The TomTom GO 700

The last time we reviewed a GPS navigator, it was a Garmin Nuvi. The most famous navigation company is of course, TomTom. It's the largest manufacturer of GPS systems in Europe.



In addition to it's navigations devices and software, TomTom also has several services to which users can subscribe. More on this a little further down. The unique feature of the TomTom GO 700 is that it uses bluetooth to commnicate with a handsfree device. This is a new feature that also allows you to use the device itself as a handsfree component.

For example, if you get an incoming call, the TomTom GO 700 will display the call on its' screen. You can also use it to dial numbers and control your mobile...all without having to lay a finger on your mobile phone itself.

Another first for the TomTom GO 700, is the integration of a hard drive. Till now, GPS navigation systems have always relied on SD cards for the storage of maps. Now, with a built in hard drive, you don't need to fiddle around with SD cards. Some people may find this less convenient, but I feel that most users will appreciate it. In addition, all the maps of North America come pre loaded onto the hard drive

The screen has been improved too. Though nowhere close to the colors that can be displayed on a laptopp or even a PDA, it can now display 4,096 colors instead of the usual 256 colors that it used to display. It no longer has the clunky visuals that make you think of a child's drawing.

Integrated with the TomTom GO 700, is the ability to subscribe to all the TomTom services. So if you want live traffic updates, or the ability to spot speed cameras in advance, you can pay a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 a month, or $49.99 a year.

"Map Share" is another service that allows you to share your modified maps with other users. For example, if you find that a road is blocked, you can input it onto the screen, and those who have allowed your updates to reach them will be kept informed of the change, and their GPS systems will change their routing behavior accordingly.

So pick up the TomTom GO 700 now at www.pricealerter.com

The Apple iPod Nano 4G

Apple is sure going on a thinning spree. Starting with their MacBook Air, they've caught onto the fact that "thin is in". They've extended this mantra with their latest Apple iPod Nano 4G. It's the thinnest iPod we've seen till date and it comes bundled with a lot of exciting new features that you find only on the Apple products.



Starting off, it's different from the previous iPods in that it's round and it has a glass screen that is rounded too. The screen is clear and it borrows a feature from the iPhone - namely that when you turn it on it's side, it automatically goes into landscape mode.

Ready for another cool Apple innovation? It has something called a "Shake the shuffle" feature which means that if you want to move to a new random song, you just need to give the Apple iPod Nano 4G a quick hard shake! It's not something that can happen accidentally as you have to shake it pretty hard, and I don't really see a lot of people using it but it certainly is a nice cool thought.

The "Genius Playlist" feature is pretty neat too. What it does when activated, is that it creates a list of 25 songs from your database that sound similar to the one that is currently playing! So if you're in the mood for blues and you don't want to go through all the trouble of selecting or creating a playlist from the exisiting songs, all you have to do is create the automatic playlist.

If you plug in a set of compatible iPod headsets, then a special voice recording features is activated. This wont happen with any other headset, and this seems to be Apple's way of trying to ensure that it's accessories will be used with the Apple iPod Nano 4G.

Available in 9 different colors as you can see in the picture, you can be pretty sure of finding a phone that is compatible with your taste and lifestyle. A great gadget, and like all of Apple's products, they're "Irresistible Goodies".

Find it at www.pricealerter.com

The Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is the second version of the Xbox released by Microsoft. Termed as a 6th generation gaming console, it has some seriously cool features, as well as an updated look that is sure to set gizmo freaks drooling.

Actually Microsoft is putting a lot of research into developing the console and this is demonstrated by the fact they are constantly upgrading the device. The latest upgrade was in 2007. The Xbox 360 was originally unveiled on MTV giving you an idea of the target audience that Microsoft wanted to capture.



The first thing you notice about the Microsoft Xbox 360 is it's shape. It looks like some sleek alien creature or piece of technology out of the future. You can see the gamepad that comes with it. Notice it doesn't have any cables and this is sure to be a blessing to us old gamers who have struggled for years with twisted cables.

If you like to customize your gaming pads, and you dont' want to be stuck with white, no problem! You can find them in just about any color that you want including black and a printed blue.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is built of playing on High Definition TV. It also has an HDMI output. Of course, the worth of any console is the range of top games that play on it. And as the seasons have come and gone, the Microsoft Xbox 360 has developed a great range of games that are really worth playing including Call of Duty 4.

It comes with a 20 GB hard drive. It's quite unlike the hard drive of a standard PC. Rather it's more detachable like the Sony VAIO battery. One can imagine that this makes the unit substantially lighter, and that's very important.

The front of the unit has two USB controllers and is also where you can insert the media to carry your saved games to say your friends house. You can use the USB ports to plug in your MP3 player so that you can have your favorite rock music playing in the background while you smash up some cars :D

Get the Xbox 360 at www.pricealerter.com

The Dell XPS 730 H2C

The Dell XPS 730 H2C is one computer that's really meant for speed. Released at an astounding a$6,747, the computer really manages to impress with it's super cool hardware.

Let's start off with the processor. The new Intel Quad Core processor makes use of the latest micro architecture and cooling systems. The performance is enhanced with hafnium based circuitry. Interestingly, this is the very first time that Dell has shipped it's computers CPU's overclocked. That means that they have bumped up the speeds beyond the specifications. That may not be a good thing if you feel that overclocking will reduce the life of your CPU.


To compensate for the heat generated by overclocking, Dell has included a watercooling system to drain the heat out. I dont' really know how that works, but it sure sounds damn cool!

Secondly, it looks as if the computer was really built for gamers. It has two ATI graphics cards, and effectively encloses four graphics chips. This means that it's designed to perform with any graphic intensive application that is thrown at it. The computer supports two standards of graphics card configurations - The Scalable Link Interface (SLI), as well as the Crossfire interface which allows two PCIE graphics cards within the same system to be linked.

Each graphics chip has a memory of 1 GB and four of them make a ridiculously huge amount of video memory. This system would outperform any other system in the standard graphics tests.

The thing about graphics software is that it's continuously evolving and this is a real problem when it comes to graphics drivers. What's the guarantee that ATI will continue to update the software and drives for this particular configuration over a period of time? Dell has neutralized that issue by promising it's customers that they will always supply AMD coded drivers for this particular hardware configuration. That's very important if long term software support is important for you.

Gamers are also well known for their adherence to cool looks, and the Dell XPS 730 H2C surely doesn't disappoint. It looks really space age with laser etched sides giving you a glimpse into the red interiors.

Dell also has 24x7 live support for this system, as it is an XPS. To get this cool beast, find the best prices for it on www.pricealerter.com

The Nokia E71

The Nokia E71 is a great looking smart phone with excellent business features. It's set up to be a rival to the famed Blackberry, and it certainly shares some physical features with it. While not as large, it has a full QWERT keyboard and a screen that is proportionate to the size of the Blackberry.


