Apple gives us a truly mouthwatering recipe of their new 17 inch MacBook Pro coming soon. As soon as the end of January actually. From an invasion of cutting prices and adding features netbooks, we are now given a notebook with a long list of features, big screen and a price tag that is even bigger. In some way the new MacBook Pro smacks of an upmarket business class sedan – knows its job, but is overpriced as a rule. However we get enough specs for the MSRP which is 2799 USD for American market. Nevertheless 17" MacBook Pro is not quite a bargain I should say.

December '08 was the month when VHS tapes have officially gone for ever from Wal-Mart shelves, but luckily, now we have even more toys to play with instead of old-fashioned VHS players. It is now all about Blu-Ray image and sound quality. The latest news show that end users have got a handle on buying Blu-Ray disks because December '08 sales of those are 400 percents (1.5 million pieces) higher than a year ago. So, what do we have here is a new gadget that will help us enjoy every last bit of Blu-Ray quality sound on our PCs. It is a new sound card from ASUS called Xonar HDAV1.3 Series that is one of the first sound cards that bring ultimate sound performance to PCs. Well actually we know of course that the first one was Xonar HDAV1.3 and Xonar HDAV1.3 Series is an enhanced version.

More and more people today are using laptops and netbooks in their lives. These portable computers can be used almost anywhere: work, home, transport, cafes and other places. This portability is great by one other thing: you carry your data with you and you need no CDs, DVDs of flash drives. However, this compatibility is limited. You can access the internet only via Wi-Fi access points, if you of course have Wi-Fi module built in. When going on a train for example or being in some far place you are going to have a different way to access the web. Here is where mobile broadband comes in handy.

Nokia was keeping us interested in its premieres all-round the year 2008 and the very last presentation of Nokia's smartphone was held on the 31st of December, right before the New Year. At the ceremony in Nanjing, China, Nokia unveiled the 6208c mobile phone. The place for the presentation was not chosen accidentally of course. Many of those who follow major events in the world of gadgets might have become desperate to see any recent novelty before it appears in China, but Nokia 6208c is not likely to go round world markets – China will be the first and one of the few 6208c's markets. This point is founded in the concept of the smartphone, in its Asian design, or may be in the fact that 6208c is a testing platform of new touchscreen capabilities.

This is almost certainly the last new serious portable media player we are going to meet this year. There were some fine examples of PMPs during 2008 like Cowon S9 Curve and the upcoming Sony Walkman. And here is a latest T9 PMP version from RAmos. Despite such a strange name spelling, this company is not going to let anyone make fun of its name and of its products, this is how serious they are about T9's image quality and assemblage quality, only that above named media players seem to be more progressive, more wanted if you want it. I am not sure how RAmos is going to compete with Sony and Cowon, but T9 still may be placed against other PMPs on the market since the price is yet unknown, but it will be unveiled in nearest future.

While most of the gadgets are interesting and convenient helpers, there are some of them that exist only for pranks. Looking like usual devices, they have strange or annoying functions hidden inside. Their main purpose is to prank on a friend's or foe's computer, to annoy them and to laugh on it afterward. They often are not hazardous, and do some simple but annoying actions. Like this one - it is camouflaged to look just like a simple and harmless USB thumb drive, however it carries a big amount of hidden functions that no one is aware of.

Vampire energy – isn't it exactly an issue by cutting which we can probably bring a better input in to a struggle for cleaner environment? Less energy used means less energy produced, and we all know the price nature has to pay for every kilowatt of electric energy. But this is not exactly the point that makes us worry about scales of vampire energy. Consumers should be primarily worried about their money losses. Vampire energy costs about 13 billion USD a year for only US (this number is likely to crowd in the winter season). Obviously, something has to be done, and here is one the solutions iGo is ready to present at the CES 2009. The new gadget is aimed to cut vampire power when another electronic gadget has been left plugged for charge.

More news in e-Reader industry has recently been caught in attention on the Web. The most popular e-Readers today are, of course, Amazon Kindle and Sony reader. Both of electronic gadgets have different and already well known advantages and drawbacks, but now it is clear that pretty soon they will meet up with a new competitor they both wouldn't like to have. The competitor we are speaking about is eSlick from Foxit Software. We will talk about eSlick's strong and weak sides later, but now let's say that Foxit eSlick doesn't start shipping this December which means it doesn't steal any of Amazon Kindle's and Sony Reader's sales in the hot New Year period.

What is the easiest way to update an electronic gadget to make it more wanted right before the Christmas? On practice, many manufacturers decide to release firmware updates to their products at this time of year. Especially if they have suffered from scanty losses before. Earlier on this week we were reviewing Nokia N96 firmware update, and it turned out to have many disappointed users, but what we are looking at now is Sony Rolly media player firmware update, which is quite unexpected. Rolly seemed to be doing all fine since the last 1.01 firmware was released and some more colors added to the body and flappers. However there is a fact that gives me a clue that it is not just only about Rolly's straight up firmware update.

If you got tired of special offers the Internet is fulled with these days, this one might be a resting place for gadget enthusiasts. Gadget on the picture is a common computer mouse's substitute. It doesn't come before the Ney Year unfortunately, so you don't get one as a present. It is Cyber Sport who developed this sort of thing to enhance capabilities of a computer mouse, and they succeeded with adding one more dimension to work in, and called it the Orbita Mouse, This fact has made it interesting to use, but some predict it will be uncomfortable, hence unpopular. I wouldn't be so sure so far, because it is a first handy example of a 3D mouse. Who knows what it can accomplish?

