Hello Kitty，so cute

Hello Kitty Flip Mino can't stop recording self in mirror

by Ross Miller, posted Dec 15th 2008 at 12:51PM

Pure Digital Technologies' Flip Video lineup is getting Hello Kitty-fied with the Mino and MinoHD. Like their not-as-adorable kin, the camcorders sport one-touch video recording, a built-in USB port, and are able to record 60 minutes of video with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Most importantly -- and sure to tip the scales in Flip's favor over the Vado HD 720p Pocket -- the camcorders come in eleven different Hello Kitty designs. Far East Gizmos says the price will be $179.99 for Mino and $229.99 for MinoHD, which is the same price as the respective models without these adorable skins. Between this and last month's C1 netbook, we hope this is a sign of an uptick in lip-bitingly cute Hello Kitty-branded tech gear

Hello Kitty gets her own automatic toilet paper dispenser

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 25th 2007 at 7:48PM

Sadly, automatic toilet paper dispensers are nothing new to this gadget-crazed world, but the latest from Sanrio puts a bizarre twist on an already zany contraption. The Hello Kitty TP dispenser is gushing with obligatory cuteness and can be programmed to dole out exactly the right amount of paper with each button press; of course, there really should be a couple of buttons to satisfy the whole family, but we digress. The unit reportedly rings up at around $220, which sounds about two bills too high unless you're already devoted to collecting all things adorned with Ms. Kitty. Ah well, at least your Hello Kitty toilet paper won't seem so out of place now, right?

Okwap's C150T gets mauled by Hello Kitty

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 12th 2007 at 1:03PM

Hello Kitty has certainly claimed her fair share of cellphones in the past, but she's going totally diva on the Okwap C150T. From top to bottom, side to side, this GSM handset is smothered in cuteness, and reportedly, it boasts a built-in media player, a two-megapixel camera, and a myriad Hello Kitty themes / backgrounds. Regrettably, there's no word on a price just yet, and it's doubtful you'll find this thing anywhere in America, but go on and click through for shots of the interface if you just can't get enough

Blazers getting defensive

Nate McMillan is a defensive minded coach. Always has been, always will be. He wants his teams to play 48 minutes of defense and let that defense fuel the offense.

Despite this inclination for strong team defense, McMillan hasn't always had the personnel necessary to carry out the task. Zach Randolph, Darius Miles, Sebastian Telfair, Jarrett Jack, Dan Dickau, Juan Dixon, Voshon Leonard, Charles Smith, etc. None of those names listed ever earned any type of post-season defensive honors. But now, the Blazers have some players who compete with that "defense first" mind state. Greg Oden, Nicolas Batum, Joel Przybilla and now other players who are developing an appreciation for defense.

Throughout this preseason and training camp, McMillan has instilled in his team defense first. We heard it from players across the board, from LaMarcus Aldridge to Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, preaching about the increased defensive effort we'd see this season.

"We feel like if we put defense first, we can do anything," Aldridge said during Blazers media day interviews.

This was something Aldridge and Roy repeated throughout post-practice interviews during training camp. The increased focus on defense by the players came from the added attention, and new concepts injected by McMillan and his staff. And as Jason Quick wrote back in October, it started with Roy and Aldridge:

The Blazers, it appears, really are serious about this defending stuff.

The first hour of each Blazers practice has been spent on defensive drills; the next hour in executing the concepts. The last half hour is usually spent scrimmaging.

"We drill it, we drill it, we drill it, we drill it, we drill it," coach Nate McMillan said. "Then we talk about it, we drill it, we talk about it, we drill it."

McMillan, who considers himself a defensive-minded coach, said he didn't coach-up his players to talk about defense to the media. And he said he hasn't harped on them so much that it has seeped into their mindset.

Rather, the team's top two players - Aldridge and Roy - both came to their own conclusions at the end of last season, after the Blazers finished among the league's worst at forcing turnovers and grabbing defensive rebounds. McMillan said he asked his two stars what needed to improve next season for the team to succeed, and he said both emphatically pointed to defense.

