Last Minute Gift Guide

Giftology Tech Gift Guide December 2012

Tablet Time

The best picks for a touchscreen device

’Book It!

An ultralight, ultraportable ultrabook is this season’s mostdesired laptop

Climb-/Dive-/Jumpand-Shoots

Cameras built for extreme adventures

UGame?

Say hello to Nintendo’s new Wii U

ALSO: Nintendo 3DS XL • PS Vita • New iPods

Giftology

2012 U Game?

Meet the new Nintendo Wii U + Nintendo 3DS XL and PS Vita + The Top Video Games of 2012

Rough ‘n’ Rugged Cameras

Leave the smartphone at home and pick up an adventurous camera + The Best Cameras for Dry Land

Tablet Time

The Top 4 handheld devices to consider this season + The Best Kindle Ever!

The Ultimate Ultrabooks Sleek, lightweight, powerful laptops that everyone wants

iPods: The Next Iteration PAGE 2 ­— LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012

The

ultrabooks won’t disappoint.

Ultimate Ultrabooks

Having created the category, Apple continues to innovate with its 2012 MacBook Air 13-inch model. At its thinnest edge it’s an amazing 0.1 inches thick, reaching a mere 0.68 inches at its thickest point. The appropriately named Air weighs in at just a shade less than 3 pounds. Despite its delicate looks, the MacBook Air still packs a computational punch thanks to a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB) and Intel’s HD Graphics 4000 engine. There’s a built-in 720p webcam for HD chatting over FaceTime or Skype.

The 2012 MacBook Air 13-inch starts with 128GB of flash storage and is upgradeable up to 512GB worth for those needing more space for their digital life. As far as connectivity goes, you’ll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a Thunderbolt port – a newer type of connection that’s even faster than USB 3.0. Not many peripherals use Thunderbolt yet – but they will – so you’re futureproof. Battery life clocks in between 5 and 7 hours.

Last, but certainly not least, the new

Thin is in! If someone on your list is after a new laptop this season, give them one that is sleek, lightweight and, above all, powerful

By Greg Scoblete CTW Features Say what you will about laptops, but no one would ever mistake them for stylish – until now.

Once Apple unveiled the super-slender MacBook Air in 2008, the tech world has been in a frenzy about “ultrabooks.” The term, coined by Intel, refers to a notebook computer that’s less than 1-inch thick and weighs less than 4 pounds. These incredibly thin notebooks also

offer quick start-ups times – often less than 10 seconds – and longer battery lives alongside drool-worthy styling.

You will make a few trade-offs if you spring for an ultrabook this holiday season: There are no optical-disc drives, and external ports like USB and HDMI often are sparse.

Plus, all these good looks and computational brains demand a premium price.

Still, if you’re looking for the latest and greatest in portable computing, these

Apple MacBook Air

13-inch Air comes in at a base price of $1,199.

The MacBook Air also is available in an 11-inch model, which bases with a 1.7GHz processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash storage for $999.

WWSamsung Series 9 Samsung is Apple’s arch rival in just about everything, and a slim notebook is no exception. With the Series 9, the company comes to the fight with a 13.3-inch LED display, Intel’s 1.7GHz Core i5 processor, a 128GB solid state drive and 4GB of RAM standard (upgradeable to 8GB). Graphics are powered by Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 engine, and you’ll find a 1.2-megapixel HD webcam plus a pair of built-in, 3-watt

Samsung Series 9

speakers for cranking out the tunes. Unlike the MacBook Air, there’s no Thunderbolt port, but there are a pair of USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI output, which the Air doesn’t have.

The Series 9 Ultrabook measures in at 12.9-by-8.9-by-0.64 inches, and it weighs in just less than 3 pounds thanks to its “duralumin” body – a lightweight substance that’s twice as strong as aluminum yet lightweight. Expect to pay around $1,300 for the basic configuration.

Sony Vaio T13

Ultra and Ultra-er: The 13- and 11-inch Apple MacBook Airs.

If you’re shopping on the budget end of the spectrum, Sony’s Vaio T13 is worth a look.

This $765 ultrabook features an Intel Core i5 processor (1.7GHz) with 4GB of RAM and Intel’s HD Graphics 4000 engine.

