Top Summer Gadgets

For many, summer simply means endless days of barbequing, swimming and camping. But as tech-savvy shoppers can also attest, it’s also prime time to chill out by the pool or lounge on the deck with today’s hottest gadgets. After the flurry of early-year announcements at industry showcases like CES, E3 and CTIA, now’s the time when all the high-profile devices we’ve gawked at in photos or dreamed about since January finally start rolling out to stores nationwide. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorites that should be on your radar when temperatures start to climb.

iPhone 3G S, $199 with contract on AT&T

Adds some welcome extras missing from previous models, with notable upgrades including a better still camera, video recording/editing capabilities, enhanced battery life and faster application loading. Existing iPhone 3G users shouldn’t consider it an essential upgrade by any means, but for new smartphone buyers, it’s an even better version of the go-to handset of choice for multimedia lovers and Internet addicts. Better yet, the device hasn’t gotten any more expensive either: The same $199 base price now buys you 16GB of memory instead of 8GB, and $299 will get you a whopping 32GB of storage space for all those songs, TV shows, movies, games and other iTunes downloads.

Panasonic Z1 Plasma, $6,000

People proclaiming the death of plasma probably haven’t seen Panasonic’s 54-inch Z1. Not only does it rival the thinness of next-gen LCD sets with an amazing depth of only one inch, Panasonic’s new Neo PDP tech also reduces energy consumption by one third without compromising the same eye-popping plasma brightness. What’s more, for those looking to wall mount with minimal clutter, all the connections for the TV plug into a separate box, and the signals make their way to the TV wirelessly via the lossless WirelessHD standard.

Aliph Jawbone Prime, $130

Now in its third generation, the Aliph Jawbone just keeps getting better (and prettier) every time around. The manufacturer’s proprietary NoiseAssassin technology uses both a second microphone and a sensor that rests on the jaw to kill outside noise, and it works so well you can hold a phone conversation while driving in a convertible with the top down. As an added bonus, the new Earcandy Edition adds several loud new colors to the original earthy palette: Lime, scarlet, yellow and lilac.

Canon Vixia HF200, $750

True 1080p camcorders used to be the sole domain of professional photographers, but as prices continue to tumble year after year, virtually any shutterbug can now afford to shoot in ultra-sharp HD quality this summer. Canon’s highly-regarded Vixia HF200 costs a fraction of what last year’s models did, yet shoots even sharper video, with the best AVCHD compression quality available. The still photos it captures even look good enough to stand in for those snapped by a real digital camera, and the gizmo’s even small enough to bag up and take with you wherever you go.

Sony DLSR-A330, $650

The art of digital photography seems be undergoing a minor renaissance lately with all the renewed interest in DSLRs, and Sony has set out some enticing bait for first-time paparazzi with the A330. An intuitive design, compact body, and top-notch live view all make the camera accessible to beginners, and internal image stabilization means you won’t have to drop extra cash on stabilized lenses. That and a $650 price tag – including 3x 18-55mm glass – make it a killer introductory package to get out and learn to shoot with this summer.

Amazon Kindle DX, $489

Fans of unwieldy newspapers and magazines can finally transition to the digital age with Amazon’s new Kindle DX, which takes the relatively puny 6-inch screen from the Kindle 2 and stretches it to a much more comfortable 9.7 inches for large-format media. Like the popular original eBook reader it’s descended from, the unit also has a built-in 3G connection (with no service fees) that allows you to digitally thumb through and download Amazon’s library of 285,000 books, along with newspapers, magazines and blogs from anywhere you get cell phone service.

Palm Pre, $200 with contract on Sprint

The phone that had tech analysts and journalists alike yelling “iPhone killer” when it first appeared in January has finally come to market. At odds with Apple’s offering, the Pre includes a full QWERTY keyboard (a near necessity for business users) and Palm’s innovative WebOS, which allows multiple apps to run at the same time and be easily shuffled and browsed, providing for improved multitasking. Wrap it all up in a smooth, pocket-ready shell, and you’ve got a compelling alternative to the current market leader.

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro, $1,200

A stunning example of industrial design at work, the latest revision on the popular notebook computer introduces a lithium-polymer battery that allows the 13-inch variant to run for seven hours instead of five and long-overdue built-in SD memory card reader as well. Better yet, the system’s aluminum unibody design that so endeared audiences to it in the first place hasn’t changed either, although the price has dropped a full $100 to a reasonable $1,200.

Nintendo DSi, $170

Nintendo can’t stop tweaking its popular, touch-sensitive handheld gaming system, much to players’ delight. The latest version adds on-demand game downloads via online shop, dual digital cameras (for shooting photos of yourself/friends or physically interacting with on-screen objects), room for SD memory cards up to 32GB, and the option to record short, goofy audio clips. When a landslide of games from this year’s E3 crashes down in the coming months, this is the portable console you’ll want to own to play them.

Lenovo IdeaPad S12 Netbook, $450

If you’ve been turned off from the whole netbook fad by these entry-level, hyper-portable PCs’ general lack of brawn, Lenovo’s upcoming IdeaPad S12 may be the first model to having you singing the category’s praises. Incorporating Nvidia’s powerful Ion graphics processor rather than the usual crummy onboard Intel-built solution, the computer actually proves capable of running 3D games and playing HD video, and does it all on a decent-sized 12-inch screen. And, unlike Sony’s Vaio P, it won’t cost an arm and a leg either.