Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Kris DeRego

Let's face it, this season's best Christmas gifts have gone geeky. In today's technopoly, when the guy with the graphing calculator has as much chance as the starting quarterback of scoring with the head cheerleader (who would almost certainly pick a new laptop over any man), the must-have items on anyone's shopping list are all gadgets and gizmos.

But what if you're someone that still has trouble tweaking the volume on your iPod? How are you ever going to navigate the worldwide web of buzzers and bells? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Here's a list of five hot devices that will leave your friends and family feeling in vogue.

Nokia N95 ($750): Perhaps the hottest smartphone on the market at the moment, the Nokia N95 redefines functional mobility. This dual-side slider phone comes complete with a 5.0-megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics that allow you to capture DVD-quality footage. With the phone's Lifeblog feature, you can upload text, pictures and videos straight to your blog, Flickr or even YouTube. Throw in Symbian's office applications, document editing software and a high-quality media player, and you've got the prototype for what every modern phone could be.

Apple iPod Touch ($299): With the sleek design that made the iPhone so attractive, the iPod Touch is sure to be one of this holiday season's best sellers. Featuring a multi-touch interface that lets you navigate applications with your fingertips and a 3.5 inch widescreen display, the iPod Touch automatically adjusts brightness to fit your environment's lighting conditions. It's also the first and only iPod to grant you wireless access to the internet, which you can search using the iPod Touch's built-in Safari browser. Visit iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store to download music on the go and get your groove on with enhanced audio technology. Now, if only Apple could make physics this hands-on.

Sony Reader Digital Book ($299): Who said you can't curl up with a computer? Being tech savvy doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice your love of literature. With the Sony Reader Digital Book, you can download and enjoy thousands of popular eBook titles from the CONNECT digital library. About the size of a small paperback, the Sony Reader can travel with you anywhere. The device itself holds between 80-120 books at a time, but can also display PDF files, personal documents, JPEGs and audio files. Featuring breakthrough electronic paper technology, the Sony Reader is as easy to read in bright sunlight as it is in your bedroom. Think they'll start making textbooks to go?

Ultrasone iCans Aurum Headphones ($199): With 24-karat gold-plated earcups, Ultrasone's new iCan headphones will help you recapture the rich rhythms that your other earpieces have been missing. Featuring S-Logic natural sound technology and magnetic shielding, the iCans provide an unparalleled listening experience. By simultaneously reflecting the audio signal off the surface of the outer ear in different directions, these headphones create a three-dimensional sound that reduces pressure on the eardrum by up to 40 percent without sacrificing volume. If nothing else, the gold plating should help you stay bligin' while you torture others with your singin'.

ASUS U1F ($2,199): We can dream, can't we? Made for metropolitan jet-setters, this 11.1-in. widescreen notebook is one of the sexiest laptops on the market. Composed of a piano painted LCD cover, stainless contour, carbon fiber housing, leather bound palm rest and an Intel Core Duo processor, the U1F exudes self-indulgent sophistication and fits in almost any bag or satchel. If gourmet chefs designed computing devices, this is what they'd cook up. It won't type your papers for you, though (you'll have to get your roommate to do that).

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