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Tom's Hardware's 2012 Gift Guide, Part 3: The Tech Toys
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1. Jura Impressa J9.3 One Touch

Toys! We’ve been through the system components and peripherals of this year's holiday gift guide. Now it’s time to fill those stockings with the fun stuff. Please welcome Ashley, Hannah, and Vanessa back for our big finale. And just to make sure you stay awake through it all, let’s begin with some espresso. Power users tend to be big fans of caffeine (at least, I know I am). So, we wanted to go high-tech with our delivery mechanism.

Jura’s Impressa J9.3 One Touch, which sells for about $2,900, is without question the most stunning automatic coffee machine we’ve ever laid hands on. Add ground coffee to the machine if you must. The integrated conical grinder is more pro, though. A rotary selector knob lets you pick your drink type, then the TFT color display lets you control the specifics. The cappuccino spout dispenses cappuccino and latte macchiato, and the “fine foam” dispenser means no more standing there trying not to splash yourself with milk and steam as you monkey with an aluminum cup and a blistering hot spout. Both the dispenser and twin espresso spouts are height-adjustable, and both the silver lacquer finish and lighting of the machine help to make this unit visually amazing. A software program takes care of rinsing, cleaning, and descaling. Just fill the water, keep milk in the cooler, and dump the grinds.

If you have three grand worth of love for your top-shelf coffee, do not miss this. Chris Angelini tried every drink the Impressa J9.3 makes after our photo shoot, and we're still not sure if he's slept since. Now that's enthusiast-class gear.

2. Nest Thermostat

How about a gift that really keeps giving? Nest believes that its smart thermostat can help users recoup its cost within two years (currently selling for $300 on Newegg) through better energy management. There are already plenty of programmable thermostats on the market, and even some (including my own Vivint installation) smart online options, but this second-gen Nest looks ready to sweep the field for a few good reasons.

First, it has brains. Knowing that people resist programming their VCRs and thermostats, Nest’s creators equipped the device with learning, so it monitors your habits for a week or two and automatically creates an appropriate automated schedule. It also has limited ability to detect when no one is home and adjust the temperature accordingly.

Second, it's attractive. Round...gorgeous...compact...no buttons. Nuff said, yes?

Finally, it's a connected device. The Nest hooks to your router via Wi-Fi, allowing you to program it online, including through iPhone and Android apps. All this and more make the Nest simple to operate and very powerful behind the scenes, while saving power over time and making your home just a little more beautiful.

3. Samsung Galaxy S III

If you need the best Android phone on the market to run that Nest app, many would argue that you couldn’t do better than Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S III ($250 with a two-year Verizon contract).

Anchored by its gorgeous 4.8” (1280x720) Super AMOLED screen and Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960, this phone has what it takes for gaming and video—even picture-in-picture video, with some help from 4G LTE, 16 GB of memory, and 802.11a/b/g/n. The SoC is characterized by a pair of 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9 cores and Adreno 225 graphics, backed by 2 GB of RAM.

Samsung’s inclusion of near-field/Wi-Fi Direct S Beam communication is great for phone-to-phone file transferring, assuming you know other S III users. If you’re into home automation, check out the S III’s support for Samsung AllShare. We also love the 8 MP camera on this unit, which in turn enables the Face Unlock security feature. Other key ingredients include DLNA support, 1080p video capture, a microSD card slot (64 GB max), and Android 4.1 (if you're with Sprint or AT&T). The handset is a slightly bulky at 5.4" x 2.8" x .3" and 4.7 oz., but it’s worth the weight.

4. Diamond TAB360 Racing Wheel

If your tablet falls in the 7” to 10.1” range and you crave racing games, check out Diamond’s TAB360, selling for $65. Essentially, this is a 260-degree ball joint connecting a base and a racing wheel. Two clamps at the top and bottom of the wheel adjust to hold the tablet firmly in place. No wireless communication or drivers necessary; it’s only a swiveling holder meant for most iOS-, Android-, and Windows-based tablets.

