Consumer gadgets are expected to be one of the most gifted categories this holiday season. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association expects the average consumer to spend $232 on personal tech this year, up 5% from last year and the highest forecast figure in the history of the study.
What are this year’s hottest and most cutting-edge new electronic items and tech toys? FOX Business has been spotlighting them all week long. While there are thousands of gadgets on the market, the site offers a first-hand look at some of the year’s best -- featuring everything from e-book readers and Internet TV devices, to wild and wacky gifts like a mind-controlled iPod remote and a video camera you wear behind the ear.
Here's a taste:
No. 1. Barnes and Noble Nook Color- $249
In a nutshell: ideal for someone looking for a jazzed up e-book reader without all the computing features of a tablet device. It is the first color, touch-screen e-reader on the market.
No. 2. Samsung Galaxy Tab - $599
In a nutshell: this is an Android OS lover's dream – the press has described as: “the first major viable Android tablet product out there.”
No. 3. Sony Dash Internet Viewer - $149
In a nutshell: Sony calls it the dashboard for your online life, offering real-time access to news, weather, social networking, video and more. I think of it as super amped alarm clock and digital-photo frame with Internet access.
No. 4. Best Buy Insignia Infocast 8” Internet Media Display - $169.99
In a nutshell: A competitor to the Sony Dash products, and also part of a new breed of products that combine everyday gadgets we have in our home – like alarm clock radios -- with widgets and Internet access.
No. 5. Sony Bloggie Touch HD: - (4GB - $179.99; and 8 GB - $199.99)
In a nutshell: A more sophisticated portable video screen with a touch-screen interface, and delivers higher quality video than the Flip Cam.
No. 6. Flip Ultra HD – $199
In a nutshell: The Flip cam really put the portable video camera category on the map and continues to be a dominant seller in the category.
For all the details and lots more gadgets, see FoxBusiness.com's full holiday-shopping guide coverage.
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