While I'm never a very big fan of smart phones, I must say that the Nokia E71 is good buy. I can understand that business users have more requirements than a non-business user. Specifically the keyboard is very important, as most of them don't have the time to learn how to type using a stylus. The Nokia E71 has a very good keyboard set that has great buttons.

Let's start off with Email. The Nokia E71 has any number of features to help it connect with a variety of email standards including push email, Microsoft Exchange, and SMTP accounts. It also has a feature where you can have your messages read out to you in case you're unable to use your hands at any given moment.

The Nokia E71 also tries to serve you well at home. It has an interesting feature called the "Personal" and the "Business" mode. In the business mode, you have quick access to your email and other productivity suites, and in Personal mode you can access all your music and videos.

It has almost every feature that a phone can have including GPS, wifi, and bluetooth. But that's to be expected with such an expensive piece. One of the factors contributing to the price is that it's currenty unlocked. This means that you can dump the SIM of any carrier into it. That's quite a bonus actually. However, once it does get tied up, the prices will drop significantly. You might want to consider buying it while it is still unlocked, as it will be a one of a kind phone after that.

It doesn't run Windows Mobile. Instead it runs the Symbian OS. There's plenty of support and software that is developed for this OS, and so you won't have trouble finding packages that do what you want. Also, it's Quickoffice suite enables you to open and use all word and excel documents, so you don't really miss not having a Windows OS.

Pick it up at www.pricealerter.com

The Nikon D3

The Nikon D3 is Nikon's first dSLR camera with a full frame sensor. If you remember my previous post about SLR cameras, you will know that an SLR camera means that you get an accurate preview of the shot that is taken.


The Nikon D3 is unique in that it has exceptional sensitivity. It has a full frame sensor which means that within the camera, the sensor is exactly 35 mm. Most cameras have a sensor that is smaller, as it is easier to make as well as cheap. The ISO of the Nikon D3 is therefore one of the most sensitive around. ISO is a measure of how easily a camera can take pictures in the dark as well as how well it can snap fast moving objects without blurring.

The body of the Nikon D3 is very sturdy. In fact, one of the disadvantages of having a magnesium alloy for the body is that it becomes somewhat heavy, and this is exactly what has happened in this case. The body weighs over 3 pounds and that is without the lens. However, long experience has shown that you get used to the weight over a period of time and you might find that the camera actually increases in stability.

The design is almost perfect, being most optimized to holding the camera easily. If you have a unique way of holding your camera, you can customize the buttons to easily perform the functions that you want without having to stretch.

The camera allows users to fit other DX format (As opposed to the FX format) lenses in meaning that the Nikon D3 comes with great compatibility. One of the stand out features is the 920,000 dot LCD screen which gives has an astounding 170 degree viewing angle.

The camera can shoot upto 9 pictures per second which is truly amazing, and Nikon has something called Hi2 and Hi3 mode which effectively multiplies the ISO levels. This means that you can shoot pictures in an ISO of upto 25,000. This has got to be one of the most high level cameras ever. If you have the budget for it you can pretty much to absolutely anything photography related with it.

Find the best prices for it at www.pricealerter.com

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is the latest in a series of Netbooks that have been hitting the market recently. A Netbook is actually a Notebook that is optimized for Internet Access and basic functions. Going forward with the trend of moving all applications onto the Internet, there is a new breed of computing geeks that are relying more and more on the browser and the cloud to do their work.


To this end, the mantra now is that you don't need local resources to perform your tasks. If you use the Internet to it's full potential, you get web based applications and storage space that do all the work for you, without draining your PC resources. The only thing that is needed, is a great Internet connection.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 certainly provides a lot of options for this. Going by the founding principles of Dell, it is almost completely customizable, and you can get it in a wide variety of ranges starting from just $349!

Dell has also innovated on the keyboard for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9. The challenge with a small laptop is how to make the keys comfortable enough for typing. What they've done is remove the function keys and reduce the size of the other non-typing keys like the Caps lock and the scroll lock key. But don't worry. The function keys aren't gone. They've just been reassigned to others via the Fn key. This is ok, since most people don't use the function keys all that much anyway.

The CPU is the usual Intel Atom which is the standard CPU used for Ultra-Mobile PC's. Intel claims that it's made from the smallest processors in the world. The idea is to save on battery life and enable compact designs. The difference is noticable in the fact that the battery lasts for around 3-4 hours and there is enough computing power for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 to boot up in 45 seconds!

As you can see in the picture, it's got an 8.9 inch screen diagonally. It also comes with a Gigabyte of RAM, and astonishingly Windows XP! I thought that microsoft had stopped computer vendors from bundling XP anymore. But that's a good thing. I firmly believe that there's lots of juice left in XP, and it's only fair that people can enjoy it for longer.

Find the best prices for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 at www.pricealerter.com

Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E

The first thing you notice about this laptop is the texture. While most laptops have either a Matte, or a Glossy finish, the Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E features an interesting fabric texture, having a criss cross pattern on the surface. It looks very distinctive, and it's primarily the looks that make the VAIO qualify as an irresistible goodie.

The screen is a generous 15.4 inches across the diagonal, and while keeping a glossy surface, it manages to completely avoid any sort of glare. While mainly targeted at the hep college crowd, the Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E performs admirably as a business unit.

It has a whole lot of power. Two 2.0 Ghz processors are enough to handle anything that is thrown at it with ease. Along with that, if you take the amazing 3 GB of RAM, you are left gasping at it's speed, and versatility. It has plenty of space as well. With a 250 GB hardrive, you're not going to be left wanting for a place to store your pictures. Of course, personally I prefer to store all my movies on an external media.

The keys on the Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E are a nice touch as well. Literally. They remind one of the keys on the MAC. They kind of feel the same too. Very easy and convinient to type on, and I barely noticed any difference in speed compared to my regular keyboard. Of course, laptop typing takes a little getting used to no matter what the layout is.

Coming to the little accessories on the side, I really like the 4 USB ports. Two on each side. There's no danger of running out of ports on this baby. Also included, are an SD card reader and a memory card slot. In addition, there is an on/off switch for the Wifi. Nice to have when you're on battery and aren't using it. Really saves a lot of power.

It comes with the standard Windows Vista Home Premium. No Microsoft Office, though you can use it for a trial period of 60 days, after which you have to buy it.

All in all, a fantastic piece of hardware that lots of people are going to go gaga over. Find the best prices for the Sony VAIO VGN-NR498E at www.pricealerter.com

The HTC Touch Cruise Pocket PC

HTC is really going top of the line now that they're manufacturing their own cellphones. The The HTC Touch Cruise Pocket PC comes with a feature packed GPS that is really neat. This means that there is a better navigation system that is fully integrated into this compact Pocket PC.


It also comes bundled with the latest Tom Tom navigation software, which is one of the de facto standards in GPS navigation. Unfortunately, the phone has been widely criticized for the inclusion of only one free map. That means that you have to pay for more. But if you're willing to shell out $700 for it, you can probably spend a few more dollars on getting the maps you need.

