The Next Wave of Ugly Christmas Sweaters Are Going Digital

While I’m not sure when exactly ugly Christmas sweater went from genuinely dreaded gift from a well meaning grandmother, or perhaps maniacal aunt, to a hipster fashion trend that is now a highly coveted holiday accessory so popular that entire parties are themed around them, there’s no denying the shift did happen.

Should you find yourself falling victim to this trend this holiday season or perhaps even invited to one of those said parties, you’re going to naturally want to find yourself an ugly sweater of your own. While all of your favorite online outlets and shady thrift stores most likely offer some, there’s only one site that is offering an ugly Christmas sweater worthy of the modern age.

Designed by Digital Dudz and available through morphsuits.com, these sweaters each feature a velcro pocket that stores your Apple or Android phone and, in conjunction with an app, allows you to display a variety of animated Christmas themed images. The final effect gives off the, very convincing, illusion that your sweater image is animated on its own accord. In the case of the fireplace sweater, you can even interact with the animation by double tapping your phone to extinguish and ignite the fire at your will.

Going for around $55 a piece, this will likely become the most expensive sweater you’ll ever own and only wear maybe once a year for a laugh. However, in that pursuit,  they are incredible successes that are sure to draw a significant amount of passerby attention, or make you the unofficial “winner” of any ugly sweater party should that be your thing.

  

Gadgets for the holidays

The holiday season is here, and today is Cyber Monday so it’s time to go searching for deals. There are a ton of gadget gift guides out there, and Bullz-Eye.com has a gadget section in their 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. The WOWee One Slim Portable Speaker is one of the featured products.

You’ll be amazed when you plug this tiny gadget into your MP3 player or phone and turn on some music. Of all the gadgets we’ve tested recently, the WOWee ONE Slim Portable Speaker is one of our favorites. It’s about the size of a deck of cards and easily plugs into any device with an audio jack. All of a sudden you can have a party. The WOWee turns flat, solid surfaces like tables, counters, bumpers, hoods and truck beds into bass-filled sound systems using patented gel technology. The sound changes depending on the type of surface and you can really feel the base on some surfaces. It’s perfect for events like tailgates as it provides about 10 hours of tunes and can turn your grill/cooler/hood into a high-end sound system for the whole parking lot. It’s also great for impromptu parties as it can fit in your pocket, computer bag or glove compartment. Take it on a trip and have parties in your hotel room or by the pool. The possibilities are endless and kids will love it as well. It seems like everyone listens to music alone these days with their headphones, so the WOWee makes it easier for everyone to share and enjoy music.

There are a ton of gadget gift guides out there, so do your research and you’ll find some great stuff. You can start with the ones from USA Today and CNET.

  

Best of Black Friday

Black Friday deals.I’ve never been the type to get up ass-early the day after Thanksgiving, but there are some undeniably great deals out there that could make be worth it were I ever not sleeping off my vitamin T. I’ve scoured all the ads this year to find my personal favorite deals in the hope that it will help some of you last minute planners.

Amazon’s got the Blackberry Bold 9700 (Bold 2 for those of you keeping track) for $149.99 on new contracts, but you can do better. Wirefly has the same phone on AT&T for FREE with new activations and just $29.99 for existing customers. It’s a perfect deal for your favorite Blackberry fan (and probably yourself if you’re so inclined).

According to blackfriday.info’s many, many ad leaks, Office Depot has a Seagate 1.5TB external drive for $99.99. There are cheaper deals for smaller drives out there but, dollar for dollar, this will get you one of the best storage deals available. As someone who recently had to restore a machine from a backup drive, I’d highly recommend this option. It’s also great if you know someone working with large amounts of audio and video.

Dell’s working a little Black Friday love this year, my favorite being the 23″ Full HD (I’m assuming that means 1080p) widescreen monitor w/webcam for $219. Gamers would love this thing, whether it’s for a PC or, if they’re really desperate, that brand new Xbox 360 bundle they picked up. At 23″ it’s plenty big enough for extended MW2 sessions, especially in a dorm room.