Listing to the music is a great way to spend your free time. If you are not fond of heavy beat party sounds, then you might have though that listing to the music of any genre of it shouldn't be a trail for your body. And that is what the Sound Chair's developers must have considered. The Sound Chair is widely known as a multi functional gadget – a stylish piece of furniture and a hi-fi stereo system carrier. Such kind of two-in-one combination is a rear thing to happen. However, The Sound Chair has just made it to its upgraded version, which means it is quite popular, and the new model will probably be even more popular because of 20 inch touchscreen built in.

More TV fun is predicted for the Christmas holidays this year with another December's release. Not a most exiting proposal of the year we have here, but more like a true bargain if we compare it with undoubtedly overpriced Sound Chair Touch for example. So, what we have here is a new LCD HDTV from ViewSonic. You can find it under VT2430 serial number if you like it, which is quite expected because ViewSonic have pulled up sleeves to put everything a modern viewer is likely to consider before buying a HDTV into one gadget for under 400 USD. The price doesn't stand much less than 400 USD, it is 399 USD, but it is Christmas you know, so we expect some special offers on this one on the web.

Usually, concepts, while looking curious and interesting, rarely make their way from the paper to the real device. Not so long ago, when Nokia Morph pictures hit the net, it was clearly obvious that it is just an original idea, nothing more. How an electronic device would be fully transparent? However, due to recent technological developments, we possibly have a chance to see it implemented in real life, or even buy it!

Wires are getting out of fashion really fast these days. Even though they are going along their path of progress, speeding up data transfers step by step and introducing innovative silicon optical fiber technologies, they still don't fit perfectly in modern day lifestyle. That is because they are a burden to any electronic gadget. For example, Bluetooth hands free devices are popular for not having fibers and so is WiFi and mobile broadband. However, Japanese enthusiasts have introduced some amazing stuff in this field – wireless USB kit. Yes, it is a kit, not a single device. WUSB was primarily designed for notebooks is planned to be released in the mid Decemeber '08, which is about now, so be ready to go for it if you like it, and if you live in Japan.

Are you fond of movies about James Bond's adventures? Well probably you are if you appear to be surfing the web for latest gadgets. I am far from being the biggest fan of his, but as long as he gets the best of the best from hi-tech world, I better seat back and enjoy the gadgets' of future showdown. Eventually, Bond's toys appear to be concepts not for ever, so here is the latest camera, media player and a stylish watch all in one device on your wrist. Well, may be not as stylish as it should be, but huge watches are in fashion out there as far as I know, so maybe you like the way it looks. If you do, then Thanko's products might attract your attention with their latest MP4 watch.

Owning a hi-tech device is undoubtedly a big pleasure and joy for most of users. Common mobile phone – a gadget that probably every modern society's member has already got used to. No wander, but the issue is that every piece of technology in our pockets is a bait for a mugger. While smartphones are able to run specialized antivirus and anti-thieft software, notebooks are remaining unprotected basically. Thankfully, Intel has fixed the problem and they will present the salvation scheduled on the summer '09. what they have introduced into a common notebook is a new pack of software that is aimed to protect personal data on a stolen or forgotten notebook, as well a notebook its self. The new Intel technology is called Intel Anti-Theft PC Protection Technology, and I personally thing it will have its future.

It's already December, and the Christmas is near, so many of us began to think about possible presents for our relatives and loved ones. Sometimes it is hard to choose the right gift, so it is always good to know what person you give present to loves the most. If you want to impress a gadget lover, than this guide is just for you. It describes top 10 best Christmas gifts that will most likely impress everybody who likes gadgets.

At one point or other in our lives we wish we had a camcorder to shoot an important event that took place but we didn’t expect for it to happen. The first time your baby walks, an amazing event happening in the street, or simply a regular event that we would like to have saved for later days. A regular camcorder is probably something that most of us don’t just have in our bags, because of its complexity and size. But there are several mini camcorders available that let us shoot videos that we can later on watch. One of the options that consumers of this market can take into consideration is the Flip Video MinoHP.

For its size the Flip MinoHP offers an ultra slim yet functional design, a solid 720p video, is indeed easy to use and it has the feature of a one-touch video that allows uploading to YouTube, AOL, and MySpace.

It is evident how important it is for a household to have a good, long-lasting refrigerator. This Christmas season there is a big chance that you may be thinking of buying a new refrigerator, and since the market options are quite numerous, it should be a purchase that is not made at the spur of the moment. KitchenAid KBFA25ERSS French Door Refrigerator is one of the options that should be taken into consideration.

The first characteristic that stands out in the KitchenAid KBFA25ERSS Refrigerator is the fact that it is Energy Star compliant, in other words they obey to strict energy consumption requirements. This was achieved by KitchenAid without compromising when it comes to the style and overall functionality of the refrigerator.

Great news, OLED technology is beating LCD displays, because more and more electronic gadgets with OLED displays are flow into the market. And observe that not necessarily TVs. Of course, we all remember the first organic panel out there - Sony XEL-1 OLED HDTV, but there are a lot more OLED gadgets, like mobile phones, notebooks and, clearly, portable media players. There is Cowon S9 Curve – an awesome media player with AMOLED touchscreen and now it seems to have earned a rival. Sony Walkman will be the next one to roll out an OLED touchscreen. Not in near future unfortuatly, but it is still good to know as fact that there is such kind of concept.