Like most Pocket PC's, it comes with Windows Mobile 6, which has rapidly become heralded as the best OS to use on top of the line phones. The reason why I like it, is because of the navigation button. Unlike most navigation tools, it doesn't just utilize the forward, back, left and right functions. You can turn it around to bring up and select menus. Sort of like an Applie iPod feel, and that's pretty cool. Picture that along with the TouchFlo technology, and you've got yourself a phone that is pretty easy to use.

For the business user, this phone has all the tools you will need to carry your office with you, and that includes the office suite that comes bundled with Windows Mobile. Of course, it goes without saying that MP3 songs and videos are a cinch on the HTC Touch Cruise Pocket PC.

The camera at the back is pretty good, being 3 megapixels, and coming with a 4x zoom. The 400 Mhz processor does nicely in standard tests, and is very responsive. The battery is another amazing feature of this phone. It has a talk time of 7 hrs, and can be on standby for 16 days. All in all, a well rounded phone, and one that you should definitely pick up if you can afford it. Find it at www.pricealerter.com

Oppo's DV-983H DVD player

With Toshiba ending it's support for HD DVD players, one might feel that the Oppo DV-983H DVD player is a symptom of the throes of the dying technology. I have earlier mentioned the issue of HD vs Blue-Ray, and Blue-Ray seems to be winning now.



But Oppo has saved the best for last, and the Oppo DV-983H DVD player is a masterpiece of technology that puts it right at the top of the line. The coolness of this piece is that it's looks very strong. Remember the old players of the bygone generation that would take some efffort to lift and place down? Well, this isn't quite that bad, but it's certainly a solid piece of work. Not as small as a lot of other players out there, it measures in at 16.875 by 10.5 by 2.125 inches. But it definitely gives the impression that it's going to last a long long time. Quite a refreshing feeling in a world where artificial obsolescence is such a factor.

The Oppo DV-983H DVD player does an excellent job of interoperating with various sources. There is a button on the face that toggles the HDMI input on and off. As a bonus. the company also bundles an HDMI cable along with the player, which is very thoughtful of them.

It can also play back SACD audio discs. SACD stands for Super Audio Compact Disc, which means that the music has been encoded with higher and lower frequency responses than are normally found on CD's and DVD's. This leads to increased sound fidelity, and a better user experience.

One annoying feature of DVD players is that they cannot play DVD's from other regions. This is called "Region Encoding". The Oppo DV-983H DVD player solves this by getting around region encoding. It allows you to enter a certain code that will play any disc from anywhere in the world. This is an excellent feature, and a strong vote of support for the Digital Freedom and Free Trade movements.

On the tests, the Oppo DV-983H DVD player comes out right on top, and this is one of the reasons why it's the top notch HD DVD player around. Find the best prices for it at www.pricealerter.com

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 Camcorder

Our review of the Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 camcorder is our second in the camcorder line. A little while ago, we reviewed the The Canon HF100 Camcorder. The big difference between the two lies in the way they handle storage.

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 has a built in hard drive for high capacity storage. Clearly catering to the lazy among us, who refuse to go to all the trouble of taking a backup of their work, this camcorder sports a 60 GB hard drive. That means you can go a long time without having to transfer your data onto a computer.

Most camcorders support the miniDV storage format, which is basically just a tape the size of a matchbox that fits into the camcorder. But in my opinion, these are on their way out as the digital world takes over more traditional means of data storage.

Sony has tried to maximize the use of space in the The Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 Camcorder by putting some controls onto the 3.2 inch touchscreen. Some people may find that if they're recording, and they need to make a setting change, it will disturb their steadiness, causing the picture to shake. However, the camcorder makes up for this by having one of the best grips in the industry.

The Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 Camcorder comes with a mini HDMI cable. I suppose they were trying to be neat making the cable miniscule, but they're not really standard and this makes it hard to find spare parts. Corporations really should standardize on their hardware to enable interoperativity. But Sony doesn't have a great track record in that department.

The picture quality of the Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 is great, being able to record at the highest capacity - 1920x1080 HD. This means that you can record a little more than 14 hrs of video at the highest quality setting, and 41 hrs at the lowest. That's plenty of range to satisfy anyone. The camcorder renders color perfectly, and even recognizes faces. This means that when a face comes into view, it focuses on it instead of simple going for the object in it's specified range. This makes a great deal of difference when recording your son's birthday party for example.

All in all, a pretty good looking camcorder to go with, giving you all the expertise that has made Sony products famous. Find the best prices at www.pricealerter.com

The HP Pavilion Slimline S3330f Desktop PC

The HP Pavilion Slimline S3330f delivers packed performance at a great price.

It's really hard these days to find a PC that delivers on performance while maintaining a decent cost. However, that's not really my concern since the purpose of this blog is to write about "Irresistible Goodies", and they sometimes don't come cheap.



The HP Pavilion Slimline S3330f however, does manage to do the impossible. It's one of the best media players I have ever seen. But features later. First the looks.

Coming in slick glossy black, this desktop has some really innovative designs. It keeps the DVD/Blue-Ray hybrid optical drive vertical, and really makes good use of the real estate. You can slip in the media card slots that you don't usually see on PC's. It also has a covering at the bottom where you can put in a removable HP Hard drive.

On the technological side, the The HP Pavilion Slimline S3330f runs on AMD's power chip - The Athlon 64 bit CPU. At 2.8 Ghz, the chip is dual core, and that means blazing fast CPU speed. Very useful for Multimedia and such. The 2GB RAM also gives plenty of space for gaming junkies as well as business users who have a multitude of applications that run in the background at any given time.

It also shines in it's connective capability, as it comes with wireless networking, and an inbuilt TV Tuner card. This means that you can hook up the PC to your TV cable and watch your favorite sports shows. Great for someone living in a room with limited space, where the computer has to be the only major appliance around.

The HDMI output from the graphics card allows you to do the reverse - namely pipe the output of your computer to a TV with just a single piece of wire.

In case you didn't know about Blue-Ray, it's the competing standard along with HD DVD's that can carry upto 10 times more data than standard single sided DVD's. It's nice to have this feature, as the world needs to settle down on a standard sooner rather than later.

Of course, backing all this up is HP's great website and 24x7 call centre support. Find the best prices and deals for it at www.pricealerter.com

The Suunto t6 Health Fitness Watch

Health Fitness is all the rage these days, and the Suunto t6 Watch certainly capitalizes on that. Created as part of a partnership between Firstbeat Technologies and the Finnish Research Institute for Olympic sports, it certainly seems to have the expert backing that is necessary when creating such a high class fitness watch.


Unlike other products like mp3 players relating to health care, the Suunto t6 computues a unique value called the Excess Post Exercise Oxygen consumption (EPOC). This highly scientific measure is an indicator of how effective one exercise is compared to another. It's very difficult to measure in real time. You need to know the subjects heart rate, respiratory rate, and the oxygen intake.

