Gadgets for the holidays

It is time to dust the wicker baskets, clean the flasks and string the racquets. Yes, it is the holiday time again. The excitement levels might not have changed over the years, but the way we prepare for that annual break definitely has. Well, you might still want to put a wicker basket in the boot of your car, but what you pack in it now wouldn't even have crossed your mind a few years back.

In fact, most holiday essentials can now all be held easily in your mobile phone or tablet. Your music, train timetable, board games and even maps-all are now mobile apps. Maybe it was one of the thrills of a long holiday drive, but these days it is pretty difficult for anyone to get lost, thanks to the technology that has penetrated every aspect of our life.

The first thing that you take along for a trip these days is your mobile phone. Apart from all your contacts, this little device is also your entertainment hub, navigator and guide. From apps that help you decide where to holiday in to one that helps you get there, there is an app for every aspect of your trip. You can now book train or air tickets from the mobile and even get regular updates and reminders about the travel itinerary. Then there are websites that tell you about the best hotel deals around the world. In case you still want to take a road trip, inbuilt maps or downloadable navigators will guide you every step of the way. Before you check in at a hotel, you can check on the phone to see if the place has clean loos. And yes, instead of the hundreds of cassettes you used to pack for the long trips, you again have the phone which will make sure you have something to listen whether you are on the road or camping out.

Books might be too heavy for a trip, especially these days when you can have hundreds of them saved on to an iPad or Kindle. In case you are the filmy type, you can carry movies along in one of these devices, or a bigger laptop. Lugging a laptop too is no longer a back-breaking affair as the MacBook Air and its rival Ultrabooks are all sleek and slim devices that are easy to carry around and powerful to use. If you want to do some serious photography or record HD videos of your travels and other exploits, it better that you carry some serious computing power with you.

If you are not a DSLR connoisseur, then just make sure you have a compact camera that will serve your purpose as a good still and movie device. And even better, they won't take up more space than a bar of soap.

And if you think going out is too much of an effort, then just stay home and let the gods of lounging take charge. If you so desire, the couch can be your palace for weeks on end, ably assisted by universal remotes and home automation technology.

BRING HOME THE APPS Indian Wine List Free; iOS Planning a party at home but not sure what to serve with wine? Instal the Indian Wine List that helps you pair the food and wine. This app includes the extensive Indian wine database along with wine recommendations for various occasions. Kindle Free; Universal Enjoying your holidays at home? Download the Kindle app and browse through a wide variety of books from Amazon. Keep your eyes open as a lot many books are made free for a day. You can also email books in PDF format to your Kindle. Recipe Search Free; Android Want to try your hand at cooking. Using this application you can search recipes that you try using the ingredients present at home. The recipes include main course, appetizers, drinks, side dishes, deserts, etc.

Xbox 360 + Kinect
Neither the Xbox 360 nor the Kinect is new, but no one has been able to beat the kind of gaming experience the combo offers. The motion-sensing games for Kinect ensure a great workout session while ensuring fun at home. Be it kids or adults, everyone can play together. Can Star Wars be boring when you hold the light sabre in your hand?
Price: Rs 22,990

Angry Birds Pig Helmet
You have the home theater, but still wish for a nice iPod/iPhone dock that you can place next to the couch? If you love the Angry Birds game, get yourself the Pig Helmet 2.1 speaker. With an iPod dock on top, it connects to smartphones and tablets using a 3.5mm auxiliary cable while offering superb sound.
Price: 7,650

HP G-series
HP's latest G-series notebooks brings you style and power at a very affordable price. With spectacular Dolby Audio and high-end security features, this new series of laptops offers one of the best computing options on offer now.
Price: Rs 40,390 onwards

Traktor Kontrol S4
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Why not start trying your hand at hardcore DJing during the summer break. Experiment on your friends with a Traktor Kontrol S4, fully integrated system. The system is simple and powerful at the same time and fuses a premium-quality 4 channel DJ mixer, a built-in 24 bit/96 kHz soundcard, an intuitive controller, and the flagship TRAKTOR PRO 2 software with Remix Decks into one fully professional solution.
Price: $999

Philips Cooler
The Philips Cooler can add colour to any party at home and get you some eyeballs. Waterproof and scratch proof, this can chill the wine. Plus it comes with coloured built-in LED lights to add a sparkle to the revelry.
Price: Rs 5,795

Philips Griller
Who says grills can only be used for outdoor parties. Bring the barbecue home with the Philips Table Grill in the living room or even at the dining table itself. This grill has a high temperature plate that seals the juicy flavours in the food. The nonstick grilling surface makes the process easy.
Price: Rs 5,795

Bosch Home Tool Kit
The holidays might also be the best time to get some pending work at home done, all without the friendly neighbourhood mason. The Bosch Home Tool Kit consists of screwdrivers, drillers, wrenches, pliers and other accessories that help equip the user to do odd-jobs.
Price: Rs 4,250

Logitech Harmony 200 Remote
Numerous remotes surround us at home-for the TV, AC, set-top box, home theatre, etc. Meant to simplify our lives, these remotes can confuse and irritate us. Break free from the clutter by getting a universal remote. The Harmony 200 supports over 5,000 brands and can replace a maximum of up to three remotes. In case you need to replace more, go for a higher model.
Price: Rs 2,799

Trane Residential Solutions
Getting out of bed can be tiresome when you are working hard on your annual rest. The latest mini-split air conditioners from Ingersoll Rand's Trane Residential Solutions are interlinked to the electronic main door mortise lock and lets you open and close the later from anywhere in the room. Of course, the controlling unit also regulates the room temperatures. Price: TBA

BlackBerry 9790
The BlackBerry 9790 is a great combination of good looks with utility and multimedia features. While the BlackBerry securely fetches personal and professional emails on the move, it also gives access to numerous applications for download. The 5 MP camera isn't the best, but compensates for not having any other camera handy.
Price: Rs 26,450

Samsung ES8000 LED TV
Samsung ES8000 LED TV features a slim bezel and an arch flow stand with screen sizes of up to 75 inches. The TV also has a dual-core processor which allows it to multitask by surfing the web while downloading multiple apps. Just about everything to make sure you get a good picture during those lazy days.
Price: Rs 2,67,000

Cool Master U-Stand Mini
Indoors or outdoors, we spend a lot of our time hunched over laptops. So a cooling pad for the device which can also act as a stand is a welcome accessory. Crafted from a single piece of aluminum, this stand can be comfortably used for laptops up to 15 inches. It has two 100 mm fans for cooling and five height adjustments along with three USB ports for connecting peripherals such as keyboard and mouse.
Price: Rs 3,199

Sennheiser HD 439
Nothing like lying back on a couch, putting your feet up and enjoying Chopin on the piano. Or do you like Wagner? Even perhaps the loved Jagat Singh ghazals. Whatever your choice of composer, the new Sennheiser HD series will play it for you. This series might not find fans among those who like hard metal, but for the rest nothing could sound more harmonious.
Price: Rs 4,490