Now, for all this talk and practice on containment and "overloading," the Blazers were not a very good defensive team to start the season. Through the first eight games, Portland was allowing an average of 99 points per game, which ranked near the bottom. That includes Greg Oden's return against Miami on Nov. 12 (the eighth game). During those first eight, the Blazers also faced some very stiff competition in the Los Angeles Lakers (first in the league in scoring at 107.8 ppg), Phoenix Suns (100.6 ppg), Utah Jazz (99.9 ppg) and Orlando Magic (100.4 ppg).

But over the last 10 games, the number of points allowed by Portland has dropped significantly, from 99 per to 88.2. And over the total of 18 games, the Blazers are now near the bottom of the NBA in points allowed, at 93 per, along with defensive-minded squads such as Boston (90.1), Houston (90.9), Cleveland (92.6), San Antonio (93.0) and New Orleans (93.0). It's a fairly rapid change for a team that struggled to get stops early on.

So what's the reason for this sudden uptick in defense? Well, it seems to boil down to a number of things. As this team came into the season, there were a number of new faces on the roster, with a handful becoming major contributors early (Oden, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez). With so much fluctuation from one season to the next, there was obviously a lack of familiarity among some of the players. A lot of these guys were not yet used to playing with each other and didn't know how to play off each other. That help-and-containment defense McMillan was harping on during the training camp wasn't there yet because a bulk of the roster was still figuring out how to play with one another. And while no one on this team is (yet) an elite individual defender, there are enough pieces to make the team a good defensive unit.

Add to the unfamiliarity the fact that Martell Webster (a starter) went down in the preseason and Greg Oden (also a starter) suffered a minor injury in the first game of the season, and there was even more change. Batum has done an outstanding job of stepping into the starting small forward role and becoming one of the team's better defenders in a very short period, routinely drawing the other team's best offensive weapon. Joel Przybilla (averaging eight rebounds and just over a block per game in 23 minutes), another of the better Blazer defenders, has gone from starting the season on the bench, back to starting, and now back to the second unit.

With the return of Oden and new familiarity of the team, opponents are having an even harder time getting points in the paint (the Blazers average 5.6 blocks per game) and second-chance points (the Blazers lead the league limiting opponents rebounds) and the Blazers are in the top 10 statistically in limiting opponents' assists. *Clarification from Casey Holdahl, of trailblazers.com: "Blazers play at the slowest pace in the NBA at 88.9 possessions per game, which is why our opponents don't get as many assists or rebounds." For more on the numbers game, check this post.

But what seems to be the main reason for the improvement is that this team's comfort level is extremely high right now. The Blazers are comfortable with how they are playing on both ends of the floor. There's finally some continuity in the rotation and guys are getting used to each other. Comfort and confidence. There's always room for improvement, more steals, creating more turnovers, but such a quick improvement defensively is encouraging.

Stan Van Gundy high on Kevin Durant

What will Kevin Durant be like when he grows into his body?

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy predicts Durant, who faces Van Gundy and the Magic tonight at Amway Arena, will be a nightmare.

"The key to being great in this league is you have a defined game of what you do well and continue to do it better and better,” Van Gundy said. "Will he become a better post-up player? Yeah. But if he’s spending all his time trying to become a low-post guy, honestly, I think he’s spending his time the wrong way.”

Van Gundy agrees Durant must improve weaknesses to reach All-Star status. But Van Gundy’s witnessed a similar transformation with his center, Dwight Howard, a beast inside who critics said needed to expand his shooting range.

Now in his fifth year in the NBA, Howard’s steady improvement earned him a spot on Team USA. He is an MVP candidate. But Howard’s forte is, and always will be, a dominant inside presence. Get Howard 15-feet away from the goal too often, and Van Gundy says you’re not playing to his strengths.

Same goes for Durant, who needs to improve his inside game, defense and rebounding. But Van Gundy is such a huge Durant fan that he’s puzzled why critics are quick to pick apart the 20-year-old small forward.

"He’s unique,” Van Gundy said. "I don’t think we’ve ever had anybody in the league that size playing the perimeter. He’s as big as most people’s 4’s (power forwards) and 5’s (centers) but plays on the perimeter. And he is so talented with the ball.

"With his size he can get a good shot almost every time, and there’s not a whole lot you can do. You try the best you can to take away easy baskets. You try to get back in transition and try not to foul him too much and send him to the line. Then you hope he doesn’t make seven or eight jump shots in a row.”