The speciality of the Suunto t6 is that it manages to measure all of these parameters and provides you with accurate EPOC measurements. This is certainly one for the fitness addict. In fact, any professional athelete will be proud to own one of these as part of his training repertoire.

The feature that makes the Suunto t6 an "Irresistible Goodie", is it's looks. Sure, it may look too big for some, but in my opinion that's what grabs the attention of someone while you're running. It's certainly not for casual wear, that's for sure. But in the hands of someone who knows how to play up it's characteristics, it can definitely make the onlooker go "Oooh! That's neat!"

The watch has other cool features like an Altimeter and a Barometer. The various functions like storing lap times, and the stopwatch are all accessed by the buttons around the watch's face. It has complete connectivity, as the USB cable that come bundled with it allows you to transfer all your valuable training data onto your computer.

Once that data is on your computer, you pull out the training CD that came with your Suunto t6, and the program will analyse it and tell you the exact state of your fitness. It comes with several tests that help you analyse your strengths, and how you need to improve.

All in all, it's not a watch that is for the faint hearted. And maybe that's exactly what makes it stand out. Find the best prices for it at www.pricealerter.com

Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD Speakers

The Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD speakers are big. Full blown speakers are as much a part of your furniture as your chairs and tables. It's important to fit them into the ambiance of your home and ensure that they are placed to maximum effect.



With a furniture grade finish, the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD speakers are a cut above the rest when it comes to style. They are made of real Cherry Wood. It doesn't get much better than that when it comes to speakers. The old world style, combined with the superb sound quality make the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD an "Irresistible Goodie".

They're not too big though. The main speaker has a base of only 5 inches. So it seems like a neat fit between size and convenience.

One of the highlights of these speakers are the Subwoofers. The Subwoofers are those parts of the speaker that are dedicated to reproducing low frequency sound. Usually from between 150hz to 20hz. This allows the main speakers to do a good job even if small. Low frequencies are difficult to localize. This means that you can't tell where the sound is coming from. This allows us to place the subwoofers anywhere in the room.

The Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD has a Bravus 8D Subwoofer. 13 inches tall, it comes built in with a 150 watt amplifier. The various presets that allow you choose movie mode, game mode, or music mode. You can customize the settings via a small LCD panel. This is a nice touch. Wood always gives a retro feel and the LCD speakers provide a nice tech touch.

The customizability of the subwoofers is a bit of a disadvantage though. You need to know what you're getting into as the options for customization are so numerous. I guess for most of us the default factory modes will do. You can return to them at any time.

These guys come with a 10 year guaranty. That's very long. More than twice of what most have, and it tell you loads about their quality.

Find the best prices for them at www.pricealerter.com

The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 Laptop

The latest category in the laptop segment, is the ultraportable laptop. You've already seen one earlier in this blog - namely the Macbook Air. You would also remember that the Macbook Air's main feature, namely it's thickness called for certain compensations in it's design, such as only one USB port, no ethernet slot, and most importantly no CD/DVD player/recorder.


The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is another major contender for the top spot in the ultraportable segment. Like the Macbook air, it has a full 13.3 inch monitor, and a solid state hard drive. However, it also incorporates features that any business user will expect in a laptop such as three USB ports, and Ethernet slots. It also comes with built in Wi-fi. However, the main differentiating factor of the the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is the built in DVD burner. With the addition of this, it fills a major need in the top ultraportable laptops.

Looks wise, the the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 is nothing to sneeze at. With a thickness of less than one inch, and a full sized keyboard layout, the The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 provides full functionality while maintaining it's cool factor. It's because of this that I've included it as an "Irresistible Goodie".

The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 incorporates some futuristic technolgies like a fingerprint reader. Imagine how cool it is opening up your laptop, and instead of typing in a username and password, you get to press your finger on the scanner. Feels like something out of the Matrix. Now they need to put in a Retina scan and I'm moving baby!

Communication is now fully built into the laptop with a noice cancelling digital microphone and a webcam built right into it! You're ready to talk and be seen anytime, anywhere.

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 comes bundled with all the ThinkVantage applications. You press a blue button on the top left of the keyboard to bring up the suite that manages various facets of your computer including hard drive maintenance, and the "Shock Protection" feature that can save your hard drive if it's in free fall. You get a cool page telling you that the hard disk has shut down since it's in danger, and will resume if the laptop is stable again. Very intelligent.

Find the The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 at www.pricealerter.com

The Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U Plasma HDTV

In our earlier post, we reviewed the Hitachi UT37X902 Ultrathin LCD Monitor, which was a cool sleek LCD TV. Today we take a look at televisions from the other side of the war - The Plasma TVs.

There are many debates on the Internet regarding which is better - Plasma, or LCD, and while I won't take a stand on this (being more concerned about -'ahem', looks), plasma's aren't plagued by the viewing angles problem, which you recall, was an issue with the LCD's. As a result, action movies and sports are widely watched using this type of TV.



The Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U Plasma HDTV gets most points in the looks department, and is therefore a big favorite with us. The highlight of the design, is a full front cover of glass that presents a totally flat front. It's quite a stunner. Also, there are no buttons visible. Readers by now will be familiar with my preference for zero buttons at first sight, and will not be surprised by my enthusiastic admiration for this TV.

At the bottom of the screen, the panel flips down to reveal the buttons, and the HDMI inputs, as well as the AV inputs. The remote has an easy to use layout, and the buttons are of a comfortable enough size to navigate in the dark. No backlight though.

A major selling point of this TV, is the THX Display Certification. This consists of a set of minimum requirements that are necessary for proper viewing. Only those TV's that meet these specifications are given the certification. And if you mess up the settings on your TV, you can restore the recommended THX settings with a single click.

The Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U Plasma HDTV supports HDTV, which is a high definitino signal for audio and video. The difference between HDTV and ordinary TV is fairly significant, with the picture being sharper, and more vibrant.

In keeping with the 'Green' movement, the first time you set up the TV it asks you if you're in a home or a store. If you select 'home', it adjusts it's settings to save quite a lot of power by engaging the standard picture preset.

All in all, a spectacular TV for those willing to get the greatest and best "Irresistible Goodies". Find it at www.pricealerter.com

The Logitech G5 Laser Mouse

There's a limit to how much you can customize a mouse. Keyboards have a lot of keys to play around with, and you can adjust the size and shape. Mouses have a unique problem though. If you customize the shape to fit the right hand, it won't fit in the left.

Understandably, most mouses are symmetrical for this very reason. It takes a lot of courage to buck public opinion and risk offending lefties, and make a mouse that fits perfectly in just the right hand. But this is exactly what the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse manages to do.

When I held one of these, it's obvious that it's just made to sit in the right hand. Avid gamers and people who spend a lot of time on the computer like me really appreciate this. If the mouse shape isn't comfortable enough, your wrist and arm really starts to hurt. In fact, I know that mouse related injuries can put keyboard related injuries to shame!

