The Top 10 things you CAN have for Christmas 2008
03:06 December 18, 2008 PST

The Top 10 things you CAN have for Christmas 2008
Image Gallery (13 images)Following last week's look at some of the coolest gear you definitely won't find under the tree this year, here's a selection of our favorite items from 2008 that just might. From sleek TVs to home surveillance robots and self-tuning guitars, consider yourself lucky if you find yourself unwrapping one of the following items this holiday season... and if you're still looking for that elusive gift for the person who seems to have everything, there's always the cheeseburger in a can.
1. Sony's XEL-1 OLED Television It's only an 11-inch, but Sony's XEL-1 gets our vote as the slickest audio visual entry onto the market this year. The industry’s first Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television and the world’s first commercially available OLED screen, the XEL-1 is about 3 millimeters thin and offers picture quality with extremely high contrast (1,000,000:1 contrast ratio), outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, rapid response time and low-power consumption. The price - USD$2500.
What to get the adventure buff who already has all the gear? Try this. Swiss-based company Katadyn has produced the world’s first cheeseburger in a can. The high tech hamburger has been developed for trekkers and the non-traditional metal wrapping reflects the Trekking-Mahlzeiten company ethos that its speciality meals should be easy to prepare and require only water to do so - simply throw the can into a water container over a fire, give it a minute or two, fish it out, open the lid, and eat. With a shelf life of twelve months without requiring refrigeration, the lightweight snack is the ideal fast food treat for the wilderness.
3. The Nikon D90 – the first DSLR with HD video
In another big year for digital photography, many leading prosumer models made the leap into 20MP+ territory and some, like Nikon and Canon, added HD movie recording. Nikon's new D90 Digital SLR includes a movie shooting function that delivers quality HD 720p (1,280 x 720 pixels) video. Thanks to the large image sensor, D-Movie images exhibit less noise than those of a typical camcorder, most notably in low-light situations. This is a landmark camera and will be the first of many remarkable all-in-one imaging devices using quality lenses and technology suitable for both modes.
4. The music video game
This little juggernaut has continued throughout 2008 with a broadening appeal that extends beyond just would-be guitarists and levels of sophistication that are attracting the interest of even the most talented musos. We've recently reviewed two of the stalwarts - Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. Wii music arrived this year as did some high-end accessories. With interest in these games reportedly translating into more sales of real musical instruments, there could be hope for the future of popular music.
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Jonathan Cole
- November 6, 2009 @ 16:15 UTC













