Gadget tips for Christmas (From The Northern Echo)

Gadget tips for Christmas

4:28pm Tuesday 15th December 2009 in

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CHRISTMAS is almost here but there's still time to find space in a stocking for a gadget if you're quick about it. So what should you buy for the gadget-loving man or woman in your life? Here's a few suggestions:

iPod accessory: By now, nearly everyone has an iPod and this year Apple has settled for a slight rehash of the range rather than a fresh start. So it's probably a good idea to wait until next year to replace your MP3 player and buy an accessory to boost your current player. The Micro by Cygnett is a set of rechargable mini speakers that plugs directly into anything with a headphone socket. I was sceptical something so small (only 105mm x 20mm x 46mm) could produce a big enough sound, but found that they had enough oomph to fill a medium-sized room. Great for intimate Christmas parties.
Verdict: Hark! The Herald angels sing.
Price: £20 from play.com

Video capture: Christmas is usually the time dad dusts down that old camcorder and films everyone making fools of themselves after too much sherry and trifle. This year why not buy him something that could help turn his amateur footage into a polished Hollywood-style production? Magix Rescue Your Videotapes is aimed at people with a large stack of old vids that need digitising, but it also comes with a copy of Video Easy which makes non-linear editing as simple as clicking a mouse. Yo u also get a small dongle which plugs into a USB port and imports your analogue footage into the computer. It works like a dream and is compatible with the latest Windows 7 operating system.
Verdict: All I want for Christmas is You.
Price: £59.99 from most good PC stores and magix.com

Audio heaven: Magix also markets a similar product for audiophiles. Rescue Your Vinyl & Ta pes comes with all the leads you need and a small pre-amplifer that pipes your sounds into the computer where they can be re-mixed or edited. The Audio Cleaning Lab software is incredibly powerful yet simple to use and the "killer app" is the way it can even label your tracks before exporting them as MP3s.
Verdict: Rockin' around the Christmas tree.
Price: £49.99 from most good PC stores and magix.com

Snap happy: The Ricoh CX2 isn't the cheapest digital camera around, but it is one of the very best. Ricoh pretty much invented the compact superzoom category when it unleashed the 7x zoom R3 back in 2005. The CX2 boasts a 12x optic in a compact, brushed metal casing that's perfectly balanced in your hand. The in-camera high dynamic range setting produces detailed pictures in challenging situations, such as at dusk or in strong light. And the generous memory means you can take dozens of full-resolution (9MP) shots without reaching for a card.
Verdict: I wish it could be Christmas every day.
Price: Approx £300 from most good photographic retailers