Continued on Page 4

LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012 — PAGE 3

Powerful Peripherals

Sony Viao T13

Continued from Page 3 Somewhat unique among ultrabooks, it pairs a 320GB hard disk drive for ample file storage with a 32GB SSD for faster boot-ups. The 13.3-inch LED display offers a resolution of 1366x768, and the Vaio T13 includes a 1.3-megapixel web camera, high-def audio and a battery that Sony claims can last for about seven hours of typical use.

While there’s no Thunderbolt, you will get a pair of USB ports (one 3.0, one 2.0), an SD card slot, HDMI and VGA outputs plus an Ethernet port, should they wish to hardwire to the Internet. It measures in at 12.7-by8.9-by-0.71 inches, and with a weight of 3.5 pounds it’s a tad heavier than either Samsung’s or Apple’s ultrabooks, but that’s the price you pay for having a hard disk drive on hand. © CTW Features

These super-mobile accessories are just the thing to make the most of a new ultrabook Epson Home XP-400

Western Digital My Passport Most ultrabooks are pretty light on the storage side. If you need to add memory for those HD movies and digital music collections, Western Digital’s My Passport portable drives are a good choice.

They’re sleek and stylish –

just like an ultrabook – and come in capacities of 500GB ($129) up to 2TB ($250).

Western Digital My Passport

My Passport uses USB 3.0 for quick file transfers and comes with automatic backup software and encryption for keeping digital files safe.

Linksys Smart Wi-Fi EA6500

Epson Home XP-400

The Linksys Smart Wi-Fi EA6500 ($219.99) wireless Internet router uses the latest version of Wi-Fi technology (802.11ac, for those keeping score at home) so there’s plenty of bandwidth for streaming HD movies to a Smart TV or media player, web surfing, music downloading and gaming. No need to update other devices, though – it’s backward-compatible with all networked gear. This router has two USB ports for adding network storage plus four ethernet ports for superfast hardwired routing.

Despite the prevalence of wireless and cloud technology, printing and scanning remain a necessary evil.

Epson’s Home XP-400 ($99.99) packs a printer and scanner in one, and it’s compatible with Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud, so you can wirelessly print from mobile devices like ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones. It features a 2.5-inch display, memory card slots and uses four individual ink cartridges. You can expect print speeds at around 8.7 pages per minute for black or 4.5 pages per minute in color.

–G.S. w© CTW Features

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A Digital Camera for the

Instagram

Peace on earth starts here.

Generation

What’s great about

Instagram is that it takes all the fun elements of the classic Polaroid camera and put them into a mobile app on your smartphone. Snap a photo, then immediately share it with your friends.

Or in the case of the old Polaroid instant camera, snap a photo, then wait for it to emerge from the camera, then shake it to accelerate development of the photo, then share it with your friends.

But what’s great about the new

Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera ($159.99) is that it brings back to a physical camera all the fun photo elements that Instagram cribbed from the original Polaroids.

On the digital side, the Z2300 packs a 10-megapixel image sensor and 3-inch LCD display for framing, capturing and reviewing photos and videos. On the instant side, it features an integrated ZINK printer, which in less than a minute can print out full-color, 2-by-3-inch photos, a modern take on the old-school Polaroid. The ZINK Paper comes in both 30-sheet ($14.99) and 50-sheet ($24.99) packs.

The Z2300 comes in either white or black and features the iconic Polaroid rainbow stripe that harkens back to the Polaroid instant cameras of yesteryear.

Just like the one immortalized in the Instagram app icon.

–Timothy R. Schulte

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LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012 — PAGE 5

Tablet Time

The Latest, Greatest Kindle Apps and games and web browsing are nice, but there still is something to be said for a plain-old e-reader. Especially when it’s neither plain nor old.

Amazon’s new Kindle Paperwhite (starting at $119), is the most advanced e-reader to date.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the screen background actually is white, not gray. The Paperwhite features a 6-inch screen with 212 pixels per inch – a 62-percent pixel increase, and the display also boasts a contrast increase of 25 percent. It’s thinner, too, at just 0.36 inches (about the same width as an iPad), and weighs just 7.5 ounces.