As you can see in our photo, there is also a unique two-player mode in which an attractive assistant holds the stand on her knees while an actual player—not shown here—faces the tablet and grasps the wheel. Hey, photographers aren’t always users, OK? Gaffes aside, the curve of the TAB360’s stand is designed to fit your lap as well as any flat surface. It weighs 1.8 lbs. and should be the perfect thing for that hard-to-please tablet-toting gamer on your list who seems to already have everything.

5. Microsoft Surface

You knew this was coming. By now, you've seen us talk about the Surface enough to know that it's replacing notebooks and tablets in our office. As we pointed out in our two-part coverage (Microsoft Surface Review, Part 1: Performance And Display Quality and Microsoft Surface Review, Part 2: Battery Life, Multi-Monitor, And More), the device isn't perfect. However, it's built well, useable as a consumption- or productivity-oriented device, and much better for multi-tasking than any tablet we've ever used. 

Its chief weakness is limited application compatibility in Windows RT. You can only use software from Microsoft's Store, rather than the fleet of apps that work with Windows 8. The Surface Pro, expected early next year, will address our concerns. But it'll also add heft, cut battery life, and cost a lot more. For now, we remain bullish on this version's portability.

Microsoft’s kickstand, VaporMg casing, front and rear 720p cameras, magnet-attaching power and keyboard design, and 1.5 lb. weight make this a fair offering for $500. Be aware, though: you'll probably want the $120 Touch Cover, at least, in order to make the Surface a viable option for churning through emails, Word documents, or Excel spreadsheets. We're actually partial to the $130 Type Cover.

6. Zotac Zbox nano AD12 Plus

Remember nettops, the blink-and-you-missed-it, Intel Atom-based answer to energy savings on the desktop? True enough, the nettop idea may have fizzled along with Atom’s performance numbers, but the idea behind nettops remains important. Many people don’t need high-performance PCs, particularly when they're looking up recipes in the kitchen, streaming media in the living room, or word processing in a bedroom. In those environments, they want small, low-power, platforms that are easy to hide, and yet fast enough for most everyday computing tasks.

Enter Zotac’s Zbox nano AD12 Plus ($300 on Newegg), fueled by AMD’s 1.7 GHz dual-core E2-1800 APU (Radeon HD 7340 graphics). If you pay attention to code names, this is Brazos 2.0.

Equipped with two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth 3.0, gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, HDMI, DisplayPort, SPDIF and analog audio, and 300 Mb/s 802.11b/g/n, it’s a minor miracle that all of this can fit into a box measuring just 5” x 5” x 1.77”. That also includes 2 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive. No, you won’t play Crysis on it, but when was the last time you could slip a full-blown desktop PC into your jacket pocket? The potential for small business buyers wanting to run presentations from something better than a tablet, but smaller than a notebook, is considerable.

7. Griffin Helo TC Assault

When you need a break from those business presentations, bust out some RC chopper action in the boardroom. In Ashley's right hand, you see the twin-rotor copter, complete with dual missile launchers (yes, they actually fire) and five LED lights for night missions.

The genius here, though, is in Ashley's left hand, which is holding an iPhone 4S set into Griffin’s clip-on flight deck. With the help of the appropriate iOS or Android app and audio output from the phone, the flight deck becomes the copter’s remote control system and rocket launcher. Control is managed through on-screen touch as well as tilting of the flight deck. The chopper recharges via a USB cable (included), and you can buy a replacement parts kit for $10. Ahh, we love the smell of RC in the morning. It smells like...well, about $60.

8. Logitech Harmony Touch

Do you wanna Touch? Yeah! We may be getting to the point where our phones become our home theater controllers, but we’re not quite there yet. Until then, the new Harmony Touch, which sells for $250, may be the best wand-style remote control around.

With that said, the Touch is not a huge change from preceding Harmony models. It merely replaces some of the buttons with a touchscreen LCD and gives you the ability to drag and drop 50 popular station icons as you please on its “desktop.” You can control up to 15 devices, including the Logitech TV Cam HD, which is a terrific camera for getting Skype on your TV. Would we take a refurbished Harmony from last year for half the price? Yeah, probably. But if you want to give someone the latest and best of the consumer remote controls, the Touch is your best bet.

