iPhone 4S
Price-$200 for 16GB, $300 for 32GB, $400 for 64GB
Review-The iPhone 4S includes a few unique upgrades: Dual-core A5 Chip, 8MP camera, iOS5, iCloud and Siri. The phone and camera have much better graphics and are much faster. The new, iOS5 operating system, allows you to check the weather, the stocks, and all of your notifications with one swipe of the finger. iCloud allows you to share music and contacts between your phone and computer wirelessly. And finally Siri is a new gadget that operates as your digital assistant. Siri uses voice recognition to process your question and then gives you an answer to the best of its ability; but the reliability is nowhere near perfect.
Verdict-If you already have the iPhone 4 the upgrade isn’t worth the $200 more for these new features that aren’t completely reliable at this time. But if you don’t own an iPhone yet, it is a great investment and a very user-friendly phone.
Kindle Fire
Price-$200
Review-The Kindle Fire is a great gift for avid readers. The Kindle Fire has a 7†color touch screen, you can play games, watch movies and TV shows, read books and magazines, and listen to your favorite songs. The Kindle Fire is like the iPad, but you can rent books for free.
Verdict-The Kindle Fire is a great purchase if you plan to read a lot otherwise, the iPad is a much better investment.
Xbox Kinect
Price-$150 with Kinect Adventures Game
Review-The Xbox Kinect is a new console that goes with the Xbox 360. The Xbox Kinect is basically a motion sensor. It senses your motions and replicates them in the Xbox game you are playing. The Xbox Kinect is a great way to remain active while playing video games. It is also a fun way for the entire family to enjoy video games.
Verdict-The idea of a motion sensing console is a great idea, but this is the first one so it isn’t completely reliable yet and you will run into glitches occasionally. It is an excellent present for a video game enthusiast and can also be great fun for first time video gamers.
(Photos: Above by Andrea Stiffelman, Right by Todd Sumlin/Charlotte Observer/MCT)
