Gadgets Blog » Holiday Spotlights

For the holidays, sometimes you don’t get to see all of your family. Maybe someone is away at college, or someone is backpacking around the globe. Maybe the weather prevented (yet again) Aunt Sue and Uncle Chili from getting out of Minnesota and visiting the Northeast. Nevermind, technology is here to help. If you don’t have a Mac with a built-in webcam yet, then you need to invest in one. Webcams used to be considered a sleazy device used only by the scum of the internet, but with the advent of free digital calling software like Skype, there is no reason not to take hold of this opportunity to view family from near and far away, right in the comfort of your own home.

Some top webcams on the market:

HP Delux Webcam: $18.94

Microsoft LifeCam: $29.88

Shop for discount webcams at Smarter.com.

Sony Corp announced that it is coming out with an e-book reader à la Amazon’s Kindle DX in December just in time for the holiday season. It will have a 7-inch touch screen that would let you  download books and newspapers over AT&T Inc.’s cellular network.

While Kindle has managed to steal Sony’s thunder so far when it comes to e-readers, Sony might just have stumbled upon a winning strategy this time by choosing the EPUB open source format. Kindle displays material only from Amazon’s store, but Sony will embrace an open e-book standard, allowing users to read from stores of their choice, and what’s more the books can even be transferred to cell phones and other comparable gadgets. Wait there’s more! Sony takes it a step further by making provisions for reading local library e-books .

Readers won’t be charged a subscription fee for wireless access said Steve Haber, head of Sony’s U.S. reading division. The Daily Edition of the e-reader will initially have wireless access only to Sony’s e-book store until I guess Sony figures out the complications of connecting to multiple stores for free. The names of downloadable newspapers  will be announced later. In portrait mode, about 30 to 35 lines of text will be visible akin to a printed book.

The sleek, ultra polished appearance that seems to be so in vogue nowadays is almost Apple like in inspiration . Its aluminum encased body comes with a price tag of US$399.

“It’s all about access to content … it’s about expression, holding, touching and using the Sony Reader,” Haber added. “We want it to be a ubiquitous experience, not locked in — open, open, open.”

Think it will make a good Christmas present?

Mmmm-hmmm, nothing more delicious than a Big Bird Turkey! Ha!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from all the folks at Smarter Gadgets Blog!