If you’re in the market for a new computer, check out the Acer Aspire One at Office Max. It’s 10.1″ with 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HD, and Windows XP – all for $149.99. That’s about as cheap as you’ll get for a ten-incher, which is as small as I can go before my hands cramp up.

Black Friday just wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Best Buy. The house of blue and yellow has the Nikon D3000DX bundle for $499.99. It’s a 10.2 Megapixel DSLR with a 10-55mm VR lens just a penny under the $500 mark. It’s 10% off list for most retailers, and as low as anyone wants to go for a DSLR this season.

There you have my favorites. There are plenty of sites where you can find the rest of the deals if you don’t get the paper. I’d recommend checking out www.blackfriday.info. Now, go get some rest. You’ll need it for the maddening crowd.

  

Gadget Teaser’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 2

Today marks the second installment in our 2009 Holiday Gift Guide. If you didn’t stop by yesterday, make sure you get a look at part one. If you need additional holiday advice (no, I won’t help with your in-laws) just leave a comment below.

Livio Radio for Pandora/NPRLivio Pandora Radio
The Livio Radio is a great choice for any audio lover you know. The original debuted with built-in Pandora support, allowing users to listen to Pandora in any room of the house. The little screen makes it easy to browse through your favorite stations and you still get your thumbs-up/thumbs-down buttons for encouraging/discouraging specific tracks.

Livio also added an NPR specific radio to its lineup this year, providing access to some 800 NPR stations over a wireless connection. The NPR radio just started shipping this week. You can get either model for $199.99 from the Livio website.

Also Consider: Logitech Squeezebox Radio

Able Planet Clear Harmony Noise-Canceling HeadphonesAble Planet Clear Harmony Headphones
I reviewed Able Planet’s Clear Harmony noise-canceling headphones earlier this year and fell in love. I’d even pick them over the Bose QuietComforts because you can play music even if your batteries die (no active noise-canceling if that happens, though). These things sound excellent, last forever on a pair of AAA batteries, and tuck away nicely into a hardshell case.

The only thing that may scare you off would be price, but for this kind of quality you should expect to spend a little cash. Get a deal at Tiger Direct for $249.99.

Also Consider: Bose Quiet Comfort

Playstation 3 SlimThe PS3 Slim
Personally, I’m not a Playstation guy. Never have been. Never will be. But I can’t think up a good reason you should follow suit. With the recent size reduction and price drop, the PS3 is looking as good as it’s ever likely to. With the recent release of Modern Warfare 2 and Uncharted 2 Sony’s lineup got a nice facelift as well.

Be sure you shop around for the bundles, though. Some of them are region specific, but Sony is so far behind in the console race that it’s offering crazy deals to get this system into your home. Most everything will run you $299 for the 120GB model.

Also Consider: Xbox 360 Elite Bundle

Samsung BD-P1600Samsung BD-P1600
This Blu-ray player is a nice little mashup for all your media needs. You obviously get BD Live support, but you can stream HD movies from Netflix and hook this thing up to your audio system for Pandora, too. And though price may have held Blu-ray back in times gone by, the P1600 is going for $149.99 as a part of Samsung’s Black Friday deals. Check the Samsung website for a list of retailers and other Samsung deals.

Also Consider: Roku Player

Wii Motion PlusNintendo Wii Motion Plus
So you’re staying away from Blu-ray this year and you don’t want the PS3 Slim? I’d call you crazy, but Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros. Wii are plenty to keep you busy through the holidays. Just don’t forget to pick up enough Wii Motion Plus dongles for everyone to play along (with the first title, anyway). The tiny attachment dramatically improves the Wii’s motion-sensing abilities, so your jumper from the elbow can be just as bad as your game in real life.

Get a single WMP from Amazon for $16.99 or pickup the Wii Sports Resort Bundle (WMP included) for $46.99.

Also Consider: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 Bundle

That does it for this year’s holiday gift guide. Check back later in the week for a Black Friday Roundup including my favorite deals from the major retailers’ holiday ads. Happy Holidays from everyone at Gadget Teaser and Bullz-Eye to all of our readers and fans.

