.