Team Handbag\'s Christmas gift guide cool gadgets
x factor party box christmas gift guide
X Factor party box
There’s never a shortage of gadgets available at Christmas time, but which are worth buying? I’ve got my Christmas shopping list sorted early this year, click on to see my selection of some of the best gadgets around. Of course, how I’m going to actually pay for all this still remains a complete mystery!
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Lucky Voice X Factor Party Box
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“Turn your computer into a karaoke machine and sing along to latest songs from this year’s X Factor, what’s not to love to about that! The Lucky Voice party box comes with everything you need to get singing in minutes – mic, mixer and access to over 7,500 songs.
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“My sister-in-law hates her snooty neighbours – she will love this!”
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£69 from HMV
Kinect Xbox for 360
kinect xbox for 360
kinect xbox for 360
“A while ago I was invited to try the Kinect Xbox 360. After just five minutes of play it felt like I’d jumped in to the future. You see, the Kinect is a set-top box fitted with digital cameras (and some sort of techno fairy dust presumably) that measures your movements and integrates you into the game, making your body the controller. So, when you’re playing a dancing game, you’re actually dancing, not just pressing your foot on a mat when a light shows you to. When you’re playing an obstacle game, you, the real you, jump over the obstacles on screen. It’s incredible.
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“My kids will be getting this on Christmas morning. Whether they can push me out of the way and actually play it themselves remains to be seen.”
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£129.99 from Microsoft Store.com
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Nokia C7
cool gadgets,christmas gift guide
the nokia c7 mobile phone pictured
“Phone companies have had a hard time since Apple launched the iPhone. Some tried to copy and failed but Nokia took a different route. Rather than try and take off their rivals, they’ve continued to refine and improve their own phones and their newest, the C7, is a huge step forward. It’s got all the things you expect and some really clever extras. There’s a brilliant camera that shoots in HD which you can connect to your TV, video calling, background noise cancelling voice calls, sat nav and bags of social networking potential. But what really sets it apart its ease of use. No paging through lists and menus, everything is simple and easy to find.
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“If there’s one thing my Dad loves more than a map it’s a shiny gadget so he’ll love this. Though he may have to wrestle me for it!”
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£389 for sim free handset, various contract and prepay offers available from Nokia.
Amazon Kindle
amazon kindle christmas gift guide
amazon kindle
“A while ago, I read a post on Twitter that put me off digital readers. ‘Damn, my book’s just run out batteries.’ However, the new Kindle from Amazon is just too good to be dismissed. Small, light, easy to use with bags of storage and, best of all, it doesn’t feel like you are reading off a computer screen. They even boast that now just one charge will give you a month of reading.
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“My mum devours books. It’s time to bring her into the 21st century.”
\r\n£109 or £149 for a 3G version from
Amazon
Panasonic pocket-sized electric toothbrush
panasonic electric toothbrush, christmas gift guide
panasonic electric toothbrush
“Until now, electric toothbrushes have been great, but, well, big. Thankfully, Panasonic have sorted this with their new model, the EW-DS11. 16,000 brush strokes per minute, dual edge shape, great battery life and a host of other great features in a handy size. Now there’s no excuse to let that Hollywood smile slip when you’re on the move!
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“If his social life really is as exciting as he claims it is, my single friend Paul’s gonna find this very useful.”
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£39.99 from John Lewis
Toshiba Libretto W100
toshiba libretto christmas gift guide
toshiba libretto w100
“I love this new netbook. The design is gorgeous and its keyboard-less, seven inch dual touch screen is completely eye-catching. But there’s a lot more to the Libretto than just a lovely exterior. Inside there’s an Intel Pentium processor and full Windows 7 Home Premium, meaning if you can name it, you can do it and fast.
\r\n“My brother can’t go two minutes without checking his email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc, This mobile, internet device might be the best present he’s ever had.”\r\n
£899.99 from webelectricals.co.uk
Puma Phone
puma phone christmas gift guide
puma phone
“Apple and Blackberry aren’t the only ones making cool phones, I really like this new one from trainer giant Puma. As well as all the usual modern phone features like camera, music player and access to Facebook and Twitter it’s also got some great additions. There is an array of fitness tools, a GPS tracker, compass, a record scratching MP3 turntable and a solar panel charger. And they look cool. In short, they’re awesome.
\r\n“My sister’s running the London Marathon this year, this will be perfect for her.”\r\n
£327 from Puma Shop
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Wii Party
wii party christmas gift guide
wii party
“Remember when board games were standard Christmas day family fun? Yeah well, it’s 2010 now, those days are gone. No more waiting for hours as your Dad reads pages of complex instructions before someone drops the key bit of the game behind the sofa rendering the whole thing useless. Now, just pop Wii Party into your console and you instantly have more than 80 fun and simple games to play. There’s pairs games, mini games, party games and more to choose from so you’re certain to find one everyone can enjoy.
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”My nephews don’t know it yet, but Santa has copy of this in his bag with their name on it.”
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£34.69 from Play.com
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Knomo Laptop case
knomo laptop case christmas gift guide
knomo laptop case
“For all the technological advances in computers over the last few years, for the most part laptop cases have still looked like hell. Well, now they don’t all. Knomobags have a huge range of finely crafted, pretty and, well, very handbag-y looking laptop bags to choose from. They have range of style from shoulder bags and totes to backpacks and wheeled and look good as well having all the practical pockets and zips you need.
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“Is a laptop case an unromantic Christmas gift? Let’s hope not as the wife is getting one!”
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£195 from knomo.com
Touchscreen gloves
touchscreen gloves christmas gift guide
touchscreen gloves
“Can a pair gloves be classed as a gadget? Well, for the purposes of this list they can, so long as they’re Touchscreen gloves. You see, the winter months are a nightmare for iPhone users who like to keep warm as every time you want to skip a track, make a call, or do anything else at all you have to slip your gloves off. Not with a pair of Touchscreen gloves you don’t, they work a treat!
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“The simple ideas are always the best. My friend Jon works outside, he’s gonna love these.”
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£12.99 from firebox.com
Monster Beats Studio Headphones by Dr. Dre
monster beats dr dre
monster beats studio headphones dr dre
“Right, my turn! I should first point out that at £279.95 (for a pair headphones!) I stand more of a chance of making a moon landing on Christmas Eve than finding a pair of Dr Dre’s signature headphones waiting under the tree for me on Christmas morning. Still they’re on my Christmas list, no harm in dreaming.
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“Dr Dre apparently spent years working with experts before he was happy to put his name to these headphones but they have been worth waiting for. Available in cool white or mysterious black, these cans look great and their high definition sound outperforms everything else on the market. A complete luxury purchase, I plan to get Christmas out the way and start saving for a pair. Unless, of course, any of you fancy buying me pair?”
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£279.95 from Apple