The Paperwhite, like other Kindles, features unlimited free Amazon cloud storage, but it also holds 1,100 titles on its 2GB onboard memory.

Best of all is an eightweek battery life, which asks: How many books can you read before you need to charge again? © CTW Features

These 4 hot handhelds are the must-have device for the reader/browser/gamer on your list

By Timothy R. Schulte CTW Features

Microsoft Surface The Microsoft Surface (Price TBD) is perhaps the coolest new tablet of 2012 – and a big part of that doesn’t even have to do with the tablet itself.

The Surface comes with a 3mm cover that magnetically “clicks” into place along the edge of the device, similar to the iPad Smart Cover for all intents and purposes. But when you open the cover, you’ll find a full keyboard, including trackpad, integrated on the inside. No need to lug around a bulky Bluetooth keyboard.

The cover actually comes in two varieties: the Touch Cover and the Type Cover (Prices TBD).

The 3mm Touch Cover is capacitive, responding to the force you put on a button, so it won’t start inputting a letter just because your fingertip is resting on a key. The 5mm Type Cover features movable keys for the feel of a traditional keyboard.

The combination of a cover keyboard and builtin kickstand gives the ease and comfort of typing on a laptop with the portability of a tablet. Both covers are available in five colors.

The Surface RT (a Pro model will be released later) features a 10.6-inch, 16:9 widescreen ClearType HD display, making it great for viewing downloadable movies from the Windows Store or streaming from apps like Netflix.

Light and thin, the Surface weighs in at just less than 1.5 pounds (676 grams/1.49 pounds)

PAGE 6 ­— LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012

and is only 9.3mm thick – specs that more or less match up with the iPad. Like the iPad, it has front and rear cameras for capturing photos and videoconferencing.

It packs a USB 2.0 port for hooking up a printer or external drive, and it also includes a MicroSD slot for accessing your media collection.

The Surface, available in 32GB or 64GB models, comes loaded with the new Windows 8 software. Users can create and share documents with Office, and Windows 8 apps like Mail, Messaging and People feature cloud connectivity to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Music, movies, game and apps are downloadable via the Windows Store app, and users can browse the web via the new Internet Explorer 10. The Surface’s, er, surface also is interesting. It features casing made of a VaporMg (pronounced Vapor Mag), a magnesium-based material that offers molding that is thin, lightweight and strong.

picture in a 9.7-inch screen than you’ll get from the 50-inch HDTV in your living room. The iPad’s dual-core A5X chip features quad-core graphics processing, so it’s capable of powering those 3.1 million pixels in its display while still keeping an alldaylong, 10-hour battery life.

The rear-facing iSight camera takes 5MP stills and records 1080p video (if you don’t mind holding up a nearly 10-inch device to take pictures or video).

The front-facing FaceTime camera is available for video chatting and VGA-quality photos.

Newsstand, a new iPad “folder” and digital store, offers an all-in-one place for your newspaper and magazine subscriptions. And, of

Apple iPad

For this year’s iteration of its market-leading tablet, Apple abandoned a numbering system and called the new iPad, originally, the new iPad. And there is a ton that is new.

The new iPad’s biggest improvement over the iPad 2 is the introduction of a Retina display. The pixel-dense, 2048x1536 display packs 264 pixels per inch. The result is a higher-definition

Shoot, edit and share photos on the fly with the new iPad

course, an ever-growing number of apps – currently more than 225,000 iPad-specific apps – are available from the App Store.

Available in black or white, the new iPad is the first version to feature 4G LTE cellular connectivity (data plan required).

Price starts at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model, with 32GB ($599) and 64GB ($699) models also available. For Wi-Fi + Cellular models, tack on an additional $130, plus a data plan.

Google Nexus 7 Those looking for a tablet that’s a bit easier to grasp – both in terms of size and price – might look toward the new Google Nexus 7 tablet.

As the name implies, the Nexus 7 is a slim, light, ultraportable tablet with a 7-inch, highresolution (1280x800) display. The Nexus 7’s display also features scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass, and there is a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera for video conferencing.

Manufactured by Asus, the Nexus 7 has a powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, with a 12-core graphics processing for an immersive experience on the more than

A scratch-resistant screen and 12-core graphics make the Nexus 7 a top choice for gamers

600,000 apps and games available via the Google Play store. A 4325 mAh battery delivers a whopping 9 hours of high-def video playback or 10 hours of browsing or e-book reading.