Van Gundy said Atlanta’s Joe Johnson is the closest to Durant’s physical attributes, but Johnson is two inches shorter.

"And Joe Johnson doesn’t have the wing span Durant has, someone who height-wise is a legitimate-sized NBA center,” Van Gundy said. "Not bulk-wise but his wing span. (Durant) will continue to get stronger. But his body is never going to look like LeBron James.”

When Scott Brooks took over as interim coach, his first move was to move Durant to small forward, in large part to help him defensively.

During Brooks’ six-game tenure, Durant has averaged 24.7 points. Under P.J. Carlesimo, Durant was averaging 21.1 after scoring 20.3 to earn Rookie of the Year honors.

"That’s what I don’t understand,” Van Gundy said. "This is a guy who already is averaging more than 20 points, has all kinds of skills and size and everybody tries to keep finding things he can’t do. His size on the perimeter is unheard of. There’s no telling how good he could be.”

Original Source

Top 10 Photos of 2008

1. Campaign Reflections

The long hard-fought Presidential campaigns were marked by vast stretches of downtime, like this moment of respite enjoyed by Cindy McCain in a hotel room in Dallas, Texas. As her husband John worked on a speech, TIME photographer Christopher Morris grabbed this shot of her enjoying a glass of white wine.

2. The Phelps Surge

At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps held the spotlight, as he pursued a record for gold medals at the Games. On Day 8, he hit the water in search of his seventh win, in the 100M Butterfly. Trailing Serbian Milorad Cavic for most of the race, Phelps (left) caught up with him in the last few meters, miraculously beating him to the wall by .01 second.

3. The Children of Zion

In April, Texas authorities raided the The Yearning for Zion Ranch, home to several hundred members of a breakaway group of polygamist Mormons, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The state, which had received a "tip" that suggested that some of the children living on the compound were the victims of sexual abuse, proceeded to remove hundreds of kids from the Ranch. In June, photographer Stephanie Sinclair was given a rare opportunity to document the daily lives of the sect. In this frame, Teresa Jeffs, 16, a daughter of FLDS founder Warren Jeffs, shows off some of her best trampoline moves in a house they had moved into in New Braunfels, Texas, while the courts sorted through the complex legal issues presented by the case.

4. Line in the Sand

After years of discussion, construction of the $1.2 billion fence on the border of the U.S. and Mexico began in earnest. Engineers projected that 650 miiles of the wall, about one-third the length of the entire border, would be completed by the end of 2008. This section, watched over by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol stretches across the desert near San Luis, Arizona.

5. Washed Away

Iowa was ravaged by floods in June. The rising waters carried these boat houses downstream until they collided with a railroad bridge in Cedar Rapids.

6. Pancaked

Earthquakes in China's Sichuan Province claimed the lives of more than 87,000 people. For several days, emergency workers labored to find survivors in the rubble. This team of rescuers carried a wounded man out of a collapsed building in Mianyang.

7. Untended

Ethnic and nationalist tensions boiled over in South Ossetia in August, as Russia and Georgia fought for control of the separatist enclave. These coffins, containing the bodies of Georgian soldiers killed in the fighting, remained unburied for five days. When TIME photographer Yuri Kozyrev asked a local official why the coffins had not been interred, he was told that no digging equipment was available. Later in the day, he watched backhoes destroy homes that he was told belonged to ethnic Georgians.

8. Masked Man

Fighting returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the fall. Rebels battled government soldiers, above, all across the eastern portion of the country, forcing the relocation of tens of thousands of civilians.

9. Handshake

The United States and Iraq negotiated a new security agreement that foresees the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. In September, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, center, met with reporters at Camp Victory in Baghdad, while a sandstorm swept across the city.

10. Mother and Child

Siamoy, an Afghan woman from remote Badakhshan province in Afghanistan, feeds her one-month old baby. The remote, mountain region has the highest maternity mortality rate in the world.

