Hot Gadgets: Holiday Must-Haves for 2007
Each summer, consumer electronics gurus peer into their crystal balls to anticipate what hot gadgets will be considered must-haves for the upcoming holiday season. This year, those electronics taking center stage consist of some no-brainers as well as a few surprises. They’re fun, they’re innovative, and they’re sure to be sold out by the end of November. Here’s a preview of the hot gadgets that will be in the news and on almost everyone’s holiday wish list:
1. Apple iPhone. Steve Jobs has done it again and designed a totally innovative device that’s so much more than a mobile phone. With a gorgeous appearance, a bright three-and-a-half inch display, and an intuitive touchscreen user interface, the iPhone is captivating. And that’s before you even get to the features, which include an exceptional cell phone with visual voicemail, a digital camera, email functionality, a web browser, an iPod for music, and SMS. The applications, such as Google maps, stocks, weather, notes, and so forth, are just as impressive. As is the $500 price tag. Nonetheless, the iPhone is sure to top many holiday wish lists.
2. i-Sing from Outrageous. Consumer electronics and toy company Outrageous has taken the “American Idol” phenomenon to the logical step with i-Sing, a specialized MP3 player that is, for lack of a better term, a next generation handheld karaoke machine. After buying MP3 downloads, users can load them into the player, then use proprietary software to input the lyrics of the songs – either the original lyrics or those written by the user. Users can then easily remove the original vocals from a song and record their own voices over the melodies while reading a display of the lyrics. With an internal speaker and microphone, as well as a high quality display and earphones, i-Sing can be used to create music that users can then upload to YouTube, MySpace, and other social networking sites. And, at around $129, i-Sing is a sure-fire hit.
3. Nintendo Wii. Although the Nintendo Wii gaming console has been out for almost a year, its scarcity will still make it a hot commodity this holiday season – and for good reason. With its innovative controller and Nunchuk, Wii has taken gaming to the next level. But the Wii is much more than a gaming console. It also offers Web browsing, shopping, photo sharing, news, and much more. Now that the use of the system is ramping up, there are an increasing number of video games available for the Wii – which will also be hot this holiday season.
Each year, several hot gadgets emerge as top sellers for the holiday season. This year, you can bet that the iPhone, i-Sing, and Wii will make the cut.