The Nexus 7 comes loaded with the latest version on Android software, 4.1 Jelly Bean, and is available in 8GB ($199) and 16GB ($249) models.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD With all the talk of pixels and Retina displays, Amazon made sure its latest Kindle Fire tablet/e-reader was no exception. The new

Kindle Fire HD features a 7-inch, 1200x800 high-def display, just like the Nexus 7. Unlike other tablets, though, the Fire HD features a single layer of glass, with the touch sensor and LCD display laminated together, which reduces screen glare, even in overhead light.

Designed for HD movies and games, the Kindle Fire HD features a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor with an Imagination PowerVR 3D graphics core, for smooth, responsive gaming.

The Kindle Fire HD comes in both 16GB ($199) and 32GB ($249) models, and – in one of the biggest features for any Kindle device – offers free unlimited cloud storage for all your Amazon content, which includes more than 1.2 million books and 400+ magazines from the Kindle Store. And with 11 hours of battery life, the Kindle Fire HD might spend more waking hours working than most people!

For those looking for a bit larger device, Amazon also introduced an 8.9-inch model ($299 for 16GB, $369 for 32GB). The new Kindle Fires HD also boast the first dual-band, dual-antenna

Wi-Fi on a tablet, for better wireless connectivity and more than 40-percent faster download speeds. For those interested in on-the-go connectivity, the 8.9-inch Fire HD also is available in a 4GLTE model (separate AT&T data required), It comes in 32 GB ($499) and 64GB ($599) models. © CTW Features

The Kindle Fire tablet/e-reader ... now in HD.

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The Wii U’s GamePad adds another gaming dimension with a second screen

U Game?

Say hello to the new NintendoWii U

By Taniesha Robinson CTW FeaturesNintendo is back to change the gaming experience with its latest console, the Wii U – arriving Nov. 18, just in time for the holidays, for $299.99. The company lured gamers off the couch with the release of the Wii in 2006, spearheading the motion-gaming segment that now includes Kinect for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Move. Nintendo now is pushing the envelope with Wii U’s cooperative gameplay and integration into home-entertainment systems.

integrated into a video game console. The system’s primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features 6.2-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touchscreen, traditional button controls and two analog sticks. Gamers use their fingertips or

“It changes your gaming,” Nintendo of America President Reginald Fils-Aime said during the company’s All-Access E3 2012 presentation. “It changes how you interact with your gaming friends, and it changes the way you enjoy your TV.” Here’s how.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Coke or Pepsi? Mac or PC? One of the many things our nation of Democrats and Republicans does better than anyone else is drawing a line in the sand and, firmly and proudly, picking a side upon which to stand.

Console Features

Wii U marks the first time that a tablet has been

the included stylus for control on the tablet. Up to two GamePads can be used at the same time during gameplay.

“I know there are people out there who have iPads and are like, ‘What’s the big deal?’” says

Shane Satterfield, editor-in-chief of GameTrailers.com. “Well, the big deal is that you’re playing tablet games that have been produced by huge teams who have worked on the game for two years instead of the iPad games that generally

¡Viva Vita!

The must-have portable gaming device for the PlayStationphile on your list

PAGE 10 ­— LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012

The video-game realm is no exception.

If the PlayStation purist on your list would never be caught dead with a Nintendo 3DS, be thankful for the PS Vita ($299.99).

Sony’s portable player just

missed last year’s holiday rush (it was released in February), but it’s sure to be a much-desired device in 2012. The Vita packs dual analog sticks, a multitouch OLED display, a six-axis gyroscope and even a multitouch rear pad, for an immersive, revolutionary new

gaming style.

There are front- and rearfacing cameras, and the Vita also features Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, for accessing the PlayStation network wherever the gaming takes them.

–Timothy R. Schulte

are real simple, easy to pick up and are more time-wasters.’’

HotWii UTitles for the Holidays

gameplay. Favorites such as the Nunchuk and Wii Balance Board also are compatible.