European Roundup: Jennings Managing Expectations

In this week's European roundup we take an extended look at the most intriguing storyline in this year's NBA Draft with Rome's Brandon Jennings. Also, the play of 7-3 Mirza Begic, arguably the top center in the Euroleague thus far. The latest African prospect to emerge in Spain is Joventut's Christian Eyenga. Emil Prelzdic and Sergio Llull continue to provide their team with late-game heroics in the Euroleague. Omri Casspi snaps out of his funk. Adriatic League prospects Vladimir Dasic, Nemanja Gordic and Dragan Labovic all love playing in the EuroCup.

Player of the Week: Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings seems to be settling into his role in European basketball thus far, to the point that it seems safe to begin preliminarily analyzing how he’s playing. With nine games underneath his belt (five in the Italian league, where Rome is 4-1, and four in the Euroleague, where they stand 3-1), Jennings is averaging 18.5 minutes per game, scoring 8 points on 35% shooting from the field and 31% from beyond the arc, pulling down under 2 rebounds and dishing out 2.35 assists compared with 1.35 turnovers. Not really the stuff legends are made out of, but fairly impressive nonetheless considering what he’s going up against at his age. Numbers are typically not the best way to evaluate players in Europe, and this definitely holds true in this case.

VirtusRoma.it

To fully understand Jennings’ role on his team, you must look at the players that are around him, particularly in the team’s backcourt. Former Ivy League player of the year Ibrahim Jaaber (an athletic, defensive minded player) is the starting point guard for all intents and purposes, while former Villanova and Boston Celtic Allan Ray sees over 20 minutes per game as a combo guard.

The most important backcourt player is clearly Slovenian Sani Becirovic, though, a very aggressive and extremely skilled combo guard who is having easily his best season ever as a pro. Becirovic is averaging 15.5 points per game in just 23 minutes per, shooting outrageous percentages, getting to the line at an amazing rate, playing almost no defense (as usual), and doing a fair amount of ball-handling in most minutes he’s on the floor. He has the green light to do basically whatever he pleases on this team, and he can seemingly do no wrong this season thus far.

Alongside them we find the 19-year old rookie Jennings, sometimes coming off the bench (typically for the 2nd and 3rd quarters), at times getting the starting nod, but rarely a major focal point in the offense. This is quite normal considering the quality of players around him (big men Andre Hutson and Primoz Brezec are both major back to the basket threats) and the level of competition Rome competes at. As Jennings gains more experience and earns the trust of the very patient coaching staff led by Croatian Jasmin Repesa, he may feel more comfortable showing his full array of talent.

Right now, Jennings appears to be at his best receiving outlet passes and pushing the ball up the floor in transition. His outstanding combination of speed and ball-handling skills make him absolutely impossible to contain in the open floor, and he is able to change the tempo of the game immediately by turning a defensive rebound into an easy basket.

Another positive impact Jennings is making is with his shooting stroke, which appears to have major potential down the road. He does a very good job spotting up on the wing in catch and shoot situations, looking quite reliable with his feet set, while he can also make some shots off the dribble as well, although his accuracy drops significantly in the process.

As Jennings earns more trust from Repesa, we see the coach letting him get more involved in pick and roll situations in half-court sets. Jennings has great potential here too, as he turns the corner on screens with a tremendous burst of speed, and has the court vision to find the open man rolling to the basket with terrific flair and creativity. He’s shown some terrific sparks of talent with his passing ability at times, having the added benefit of being left-handed, and already being featured on some highlight reels thanks to the flashy assists he can dish out.

Where Jennings has struggled at times is in his ability to get to the basket and finish strong against contact in half-court situations. His lack of strength hurts him here, as he is not the toughest or most physical player around and seems to have trouble operating in the very crowded paint that Europe is famous for, not getting much love from the referees in the process.

He seems to be settling way too much for perimeter jumpers in turn, which helps explain the very poor percentages he’s shooting from the field (35%) and beyond the arc (31%). He has a tendency to pull-up off the dribble early in the shot-clock while fading-away awkwardly for no particular reason, adding a significant degree of difficulty to an already difficult shot. He can certainly make shots of this nature, but not at a high enough percentage to justify taking them.

Jennings’ shot-selection and overall decision making are still a work in progress in general, which is not a surprise considering his age, even if the talent he displays is undeniable. He needs to do a better job of valuing possessions and not getting careless with the ball, as he doesn’t always read what the defense gives him and tends to struggle with things like managing the shot-clock and controlling tempo. Occasionally you’ll still catch him looking more concerned with making a flashy play over a more simple one, but for the most part he looks very focused and willing to learn, and is definitely making strides from week to week.