9. HTC One X

If Samsung isn’t your thing, but you still want an outstanding Android-based phone to help ring in 2013, consider HTC’s One X. Like the Galaxy S III, the One X shipped with Ice Cream Sandwich, but is in the process of being updated to Jelly Bean. It features a 4.7” touchscreen with 1280x720 resolution.

Now, HTC makes a global version of the One X with a quad-core 40 nm Tegra 3 in it. But the U.S. version comes with Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon S4, manufactured at 28 nm, which adds an integrated LTE modem. In weighing the quad-core chip's performance versus the dual-core model's better battery life, you can be the judge.

Meanwhile, HTC boasts about its 8 MP camera with f/2 aperture, improved low-light sensitivity, and 1080p recording capability.The One X can capture video and stills simultaneously, as well as take continuous stills. Add to this the integration of Beats Audio (if you’re into Dr. Dre branding). If your smartphone use tends to emphasize the camera, HTC's One X may be the handset to beat this season.

10. Adata Nobility Series N005 Pro

The cloud hasn’t conquered portable storage yet. Sometimes, you just need a few gigs in your pocket to handle those large file collections. These days, you’d be a fool not to opt for a flash drive capable of USB 3.0 data rates, and Adata has its own 16, 32, and 64 GB options. Sequential read/write times for these models top out at 150/25, 180/50, and 180/90 MB/s, respectively. You know what, though? That's a heck of a lot better than the 20 or 30 MB/s we're used to from USB 2.0 drives.

Adata’s brushed aluminum body gives the drives plenty of rugged toughness, and the dimensions are 3.54” x 0.8” x 0.45”. Our favorite use for these products is to download Adata’s free UFDtoGO app and set up the flash drive to synchronize with all essential data from the desktop, so we’re never caught on the road without current work files in-hand.

11. Guild Wars 2 Collector’s Edition

Did someone say "work?" Sorry about that. Let’s unwind with some serious gaming: Guild Wars 2 Collector’s Edition ($150 from Amazon). Check out the unboxing video on the game’s site. Given that the standard edition is only $50, what does NCsoft offer to justify an extra C-note? Two sets of value-adds. On the physical side, you get a 10-inch Rytlock, a Guild Wars 2 soundtrack CD, an artwork portfolio, five prints, and a frame. You also get five digital items, including the Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite skill and a Tome of Influence. Let’s also not forget the map-covered storage tin.

Obviously, you need to be a hardcore Guild Wars fan to appreciate a set such as this, but for those who haven’t picked up GW2 yet and would appreciate something to help them build a more complete gaming experience, this Collector’s Edition is a unique concept. Of course, if you'd rather try three or four new games for the same price this holiday season, there's nothing wrong with grabbing the $50 version and jumping right in!

12. Pure Sensia 200D Connect

Terrestrial radio? As if. If you’re going to give the gift of music in this century, it better be radio from the Internet. And podcasts. And on-demand content. With an option to stream music from asubscription service. Do you think we should throw the ability to stream audio via Wi-Fi from your iPhone or Android device on the list? Sure! And yeah, there should probably be rickety old FM tuning and more modern digital radio in there too. Do you think we can squeeze Facebook, Twitter, weather, and other apps in there, as well, and maybe front the whole thing with a 5.7” touchscreen? Absolutely. Package it all in something that looks like a rugby ball, give it an optional battery pack, and even slap on a USB port for recording the content you play, just like an old tape deck.

Now how much would you pay? If you guessed $399, then you’re set to pick up this year’s hottest countertop music player, the Pure Sensia 200D Connect. With twin 3” speakers (30 W RMS total) and an infrared remote, this unit makes the Chumby look like a Walkman. The old one.

13. Pure Contour 200i Air Dock

“Wait,” you say. “I love the features on that 200D Connect, but the Grinch took half of my money. Now what?” If you’re an iOS device owner, the answer may be Pure’s Contour 200i Air instead. This dome-shaped speaker system (18 W RMS per speaker plus twin down-firing bass ports) uses Apple AirPlay to stream music from your portable device as well as via Wi-Fi or Ethernet from iTunes.