Cooperative Gameplay

Game developers have many new features to work with on the Wii U platform. So how does Wii U handle four controllers The GamePad’s personal screen integration and two GamePads in use at once? The with your TV enables double-screen gaming answer lies in the different roles assigned experiences. The tablet’s motion control to controller and GamePad users during includes the popular Nintendo rumble gameplay. In “New Super Mario Bros. U,” features, powered by an accelerometer and GamePad users can help or hinder their gyroscope. Thanks to an added geomagnetic friends. sensor, gamers can see their virtual worlds in “Basically, what they can do is they can use unprecedented 360-degree panoramic views. the touch pad to create platforms in the Plus, through near field communication, the environment.” Satterfield says. “Now, GamePad can communicate wirelessly with those platforms can either help Mario objects held above it. This will allow users get to some place really high, or you to program objects into games by setting a can kind of be a jerk and wait real object atop the GamePad screen, among until they jump and put other possibilities for interactive gameplay. a platform above his The Wii U GamePad feature that will head and make him help cement the console’s place in living fall into a pit. rooms across the world is the TV Control “It’s pretty button. This feature turns the GamePad into innovative the a universal remote for home entertainment way they’re systems. finding ways When someone wants to watch TV while the Wii U is in use, gamers can keep playing on the tablet. And, they won’t have to stay on the couch; the system will stream the game to the tablet. “Basically you can count on being able to go into other rooms and continue playing games without having being tethered to the television,” Satterfield says.

Still, for all the cool new features of the GamePad, there are people who only want an elevated, traditional gameplay experience.

Everyone can play together in cooperative Nintendo was sure to gameplay mode. accommodate them with the Wii U Pro Controller. Gaming to make people almost reflect bloggers have taken notice of its similarities their personality in how they play to the Xbox 360 controller. Hardcore gamers games,” Satterfield adds. are sure to find the controls familiar.

Opportunities to show Those who already own a Wii console personality surface in other Wii will be happy to know that nearly all of their U titles like “ZombiU.” During current Wii software and accessories will gameplay, a GamePad user can be compatible with the Wii U. Up to four select which zombies will attack Wii Remote (or Wii Remote Plus) or Wii U Continued on Page 12 Pro controllers can be used at once during

New Super Mario Bros. U It’s the two-dimensional Mario world you’ve always loved with multiplayer interaction you’ve never experienced before.

ZombiU Grab hold of your weapons and survival kits and test your will to survive London’s zombie apocalypse.

SiNG Debut your karaoke talent with this new musical performance game, and have your friends back you up. The game prompts everyone to clap, dance and sing along.

Assassin’s Creed 3 Unleash lethal force on your enemies as a young, Native American assassin who ignites the fire behind the American Revolution.

Nintendo Land Up to five players can explore 12 attractions in this virtual theme park of Nintendo franchises.

Batman Arkham City Armored Edition Deliver justice to Gotham City with your new, wrist-mounted Batcomputer: The Wii U Gamepad.

Pikmin 3 The GamePad also functions as a universal remote for your home theater.

It’s been eight years since the last “Pikmin” title’s release, and the reimagined world of strange creatures, treasures and enemies may be worth the wait.

–Taniesha Robinson © CTW Features

LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012 — PAGE 11

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Continued from Page 11 the other players. Gamers will feel the tension when tasks that take place exclusively on the tablet arise (checking inventory, cracking door codes, etc.) while the game continues on their TV screen. That’s just a taste of the immersion experiences Wii U offers.

“When we start looking at the fact that this is the first wave of games for the Wii U, and we’re talking about what these developers are going to come up with over the next five years of the console’s life cycle, it’s a pretty exciting proposition,” Satterfield says.

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The GamePad controller is equipped with an Internet browser, but Wii U has another new network communication feature that’s stirring interest: Miiverse, a realtime social window that opens up right as you’re playing, according to Fils-Aimes, the Nintendo of America president.

Gamers can brag about high scores through text messages and share experiences through drawings or in-play screen images.

Also, because the Gamepad has a built-in microphone and camera, Miiverse members can engage in voice and video chats.

In general, hardcore gamers have been apprehensive about Wii U. When the original Wii was released, many fans felt that Nintendo executives had concentrated their efforts on attracting soccer moms and casual gamers.

