Trendy Tools for the Tech-Obsessed

To make your holiday shopping a little easier, 2bU! lists the hottest must-haves and accessories you’ll want to have under your Christmas trees this year. A word of caution: being high-tech literally comes at a high price, so be prepared to splurge. (Moms and dads, don’t say you weren’t warned.)

LAPTOPS

Big leagues. Apple’s pristine white laptops have intimidated loyal windows users for years, but there’s absolutely no reason to think this new metallic MacBook is less user-friendly. It has a boot camp program for those who have Windows-induced separation anxiety. Meanwhile, if you want a creative touch to your laptop, the HP Pavilion Special and Artist Edition notebooks are for you. The hitch: it’s easy on the eyes, but not so easy on the wallet.

Mini-me. Our picks: Asus Eee in candy colors; Acer Aspire One; Lenovo. For students who already lug around bulky backpacks, netbooks come in very handy. They have practically all the features of their bigger siblings but without the bulk; that is, if you don’t mind squinting most of the time.


Watch out for — HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition Notebook. “It’s not a gadget, it’s a fricking fashion accessory!” That was what everybody was probably thinking at Vivienne Tam’s fashion show as a model sashayed on the runway with a tiny red laptop. We’re not “kikay” or anything, but for some reason, we couldn’t help drooling over the candy apple-red shell and pink peony design. The 10-inch “digital clutch” comes out early next year. Fashionistas, hold on to your wallets.

PHONES

Samsung Pixon M8800. Get your hands on the new Samsung Pixon M8800, a sexy new phone equipped with an 8-megapixel camera. And the phone’s camera rocks not just because it can produce high resolution photos but because it features a wide range of camera functions that you’re sure to love. Other reasons to pick up this phone? Its touch screen functions, HD viewing capabilities and serious music functions.


Nokia N96. The mistake would be to just think of it as a phone because it’s not. The Nokia N96 is a computer that you can slip into your pocket. With the N96, you can watch movies and video clips, listen to your favorite songs or to FM radio, explore with Nokia Maps, take pictures with its 5-megapixel camera equipped with Carl Zeiss Optics and Tessar lens, record up to 40 hours of video and browse the Internet whenever, wherever you are.

CAMERA

As for cameras, check out the Canon EOS 1000D or Olympus E420 (with two lens kit). Cheap but really effective cameras. Little wonder. Olympus E420 (portable, smallest DSLR, live view experience)


OTHER HOT GADGETS

Nintendo Wii Fit. All work and no play makes students very dull indeed. This video game incorporates fun and fitness at the same time, allowing you to train on four different categories: yoga, strength training, balance games and aerobics. Hard to believe? Check it out for yourself.


Flip Mino. Got another on-the-spot video project? Sleek, slim and without the complicated settings, the Flip Mino camcorder makes it easy to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. Its USB jack enables you to transfer the files directly to your computer.