Did we say a new weekly feature? Aah, what were we thinking? This week we expand Gizmodo Hearts to include recommendations about digital cameras, USB flash memory drives, and multitools. We even tweaked the top hard disk MP3 player (and the new champion probably won’t surprise you. We’re easy like that.)
We’ll promise to update next week as long as you promise not to mind when we fail utterly again.
New items are up first, and here we go.
Yet Another Flash Drives
| High End | Value |
| Philips Key019 Key Ring Camcorder | SanDisk Cruzer Mini 512MB |
| | |
| Everything but the sink (and extra memory). | USB 2.0, 512MB, Cheap. Good enough! |
| $200 | $85 |
We may act like they’re the bane of our existence, but we also haven’t had a floppy drive in five years. USB flash drives are more than just bulk storages devices these days, though; they’re on the verge of becoming little computers themselves (but what isn’t?)
Philips Key019 Key Ring Camcorder isn’t the most expensive flash drive out there, but it’s definitely the most expensive 128MB version left (most retail for less than $30). So where does the extra money go? How about a digital camera, camcorder, MP3 player, and integrated LCD screen — making the Key019 the worst-valued, most-desirable Yet Another Flash Drive money can buy. Now where’s my 1GB version?
Not all flash drives are the same, believe it or not (check out the Ars flash drive test, for instance), but when you’re talking about value, you don’t have to get the fastest drive there is. Still, the SanDisk Cruzer Mini 512MB is USB 2.0 (read: fast enough for most people) and you can pick up a 512MB model for as low as $85 these days. That’s a lot of rewriteable storage in your pocket, but not so expensive that you’ll lose it when you lose it.
https://gizmodo.com/10-way-flash-memory-drive-review-15629
Bag (Not Pocket) Digital Cameras
| High End | Value |
| Nikon D70 | FujiFilm FinePix S5000 |
| | |
| Girls will swoon. Grandma will bake a cake. | Cheap enough, zoom enough, and people like them. |
| $1,300 | Around $330 |
The high end, when it comes to digital cameras, is relative, but as far as consumer-oriented models go, the Nikon D70 is the reigning champ. As Nikon’s response to Canon’s (also excellent) Digital Rebel, the D70 puts professional features right at your fingertips, making it either the most expensive consumer camera available, or the cheapest professional one. Take your pick.
I don’t think the FujiFilm FinePix S5000 can be fully appreciated until you have a hold of one. It looks like a tiny DSLR because, basically, that’s what it is — a sharp-shooting, fun-to-use camera that lets you get right in on the action. With a 10x optical zoom (although no image-stabilization) and 3.1MP sensor for price around $300, people are snapping up S5000s left and right. In fact, it’s one of the few discount cameras we’ve actually seem going up in price (and hence, shop around. Prices vary wildly).
Multitools
| High End | Value |
| Leatherman Charge XTI | Swiss Army Swiss Card |
| | |
| Titanium, just like in the movies or science. | Start small, then move on to a real tool. |
| $100 | $20 |
Multitools aren’t for everyone, and sadly, in this age of heightened security, it’s not so easy to pack geek heat with you everywhere you go. Once you start wielding one — or god forbid, naming it — you’ll realize how useful they can really be.
There are lots of nice multitools out there from a few different brands, but Leatherman’s new Charge XTI currently sits on top, with Titanium handles, locking blades, and an all-new set of pliers that are tougher than any previous generation. Plus they’re covered by Leatherman’s 25-year warranty, so you can be as rouge as you like; they’ll be happy to replace it if you manage to break it before you lose it at a bar when you hand it to a friend to let him restring his guitar. Not that that happens.
If you aren’t sure a proper belt-mounted multitool is for you, start small with the Swiss Army Swiss Card, a credit-card-sized (but way thicker) toolkit with nine stainless-steel tools, including a scissors (the test of any multitool, and Victorinox makes a good pair), tweezers, and a toothpick. Start small, and when you suddenly reach into your wallet for a pair of needlenose pliers, acknowledge that it’s time to upgrade.
Portable Laptop
| High End | Value |
| Sony PCG-X505/SP | Apple iBook 12" |
| | |
| The thinnest, hottest laptop yet created by man. | Badass OS, solid build, great price. |
| $4,000 | $1,100 |
Ultra-light notebooks just don’t get more lust-worthy than the Sony PCG-X505 — especially not the PCG-X505/SP, a special-edition carbon fiber version that drops the final weight down to a barely-noticeable 1.7 lbs. There’s not a gadget lover alive that wouldn’t be proud to own one. Expect a certain 60GB number to replace this in about a month.
And as for the iBook? Pushing an Apple laptop might be a controversial choice for some, but with the best desktop operating system around, great battery life, and a starting price cheaper than many comparable Windows PCs, there’s not a single person in search of a cheap workhorse laptop we wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending the iBook to — it’s like getting a Powerbook for two-thirds the price.
Hard Disk MP3 Player
| High End | Value |
| Apple iPod 40GB | Rio Karma 20GB |
| | |
| I mean, come on. What did you expect? | Features out the OGG. |
| $400 | $249 |
The new fourth-generation iPod is still the best — if for the cool kid cred alone. While others have started to offer bigger capacities, for our money, the 40GB still offers the best all-around experience in the largish-capacity players. Plus when you buy an iPod — and we’re not joking here in the least — you buy into a whole product segment. Want to buy an accessory? Okay, pick any twenty. It’s still quite yummy, but there should be a new Karma (Chroma?) coming soon to possible take a swipe at the crown. Failing that, the 60GB model coming out in a couple of months will definitely take the top spot (or an as-yet-unknown competitor?) [Impending Heart Attack: 60GB iPod]
We’ve had a soft spot for the Rio Karma since the day she was born — decent capacity, nice battery life, great features (Ethernet dock? Awesome!), and more music formats than you can shake a memory stick at. And now with the Karma 2 looming on the horizon, the still-fantastic Rio Karma can be had for just $250; some would call that one iPod mini, but we call it five times the storage with five times the features (but it was a close call).
Smartphone
| High End | Value |
| PalmOne Treo 600 | Nokia 3650/3660 |
| | |
| Approaching perfection, but the race isn’t over. | Ugly, goofy, fun. |
| $500 (or so) | $275 (or free) |
There are two reasons why we can recommend the PalmOne Treo 600 over any other smartphone: it’s small and pocketable; and it’s powerful, without being confusing. Love it or hate it, Palm OS has the longest pedigree of any major handheld OS today, and in the Treo that power is meted out in easy-to-learn chunks. There are more powerful smartphones — and some around the bend that will likely dethrone the Treo — but for now the Treo is the phone that we tell our friends to get, geek and common man both. [Impending Heart Attack: Motorola MPx]
After rebates and carrier promotions, the Nokia 3650 (the one with the strange circle keypad) and its updated sibling, the 3660 (with a regular keypad) can be had for next to nothing — sometimes you can even get money back. But free definitely does not mean cheap, with a powerful Symbian operating system, VGA camera, tons of fun applications, and plenty of tricks up its sleeve, especially when paired with a Bluetooth-enabled computer. A quick Googling will reveal why the Nokia 3650 has come to be called, “The Blogger’s Friend.” It does almost everything every other modern day smartphone will do, but can be picked up for free. We know of no better introduction to smartphones than that.