“To me personally, I feel like they’ve done a pretty good job at hitting that middle ground and making sure there are games available at launch for both sides,” Satterfield says.

Perhaps the Wii U may woo the hardcore gamers yet.

“Again this is the first wave of games and it’s already doing some pretty cool stuff,” Satterfield says. “I imagine in a few years, we’re going to see some really mind-blowing things.” © CTW Features

Big-Time Gaming The new Nintendo 3DS XL delivers even more multidimension entertainment It’s hard to imagine the Nintendo DS going any bigger.

The line of DS handheld gaming devices, you may be surprised to find out, is the company’s all-time best-selling hardware line, with sales of more than 152 million units, which outpaces Nintendo’s other iconic handheld, the Gameboy, by more than 30 million units.

To put that into perspective, the Wii, Nintendo’s top-selling console, has yet to eclipse 100 million units.

Determined to make their best better, Nintendo upped the ante with last year’s 3DS, which added glasses-free 3D technology to the handheld device. The only thing left to do was go bigger, which it did with the new 3DS

XL ($199.99).

The 3DS XL, available in red or blue, features 90-percent larger screens than the 3DS. The upper screen on the XL measures nearly 5 inches diagonally, and the lower screen is more than 4 inches (diagonal), each more than an inch larger than the respective screen on the original DS. Nintendo claims the XL features improved battery life over the DS, and it comes with a bundled 4GB SD card for storing downloadable games and videos.

The larger screen size also gives users more space to enjoy entertainment apps, such as Netflix.

–Timothy R. Schulte

F

By Greg Scoblete | CTW Features or many of us, smartphones are our go-to camera, but there are still places they just can’t go. Underwater, for one, or buried under a pile of sand. Fortunately, you don’t have to risk your precious iPhone or Android the next time you hit the beach or hiking trail. Take along one of these rugged companions instead. They’ll not only survive whatever it is you can throw at them, they’ll snap better pics and videos than your phone ever could.

GoPro Hero HD 2

Rugged & Ready to Shoot

In an Instagram world, the smartphone has become to primary camera for any amateur photog. But on the bike, in the water or up in the air, it’s time to forget the filters and grab a camera that’s tough enough to take on an adventure

No other camera is so single-handedly responsible for populating YouTube with amazing first-person shots of the hairiest BASE jumps and death-defying outdoor stunts than GoPro’s Hero line. Outside of a nuclear apocalypse, there’s not much that can dent the Hero’s enthusiasm. The HD Hero 2 ($299.99) is an 11-megapixel still camera that’s capable of recording 1080p highdef video. It comes with waterproof housing that can survive up to a depth of 197 feet underwater; you can spring for an optional dive housing ($49.99) for improved underwater clarity. Dirt, dust, mud - none of it will harm the Hero.

The glass lens offers a wide-angle field of view (170 degrees) and is very bright with an aperture of f/2.8. You won’t find an optical zoom on this camera, though, since the Hero is designed to be used mostly hands-free. You can shoot stills at 10 frames per second, or use the time-lapse operation to fire off a still photo every 0.5 seconds. There are a variety of video frame rates available for capturing smooth motion.

The HD Hero 2 is sold in three kits with varying accessories and mounts based on need: There’s an outdoor edition, plus motor sports and surf kits. All carry the same price tag, but the activity for each edition may result in different hospital bills.

Fujifilm FinePix XP50 If you’re not interested in plumbing the deepest depths, the Fujifilm FinePix XP50 ($179.95) will get you under 5 meters’ worth of ocean waves and is shock- and dustproof to boot. The camera can survive falls up to 5 feet, and Continued on Page 14

LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012 — PAGE 13

Continued from Page 13

it also is freezeproof, capble of enduring temperatures as low as 14 degrees F. Simply put - the camera will probably survive longer than you will.

The XP50’s 2.7-inch display has an antireflective-glare coating for easier viewing in bright light and a rubberized grip to help you maintain your hold, even if you’re wearing gloves. beneath its brawny exterior you’ll find a 14-megapixel CMOS image sensor for HD movie recording at 1080p and a 5x optical, 28mm wide-angle zoom lens with image stabilization. A Motion Panorama 360 mode lets you sweep across a scene while the camera automatically stitches together multiple images into a single panoramic image. Additional scene modes, such as underwater, night, sunset and snow, will optimize your image based on the shooting environment. You can fire off bursts of up to 12 images at 10fps.