VirtusRoma.it

Defensively, Jennings is making noticeable strides, but still has room to improve. On one hand, he seems to be putting a pretty good effort into his man to man defense, showing really nice lateral quickness staying in front of his man and better fundamentals than we saw in the past. On the other hand, he lacks significant strength and seems to get pushed off the ball far too easily, having a difficult time getting around screens as well. His team defense is definitely a work in progress, as he looks a bit lackadaisical staying aware of where the ball is on the floor, and is not showing the greatest hustle going after loose balls or trying to help out on the glass.

Even though Jennings has been fairly up and down early in the season thus far (particularly in the Italian league, where he has struggled badly at times), its hard not to come away impressed by how he’s fared, all things considered. He walked into a very difficult situation and seems to be making the best of it thus far, holding his own against hostile crowds and tough gyms in places like Vitoria, Berlin and Ljubljana. There is absolutely no question that he will become a significantly better player from the experience he’s gaining every day, as he’s competing at an incredibly high level under an outstanding coach and is being allowed to latitude to learn from his mistakes.

Jennings looks to have the makings of a very high draft pick at the moment, even if it is very early in the season. We will have to wait and see how he progresses over the next few months, but the early returns look pretty promising.

Follow Brandon Jennings’ advanced stats throughout the season in both the Euroleague and Italian League on his DX stat page.

Looking Beyond the Draft

Begic Blossoming for Olimpija

One of the most pleasant surprises and notable performers thus far in the Euroleague is Slovenian center Mirza Begic. Not long ago a marginal draft prospect -he actually went undrafted in 2007- he’s developing into an extremely productive big man (averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 minutes in the Euroleague), showcasing the kind of back-to-the-basket skills that are so rare to find nowadays among big men.

There’s no wonder that Begic’s most intriguing abilities revolve around his low-post game. Begic takes advantage of his superb length, showing solid footwork, body control and consistently connecting on his hook shots (preferably with his right hand). Certainly not a hustler or a banger, he doesn’t avoid contact down low, showing good hands to catch the ball, a good feel for the game, and decent quickness executing his moves. When you package all these abilities in a 7-3 body, you know he’s going to do some serious damage.

Still fairly skinny, much of the progress he has enjoyed as of late is consequence of his body development, as he looks now visibly stronger, which allows him to take contact and operate much more comfortably around the basket. Besides, despite his great size he can get off the floor or run the court reasonably well, even if his limited quickness emerges as one of his shortcomings on the defensive end (the biggest one might be a certain degree of softness). Anyway, he’s a solid rebounder, a fairly intimidating presence on the paint thanks to his length.

We’ll see how the season unfolds for Begic. Despite his Euroleague achievements, his performance at the Adriatic League appears to be significantly less consistent. He’s always carried a rep for being somewhat of an underachiever throughout his career, as he reportedly is not the most enthusiastic worker around, so it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his extremely hot start. Anyway, if he shows some solidity in his outings, chances are he won’t be playing for Olimpija next season, as someone will throw significant money his way in the search for quality size on the paint. In fact, considering that his contract is up this summer, there is some talk that he may be bought out by a rich team in Spain or Russia this season already. And if he keeps developing, the NBA is not out of the question.

Quick Hitters

-The African Wave stays alive in Spain. One of the last imports made his debut in the Euroleague this past week, and answers by the name of Christian Eyenga. He only stayed on the court for a few minutes, but he plays regularly for Joventut’s related LEB Silver team Prat, where we had the chance to watch him. Unlike most of his continent mates crossing the Mediterranean, Eyenga is not an inside player, but a small forward. Born in 1989, he’s a very athletic guy, listed at 6-5, even if he looks more like 6-6. He enjoys a nice wingspan, shows a nicely built body, not bulky, but ripped and pretty strong, good enough to clash against the veterans he faces on a weekly basis in the Spanish third division (LEB Silver).

