Top ten gadgets on our holiday wishlist
With Christmas and other winter holidays quickly approaching, now is a great time to share some of the gadgets, both real and imagined/rumored, that we here at Pocketables are hoping to find under the tree this year.
It didn’t take long for Chris, Jeremy, and I to come up with our top choices, so we’re either very decisive when it comes to our tech tastes or just completely gadget-obsessed.
Yeah, we think the latter is more likely too. Read on to see which ten gadgets (in alphabetical order) made our list.
Apple iTablet (Chris)
Being a long-time Apple fan, I’m almost guaranteed to buy just about anything that has the rainbow-turned-monochrome logo slapped onto it, and there is no exception here with the much-rumored Apple iTablet (or whatever it will be called).
I am expecting it to revolutionize the handheld market, much like its older sibling the iPhone did over two years ago. Other manufacturers in this category better should get ready because their wake-up call is coming sometime in 2010 (right?), and hopefully Apple can force everyone to raise their game once again.
Fujitsu U830 (Chris)
Usually when I buy a handheld device, I make sure it has everything I would want if I were designing it myself, which is one of the reasons I enjoy he Fujitsu LifeBook U-series so much.
Currently owning both the U810 and U820, I still find myself marveling over all of the versatility packed in such a compact form. The new U830 (assuming that’s what it will be called) is sure to take that to the next level with an upgraded processor and more RAM to fully take advantage of Windows 7 and its new tablet features. Battery life exceeding 6-7 hours is also a major plus for any mobile device connected to the web, and Fujitsu definitely delivers here.
HTC HD2 (Jenn)
Chalk this one up to pure, unadulterated gadget lust.
The HTC HD2 won’t be available in the US until early next year, but enough of the handsets are in the hands of owners across the globe—including people in the states who either imported the international version or were gifted the device from HTC—for me to know that I want one too.
Even though I don’t need it (the iPhone 3GS will continue to be my primary phone) and Windows Mobile isn’t my favorite OS, the gorgeous hardware, capacitive WVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, and 1GHz Snapdragon processor are too much for me to resist. I’m not sure how it would fit into my daily life in the long term (I’m pretty fickle with my gadget usage), but the only way for me to find out is to get one!
I wish HTC would reveal which US carrier will be selling the HD2, as that would really help me decide whether it’s better to wait for a proper US version or just go ahead and ask Santa to import the international model.
Nokia N900 (Chris)
Call me sentimental, but I have been a user of all three prior versions of the Nokia Internet Tablet and I plan on continuing that trend with the newest Maemo device, the Nokia N900.
While the latest tablet now has phone capabilities, I’m more interested in the full internet experience it should deliver with its upgraded browser and Flash, plus the more powerful hardware under the hood, which is where the previous versions fell short. The slide-out keyboard can be handy at times as well, and let’s not forget about that best-in-class 5.0MP camera either.
Christmas will come early for me on this one because I’ve already placed my order!
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 (Jeremy)
Although not a gadget we would normally cover here, the new Panasonic Lumix GF1 is one of the most pocketables DSLRs, combining the small size of an enthusiast compact with the picture quality of its much bigger contemporaries.
This is achieved by Olympus and Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds system, which removes the traditional mirror and prism inside all SLRs so that the lens and sensor are much closer together in a much smaller package. With its selection of high quality lenses and accessories, I think the GF1 is probably the best travel camera available: small without sacrificing quality.
Pocket camcorder (Jenn)
Now that my husband and I have a new baby girl in our lives, capturing everyday moments together is more important than ever.
We already have a DVD HandyCam, Flip Ultra, Kodak Zi8, digital SLR, a couple of point-and-shoots, and some camera phones, but they’re all lacking in some way (e.g., start-up time, battery life, photo/video quality, zoom level, or general size). I don’t follow the pocket camcorder scene so there might be something better out there, but it looks like the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 would come pretty close to what we’re looking for on paper: 5x optical zoom, HD video recording, 10-megapixel still photos, 3-inch LCD, SD card storage, compact size.
Actual performance doesn’t seem to be as impressive, though, so the search continues.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 (Jeremy)
Like many of you, I’m eagerly awaiting one of the hottest Android smartphones on the horizon: the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10.
The Android family has really matured and developed this year with more manufacturers joining the club, advancements in the OS, and the addition of custom UIs from the manufacturers themselves such as HTC’s SenseUI.
The XPERIA X10 should be leading the Android charge come 2010 with its stunning 4-inch screen, powerful 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and the really impressive Nexus user interface. If only it came out in time for Christmas!
Sony PSP2 (Jeremy)
The PSP and new PSP Go are excellent portable gaming systems and have a lot of great new games this holiday season. But in this age of powerful smartphones and particularly the iPhone and App Store, mobile gaming is getting a lot more competitive with the hardware in the venerable PSP starting to seem a bit dated.
That’s why I’m really looking forward to what Sony has in store for us with what I’m calling the PSP2, the next-generation PSP that rumors suggest will include the latest graphics hardware from the PowerVR SGX family, more connectivity options, and expanded all-round functionality. Could this be the next ultimate all-in-one entertainment device? Looks like we’ll have to wait until next Christmas to find out!
Sony PSP Go (Jenn)
The PSP Go may seem like an odd choice for me, but it would actually be my ninth portable game console. I wouldn’t call myself a true gamer, but I do enjoy casual gaming every so often and can quickly become obsessed with turn-based strategy, puzzle, and simulation titles.
I bought the original PSP shortly after it came out in 2005 and have always had it in the back of my mind that I’d upgrade to a newer model when a major redesign was involved. What I like about the PSP Go, aside from its mylo 2-eque looks, are its smaller size, internal memory, and absence of a UMD drive. I’m also drawn to the idea of getting a new gadget that I don’t have to review for the site; sometimes it’s nice to have something to enjoy privately.
UMID M2 (Jenn)
Assuming it looks a tad more stylish than it did at IDF, the UMID M2 is on my wishlist because it promises to be just about everything we all wanted the M1 to be.
I’m already enjoying some of the improvements on the Kohjinsha PA series, which is based on UMID hardware, like the standard ports, better screen angle, and optical mice (I don’t know about the final version of the M2, but the PA has two optical mice), so the M2 should be ideal with its faster processor, Windows 7 operating system, and 1GB of RAM.