Finally, no outdoor camera would be complete without an eye toward style and the SP50 doesn’t disappoint with a selection of five bold hues: orange, green, blue, silver and black.

PAGE 14 ­— LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012

Nikon Coolpix S30 Nikon’s Coolpix S30 ($119.95) is capable of plunging up to 10 feet underwater with a sturdy body that resists dirt and dust. Clumsy? The S30 can survive falls up to 2.6 feet high. It’s been designed with glove-wearers in mind with large buttons and a simplified interface that makes it easy to access the menus or camera settings quickly.

The 10-megapixel sensor can record HD movies at 720p resolution at 30fps. The S30 packs a 3x optical zoom, 29mm wide-angle lens with electronic image stabilization and a 2.7-inch LCD. You can focus on objects up as near as 2 inches away for those interested in macro photography. You’ll also have the option to create slideshows with animated effects or make albums with clip-art style effects that can be added to images in the camera.

You’ll have a choice of silver, blue and bright pink body colors. © CTW Features

The Best Cameras for Dry Land 3 digicams that can outpace your phone in the specs department – if roughing it is not your thing Sony NEX-F3 The NEX-F3 ($599.99, including a 18-55mm zoom lens) offers you the flexibility of interchangeable lenses without the size and bulk of a traditional d-SLR. The 16-megapixel F3 can record high-def video and features 3-inch display that can be tilted 180 degrees for framing shots at difficult angles. Sony pushed

the limits on the battery, too: The NEX-F3 is capable of a whopping 470 shots before needing a recharge.

Panasonic SZ7K

choice of silver, red, blue or black.

Panasonic SZ7K

Canon PowerShot Elph 320 HS Thin and wide are not attributes normally associated together, but Canon’s PowerShot Elph 320 HS ($249) manages just that. It’s thin – measuring in at 0.82 inches thick – and it packs a 24mm wide-angle lens, allowing you to swallow up more of the scene in front of you. It offers built-in Wi-Fi for wirelessly sharing images far and wide. The 16-megapixel Elph delivers a 5x optical zoom, 3.2-inch touchscreen display and HD video recording. It’s available in your

If you need a bit more optical punch on a budget, the Panasonic SZ7K ($199) packs a 10x optical zoom, 25mm wide-angle lens in a compact camera body.

Panasonics’s on-hand, optical-image stabilization keeps your photos blur-free. It records HD video in both the AVCHD and MPEG-4 formats, so you can switch between the higher-quality video of the former or the memory-saving, computer-friendlier movies of the latter.

Rounding out the SZ7K’s feature set is a 14-megapixel image sensor and a 3-inch display.

© CTW Features

–G.S.

iPods: The Next Iteration

The iPod touch and iPod nano get funky refreshes – just in time for the holidays

iPod Touch

The hard critique against the iPod touch was that it was just an iPhone with out the phone. That stops now.

The new touch is thinner and lighter then ever, at less than a quarter-inch thick and just 3.1 oz. Part of that is thanks to an anodized-aluminum body, the same material used in Apple’s MacBook line.

But just like its cellular-based kin, the touch also received an upgrade to a 4-inch Retina display, giving more widescreen space to game, browse, watch movies and swipe through your music library.

The new touch, available in 32GB ($299) and 64GB ($399) models, also unveils new line of colors – black, silver, pink, yellow, blue and a (Product) Red model.

iPod Nano Where the iPod touch kept it kinda-like-the-iPhone appearance, the iPod nano underwent the most radical – and fun – transformation. The nano now is about the size of a credit card – about 3-by-1.5 inches – and is just 0.21 inches thick. The new format allows it to expand the touchscreen introduced on the last nano model. The screen now offers six icons for Music, Videos, Fitness (with Nike+ integration), Podcasts, Photos and Radio (FM only).

Now available only in a 16GB ($149) model, the nano comes in the same colors as the touch, in addition to green purple. © CTW Features

LAST MINUTE GIFT GUIDE — DECEMBER 2012 — PAGE 15

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