Eyenga doesn’t particularly stand out for his skills or basketball IQ. Still, he can knock down three-pointers, even if his high-released jumper is pretty inconsistent (he struggles finding balance in the air to ignite a fluid release). He also shows a very nice first step to beat his opponents off the dribble -although he lacks the ball-handling skills to change directions reliably- and he shows decent criteria passing the ball. At least, he seems aware of what he can do on the court. Defensively, he’s pretty intimidating, and regularly collects spectacular blocks. Still, he sometimes relies too much on his athleticism while defending, not properly doing his job on the ground.

Not likely to develop into a big-time prospect, Eyenga’s athleticism makes him moderately intriguing as a defensive-oriented small forward (who plays bigger than his size) with –hopefully- a decent outside stroke.

-For the second straight week, it was Slovenian forward Emil Prelzdic the one making huge plays for Fenerbahce Ulker in a dramatic winning effort. The 21 year-old had another big outing, coming up with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a double-overtime victory over Olimpija Ljubljana. The 6-9 Prelzdic is impressing with his ability to handle the ball, make plays for himself and others, and play multiple positions in Fenerbahce’s offense. His shooting stroke remains streaky and he really didn’t look like much of a defender in certain possessions today, but there is no question that he is deserving of an extensive look sometime soon.

-Another young hero in the Euroleague today was Sergio Llull, who sparked his team back from a 5-point deficit with a minute to go to help Real Madrid defeat Armani Jeans Milano. Llull’s energy, defense and aggressiveness were huge keys. With Raul Lopez again on the shelf, Llull had 11 points and 4 assists in 24 minutes.

-After three disappointing outings in which he was basically a non-factor, Omri Casspi finally had his first good Euroleague game of the season today in a blowout loss against Olympiakos, scoring 16 points in 18 minutes after getting the nod to open in the starting five. Casspi has received little to no credit from new Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Effi Birenboim in the Euroleague thus far, but a shakeup was probably in order considering how poorly his team has performed in virtually every match they’ve played this season. This was supposed to be Casspi’s coming out party this season, after removing his name from the draft last June while despite being considered a borderline first round pick. This week started off well for him with a solid 19-point in 22 minute performance in the Israeli league against Nahariya, and he will attempt to build off his first good Euroleague game next week at home against Unicaja Malaga.

-Following up on last week’s post about Vladimir Dasic, Nemanja Gordic and Buducnost’s surprising result against Turkish power Galatasaray in Istanbul, we should mention that the return game of the EuroCup qualifier was barely a contest, as Buducnost embarrassed Galatasaray 93-62 at home in Montenegro. Gordic and Dasic both scored 16 points each. That win puts Buducnost in the Group stage of the EuroCup now, alongside Czech club Nymburk, Serbian club Hemofarm and Spanish side Bilbao, which is quite a manageable draw. Gordic and Dasic will now enjoy the exposure of competing twice a week in both the Adriatic League and EuroCup, which is a nice bonus for them. They are both overdue for write-ups on this site, which is likely to happen within the next few weeks as we continue to evaluate them.

-Also qualifying for the group stage of the EuroCup is Serbian club FMP Zeleznik, who managed to knock off Ural Great from Russia in the second qualifying stage, after disposing of MyGuide Amsterdam in the first. The star of the team thus far has clearly been 6-9 power forward Dragan Labovic, who is averaging 21 points per game in their four EuroCup games this season. Labovic has been scoring right around 20 points per game in the Adriatic league as well, which qualifies him as the league’s #1 overall scorer. Even though he doesn’t enjoy the same potential as some of his International counterparts, it’s hard to ignore the production he’s delivering on a weekly basis.


Original Source : DraftExpress

Top 10 Gadgets Of 2008

1. Optoma Pico PK-101

Of all the gadgets on this list, this is the one that James Bond is most likely to carry. That is, it's the coolest gadget of the year. It's a pocket projector — meaning you plug the 4.1-inch gizmo into your iPod or iPhone, and it projects your movies on a wall, or even on the seat back in front of you on the plane. It displays images crisply on a surface as close as 8 inches away and as distant as 8 feet away, even in daylight. The super-bright Pico weighs 4 ounces and is smaller than many cell phones. Two cautionary notes: The sound output is dinky, so you'll want to use it with headphones, which makes it less fun for the whole family, or an external speaker, which makes it bulky. (Or, see the FoxL Bluetooth Speaker, at No. 5 on this list). And the rechargeable battery lasts 1.5 hours. Luckily, it ships with two. Price: $399

