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Engadget's back to school guide 2011: digital cameras
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Welcome to Digital Cameras 101. This single-lecture class will feature a handful of top cams for every budget, and since you're just getting back from a summer of wild shooting, we'll try to keep things brief this time around, giving you one last chance to enjoy that crisp natural light. There won't be a pop quiz, but if you're feeling lucky and don't mind following our simple instructions, we may just be able to send you home with your very own Sony NEX-C3. Simply leave a comment below to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and get ready to jump past the break for a top-level overview of this year's picks for back to school.
Should you buy an iPad 2? Here's what the reviews say...
The iPad 2 is available today. At present it's only available online, but will hit retail stores in the U.S. later on today. The big questions is: are you going to buy an iPad 2? If you're like me, you decided to skip the first iPad and hold out for the 2nd version. Not because you didn't love the first iPad, but because its debut release didn't quite justify you parting with your hard earned, but limited cash. Do the iPad 2's specs now warrant a purchase? Those who took the plunge the first time round and were very, very pleased (just ask any smug iPad 1 owner -- they won't hesitate to tell you). But now, even they are faced with a dilemma: sticking with their beloved iPad 1 or discarding it for the thinner, lighter and faster, camera-endowed replacement. What to do, what to do? To help us come to a decision, we thought we'd do a roundup of what some of the high-flyers of the tech world (those fortunate enough to get preview models) think about the iPad 2. David Pogue at the New York Times seems underwhelmed by the iPad 2's specs on paper (thinner, lighter, faster, a camera and a gyroscope), but when he actually gets his hands on it, he seems thrilled. Pogue says, "Just that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience." He goes on to say, "This is a tablet. You are almost always holding it. Thin and light are unbelievably important for comfort and the overall delight." In comparison, Pogue says, "the best Android competitor so far -- looks obese."
Holiday Buyer's Guide: PlayStation Network
Did someone get a PSN gift card for the holidays? What are you going to buy? Whether you've got a PS3 or PSP, $20 or $50 card, or whether you're a Trophy hunter or a "Move" buff, you've got plenty of options in the PlayStation Store. Here are our recommendations for the best of 2010! To begin, click one of the links below to jump to a category or simply head on past the break to peruse the guide form top to bottom. PS3 Best Friend | Hipster | Move Buff Retrobutionist | Trophy Hunter PSP New Essentials Valkyria Chronicles 2 Major Minis | PlayStation Plus
Holiday Buyer's Guide: App Store Games
From the conceptually insane Solipskier to the "you're clearly insane if you don't like this" Cut the Rope, 2010 saw the release of oodles of excellent and wildly divergent iOS games for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. These are our favorites. To begin, click one of the links below to jump to a category or simply head on past the break to peruse the guide form top to bottom. The Game For Everyone | For the Hardcore Console Quality | Look At This | New-School Old School One Minute, Man | Where'd the Time Go?
Holiday Buyer's Guide: Nintendo Points for WiiWare, DSiWare & Virtual Console
Chances are, someone you know has or will receive a Wii or DSi this holiday season -- many people you know, if the November sales are any indication. Or perhaps you know someone who has owned one of these systems for a while but hasn't messed around with its downloadable games yet. In either case, 2010 has been a great year to introduce someone to WiiWare or DSiWare, with lots of interesting games and apps released just this year. Somehow, Virtual Console's been decent too, despite the fact that releases have slowed down to a trickle. To begin, click one of the links below to jump to a category or simply head on past the break to peruse the guide form top to bottom. Wii: Retro-esque Gamer | Authentic Retro Gamer Art Aficionado | The Independent | Person Who Would Enjoy Muscle March DSi: All DSi Band | Busy Gamer | The Eccentric | Longterm Portable Gamer
Holiday Buyer's Guide: Xbox Live Marketplace
Are you buried under a glut of gifted Microsoft Points (MSP) this holiday? Need some advice on how to spend them? This handy Xbox Marketplace guide is here to help, as we highlight the very best of 2010's Xbox Live Arcade games and DLC add-ons for your favorite titles. To begin, click one of the links below to jump to a category or simply head on past the break to peruse the guide form top to bottom. Action | Adventure & RPG | Family & Board Games Hardcore | Limbo | Puzzle & Strategy | Retro | DLC
Engadget's back to school guide: Mobile phones
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have mobile phones in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Back in our day, the only "mobile phone" at school was the one that broke off the dorm wall after our roommates got a little too rowdy, but nowadays, a capable, high-power handset is quickly becoming a must-have for students of all ages. Regardless of your budget, your parent's budget, or your little one's budget, we've got options that should help with studying, gaming, music, and maybe even the occasional call home.