  

Gadget Teaser’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 1

Flip MinoHDpure-digital-flip-mino-hd-custom
Pure Digital was kind enough to send me a MinoHD as part of its custom screen-printed series this year and I love it. For such a small camcorder it takes fantastic, 720p video and the thing couldn’t be easier to use. Flip also introduced customizable skins to the mix this year, so you can gift a Flip with the image of your choice, or use their design/pattern generators to make this a little extra special.

You can get the MinoHD in either 60min (4GB) or 120min (8GB) storage sizes for $199.99 or $229.99 respectively. Customization does not cost extra, so get something funky unless you want that classic industrial design.

Also Consider: Flip UltraHD

Joby GorillaMobilejoby-gorillamobile-tripod-flip
What’s a camcorder without a good tripod? No good at all, that’s what. Part of the problem with handheld camcorders is a lack of grippable parts for stability. Joby’s GorillaMobile can be bent around just about anything, including your wrist if you want to rig up a little wristmount system. Really, though, I like the GorillaMobile because it’s so small and versatile. It’s perfect for throwing in a bag to use at casual family functions and parties, keeping the 720p video on your new Flip nice and steady.

If you want something a little more substantial you could also consider the larger GorillaPod. Joby also makes a GorillaMobile specifically for the iPhone 3G/3GS and the GorillaTorch, a light sporting the same bendable legs. Check their official site for prices on each.

Also Consider: Vanguard VS41

Mophie Juice Pack Air1059_JPA-IP3G-BLK-8T
I tend to change my mind on iPhone cases all the time, but I always come back to the Mophie Juice Pack Air when I’m low on power. It minimally augments the size of the phone while providing an extra 60-80% battery life on the go. There are more powerful options out there, but they tend to be a little too bulky for my taste. Mophie’s Juice Pack, on the other hand, is a close fit without too many frills.

Mophie recently updated the line to include a soft-finish variety with the same power rating. It’s a nice addition, especially if you live in a humid climate like I do. You can get the Juice Pack Air in white, black, purple, or red for $79.95 from Mophie’s website.

Also Consider: Incase Power Slider 3G

Boa Nerve S/Lboa-nerve
I tried to make a conscious effort to recommend a bag other than the Boa Nerve from Booq but I just couldn’t do it. I’m in love with this messenger and I’m sure you know someone who would be, too. The Nerve comes in small and large sizes to accommodate different sized laptops. There’s a removable laptop sleeve, which is perfect for a quick trip to the coffee shop, and plenty of pockets should you be headed for a full day of work. One of the best features is the stability strap, which pulls bag snug against your back if you have to run for a train or take the fixed-gear for a spin.

Booq was having trouble keeping these in stock, but they’re available now and ship within 24 hours. You can get the Boa Nerve for $129.95 at the Booq website.

Also Consider: Timbuk2 Commute Slim

Barnes & Noble Nookbarnes-and-noble-nook
I hesitate to recommend this because I’m generally averse to ereaders. There are those among you who like these things, and you all probably know someone who wants one, so I’ll go against my best instincts for the sake of your friends. The Nook is best of the ereaders I’ve seen. Since no one, not even the major sites, have had a chance to review these it’s tough to say how that little color screen will pan out, but it seems like a decent idea. You also get the ability to lend your ebooks to your friends and share your own media between your computer and your iPhone.

One BIG caveat for this one: The Nook is completely sold out for shipments arriving during 2009. The next flight will land January 4th, so you could always give the gift of the late present, which can be pretty cool. Barnes & Noble wants $259 for this one.

Also Consider: Amazon Kindle

AeroPress Coffee/Espresso Makeraerobie-aero-press
Now that your loved ones will be spending all their hard-earned money on ebooks, they’ll need an inexpensive way to stay perky for those long reading sessions. The Aerobie AeroPress should be in every coffee lovers’ home, at least if they’re on a budget. It brews a decent cup of espresso and great Americano if you add a little water. Get a cheap frother and you can make your drink of choice in under two minutes and far cheaper than you’ll find at any cafe.

The press comes with a year’s supply of filters and everything you’ll need to make your perfect cuppa. The best part is the price, a mere $25.95 with free shipping from Amazon.

Also Consider: MyPressi TWIST

More good stuff to come in the Gadget Teaser 2009 Holiday Gift Guide tomorrow.