2. Mitsubishi LaserVue 65-inch HDTV

If you've got several thousand dollars to blow on a TV, chances are you've also got all kinds of other ways to entertain yourself. But this is, quite simply, the best TV money can buy. The first HDTV to use lasers for its display, the LaserVue has a wider gamut of color than any TV on the market — a palette that rivals films in movie theaters — and consumes two-thirds less electricity than similar-sized LCD and Plasma HDTVs. Price: $7,000

3. Apple iPhone 3G

It doesn't handle email as well as the cheapest BlackBerry, and as a telephone, it's no better than most cell phones. But this is the gadget that launched the era of mobile computing, and what an epoch that promises to be! With 10,000 free and paid applications, tethered to on-board GPS and utilizing an array of sensors that include a motion-sensing accelerometer, what can't the iPhone do? Price: $199

4. Nikon D90

It's a single-lens reflex camera! It's a single-lens HD video camera! It's two digital cameras in one, and that's what makes this the first camera you should consider if you're ready for a hefty upgrade. With a set of features that will please the most demanding of photo prosumers, the D90 does it all. Price: $1,200

5. FoxL Bluetooth Speaker

It's a pocket-sized Bluetooth speaker for your MP3 player and a hands-free communication system for your car. Critics love the FoxL speaker, which, though no bigger than an eyeglasses case, transmits sound that's rich enough to please a cranky audiophile. Wirelessly tether it to your cell phone, take it along in the car, and a built-in microphone allows you to handle phone calls on the road. (Note: The Bluetooth streaming feature works on any A2DP-compatible device; Apple has not turned on the protocol for the iPhone so you need to use a standard audio cable.) Price: $249

6. Sennheiser MX W1 Wireless Headphones

Five hundred shekels is a lot to lay out for headphones. But these babies are worth it. The ear buds deliver Kleer Corporation's patented, uncompressed sound, wirelessly. (You attach a transmitter, smaller than a deck of cards, to your sound source — an iPod, TV, stereo or anything else with an out jack — then synch the earbuds.) The earbuds and transmitter come in a pocket-sized case that will recharge the unit three times when you're on the road. Price: $499

7. Flip MinoHD

This iPod-sized camcorder shoots high-definition video. That means you get an image crisp enough to view on your HDTV, which is a pretty cool feat in such a small, easy-to-use package. Mino's product line stresses one-button simplicity, and the MinoHD comes with its own editing software on board. The first time you connect it to your Mac or PC — via a flip-out USB plug — you install the software, which automatically lets you post your videos to YouTube and other places. The bitty viddy has 4 GB of internal memory, or enough for about an hour of video, and an internal rechargeable battery that provides two hours of shooting time. Price: $230

8. Kindle

Amazon unveiled its digital-book reading device at the end of 2007, but in such small quantities that you couldn't really get one until 2008. While it definitely takes some getting used to — the awkward placement of the page-forward and page-back buttons makes it easy for newbies to lose their place — this is simply a terrific tool for people who love to read books. Travelers will especially enjoy the luxury of taking a veritable library on the road, and the Kindle can connect to a high-speed cellular network that delivers books ($9.99, even for new titles) on demand. Price: $359

9. Roku Netflix Box

If you've got a Netflix account, the decision to buy this is a no-brainer. Connect the Roku box to your TV and it automatically finds your home's Wi-Fi network and you're good to go. It streams 12,000 movies and TV shows for free and you can hold on to them as long as you want. Netflix is constantly adding more programming. One day, video-on-demand streaming through devices like the Roku box will completely replace DVDs. Price: $99, plus Netflix subscription

10. Sony Playstation "Home" for PS3

After a number of launch delays, Sony's virtual world, "Home," gives folks one more reason to buy its pricey PS3 video game console. Users create their own human-looking avatar and get a virtual apartment near the "town square," a base of operations from which to socialize, play games and purchase an endless variety of Sony goods and services (think games, movies, music and more.) A cross between Second Life and the Sims, the service shows the promise of a commercial Metaverse. Price: free

Original Source: TIME