Let’s start with the new. The DSi’s dual screens are larger than that of the DS lite, but are the same resolution. The handheld is thinner, but longer than its predecessor. The DSi’s buttons and d-pad also feel much better than those of the Lite, more similar to the original DS. The DSi has improved wifi capabilities, now supporting WPA2 in DSi applications such as the Opera browser, but not in games that did not previously support it.

One of the main new features of the DSi is the ability to take photos. The DSi has one camera on the outside and one on the inner hinge, both at VGA (640×480) resolution. This is more of a gimmick than anything though as even my VGA resolution cell phone camera is of better quality. It does have one nice new feature though which is the ability to upload photos to Facebook.

The system also features a built-in SD card slot for added storage capabilities, as well as an improved sound system. You can even use your DSi as an audio player and it features an app with which you can remix or add effects to your music as you listen. Unfortunately you cannot save these remixes, but you can save mixes if you record them yourself using the DSi’s built in microphone.

The main point the DSi lacks is the Gameboy Advanced game slot which the DS lite has, giving you the capability to play both DS and GBA games on your handheld. It makes sense for Nintendo to do this because they are not making GBA games anymore, but it is still something that left some players sour over the DSi.

Lastly a big selling point for the DSi was the DSiWare store, which is similar to the App Store on the iPhone. Unfortunately this has seen a very weak offering thus far with very few titles worth purchasing.

Overall I would give the Nintendo DSi a 3/5 rating. While I am very happy with it as a gaming device overall, the lack of titles on the DSiWare shop and only gimicky features over the DS lite bring this down. If you do not own a DS at all or still own the original DS, I would recommend upgrading to a DSi, but if you are a DS lite owner, you are probably safe to stay with your lite for now.

The Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 is one of the most popular wireless mice on today’s market. It’s currently TigerDirect’s #1 best-selling wireless mouse, and with its quality design, high-resolution scrolling, and affordable price tag, it’s not hard to see why. Keep reading to get the scoop on Microsoft’s Wireless Notebook Mouse 3000.

There are a ton of great things about this mouse. For starters, it only requires one AA battery, and seems to get a fairly good battery life as well (6 months is typical). It also supports both Windows and Mac (and requires no software) for maximum compatibility, and it comes in a variety of different colors so you can match your other equipment, or your personal preference. Plus, its ambidextrous design makes it comfortable for both right- and left-handed use.

Further, the technical specifications of this mouse are outstanding, especially for a wireless mouse in its price range. It has excellent resolution scrolling resulting in very smooth operation. With its High Definition Optical Technology, it is more precise, more responsive, and delivers smoother tracking than most other mice in its class. And, its customizable third button can offer you quick access to the programs, files and media you use most frequently.

Grab a Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 now!

Homedics SoundSpa AM/FM Radio Our rating:

The Homedics SoundSpa Clock Radio is designed to create the perfect sleep environment with soothing nature sounds, radio and alarm features, and a projector that can display the current time right on your ceiling.

The SoundSpa’s many features make it a very nice alternative to a traditional alarm clock. Not only does it produce a nice calming environment for when you’re trying to relax, but it also makes a much more pleasant alarm clock and provides convenience with a time projector. With six different nature sounds (waterfall, rainforest, spring rain, thunder, summer night, and ocean) the Homedics SoundSpa creates an incredibly relaxing environment for trying to fall asleep or meditate. It can also gradually wake you up to nature sounds rather than a loud and startling ring or buzzer. The quality of the nature sounds is fairly decent, although some seem a bit too much like white noise rather than live sampled audio.

The other outstanding features of the SoundSpa make the minor audio quality concerns almost unnoticeable, however. The easily rotated and focused projector can project the current time right on a wall or ceiling so that you can see it while lying down without ever having to move. The reception of the radio antenna is phenomenal. The SoundSpa is also a very nice compact size and fits easily on a nightstand or table. And, even though it’s nice and compact, the buttons are still large enough and easy to use.

