The Best Gadgets
Google Glass
The display, which is obviously the highlight of the devices, will have a resolution that “is the equivalent of a 25 inch high-definition screen from eight feet away.” In its developer guides, Google says photos should have a 640x360px resolution, so that’s probably also the resolution of the Glass display, though Google interestingly doesn’t note this in the specs.
The first version of Glass will also feature a 5 megapixel camera that can also do 720p video. Glass will come with 16GB of Flash storage of which 12GB will be usable (and synced with Google’s cloud storage service). The company says the device should have enough battery power to last a full day “of typical use,” but it also warns that features like Hangouts and video recordings are more battery intensive.
DJI Phantom 2 Vision+
This is far and away the most expensive item on our Holiday Shopping Guide, but it’s also extremely awesome. Allowing for stable aerial shots, the The Phantom 2 Vision+ drone includes an impressive camera and a host of navigation features (it can even return “home” and land, completely on it’s own). The camera’s positioning and settings can be controlled from a smartphone app mid-flight, so you never miss that perfect angle. Welcome to the future.
OnePlus one
I've mentioned it a few times now, but the OnePlus One's 5.5-inch display really is quite the specimen. At 5.5-inches it's bigger than both the One M8's and Galaxy S5's, though it has the same 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution. Admittedly that makes it a little less pixel-dense, but with 401ppi I defy anyone to call it anything but sharp.
If you're thinking that OnePlus may have cut corners with the quality of this display, then think again. It's an IPS display, which means it's sharp and accurate even when viewed from an angle, and it's made by JDI, the company responsible for the One M8's excellent screen.
SoundLink® Bluetooth® speaker III
Meet the speaker that brings your music and friends together—with a style that’s all your own. The SoundLink® Bluetooth speaker III is our best-performing mobile Bluetooth speaker. It plays louder and longer than its popular predecessor, with advanced Bose® technologies that reproduce the fullness, clarity and depth of your music. A colorful assortment of optional covers lets your personalize your speaker.
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Ultrabook
Lenovo wisely retained the excellent tactile feedback its laptop keyboards have always delivered. I also like the new clickpad, which is slightly larger because its right, left, and center mouse buttons are integrated into the pad. Traditionalists might balk at this design, but it is an improvement—and the old, familiar track stick is still there for true conservatives.