Another huge advantage of the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse is the sensitivity. The sensitivity is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Compared to standard mouses whose dpi is around 600-800, the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse's dpi is 2000! This is a very accurate instrument. In the hands of gamers who require precision pointing, it can become a dangerous tool.

It has customizable buttons under the scroll wheel that allow you to change the sensitivity without any software. It also includes a thumb button - pretty standard on high end mouses these days.

But is it an "Irresistible Goodie"? Now there's the question. While it's true that the looks of this mouse can be quite stunning, it's real value comes from it's unusual shape. Most of your friends will have a boring turtle shaped mouse, with the usual buttons. The Logitech G5 Laser Mouse sets you apart from all the others. It'll give you that cool factor that you need with your friends, and you'll be known as the guy (or gal) that has the most comforable mouse around (This is assuming that none of your friends has a Mac - If so, you lose on the cool front. Sorry!).

Get the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse with the best prices at www.pricealerter.com

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Camera

Canon has always been the company producing top of the line cameras. For a long time now, it's 1Ds series has been the best in the industry, and it's quite a while since they upgraded their best SLR product.

SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. It means that when you view the subject being photographed, you see it exactly as the lens sees it. If you remember older cameras had the window through which you viewed the subject to the top left of the actual position of the lens. So what you saw was actually a bit off from what was actually being taken.

An SLR camera typically uses a 45 degree mirror to direct the light onto the viewfinder, and then removes it at the moment of the shot so that what you see is what you get.



When it comes to image quality, the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III is second to none. As you might know, picture quality in a camera is measured in megapixels. If a camera has a 6 megapixel resolution it means that the picture that is taken can contain 6 mps. The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III has a whopping 21.1 megapixels! That is simply way beyond anything else that currently exists.

This is clearly a top of the line product. The wow! factor of this model comes solely from the image quality and the price tag. If you can afford the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III it puts you seriously ahead of anyone else in your photography group.

The screen through which you take the shot has increased by half from the previous Mark II model. It is now 3 inches. This means that they have had to make some adjustments in the placement of the buttons to accomodate this. Paradoxically, they've actually managed to improve it's usability despite the lesser space.

The previous model had various combinations of buttons to access specific functions. The EOS-1Ds Mark III has just one combo. The settings can be completely customized to whatever you wish. It certainly does do what it promises. If you're willing to pay the price tag for this, you are definitely going to be viewed as a super stud!

Get the best prices at www.pricealerter.com

Grado RS-2 Reference Series headphones

Grado has always been a favorite brand among those seeking the very best in audio quality. For you and I, it might be difficult to appreciate the sound quality in all it's aspects. But for most audiophiles, these headphones are the best for their money.

Not that we care too much about the performance, though for the price that is being paid, that is a huge factor. The real reason why the Grado RS-2 Reference Series headphones find a place in this blog, is for it's bragging rights as an "Irresistible Goodie".


The first thing you notice about the headphones, is the wood. We're so used to imitations these days that it takes us a moment to realize that the cups are real mahogany! Grado explains that the wood has gone through several stages of a complex curing process in order to perfect the complete "Grado" sound. The ear cups are handcarved. In addition, the headband is made up of genuine leather.

The overall look is a cool hi-tech retro. They look antique, and they still beat the crap out of most other headphones when it comes to top quality sound.

There are other cool things about these babies. One of the attributes of Irresistible Goodies, is the technology that is used in making them. The key is that it must sound cool. Grado claims that their cables are ultra-high-purity, long-crystal (UHPLC) oxygen-free copper cables. I don't doubt their claim that this gives their sound the extra edge, but I'll be damned if I know what it means! The cables also have powerful neodymium magnets. Stuff like this is what we tech junkies dream of!

Interestingly, the cables are double sided. This means that you will have a wire hanging from each earcup. While this increases the chance of them getting tangled, it adds to the overall retro look. The cables, which are seven feet long, end in a 1/4 inch gold plated plug.

The Grado's are expensive, and rightly so. Leaving aside the small chance of you actually meeting an audiophile who will go green with jealousy, if you have the moolah, pick these up and watch your friends do the same, albeit for different reasons. With the Grado RS-2 Reference Series headphones around your head, you will always stand out.

Get them at www.pricealerter.com.

The Toshiba HD-XA2 DVD Player

The Toshiba HD-XA2 DVD Player is Toshiba's new High End player. Designed with the future in mind, it supports all the formats of DVD, including the HD DVD.

In case you didn't know, the HD DVD's are the latest in DVD technology that allows you to store upto six to eight times the data that you normally store on a DVD. Most DVD players have trouble playing these discs, but the Toshiba HD-XA2 handles them without a hitch. These discs are the future, and hats off to Toshiba for supporting them.

But as we know, the purpose of this blog is to get to the looks. So what makes the Toshiba HD-XA2 an "Irresistible Goodie"? Well, it's completely black (If you've been reading this blog, you know that I flip out over that color), and it's got no buttons in front! Now irresistible goodies are defined by their simplicity, and the no button theme gets very high points on this scale. But does it sacrfice functionality for looks?



Fear not. The front panel actually opens up to reaveal the range of buttons that you would normally find on most DVD's. So you get the best of both worlds.

Though many people won't like the remote, finding it too difficult to navigate, it gets a thumbs up from me. The purpose of a remote is not to navigate. That's boring! The real motive of a remote is to impress, and the Toshiba HD-XA2 remote certainly scores on that front. It's sleek long structure makes it futuristic. It looks even cooler in the dark, when the buttons are illuminated from a backlight. This eases the usage, and will definitely get you approving looks from your friends, while you nonchalantly pretend not to notice!

It comes with standard HDMI inputs, as well as inputs for other legacy systems. Interestingly, it has an ethernet jack that connects to your computer. This means that the firmware can be directly updated straight from the source without any complex fiddling around. Full points for this!

Undoubtedly one of the very best DVD players out there. It's a pity that there is an ongoing winner takes all battle between HD DVD and Blueray. Once this battle has been decided, the world of media storage will be taken to the next level. In the meantime, the Toshiba HD-XA2 is your player of choice as an "Irresistible Goodie".

Find the best prices at www.pricealerter.com

The Sony VPL-VW200 Projector

If you're thinking of buying a Projector for your business, you might want to consider an "Irresistible Goodie". You might feel that something that costs as much as a projector, has to be evaluated on the basis of functionality, and you would be correct. But don't ignore the looks. What does it say about your business when you're trying to impress a client, and your bring out this gadget that looks right out the space age? That's right. You succeed in doing just that. Impressing.



And when it comes to impressive projectors, there's none more so than the Sony VPL-VW200. The sleek shape, and front, reminiscent of an eye, will stun and create an effect even before it's switched on. Using innovative ideas, the projector is easy to adjust in complete darkness, with it's backlit remove.

Not that it fails when it has to perform either. Most projectors have a slight error when displaying primary colors. Not the Sony VPL-VW200. As a first, this time Sony has got it right as they ensure that the color fidelity is near perfect.

