Gadgets Blog

How are you preparing for Thanksgiving? Are you the designated cook in the family, basting the turkey days in advance to have the most delectable turkey of the season, maybe you’re even handpicking the cranberries for the sauce yourself? Maybe you’re the organizer, making sure everyone has a place at the table and Great Aunt Mindie has someone to pick her up at the nursing home. But as I suspect, you are probably the techno-elite of the family, and you’re in charge of capturing for posterity the Thanksgiving festivities. You need to hone your camcorder steadiness and photoshop skills to get all the food stains off niece Betty’s Thanksgiving formal wear in record time–but wait, don’t have a camcorder just yet? Then stop right there! You need to get that first.

There are plenty of camcorders on the market, but you want to make sure you get exactly what you need. Not too much memory, not too much bulk or fanfare. Here are some real affordable products that you won’t feel bad getting some mashed potatoes on:

Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10BK Camcorder - 720p - 10.0 MP - 5 x optical zoom: $169.95

PURE Digital Flip Mino F360 Camcorder - 0.31 MP: $99.00

Shop for discount camcorders at Smarter.com.

Sanyo PLC XW55A LCD Projector: $399.95

The Sanyo PLC XW55A LCD Projector is easy to use and easy to set up, even for non-techie users.  Other models can easily cost upwards of $2,000, yet this affordable LCD projector is designed for classroom, home or office use with a short throw lens that can produce a crisp image from 11 feet away onto a white screen, blackboard, or other dark-colored wall.

That’s right, it doesn’t need a white surface to be seen.  The nifty Blackboard Mode works on a variety or surfaces by automatically adjusting the white balance and gamma for a clean image projection that helps bring your presentations to life.

The Automatic Search Input Mode offers a quick start by automatically detecting and selecting correct input signals and projection modes for image display from original sources.  And when you’re done, there’s no need to wait for cooldown, just power-off and go.

The Sanyo PLC XW55A is a three-panel LCD projector with 5/6X to 16X digital zoom, true XGA resolution and 2000 ANSI Lumens of brightness.  Having the audio and video controls centralized adds to its convenient design and the four-digit PIN will keep your equipment protected against unauthorized users.

Comes with:

• Projector Lamp (Already Installed in Projector)
• Wireless Remote Control
• 2 x AA Batteries for Remote
• VGA Cable (15-pin)
• AC Cable

Get it at B&H Photo-Video Pro Audio and receive free 3-day shipping on all orders. No code required.

Find at Smarter.com: Shop for more affordable LCD projectors. 

This week in gadget blogs and news from around the Net:

• LEGO has already come up with their Beijing Olympic set - HKLug’s Blog
• Fishing for Marlins…From a Helicopter - Gizmodo
• The Journey mp3 player - Technabob
• Nothing like a DanBall Shiatsu Finger Massager - OhGizmo!
• Blackberry media now syncs with iTunes - Ubergizmo
• Back to the Future Hoverboard for Sale: Starting at 30K - Engadget

And this week in the Smarter Gadgets Blog we talked about:

• Crutchfield Coupon: Save $20 off Purchases of $100
• Tivo Now Lets You Buy Things on Amazon.com
• Buy Digital Camera: Nikon D300 Camera for $1,283
• Sanyo’s Eneloop Rechargeable Packs for the Wiimote

Are you spending so much time swinging your little Wiimote around that you’re personally helping Energizer stocks to rise.

Well, we can help you cut back on your AA battery purchases by introducing you to this.

Sanyo’s Eneloop Wiimote charging station.

This Wiimote charging station finally makes it easy for you game addicts to recharge your tools and to get back to swinging.

With these rechargeable packs, it’s really simple to use. You just drop the controller into the stand (even with it’s silicone cover) and it’ll begin recharging those battery packs immediately. You can even strand up to four of these stations together and let them feed off each other. Then in 220 minutes, you’re back up to full power. And what’s even better is that they’ll charge in order, so you don’t have to wait until all four are charged before you can start playing again.

There’s only one hitch.

It’s only available in Japan.

But hey, for those of you on your way to Tokyo, look it up!

Source.