MP3 player is making its move to enhance your media experience by adding a social aspect to digital music listening. The 30 GB Zune uses built-in wireless technology that allows listeners to connect and share music, playlists, and pictures. Available in black, brown, or white, the Zune also has an FM tuner and 3-inch LCD screen. It holds up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos, or 100 hours of video.
www.microsoft.com; $249.99
Mini Boom Box
The unique, stylish design of Samsung’s YP-K5 MP3 player (3.9 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches) distinguishes it from its rivals. The YP-K5 features a stunning interface with cool visual effects, an ingenious slide-out speaker, an FM radio tuner, and bass-enhanced earphones. The Samsung Media Studio system can’t play songs from Apple’s online iTunes Store, but it is compatible with Windows Media Player and online stores including Rhapsody, Napster, and Yahoo Music. The 2GB unit stores up to 500 songs or up to 25,000 JPEG photos at 128 x 160 pixel resolution.
www.samsung.com; $209
Pint-sized Powerhouse
This ultra-portable, fully functioning micro PC allows you to work from just about anywhere. Weighing a little more than a pound, Sony’s VAIO UX280P Micro PC has a 4.5-inch widescreen display with a keyboard beneath. Despite its size, the micro PC has an Intel Core Solo Processor and runs Windows XP, with built-in integrated wireless LAN2, wireless WAN3, and Bluetooth technology. The mini VAIO also features a 1.3 megapixel camera and built-in microphone and speakers.
www.sonystyle.com; $1,999
Small, Smart, and Stylish
The eagerly awaited BlackBerry Pearl is a feature-laden PDA that offers expandable media, including a camera and an integrated media player. The Pearl also comes with a map application, providing local maps and text-based driving directions. A pearl-like trackball replaces the typical BlackBerry trackwheel, hence the name.
www.blackberrypearl.com; $199.99 with T-Mobile
High-definition Gaming
Featuring a powerful Cell Broadband Engine, Sony’s PlayStation 3 delivers a new generation of high-definition graphics and digital entertainment. This version includes a built-in Blu-ray disc drive and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The new PlayStation 3 controller features a multi-axis motion sensing system that allows gamers to maneuver the controller as a natural extension of their bodies, in real time and with high precision.
www.us.playstation.com/PS3; $499 for 20GB and $599 for 60GB