Overall, the Homedics SoundSpa is a very high-quality clock radio with some very nice features. Minor audio sampling concerns are all there is to say negative about it, and even those are barely significant enough to mention. Priced quite reasonably, it’s a great buy for anyone, and especially those who would enjoy or benefit from its very calming and relaxing ambient sounds.

Acer 22″ LCD Monitor X223WBD Review Our rating:

The Acer line of LCD monitors makes great, high-quality screens extremely affordable. The 22″ X223WBD model in particular, with its impressive display quality and equally impressive price tag, virtually screams “Buy me!” from the shelf.

Featuring both VGA and DVI inputs, you’re safe buying this monitor whether your computer is brand new or years old – PC or Mac – even if you don’t know which input type it uses. It also sports a phenomenal 5ms response time, 1680×1050 max resolution and 2500:1 Contrast Ratio that makes it optimal for gaming and action. With outstanding features and no problems whatsoever with the several Acer LCD models we tested, there’s not a bad thing to say!

And we’re not the only ones raving. The Acer 22″ LCD is a 5x Winner of the Customer Choice Award and recipient of a 4.5-star rating on Newegg. It’s also received a 5-star rating on TigerDirect [See for yourself]

Currently, this great monitor is priced the cheapest on TigerDirect, at only $139.99. Don’t miss the sale – grab one now!

Insignia Sport 4GB MP3 Player Our rating:

The Insignia Sport MP3 Player is in the same price range as Apple’s iPod Shuffle, but packs quite a few more features for the price. With a spin-wheel and a thin, rectangular body, it even mimics the iPod. It’s very easy to control, even when on the run, which means the Insignia Sport lives up to its name. The Sport has an extra slot for a Micro SD card, and is even bluetooth capable. These two options as well as its ability to play videos set it in a league entirely apart from and above the iPod Shuffle. The Insignia Sport has easy-to-use menus, and can also be configured for left-handed use – a very nifty feature. The Sport makes it simple to find and play your music by artist, album, song, genre, and of course playlist, and you can also build your own “now playing” playlists on-the-spot. It also feataures a clock, an fm-radio feature, as well as a sleep timer. The video and audio quality is superb, and unlike many other MP3 players with radios, one cannot complain much about the radio quality. The only downfall is that since the player doesn’t have an external FM antenna, it must be placed somewhere where FM signals are in easy reach. The Sport is available in black, red and blue, and it looks very stylish. It’s simple, yet sleek.

Insignia’s Sport charges through a USB connection to a computer. It is very easy to transfer music onto and even comes with its own software. However, it’s also compatible with iTunes, Windows Media Player, and other common audio programs should you desire to stick with the program you’re already using. Its battery charge lasts a good 24 hours, which is very impressive. The Sport has been very reliable and did not experience any issues with music transferring or disappearing, a common issue among cheaper MP3 players. Although it did freeze a few times during normal use, it was easily restored to its normal “healthy” state upon being plugged into the computer or reset.

One downfall about the Sport is that it reconfigures and won’t return to your “Now Playing” list when unplugged from your computer. Of course, you’ll still have the playlists you have saved, but losing your currently playing list upon unplugging the device is somewhat of a nuisance. However, other than these few minor issues, the Sport is a winner across the board. It’s outstanding technological specs, durability, functionality, and design style easily make it one. Insignia, a Best Buy brand, did a very good job with the Sport MP3 Player and we not only recommend this individual device, but the manufacturer as a whole due to its cheaper price and overall good quality products.