Using it's own version of the Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) called SXRD, the Sony VPL-VW200 is capable of displaying an extremely high resolution of 1080p.

As far as image adjustments go, it allows complete flexibility to the extent of making it dangerous. Unless you really know what you're doing, stay away from making use of the dazzling array of color adjustments, or you will be in over your head.

Two other interesting technologies are Real Color Processing (RCP), and MotionFlow. The first allows (as the name suggests) fine color tuning, and the second is for special optimizations when the projector is displaying moving images.

We studied HDMI Inputs earlier, and the Sony VPL-VW200 has two of them, making our connection infested lives much easier. In case your hardware is slightly older, that's taken care of as well. The Sony VPL-VW200 has one S-Video, and one composite Video connector.

The projector handles black shadows exceptionally well, and if you're planning to watch some DVD's on it, you won't be disappointed.

To find the latest prices on the Sony VPL-VW200, visit www.pricealerter.com

GPS - The Garmin Nuvi 880

Even been in a new city, and needed to get somewhere fast? You have the essentials - a car, and a map. You think that's enough? Not really.

Does you map tell you where the gasoline bunkers are? Can you find a path to your destination in such a way that you can drop in on a Chinese restaurant that is within your budget on the way? Add to that the fact that you want to take a route that has minimal traffic. Your map can't help you out with any of these things. Welcome to the age of the GPS.

Global positioning systems are devices that help you navigate through a city, with all the relevant info that you need. Many Cell phones, Palmtops, and Pocket PCs have GPS's built into them nowadays, but they come nowhere close to replicating the functionality of full blown GPS systems.



The Garmin Nuvi 880 is a case in point. It comes from a long line of Nuvi Series, that have provided rock solid performance. First introduced in the CES 2008 show, the Garmin Nuvi 880's most outstanding feature is it's accurate voice recognition.

Till now, voice features on GPS's had been restricted to the device giving you instructions. Like 'turn here', or 'keep going straight'. The actual voice recognition facilities have been shaky at best. You would require a quiet stretch of road, and speak with crystal clear clarity into the system for it to understand what is being said. That limitation is powerfully addressed with the Nuvi 880.

It recognizes just about everything you say, and you can instruct it verbally. You can activate the voice mode via the remote, which attaches onto the steering wheel, and you can say "Find address xyz", and it will tell you how to go along. It comes built in with City Navigator® NT, which has millions of Points of Interest (POI), like restaurants and theatres. You can tell the Nuvi 880 what you're interested in, and it will take you there.

Also bundled, is the MSN Direct service which gives you minute by minute updates on Traffic. You can instruct Nuvi to take the path of least resistance.

All in all, a great companion on the roads. Keep this guy with you, and you can travel all over the place with ease.

Find the best prices for it at www.pricealerter.com

The Sony S2 sports Walkman

Getting up in the morning to go jogging is always difficult. I should know! You see, it's all about what you look forward to. If there are pretty gals (or hunks) on the road that you expect to see every day and check out, it makes it that much easier.

But what if the road is empty? Or worse, has only old fogies taking their morning walk? How do you motivate yourself? Unless you're a professional trainer, it's damn difficult to keep up a routine, especially if you love your sleep.

A little bit of music can take off the edge. I remember the times of Walkmans, and Discmans (I'm an old fogey too!). The problem with them was they bounced around, interrupting your rhythm. And there was always the danger of screwing something up because at the end of the day, they were mechanical, and had moving parts.

And then there came the mp3 player, which blasted all other gadgets out of the sky. Perfectly designed to jog with, they have become more and more sophisticated, and have a bundle of features that not only make your exercise routine enjoyable, but also help you out a bit!



Like the Sony S2 Sports Walkman. By now, regular readers of this blog have understood what it takes to be an "Irresistible Goodie". And this sure fits the bill. First of all, there's the unusual look. Unlike other players, it manages to carve a distinct impression. It looks like a cigar. And anything that looks compact, and yet different, is cool.

The controls that manipulate the player, take up just one line, emphasizing the simplicity. The Sony S2 Sports Walkman also helps you to track how much you have run or travelled via the pedometer, which uses an advanced G-Sensor. You can also keep track of how many calories you have burned. It allows you to enter your height, weight, and stride to accurately measure this.

It neatly straps on to your arm with the strap that comes bundled into it. You can enter your goal via time, or distance. Once that goal is reached, the music stops to let you know that your workout is done. It comes with headphones that attach onto your ear so that they don't fall off.

As a final touch, you can keep a log that stores your activity by date so you can actually measure your progress over a period of time. Pretty cool.

Find the best prices for it at www.pricealerter.com.

Hitachi UT37X902 Ultrathin LCD Monitor

The latest display of Goodies at the International CES exhihibition highlighed (as usual), gadgets that were on the cutting edge of technology. It's from exhibitions like these that goodies junkies like me get to know of the latest tech on the market.

Take for example, Hitachi's latest LCD entrant. What separates it from the rest?



You mean apart from the Ultra slick, ultr thin, and obviously ultra cool screen? Well, leaving aside the fact, that "Irresistible Goodies" rely entirely on looks, this LCD screen packs quite a punch when it comes to features that score over the competition.

It achieves it's minimalistic design by making a few adjustments. Take for example, the HDMI Input. HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. It is the latest standard for interfacing screens with cables and set top boxes. The idea is to have a single place where high definition digital audio and video can be fed into the interface, which is basically just a connector. The interface supports all kinds of surround sound, and is now an industry standard.

The Hitachi UT37X902, in it's bid to get thinner, has only one of these. Most LCD's have two. But then who needs two? It's not as if you're going to have more than one feed at a time right? Anyway, I'm all for the idea of sacrificing functionality of cooler looks. Hey, they matter Ok?

Another problem that plagues LCD TV's, is the viewing angle. The pixels of an LCD light up to the required color depending on the electricity that is passed through them. This effect takes place only when viewed head on. Most LCD's can't be viewed properly from the side due to this.

However, the Hitachi UT37X902 has an amazing 80 degrees viewing angle, which is way more than most LCD's have at the time. This makes it an instant winner in more ways than one. Of course it's fragile. With biscuit like thinness, it has to be. Emmiting very little heat, and almost no noise, it must be placed 0.8 inches away from the wall while mounting, so that the heat can easily siphon off.

All in all, this Irresistible Goodie is just 1.5 inches thick! That makes one hell of an LCD screen, and worthy of a mention in this (oh so prestigious!) blog.

Find it's prices at www.pricealerter.com

The Canon HF100 Camcorder

The latest entrant into the world of camcorders, is the Canon HF100. Canon camcorders are relatively new. Other manufacturers have come in first and made a niche for themselves, as well as a reputation. But it looks like the bigwigs at Canon weren't sleeping. They've been observing the market, letting the others go ahead and make mistakes, and then BOOM! - they come in with the best of everything that the market has desired till now.