Engadget's back to school guide: E-readers
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have e-readers in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Yes, it's the next round of buying advice for those of you condemned to start hitting the books at the end of the summer. But, with one of these e-readers, you might just have fewer books to hit -- or at least lighter ones. Sadly most schools are still dependent on texts of the pulpy variety, but that doesn't mean an e-reader can't make your life a lot easier at school, and possibly even save you some money if you're reading the classics.
Engadget's back to school guide: docks and alarms
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got docks and alarms in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides. Whether you're simply looking for something to put on your bedside table or considering an iPod dock to replace a bulky stereo, you now have more devices than ever to choose from, which can be a tad overwhelming if you're trying to stay on budget and still get something decent. As usual, however, we're here to help, and have rounded up a range of docks and alarms that should more than satisfy at any price point.
Engadget's back to school guide: Digital cameras
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Time for us to open up chapter two of this year's Back to School advice compendium. Up for discussion today are digital cameras, which have been in the gym all year working on their processing prowess and return today with 720p HD video as an almost standard feature. We've got a good cross-section of young pretenders and finely aged veterans for your perusal, so why not give your mouse a little exercise as well and click past the break?
Engadget's back to school guide: Netbooks and laptops
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got laptops and netbooks in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. You didn't think we'd let back to school season roll around without rounding up the latest gear, did you? Good, because here at Engadget we understand that not only is heading off to college nerve wracking, but picking out the best gadgets can as equally scary. We couldn't think of kicking off our back to school guide with anything but our top netbook / laptop choices since, you know, a good performing and well-rounded machine is absolutely essential for those hours of Facebook stalking, err of homework and studying. No matter what your budget, we've got you covered with recommendations and loads of mobile computing options. Now, on to the laptops...
Buyer's Guide: DSiWare
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } The Nintendo DS remains an ever-popular holiday gift. The newest model, the DSi, features a virtual storefront, accessible directly from the device, with numerous downloadable games and apps. With a Nintendo Points card, you can sweeten your DSi gift or brighten an existing DSi owner's holiday. Here are our suggestions for how to spend your DSiWare points: The Casual Gamer | The Kids Corner | The Parent Trap
Buyer's Guide: PlayStation Network
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } It looks like someone got a PSN gift card for the holidays! So, what are you going to buy? Whether you've got a PS3 or a PSP, a $20 or $50 card, there are many options to choose from in the PlayStation Store. From the Trophy Hunter to the Movie Buff, we have recommendations for you: PS3 The Hipster | The Movie Buff The PixelJunkie | The Retrobutionist The Speed Demon | The Strategist The Trophy Hunter | DLC Essentials PSP Comic Collector | The Music Maker The Movie Buff | The PixelJunkie The Retrobutionist | PSP Essentials
Buyer's Guide: WiiWare & Virtual Console
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } That little white box of yours doesn't just play discs -- it's also home to a virtual treasure trove of downloadable games. In this guide, we recommend our favorite WiiWare and Virtual Console titles from 2009, fit together to appeal to Wii's eclectic audience. What kinds of gamers are in your home? iHeart Hudson | Kids Corner | Nouveau Retro Parent Trap | Sega Defense Force | Wannabe Plumber
Buyer's Guide: Xbox Live Marketplace
