When you read this it will of course be January 2007, but I was writing it in December, before Christmas, not quite the night before, more like the week, so you can see where I'm going based on the title! I have, as usual, been surfing the 'net and based on what I've found in the past 2 or 3 weeks, I have put together a wish list. First of all, my kind of wish list has no rules as far as size, type or, most important, cost... which is to say, I have some things that will never make it under the tree and some that hopefully will. You also need to know, I have in most cases, only seen a picture, not the real deal, but I also have only put things on the list that several others have reviewed to my satisfaction. So, what you will see is a sort of summary/description of the item, sometimes part of a review I really liked, followed by a url, usually the address of the manufacturer, where you can go to read what they say and look at a picture of it. OK, so, with all that said, here goes:

MAGPIX B350 Digital Camera Binocular

I have owned the model, for 3 years. I have never been more satisfied with my pictures. I've gotten lots of wildlife, I never would have gotten a picture of. Even a jet picture in the air. It does that, too. I ride along in my car and take pictures. It's a super camera for the cost. I take cemetery pictures. It does great when you can't get close to the headstones, or they are surrounded by brush. You can acquire your picture from way back. Just try it. You'll never be upset with your purchase I even made DVD's with my pictures from the program that comes with the camera. Very pleased.

That's the review that caught my eye and made me look at the url: tinyurl.com/yjajwj

BOSE Companion 2 Series II Multimedia Speaker System

The Bose® Companion® 2 multimedia speaker system represents a significant upgrade in sound and style over original equipment computer speakers. Enjoy sharp, expansive sound for music, movies and games. These sleek and compact speakers fit easily in their surroundings to save useful desk space. Dual inputs make it a snap to connect your computer and portable audio sources at the same time. Both volume and the headphone jack reside on the front of one speaker to provide easy control over your listening experience. That's what Bose says, and in this case, I agree, as I have looked at and listened to this setup. It's pretty inexpensive, considering it's a Bose! Here is the url.

Quick, Portable and Easy Photo Printing. Anytime. Anywhere

Although most of the reviews were very much alike, I was hooked by the anytime, anywhere feature... yup, with the optional battery pack, you can take it and print anywhere. It's also got an optional Bluetooth adapter for wireless printing... this is definitely my kind of gadget!

One of the newest faces on the inkjet block, the compact Canon Pixma mini260 has been designed with portability in mind and even has a fold-out handle to prove it. Most of the action centers on what is called the easy-scroll wheel – a dial used to navigate through the straightforward menu system in the same way you would on an iPod. There's also a button dedicated to simplifying the menu navigation process by calling up a list of common printing and maintenance tasks, and offering fast access to each as well as user guidance. The slideshow option in the main menu shows all the images stored on a memory card or connected digital camera in succession on the crystal-clear 2.5in LCD screen, which can be tilted to give the best viewing angle. Seven different memory card formats are supported as standard as well as PictBridge and Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) for direct printing from a compatible camera and infrared to print from a camera phone. All the usual layout options are available. The Album Page setting is an interesting one and lets you print up to four images per page with space for captions or comments alongside. Manual adjustments can be made to contrast and hue and there's a sepia filter, red eye correction and image optimization settings including face brightening and a vivid color setting. A great little printer with a reasonable price tag, the mini260 will do your snaps justice. Here is the Canon url for this gem: tinyurl.com/yadpg3

Economical GPS for the Car

OK, so who needs a GPS in Hawaii? I admit I don't and also have to confess I don't go to the mainland that much, but a trip in December sold me on the little devil, so I would kinda like one to take with me on future trips.

TomTom one, is what I got to use and I love the size. It's a solid GPS system, with a lot of the features that anyone should ever want. TomTom has a relationship and structural advantage with their TomTom plus services and their TomTom home computer program that serves as a conduit for new maps, voices and more. With a Bluetooth phone, you can get access to a lot of data from TomTom. For lots more info go to the url: tinyurl.com/yjpp7n

BlackBerry Pearl

I have resisted the urge to get on the berry wagon for a long time, however, it looks like they have finally gotten me interested! RIM has introduced the BlackBerry Pearl, a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE smartphone that not only includes a camera but also plays MP3 audio files and digital videos and displays photos on its bright color LCD. The list of applications is a long one, headed by the usual excellent BlackBerry e-mail, calendar, phone book and to-do applets. It also includes RIM's BlackBerry browser, an online maps application (which you pay extra to use), alarms, voice notes, calculator, Voice Activated Dialing (VAD) and three different instant messenger clients - RIM's own, Yahoo and GoogleTalk, which lets you place VoIP calls to other users. If you, like me, are curious to learn more, visit: http://www.discoverblackberry.com/

Canon EOS Rebel XTi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

This one is my favorite. Overall, it looks to be the best entry level DSLR It is very well made even though it's plastic. But that of course, makes it light too. All reviews I read give it high marks for image quality and very natural color representation. Other mentions are fast startup, fast contiguous shooting and low light performance. Auto focus is fast and accurate. All also said it is easy to use. 2.0 inch LCD is impressive for playback, and it's fast to load pictures, or delete them. Battery life seems to be good, although most of the reviews were from fairly new users. The url: tinyurl.com/ojojt

Panasonic TH-50PX60U 50 inch Plasma HDTV

Remember, I said cost is not a factor... so, this might not make it under my tree this year, but I can still dream, can't I? It really is one of the best deals in the 50 inch segment. Amazon sells this Plasma HDTV for $2,539.99. It features the latest G9 panel with 10,000:1 contrast ratio. 50 inch is the sweet spot for the lowest Plasma prices this holiday season. Here is the url: tinyurl.com/yfpfcx

Last is from a press release sent to me from EPOS

They will be demonstrating this product in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I definitely want to see it and get one to try... great idea being able to scribble notes on a piece of paper with this attached and then plug the flash drive into your computer and have it converted to text!

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That's it for now, until next time, have fun with all those computer and electronic goodies, but remember to be careful out there on the 'net!
Aloha, Lou

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