The picture of the Canon HF100 above, shows everything that is necessary to classify it as an "Irresistible Goodie". It's shiny, it's sleek, it's got pretty buttons in various colors, and it's certainly got the oomph factor.

Camcorders were classified by their storage media. Digital, or analog. Gone are the days when digital was a second cousin to analog. Digital rules these days, and the times of the cassette recorder inside camcorders are gone. Let's face it, people who carry camcorders aren't exactly National Geographic material. Even if (and it's a big if) analog is superior to digital in some ways, those ways aren't going to matter nearly enough for most people to accept the headache involved in dealing with tapes.

The Canon HF100 takes digital storage media to the next level by not having any in-built storage at all! The only storage is an SD/MMC flash card. While you might feel that this is unnecessarily inconveniencing people, I don't think so. Who needs inbuilt storage anyway? As soon as your SD card is full, transfer the videos onto the computer, delete the files, and you're as good as new. I think Canon has made a great conceptual leap here.

One of the nicest things about the Canon HF100, is that it's small. At 73 by 63 by 129mm, it weights 380 gms. Easily small enough to carry around, and it certainly doesn't compromise on features. It eliminates the problem of the hand shaking, by incorporating an optically stabilized lens (Would love to have these on my binoculars). The buttons are comfortably large (in spite of the small size of the camcorder itself), and it has the usual set of features you would expect from any high end camcorder.

So, when you go shopping for your camcorder, be sure to put the Canon HF100 on your list of "Irresistible Goodies". Find it at www.pricealerter.com

The Gyroxus Gaming Chair

Video games are expanding their reach both audience wise, as well as in their scope. Gone are the days where the only things that would change with each game was the actual gameplay, or what you saw on the screen.

Video games have usually been the first to herald in new technology, and most of the hardware that has now become standard, was first tested out on avid gamers. This is because gamers are a community by themselves. There is competition and prestige involved in having the latest and best hardware.



To that end, the Gyrox gaming chair might well be a standard part of any home users repertoire. It's essentially based on the idea that gaming has to be as real world as possible. This includes not only the visuals, and the sound, but also the way your whole body responds to the experience.

The Gyrox gaming chair attempts to mimic the feelings that you would normally experience were you really inside the video game. Imagine you're playing Quake, and whenever someone blasts you, your whole body rocks in response! Your gun shakes, and there's just that extra little bit of menace as you turn around to take revenge on your antagonist....you're not safe sitting outside the box anymore.

Those who will find it even more exciting, will be the gamers who specialize in racing games. If you watch these guys play, you will see them frantically leaning from side to side even without a Gyrox gaming chair! Just imagine the excitement you could feel as you take on that sharp curve, while simultaneously slowing down. The chair will move you forward, and to the left, as you lean into the curve.

The chair has the controls for the game coming right out between your legs, and you can sit forward, or lean back just as you like to play. With complete 360 degrees, motion, and forward and backward tilts, the Gyrox gaming chair allows you complete freedom. As much freedom in fact, as in the game itself.

So be prepared to be blown away. Take gaming to the new level, and be the envy of your friends with this latest "Irresistable Goodie".

Get the best prices at www.pricealerter.com

The Golden Shellback Cotated Phones

In their search to differentiate their products, manufacturers have been trying to find new angles to 'coolness'. They realize that some people have different ways of looking at products. And those ways can be used to market them effectively.

For instance, I might look at a phone, as a phone. But there is another person out there, who views it as a delicate piece of technology that you don't want to drop, or get wet. Remember the G-Shock Watch that came out years ago? The manufacturers were claiming that even a truck could run over it without damaging it.



Now, the same principle is being applied to phones with the Golden Shellback Coating. Lots of people carry around their phone in their back pockets, constantly on the look out for objects that brush against it. Or those who are worried about spilling their tea on it. This cool new "Irresistible Goodie" material coats your phone, and makes water proof, and oil proof.

In the near future, these phones are going to be sold pre-coated, which means that you can choose whether or not you want your phone to be coated before you buy it. Of course, that must add to the cost, but hey, that's the price of having an Irresistible Goodie on your hands.

The coating is applied to sensitive electrical equipment via the process of "Vaccum Coating". What it essentially means is that the substance is heated, and the vapors are deposited on the surface of the phone. It's not a paint, and isn't associated with any hazardous chemicals. It's also completely safe, and provides life long protection.

The thing about Shellback protection, is that the phone looks completely normal, and doesn't change it's appearance in the least. The film is transparent, and is completely insoluble in water, as well as in oils. It doesn't exude any Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC's) unlike other coatings, and is completely undetectable.

So how will you let your friends know that you're carrying an "Irresistible Goodie"? You can casually (or "Accidentally") drop it it into your coffee, and then act completely calm, as you wipe it off amid looks of horror and disbelief! You naughty thing, you...

Find out the prices of Golden Shellback coated phones at www.pricealerter.com

Giant Twist Freedom DX Electric Bike - Cycling Power

I've ridden a cycle all my life, and believe me, it can get really exhausting sometimes. It doesn't just depend on the terrain. Factors like the sun, the direction of the breeze, and even your mood, can dramatically increase the strain on your legs. I often used to wish when I was younger, that my cycle would grow a silent motor, and I can just put up my feet and relax.



Now Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd has brought out a bike that would have fulfilled my dreams as a kid. It's actually pretty creepy if you think about it. What happens is that when you switch it 'on', the cycle monitors how much effort you are putting in with your legs, and provides a boost to the pedals via it's batteries to compensate for any extra effort that might be needed.

For example, you're happily cruising along the road using nothing but your own legs, when you hit a steep incline. As you go up, you feel the strain, and instead of getting up from the seat to cycle harder, you flick a switch on the handle of your Giant Twist Freedom DX Electric Bike, and voila - You feel the strain on your legs reduce, and you can go back to cycling at your normal rate, as the bike compensates for the incline!

It's a cyborgish feeling, with the machine compensating for the human body. The body is still necessary however. At no point of the cycling, are you made to feel that you can let go of the pedals. The back up is there just for support, and not to take over completely.

The three modes - Eco, Normal, and Sport are used interchangeably depending on your mode. In 'Eco' mode, it's all your legs, with no backup. In 'Sport' mode, the battery powers the bike completely. It's in the normal mode, that the man-machine integration takes place.

The battery can last for upto 75 miles, which is twice of what currently existing bikes can support. At an estimated price tag of $2000, the bike may be quite a hit in developing countries where it can be positioned as a low running cost alternative to traditional transport.

Another "Irresistible Goody" for you tech freaks out there. Find out more about this bike at www.pricealerter.com

The new Disney's Wall-E

Developing toys that have grown out of pieces of fiction is hardly new. He-Man and Superman toys are all based on their respective franchises, and if the series proves successful, the toy itself turns out to be very successful too.