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } So, what to spend your Microsoft Points on? The choice can be quite daunting. After all, there's a lot of content on Xbox Live Marketplace. With this handy guide, we give you some solid suggestions to spend your points on based on several categories and include everything from Xbox Live Arcade games to Indie Games to Avatar props. Just select from your favorite genres below. (Joytip: Click on a game title to see its Xbox.com listing; and check out our links to reviews and XBLA in Brief videos to help make crucial purchasing decisions.) Action | Braid | Family & Board Games | Hardcore Party | Puzzle | Retro | Shooters | Spare Change
Live in the Past, It's Cheaper (2009 Edition)
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Money can buy you a lot of things, but it can't buy you patience. You can't really put a price on the ability to abandon that must-have, do-want and day-one impulse -- and if you could, it would probably cost quite a bit more than what you hope to save by simply taking a deep breath and waiting for the hottest game to cool down. If this holiday season has granted you a brand new console with an old and bloated backlog, you might find a good selection in 2008's best games, particularly in Joystiq's top ten favorites. Read on to find the industry's former best, now with a year's worth of price erosion. Mirror's Edge | Dead Space | Far Cry 2 | LittleBigPlanet | Gears of War 2 Braid | Fallout 3 | Left 4 Dead | Metal Gear Solid 4 | Fable II
Engadget's back to school guide: money's no object
Feature Index | On the cheap | Mid-range Hey -- congrats on going to school -- and on having all that money to burn on the higher end gadgets we'd all love to outfit ourselves with. Or, maybe you've been saving all summer long working overtime -- either way -- these recommendations are all in the upper eschelons of the price scale. Now, we didn't just choose a bunch of expensive crap and call it a day -- our recommendations in this category are pricey, yes, but they're also pretty much the best gear we can think of on the market to take off to college with you. That said... onto the gadgets. Laptops Netbooks Mobile Phones E-reader Dock / Alarm Printer Digital Cameras Laptop Bags Television Fun Stuff! Psst... see also: on the cheap, mid-range
Engadget's back to school guide: mid-range
Feature Index | On the cheap | Money's no object So you're off to college / university / whatever they call it in your neck of the woods, and you've got a bit of a budget, but you're still looking to lay down a nice bit of cash. Luckily for you, we've got a huge list of recommendations that won't break the bank, but still deliver where it counts. These items were chosen with price range in mind, but of we kept an eye on the specs and capabilities in order to give you the best range of options within this budget. Laptops Netbooks Mobile Phones E-reader Dock / Alarm Printer Digital Cameras Laptop Bag Television Fun Stuff!
Engadget's back to school guide: on the cheap
Feature Index | Mid-range | Money's no object So you're heading to school -- congrats! But you've probably already realized that it's an expensive prospect, right? So maybe you don't want to break the bank outfitting your dorm room (or maybe the bank's already broken!). Well, there are still plenty of lower-cost options out there -- and we've chosen some for you to consider. All of the items listed here have been chosen with price as the determining factor -- but we didn't ignore performance, either (we're Engadget, we never ignore that). We've chosen stuff we think you'll either want or need as you head off to school -- laptops, netbooks, mobile phones, e-readers, alarms / docks, printers, digital cameras, laptop bags and televisions (plus some miscellaneous fun stuff) -- in order to try and help you out. Of course, not everyone needs one of each of these -- but we figured we'd give our best recommendations in each category. Laptops Netbooks Mobile Phones E-reader Dock / Alarm Printer Digital Cameras Laptop Bags Television Fun Stuff!
PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits Buyer's Guide
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/PS3_Greatest_Hits_buyer_s_guide'; Today marks the launch of the PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits collection, with nine games given a (slightly) new jewel case and an attractive $30 price tag. Warhawk MotorStorm Resistance: Fall of Man Call of Duty 3 Need for Speed Carbon The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Ninja Gaiden Sigma Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Assassin's Creed But which of these games are worth your time and money? Our friends at PS3 Fanboy have done the research for you. Check out their Buyer's Guide to see recommendations, and which online retailers currently have these budget games in stock