With AirPlay, you can also use iTunes (PC or Mac) to beam the same content to multiple 200i units in different rooms simultaneously. You still get all of the Internet radio and other online audio. If you’re in the UK or Germany (so far), you can also subscribe to Pure’s music subscription service. Bonus perks include digital coax output to a conventional amplifier and 3.5 mm auxiliary input from other audio players. And yes, it’s only $200 at Newegg.

14. Energizer AP1201 PowerSkin

All smartphone owners fight a never-ending battle for battery runtime. If you’re in this war with an iPhone, but don’t want the bulk of a strap-on battery pack, slip into Energizer’s AP1201 PowerSkin.

This is a silicone rubber skin for the iPhone 4 and 4S with an integrated Lithium polymer battery that charges the phone through an integrated 30-pin connector. In turn, you're able to charge the case via microUSB. The soft texture helps protect the phone, and the built-in bumper won’t interfere with the phone’s antenna. Five LEDs near the bottom indicate power level.

XPal Products, which manufactures the PowerSkin, provides direct warranty support for three years. The 1500 mAh battery reportedly delivers up to 200 extra hours of standby time, 27 hours of music, seven hours of video, five hours of3G talk time, or seven hours of Wi-Fi data. Listed for $40 on Newegg, this is a stellar stocking stuffer if you can find it.

15. Parrot AR.Drone 2.0

Parrot's $300 AR.Drone 2.0 is what you buy for yourself when you’re done buying Griffin’s HELO for the kids. This four-rotor bit of awesomeness weighs 4.6 lbs. and measures 22” x 5.4” x 22.4”. You control it with your iOS or Android device, sending it through flips and optionally relying on its built-in intelligence and ultrasound ground sensors to aid with auto-pilot maneuvers. With its 720p camera (30 FPS with H.264 encoding), the drone sends back live video and stills to your device for capture. It relies on Wi-Fi, so reception is limited up to about 165 feet.

This bird’s brains consist of an ARM Cortex-A8 processor at 1 GHz running Linux 2.6.32. It includes 128 MB of DDR2 memory and an 802.11b/g/n radio. In-air battery life tops out at 12 minutes, but those may be some of the most entertaining minutes of your otherwise desk-bound life. Sound like a configuration you shouldn't be sending up into the air? Fortunately, everything about this quadricopter is repairable with parts available online.

We were anxious to relieve Ashley of the AR.Drone 2.0 and run out into the front yard for a test flight. Maybe it was the excited chatter of 30-somethings on an otherwise quiet street, or perhaps the four motors at 28,500 RPM were screaming a little too loud. Either way, the AR.Drone brought the neighbors out from their houses, and everyone was in agreement that this is one of the coolest toys they've seen all year.

16. Angelbird SSD2go 480 GB

We did have one topless shot this year, and saved the best for last. So without further...hey, wait. What the heck? Who let this guy onto the set? Curse you, Angelini.

At any rate, USB flash drives are great for their portability. But the Adata examples we featured earlier top out at 180 MB/s reads and 90 MB/s writes. With a maximum capacity of 64 GB, we often find ourselves wanting more.

The need for speed was quenched when Angelbird let us know about a new external drive it was working on called the SSD2go. It's capable of sustained reads and writes as fast as 460 MB/s, and available in capacities of up to 480 GB. The company uses 25 nm asynchronous NAND from IMFT and SandForce's second-gen controller, complementing the SSD2go with a 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 interface to achieve its lofty performance numbers.

Angelbird specifies a 2,000,000-hour MTBF and protects its product with a three-year warranty, which is good, given that the 480 GB model sells for $691 directly from the company's site. Oh, and see that drive in Chris' hand? That's a one-of-a-kind Tom's Hardware edition, with our logo painted right onto the stylish chassis. You can order yours in any of eight different colors.

Well, friends, that wraps another year for our gift guide! We hope you’ve enjoyed the trip. On behalf of our models and we here at Tom’s Hardware, we wish you an amazing and safe holiday season filled with family, friends, and fun. Here's to an even better 2013!