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Gadget shopping: Be wise, buy safe

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CIOL Bureau
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Jan Paschal

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NEW YORK: Santa never lets on whether the letters from gadget lovers induce

headaches or heartburn. For his human counterparts, though, the best way to

goof-proof a gadget purchase -- whether it's a DVD or an MP3 player, a digital

camera or some other "must have" item -- is to do a little homework

before you shop.

That goof-proof approach also applies when you're gadget shopping for

yourself.

This holiday season, with retailers slashing prices to lure recession-wary

consumers, bargains abound. For instance, Digital Video Disc (DVD) players for

$79.99 to $89.99, caught my eye in Thanksgiving weekend newspaper advertising

inserts from Circuit City, Kmart and other stores.

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A caveat: A good deal is not defined by price alone.

"If it's a brand you've never heard of, be careful -- especially if the

price seems too good to be true," said David Heim, managing editor of

Consumer Reports magazine, which includes reviews of DVD players and televisions

(27- to 36-inch screens) in its December issue.

Sherri and Larry Athay, a husband-and-wife team of gift etiquette consultants

and writers, recalled their experiences shopping for a boom-box CD player for

their son's 16th birthday last year.

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"We are very price-sensitive," Sherri Athay told Reuters. "But

we ended up spending $100 more than we anticipated. We felt it was justified

because of the extra features and the quality. That's something people need to

be aware of when they shop for gadgets."

To get the best price on your selection, it's hard to beat online comparison

shopping sites, the Athays said. They like mysimon.com (http://www.mysimon.com).

BizRate.com (http://www.bizrate.com) shows consumers' ratings of online

merchants for merchandise quality and service. DealTime.com

(http://www.dealtime.com) is quick and easy to use.

Worth checking: Overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com), a liquidation and

excess inventory specialty store that sells electronics items for about 60 per

cent off retail prices.

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How to speak DVD



When shopping for a DVD player, keep in mind picture quality and ease of use.
Most have picture and audio quality that runs from good to excellent, Heim said.

The lowest-priced DVD player "may be fine for that new copy of

'Shrek,'" the animated hit movie about a gentle green ogre, "right out

of the package," Heim said. "But if you rent a DVD that's scratched,

it might not maximize the picture."

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Single-disc DVD players offer some of the best values.

"What we've found in testing is you don't have to spend a lot,"

said Heim, referring to the independent product tests conducted by Consumer

Reports engineers. "We've got two 'Best Buys' -- one from Toshiba and one

from Samsung. They're $160 (each) and all you would want from a single-disc

player."

Blockbuster, one of the biggest names in the business of renting videos, DVDs

and video games, is offering a Philips DVD player for $149.99 plus tax with a

free 10-week DVD rental card. Among multi-disc DVD players, two Toshiba models

are rated "Best Buys" in the Consumer Reports book "Best Buys for

Your Home 2001," available for $199.99 from the magazine's Web site

(http://www.consumerreports.org) and Amazon.com.

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To assess ease of use, look at the design of the remote control unit and the

plug connection. A component video connection splits the color signal and gives

the widest color range, while an S-video connection is the next best, according

to "Best Buys for Your Home 2001."

For the tech-savvy person who wants to make personalized DVDs, this fall

Philips brought out two models of DVD recorders -- the DVDR1000 for about $2,300

and the DVDR1500 for $2,999.99 -- that use DVD+RW (DVD plus ReWritable format)

technology. With either machine, it's possible to record up to two hours of DVD

viewing. Both models were shown at the "Holidays in June" preview in

New York City by Philips Electronics NV Where to buy: PC Richards & Son,

J&R Music, Good Guys and small custom electronics retailers nationwide.

If this price is too steep for your budget, even for someone at the top of

your list, Sherri Athay suggested a graceful way out: A gift certificate with a

note saying, "This is meant to help you get what you really want."

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The Athays' book, "Present Perfect: Unforgettable Gifts for Every

Occasion" ($15, Mobius Press) and their Web site GiftElan.com

(http://www.giftelan.com) are packed with ideas on how to find a gift for anyone

and present it in a clever way.

Through the MP3 maze



If you don't have a teenager or college student to brief you the finer points of
MP3 players, a good place to start is this Web site with the memorable name:

MP3.com (http://www.MP3.com). The site reviews MP3 players, including the hot

new iPod for $399 from Apple, as well as accessories and software.

"I'd suggest getting an MP3 player with at least 75 minutes of playing

time, and be sure to get one that plays the format you want," he said,

referring to competing formats for digitizing music downloaded from CDs or the

Internet.

Consumer Reports magazine reviewed more than a dozen MP3 players in its July

issue, Heim said, noting "the ones I've seen range from around $150 up to

about $250."

A Digital Camera Decoder



The rule here is simple: More pixels mean a better picture and a higher price.
"The sweet spot, or the best value, we found is the 2.0-megapixel

range," Heim said.

Megapixel, by definition, is "a million pixels, or a million little

points of light," he explained. "The more pixels you have, the better

print you can make and have it come out crisp and sharp, and the more you can

crop" the image.

Competition for the digital camera dollar is so fierce this holiday season

that it's possible to find a camera with resolution in the 2.0-megapixel range

for $200 to $300. For digital camera terminology, reviews and selection, check

online: About.com, MegaPixels.com and epinions.com.

Someone who's interested in creating images to email to grandma or friends

won't need as many pixels as a professional photographer or a serious amateur,

Sherri Athay explained.

If you're shopping for a digital camera for a child aged 6 to 10, consider

doing what I did: Buy a kid's camera on clearance ($39.99) at a RadioShack

store. The one I bought (Model 60-1207) is easy to use and although the prints

are a little blurry, it's a good way to get an inexpensive introduction to

digital photography.

The PDA price war is on

There's never been a better time to buy a PDA, or personal digital assistant,

especially if you're looking for a Palm or a Handspring, in Heim's opinion.

"What was $200 a year ago is now $100," Heim said.

To educate yourself before you shop, browse a bit on these Web sites:

PDAGeek, part of the Geek.com

Web site and PDABuyersGuide, to

compare features of these handheld computers and personal organizers.

(C) Reuters Limited.

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