monday

Digital camera and camcorder holiday gift picks

The number of cameras available this holiday season is ridiculous.

Even if you have a price point in mind there are probably a dozen or more models to pick from with different features and body sizes. Fortunately for you, we've tested and reviewed many of them, so you don't end up getting a camera that's a poor fit for your gift recipient.

Whether you're shopping for someone's first camera, looking for something for the whole family, or eyeing a model for your favorite creative photographer, we've rounded up your best bets.

If you're … Read more

Best tech gifts for under $50

Gadgets make great gifts--for the recipients, at least. For the gift giver, however, tech products often mean a sizable bite out of the wallet. It's great to get an iPad--it's decidedly less enticing to pay for one.

Thankfully, there are some great tech gifts you can buy at far more reasonable prices--less than $50, to be precise.

We've scoured the Internet to find 10 worthy gifts that will cost you less than a Ulysses S. Grant. The list includes MP3 players, headphones, one great game for each major game console, and--our current favorite video streamer--the Roku LT (pictured above).

Got a favorite bargain gift that we skipped over? Let us know your suggestion in the comments.

Help! Santa can't afford the iPad. Will the Kindle Fire do?

It's Black Friday, the busiest day of the shopping year, and Ask Maggie is here to help you with questions about holiday shopping.

In this edition, I offer some advice to one mother considering substituting an Amazon Kindle Fire for an iPad as gift for her son. And I suggest a game console for a gaming newbie, who wants to get the whole family up and moving this Christmas.

Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie'… Read more

Black Friday alerts: Online scams abound, malls track you via cell

In addition to the usual online scams designed to defraud shoppers during the holiday season, several malls will be tracking people via their cell phones.

Beginning on Black Friday, Promenade Temecula, south of Los Angeles, and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va., will be monitoring signals from shoppers' cell phones, CNN reports.

Mall officials say they want to be able to see traffic patterns in the various stores. No personal data will be collected and the information will remain anonymous, they said. Shoppers are given notice by small signs around the malls.

"We won't be looking at … Read more

Buying a mini camcorder to flip for

For a category people keep declaring dead because of smartphones, there is no shortage of shoot-and-share mini camcorders in stores.

In fact, the death of category leader, Flip Video, seemed to leave a giant creator in the market that was quickly filled by everyone from Kodak and Sony to Panasonic and Samsung to JVC and Toshiba. But with all those big names involved and plenty of lesser-known manufacturers in the mix, too, it's not easy to weed out the ones worth picking up for those quick-clip moments.

To that end, here's a list of major things to consider … Read more

Blu-ray player holiday buying guide

If you're thinking of picking up a Blu-ray player this holiday season, the buying process can be overwhelming.

The differences between different models are often minor; every manufacturer supports a difference suite of streaming-media services and they all pretty much look the same. And a lot of the information you need to make an informed choice isn't readily apparent by browsing the placards at a local retailer.

Luckily, you can narrow your choices quite a bit by asking the right questions. We've isolated the most important features, and once you've made your picks, you should be … Read more

Guide to buying a cheap camera

It seems like every year there's a glut of point-and-shoot cameras getting put out at ridiculously low prices for the holidays, all touted with the same three specs: megapixels, zoom, and screen size.

It's understandable, too, since those are things manufacturers and retailers can attach larger and larger numbers to and people will think they're getting a better camera. However, just look a little more closely at those specs and they could make the difference between a winner and a loser.

So, if you're going to pick up a camera based mainly on price, do yourself a favor and take a quick look at some key things to see if what you're getting is actually a good deal.… Read more

Black Friday deal-hunting apps for Android

As you can imagine, there are tons of Black Friday apps in the Android Market, most of which do the same thing--aggregate holiday sale items.

Sure, you can download them all to make sure you've got your bases covered, but we're thinking you probably don't want to be fumbling through an unwieldy app drawer while throwing elbows in department store aisles. So, we've taken the time to highlight just the essential Android apps for hunting down all the hottest deals come Black Friday.

TGI Black Friday We're listing this app first because it should be … Read more

Thanksgiving turkey fun for your Android

It's everyone's favorite food-holiday, folks. And that can only mean one thing: it's time to dress your Android device up like a turkey!

Well, sort of. I am not suggesting you physically attach feathers or a beak to your phone, but I am absolutely suggesting you download some fun turkey-related apps on your device, like now.

First, go ahead and download Thanksgiving Turkey Run Live Wallpaper. It costs 99 cents in the Android Market, but it's a small price to pay to get costumed turkeys running wildly around your home screen. You can let these cute, … Read more