Last minute shopping

Don't know what to buy for your loved ones ( or yourself ). Here's a couple of idea's

The end-of year is approaching rapidly. A mere week-and-a-half separates us from 2004. For those die-hard procrastinators that haven't decided what they'll buy their loved ones, or for that matter: themselves, we looked around for a couple of gizmos that make great gifts. Although some of these you might be happier receiving then giving. But then again if you want the best of both worlds : give it to yourself.

These are -da bomb- for the moment. These devices allow you to play music , photo slide shows and some even movies, stored on your computer.Here's an idea of what is out there for the moment, what they do an how deep you'll have to dig in the pocket to get one.

Hauppauge, well known for its video and tv tuner cards, has this neat little gizmo , priced at 99 USD or 159 Euro, that allows you to listen to MP3 files, view JPEG and BMP images and slide shows, and even watch MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4 movies.

The PC side software supports up to 12 devices, and at that price you can afford to have one in every room.

Connection runs over ethernet an can be made wireless if you hook it up to a wireless adapter.

For the full shebang check out our in-depth review here

Or go to www.hauppauge.com

Of course Pinnacle couldn't stay behind in his field and sure enough they launched their version : The Pinnacle showcenter.

ShowCenter lets you organize your personal and downloaded movies, music and photos on your PC, then enjoy them on your home entertainment center. It plays all the popular formats such as MPEG-1, MPEG 2 and Divx for video, MP3 for audio and JPEG for images

Plug it into your existing lan or slip in a PCMCIA wiFi adapter to make it wireless. Street price : 299

www.pinnacle.com for more info

The Sound Blaster® Wireless Music allows you to play all of the MP3 and WMA music on your PC in over your 802.11b or 802.11g wireless network.

The remote control has a built in large backlit LCD screen that lets you view and choose songs and play lists without needing a TV like other systems.

The wireless receiver connects to any audio system, so you can listen to your music in any room, on your Home Entertainment system or with any powered speakers. Connections are provided as standard audio , S/Pdif and USB.

www.creative.com for more info

And then there is Prismiq. Not just another media box. This one goes far beyond normal devices. Not only can you watch movies and pictures and listen to MP3 files but you can equally surf the internet, listen to internet radio stations and use AIM compatible instant messaging services ( AOL online etc ) without computer !-

While your main computer is on you ca access the video,images and music stored there. But equally when the computer is off you can still listen to internet radio , chat or surf the web trough any broadband ( cable / ADSL ) modem with ethernet connection or a router.

The dawn of a new age of computing is here : home theatre computing. and what better then doing this in style.

its a Radio, It's a Cd player, Its a MP3 player, it reads memory cards , it has a DVD player and recorder *, you can play games on it , surf the web , run all your favorite programs , watch tv * , hook it up to your tv , and best of all : you don't have to get up.

And best of all : we wrote a detailed review on how why an what : read it here

399 street price. CPU, Memory , Optical drive and Tuner board are extra. * = Optical drive and TV tuner card need to be installed into the chassis as well as a CPU and Memory.

Ground thumping , ear splitting and window shattering raw power. That's the most accurate description we could give for his sound system. Logitech's Z680 is a 500 Watt RMS THX certified dolby 5.1 system that does just that.

For you people who have read the works of Douglas Adams: This is what Disaster area would use. Crank it up to half power and kiss the windows goodbye.

Optical and Coaxial digital inputs as well as direct analog inputs are all present. Remote control for la-z-boy operation. Hook it up to your DVD player or Home Cinema Computer , pop in Star Wars Clone wars and prepare to blasted into space.

299 street price . www.logitech.com

And if you got money to spare : why not go for the ready to run out-of-the box Gateway system