Canon S5IS Digital Camera Our rating:

The Canon S5IS digital camera is a very versatile and user-friendly camera. It features a classic yet stylish body, contoured for a perfect fit into your hands for easy picture-taking, and a rotating flip-out 2.5″ LCD screen. The various shooting modes (Auto, Av, Tv, Manual, Custom, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Special Scene, Night Snapshot, Super Macro, Stitch Assist & Movie) stay true to the Canon line, and live up to the Canon standard. With the optical image stabilization and Digic III image-processing on top of the 12x optical zoom (48x digital) and 8.0 mega pixels, this camera is really one all-in-one package just below the quality of a digital SLR that is very hard to beat. With its zoom function and shutter in the same vicinity, as well as review control and mode switch wheel also nearby, it’s quite simple, straightforward and when necessary, speedy to take high-quality photos. The adjustable ISO settings, optical zoom and normal/macro/super macro functions make it easy to get creative and do just what you want to do with the camera instead of its functions limiting you.

I found it quite easy to learn how to use, and if I have any problems I can turn to the ever-helpful user manual or online support from Canon. The S5 IS is very sturdy, and taking videos is very easy as well, with a separate record button on the back of the camera. The video and audio quality is remarkably good. The lens is a Canon lens, and I’m quite impressed with the overall quality and clarity of the pictures I’ve taken. As an avid photography hobbyist, this camera has fulfilled all my needs, wants, and even more. It keeps surprising me with the professional quality of photos and as I continue honing my skills and becoming more accustomed to the S5IS. It only gets better and easier to use, as opposed to other cameras I’ve used that only seemed to become more problematic over time and more use. This canon has really held up in even very adverse conditions, such as rain, snow, extreme heat and bitter cold, and over time and more use. Since it takes SDHC cards, the memory availability is only limited to the cards available on the market now.

Although I’ve fallen in love with this camera, it does lack what a more expensive, truly professional digital SLR camera has, and is a bit on the large size. Also, it requires 4 AA batteries (I’ve found it’s good to use rechargeable canon NiMH batteries and a canon charger to power it as these last longer than the usual rechargeable batteries), which means it’s quite the power hog, and this makes it almost an absolute necessity to at least purchase rechargeable batteries. The lens cap is very loose, and falls off often, after a bit of research I found this is the case on most if not all models. This is a problem if you are carrying it in conditions or a situation where it could get easily scratched. However, other than these few issues, the S5IS has been a very pleasing camera to own. With it’s price of between 250-350$ dollars, it’s really the most bang for the buck out of cameras in its price and function group. It is possible to upgrade the camera hardware, so this is a great camera for anyone, whether you are a hobbyist like me, a professional perhaps looking for a second camera, a tourist or even a mom who just wants to get clear pictures of her kid’s soccer game.

RIM BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone Our rating:

The Blackberry 8830, although it looks to be a basic and even to some a boring and bulky PDA/Smartphone compared to others of its kind (and even its Blackberry siblings such as the popular and snazzy Pearl, Storm and Curve), the 8830 is set apart from the others by being both a CDMA and GSM phone. This phone is marketed especially for International businessmen and world-travelers who would benefit most from the network interchangeability. For those Sprint/Nextel and Verizon users who grit their teeth when they want to keep their phone when they change networks, or just switch out their sim card when they travel somewhere overseas with only GSM networks, the 8830 comes to the rescue. With both a CDMA function and a GSM sim-card slot, you get the best of both worlds. For the world-traveler who uses a CDMA network Smartphone, this Blackberry is a lifesaver and relieves a lot of hassle they may have had in the past when it comes to mobile networks and phones. It’s easy to use the World Edition 8830 overseas. Simply activate Sprint/Verizon World Service (by calling Sprint or Verizon, it’s free) and it will work in both CDMA and GSM countries (although the roaming fees are pretty hefty). For those who want to use a local sim-card, just switch out the Sprint or Verizon card for a local network’s card.

