Top 10 Gadgets for the Holidays

High (and low!) tech wonders for you to give and (hopefully) receive this holiday season.

December 2, 2008

1/10
Plug this retro-inspired, Lego-shaped speaker in to your iPod to instantly share your favorite tunes with friends. No batteries are required, and you can control the volume simply by pressing the hidden buttons between the plus signs.
2/10
Never mind if you’re a little tone deaf—Nintendo’s new Wii Music game is the perfect present for the music lover on your list. Aimed at both amateurs and accomplished musicians, the game lets you play more than 60 different instruments from around the world (without leaving your living room), jam to a selection of songs, and even create a music video for a virtual band.

3/10
Shine on with this special-edition retro Colorsplash Chromiac Edition camera from the Lomographic Society, newly available just in time for the holidays. Coated in a glossy silver finish, this classic point-and-shoot camera's vibrant color filters are sure to brighten up your photos.
4/10
This year, we all mourned the demise of the instant photo when Polaroid discontinued production of its iconic film. So it's a good thing that Fuji has stepped up to fill the void with this lightweight, compact Fuji Instax camera, which produces credit-card-size photos in minutes. Easy to use and high on style, we expect to see this little darling at all the best parties this holiday season.

5/10
Embrace your colorful side with these foldable color-block headphones from the Stockholm-based company WeSC. Its bright hues are sure to make a bold statement!
6/10
This sleek new phone from Samsung is a dual slider, which means that it moves up and down to reveal great features at both ends. There is an external speaker for tunes on the go, a hidden keypad for texting and dialing, and a built-in two-megapil camera. Who says you can't have it all?

7/10
There's no cuter way to store and transfer data than with Mimoco's adorable plastic USB storage devices. Our favorite design is One Love by Hanazuki, but there is a perfect critter for every taste in the Mimobot range.
8/10
This showstopper from Hewlett-Packard is the perfect example of form meeting function: Its gorgeous peony pattern and bright red color was inspired by Vivienne Tam's Spring 2009 runway collection. Weighing just over two pounds and smaller than most textbooks, this notebook boasts a 10.2-inch display and the ability to run numerous applications, including Windows XP home. Typing that important research assignment at the library has never been so portable ... or chic!

9/10
This superslim 8.1-megapil digital Coolpix S210 camera from Nikon is less than an inch wide, yet features a 2.5-inch LCD screen in a chic metal case. Good things do come in small packages after all!
10/10
Just launched in November, the Mino HD is the world's smallest and sleekest high-definition camcorder. Weighing just over three ounces, this highly portable gadget features 720p resolution for up to 60 minutes of recording time. Best of all, when it's time to upload the video to your Facebook profile, you can plug it directly in to any USB port on your computer—no cords!