Unfortunately, such movies, cartoons, and serials have been known to bore adults. Not so, with Walt Disney's latest film 'Wall-E'. Wall-E has been breaking new ground in cinematic history, as an ecologically minded film. The primary protagonist is a robot named 'Wall-E'. For those of you who haven't seen the film, I'm not going to ruin it by telling you the story. Just two words of advice - watch it.



Capitalizing on the success of the theme, Disney has announced a new Wall-E toy. One of the defining characteristics of the toy, is the cute/sad looking expression. For a toy, that goes down very well. I wondered what exactly it was, that was creating that effect, and played around with my fingers covering various parts of the eyes, and found that it was primarily the straight line on top of the eyeballs that was contributing to what has become the defining Wall-E look.

If who haven't had enough of Wall-E in the movie, you might want to consider owning him for life! Think of the example you set your kids, by giving him a role model like Wall-E to play around with.

The thing that makes the Wall-E toy, an Irresistible Goodie, is the neat things that Wall-E can do. The Wall-E toy comes with a sophisticated navigation system that prevents him from crashing into things. And he comes with a remote control that has a touch sensitive pad that allows fine grained control of his movements. You can also make Wall-E feel different things with the various emotions that are built into him.

Wall-E will also follow you around the room as you talk to him. He can sense when you come in, and react accordingly. He can also act as your personal music player, and can play MP3's with his inbuilt speakers.

Find out more about Wall-E at www.pricealerter.com

HTC Touch Pro

After the introduction of Apple's iPhone, the world of mobile computing has undergone a revolution. I never could understand why mobile phone manufacturer's couldn't wake up and smell the roses. Bulky keys on mobiles are out. The future belongs to touch screens.

HTC (The company that manufactures the handsets used by O2), has started branding and marketing their own phones like the HTC Touch, and the HTC Touch Diamond. These new generation phones rely heavily on the touch screen. HTC recently pioneered the TouchFlo technology used in the HTC touch, and the HTC diamond.

The idea that you can launch programs with your fingertips without taking out the stylus was revolutionary enough to make the HTC Touch Family "Irresistible Goodies". HTC's Touch Diamond has been the latest thing to hit the market, but many business users have cried foul because it lacks an inbuilt keyboard.



Much as I despise the keyboard, I realize that there are some people who just don't have the time to learn a new keyboard recognition language, and the latest HTC Touch Pro fulfills that need. It has all the features of the HTC Touch Diamond, but with a built in keyboard as you can see in the picture, it has a neat little pull out keyboard which is barely noticeable.

In keeping with the style of "Irresistible Goodies", it's sleek black body is sure to set pulses racing. In addition, it features the next generation of the TouchFlo technology called the TouchFlo 3D. It completely replaces the 'Today' Screen of Windows mobile, and is used as the de-facto launcher of programs.

Allowing upto an astounding 8 hrs of talktime, it comes with a whopping 288 MB of RAM, and 512 MB of Flash Memory. With a CPU speed of 528 Mhz, it far outstrips the capabilities of regular computers upto just a few years ago!

I find it difficult to imagine what other features any business user, no matter how powered, would need from this gadget. It's got wireless, BlueTooth, and a 3.2 Mega Pixel camera. Throw in the 2.8'' display screen, and you've one hell of a tool there.

Of course, if I had the moolah, I wouldn't carry it around for it's functionality. After all, it's an "Irresistible Goodie!". Find it, and more at www.pricealerter.com.

GeForce GTX 280

I remember the days when games like Mario and Contra ruled my life. For me, Graphics was anything that was colorful.

Days of Prince of Prince of Persia, and doom were the highlight of my youth, and after that, I lost touch with games for a while. Now that I'm back in the computer scene, I realize something. There are three things in life that you cannot get enough of.

Memory, CPU, and Bandwidth.

Graphics cards, as you know, come shipped with their own memory. There was a time, when a card with 32 MB was it. You were God. Now of course, 32 MB is peanuts, and is insufficient to run most graphic intensive games.



The latest entrant to the graphics card scene, is the long awaited GeForce GTX 280. As seen in the picture, the card exudes power and confidence.

Even though I know intuitively, that the mere appearance of a device doesn't mean anything, the sleek black (Always a sexy thing), body holds the promise of an 'Irresistible Goodie'.

nVidia has been the market leader in terms of performance since 1999. Up until now, the defining card for gamers has been the GeForce 8800 GTX.

Tests that have been conducted by http://www.nvnews.net, however, have shown that the latest GeForce GTX 280 outperforms the 8800. This means that with this latest entrant, games will be able to have the very best in 3D performance.

The mechanics of the Graphics cards have always been beyond me. Avid games talk about Transparency, Layering, etc., and do detailed comparisons. However, I stick to my initial assertion that the three most important things are Memory, CPU power, and Bandwidth.

The GTX 280 comes with a massive 1GB GDDR memory, and 1.4 Billion transistors. Anything with that much computing power and memory has to be the best in class till date. In addition, it's memory bandwidth is 141.7 GB/sec. This completely blows away anything else on the market.

The card doesn't come cheap though. It's initial price was $649, which is more than any other card you will find out there. If you're an avid gamer however, and you get your kicks from having the latest and best hardware, try and get your friends to match this!

Find the best prices for it on http://www.pricealerter.com

The SwissChamp

Ah. The legend of the Swiss Knife! Famously carried around by members of the Swiss Army, we have all heard of these Multi-Purpose Pocket knives.

Never mind the fact that the Swiss Army is more or less unheard of except for this particular little jewel. Never mind that most of the tools you find on the knife are ones that you can never figure out how to use (Apart from the knife that is).

The fact is, that watching someone carry around a Swiss army knife, is just too cool. The slick steel, and the 'clack' sound as the tools snap back into place, give the piece the status of an "Irresistible Goodie". The most famous company manufacturing Swiss Knives is Victorinox. Especially after they acquired Wegner, they are the de facto Swiss Army Knife producers.


And the most famous Victorinox knife, is undoubtedly the Swiss Champ. As you can see, in the picture, it's a dinky little piece fans, which fans out into numerous tools for various occasions and purposes.

With a size of 91 mm, and weighing in at 128 grams, the knife feels pleasantly heavy in the palm of your hand. Apart from the standard tools like a knife, saw, and scissors, the Swisschamp includes some pretty useful stuff like a pen, a magnifying glass, a pin, and pliers.

If you want your "Irresistible Goodie" to become even more irresistable, try and get it in a color other than red. Everyone has a red knife. If you have a black one (Like I do - Though it's not the swiss champ), the Victorinox Logo really stands out, and gives it a very stylish touch.

There are many nice Swiss Knife models to choose from, and if the Swiss Champ isn't your style, you can find one that is. Another nice part of owning a Swiss Knife and drooling over it, is checking out the Victorinox Website. It fills you with info, and gives you true stories of how the knife has helped save people's lives, making you feel like the ranger you aspire to be (You wannabe, you!)

So carry at least one of these around, and watch people's eyes pop as you flash it out to trim your beard, or pick your teeth! To get it at the best deals, find it at www.pricealerter.com