The Sprint version of the 8830 lacks a camera, which is a downside and a disappointment since Blackberry tends to stay on the cutting edge, but I suppose most world-traveling businessmen (who this phone is marketed for) don’t need a camera-phone to snap pictures while on a meeting in Beijing. And even though it might not have a camera, you can still fit a lot of media on the 8830 with the memory card option and SDHC capability. The audio isn’t the loudest, but still fairly good for a phone, and the video quality is exceptional. And, since the screen is 2.5 inches, you won’t be squinting your eyes nearly as much as with other, smaller phones. Of course, the 8830 also comes with the mobile internet option and blackberry email, which is outstanding and quite simple to use if you have a data package.

Although the transition to blackberry from another phone, Smartphone or PDA can take a bit of getting used to, since its menu can tend to be a bit complex and difficult to navigate, the convenient “help” functions and online guides make it clear to even the least tech-savvy folks. For those already familiar with blackberries, the 8830 features the trademark trackball as well as blackberry maps, GPS, browser, email, MMS, SMS, wireless e-mail, organizer, and corporate data access. The price is quite fair when you buy it with a new plan or decide to upgrade. Otherwise it retails around $400-600, still a fair price given the features of this one-of-a-kind PDA phone.

Apple iPod Touch Our Rating:
The iPod Touch is Apple’s offering for those who want all the features of the iPhone sans phone. The Touch is by far the most feature-packed iPod Apple has to offer, offering all the functionality of a PDA or Blackberry in a sleek design and full touch screen. The current generation Touch has four external buttons: The Home button below the touch screen, the hold button at the top, and volume control on the left side. Next/previous track buttons may have been more useful but it is still better than the original touch which did not feature the volume control buttons. On the bottom is the jack for connecting the Touch to a PC or Mac via USB, and the audio input.

By default the touch comes with a standard set of apps, similar to that of the iPhone: Calendar, Photos, Videos, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Clock, Calculator, Notes, Mail, Safari, and of course Music, iTunes, and the App Store. Within the App Store one will find hundreds of additional free and premium apps to install, from Google Earth to Quake. The presence of a built-in YouTube player and the largest screen out of any iPod make it the best choice for watching video. The Touch comes in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, so there is bound to be one for everyone.

The Touch does have its downsides. The lack of more external buttons could make it a hassle to have to skip through songs. A much-needed App is a built-in instant messenger. There are several choices from third parties in the App store, but this is such a popular feature that it should definitely be added. However these are small problems when compared to how much the Touch has to offer.

Apple’s iPod Touch is definitely one of the best portable media devices available today, and short of owning an iPhone it’d be hard to find a device to beat it.

LG VX5500 Cell Phone Our Rating:
The LG VX5500 is by far the best cell phone I’ve tested so far. First I’ll just say that I have personally always used whatever phones Verizon will give for free when a contract is renewed, so naturally, this phone as well was a free phone from Verizon. This was the best out of the 3 others I could choose from the last time I renewed.

Since I really use no other functions than the simple phone function, and this does a great job of it, I would highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a phone to be just that. It’s durable as I dropped it more than once and it’s still going strong. At first I noticed the battery life did not seem a reliable as my previous phone, but after 2 charge cycles it is right up where I would expect it to be. The camera on it is what you would expect from a basic camera phone, VGA quality. No technical issues whatsoever, and Verizon service is always great. The design is sleek and fits well in my pocket.

One downfall of this phone is that it does not have a simultaneous “ring and vibrate” feature, but that is a minor issue compared to the otherwise very high quality of the phone.

Overall, I was very pleased with the LG VX5500 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a basic but reliable phone.

Logitech X-230 Speakers Our Rating:
Another excellent product from Logitech comes the X-230 speakers. These have several features which make them top of the line. The product itself is two speakers and a subwoofer. The subwoofer has individual volume control so the bass can be cranked up to the max when nobody’s home or turned down when necessary. On one of the speakers is an overall volume control and power button as well as a headphone jack which is very convenient. The speakers also have the cabability of being wall mounted which gives them nice versatility. They are very easy to set up and can be used with any PC or MP3 player. And of course the most important part, the sound quality, is excellent – which has come to be expected of any Logitech product.