Top 10 Tech Toys You Can Actually Afford

Gadgets are cheaper than ever, but to stay with the times, you need more of them than ever, too.

10. Nintendo DS Lite Portable Gaming System
Sure, full-size gaming consoles like the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 get all the headlines, but they're not much use on the school bus or in your dentist's waiting room. We've become accustomed to continually tumbling prices, so with the latest PSP bucking that trend, I think the much cheaper Nintendo's DS Lite is worth a second look. Boasting extra-bright dual screens, one of which is also a touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity for multiplayer action, and hundreds of games including hot titles like Madden NFL '08, the $129 DS Lite makes a great portable rig for someone who doesn't really need the PSP's video player features. Nintendo DS Lite





9. Nikon Coolpix L10 Digital Camera
Now that we've figured out there's more to a great digital camera than who's leading in the megapixel wars, it's time to find a model at a great price with just the features we really need. Nikon has always made great cutting-edge cameras, but most of the company's higher-end models are loaded with doodads few of us will ever explore. The Coolpix L10 can take wonderful pictures, but by sticking to the basics, including a 5-megapixel imager, 2-inch screen, and a 3x zoom — along with a nifty movie mode that turns it into a simple camcorder — Nikon's managed to get the street price way down to $119, or about one Ben Franklin on the street. Nikon Coolpix L10



8. Compaq C500T Laptop
People thought it was a big deal when laptop computers started to bust through the $500 price level, but we've found a deal for a bunch less than that. This Compaq does cut a few corners with a pretty basic 80-GB hard drive, 512 MB of RAM, and no FireWire port, but there's still a decent 15.4-inch screen, a DVD burner, and built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi to keep you connected on the road. All for $449 — less than the price of that wild weekend in Amsterdam you somehow can't remember. Compaq C500T notebook





7. Cobra GPSM 2100 Mobile GPS Navigation System
Few gadgets have seen their prices tumble quite as fast as in-car navigation rigs, and currently the bargain-basement value leader must be the Cobra GPSM 2100 at $385 list. This is a good example of where the retail price doesn't tell the whole story, because if you shop around you'll discover that you can score a 2100 for about $155 less than the "official" price. Even so, with its 3.5-inch color touchscreen, turn-by-turn voice directions, and preloaded maps of all 50 States and Canada, this is a big step up from those old-skool stripped-down black-and-white models from a few years back

6. Vizio VP42 HDTV Plasma TV
Plasma TVs have long been the drool-worthy object of desire for many of us, but with the exception of a few sketchy 480p EDTV models, they've remained just a bit beyond most people's budget. While 1080p may be latest buzzword, the experts will tell you that below 50 inches, you'd be hard-pressed to see a difference between that and 720p, which is great news because the prices of 720p sets have been dropping faster than Britney Spears' dignity. At $999 ($899 at Circuit City), Vizio's VP42 is one of the first 720p sets to break the $1,000 level, but this is no bare-bones model; it has built-in speakers, two HDMI inputs, and dual tuners with PIP this should help you to keep you up with the Joneses for at least a while




5. Harman Kardon AVR146 A/V Receiver
No home theater is complete without a kick-ass sound system, and the hub of most audio rigs is an A/V receiver. Not only does this do all of the signal switching and audio decoding, it also provides the horsepower to run the speakers. The trouble is that most people want to run their signals using HDMI connections, while most of the receiver people include that feature on only their top models. Harmon Kardon's got it figured out though, giving us HDMI even at the entry level — the $349 AVR146. The big money saver here is the modest 30 watts per channel output rating, which might sound kind of wimpy on paper, but remember, most systems use a separately powered subwoofer to do almost all of the heavy lifting (i.e. the bass).

4. Philips DVP 3960 Upscaling DVD Player
Now that you have that fancy new flat screen, you'll need something to play on it. Blu-ray and HD DVD are great, but they're going to cost you about half again as much as the screen, and that's before you buy any discs to feed them. A more cost-effective solution would be to get a player that can upsample your current DVDs, and even though the resulting signal isn't true high-def, it comes pretty darned close for the same price as about three of those fancy HD discs. Unlike some more-expensive upsampling players, the $70 DVP 3960 from Philips only manages to muster a 1080i output at best, but still, that's a big upgrade over standard 480p


3. RCA EZ201 Small Wonder Camcorder
While your videographer friends won't exactly turn green with envy, it's hard to deny that RCA's ultra basic Small Wonder camcorders are just perfect for those of us who simply want to make a quick movie of the new baby or Timmy's grand slam to send to the grandparents. Downloading the videos using the flip-out USB connector couldn't be easier, or you can connect the Small Wonder directly to your TV. Any budding Fellini's without access to a computer can also get their footage burned to a DVD at some drug stores and photo shops. While the cheapest EZ101 model can be found for around 80 clams, we would "splurge" an extra $26 for the EZ201 ($149, $106 street), which has double the recording time, a higher resolution setting, and an SD card slot



2. 7LQ 2-GB MP3 Player
It seems like everyone has an iPod these days, and even though Apple does make a model for us cheapskates, we feel that navigating the display-less shuffle is a bit like pointing blindly at the menu in a restaurant, and hoping you like what they serve up. The 7LQ brand may not have quite the same cachet as Apple, but its 2-GB MP3 player does things that the shuffle can only dream of for less than half its price. In addition to having double the capacity, there's a two-line display, an FM tuner and an equalizer. Because it runs off a single AAA battery you won't be without tunes if your battery runs out away from home. But best of all, the 7LQ costs only $29.55, about as much as a couple of CDs.

1. T-Mobile Sidekick iD Smartphone
With all the hoopla surrounding the iPhone launch a couple of months back, you'd think Apple had actually invented something new. While it can't quite match the sleekness or features of an iPhone, the Sidekick iD is a whole lot more than a basic phone. The clever flip-out display reveals a QWERTY keyboard that lets you type IMs, send e-mail, and browse the Internet more easily than with a thumb-bending Blackberry. Okay, so it doesn't have a camera or MP3 player, but at a paltry $50 (after rebates, $250 list), you should still have enough left in your budget to add one of each of those from the other entries in this list.