Get 'Gadget-ed' For Under Rs. 35,000

The recession may not seem too bad at the moment but it’s possible that things could get really bad really quick. While daily spending will be one of the bigger problems we’ll face for sure, the ‘techie’ is also going to have his share of problems as prices may go up and our spending capacities may not be as elastic as under normal conditions. For those looking to stock up on tech before the possible ‘Big Hit’ to the market, here are a few items you might want to consider with a budget of Rs. 35, 000.

Straight up I’d like to explain that it made no sense to include a Netbook as it would reduce the chance of purchasing other gizmos for other purposes. And yes, there are mobile handsets that can pretty much do it all from media to business and even gaming, but again, this is for those gadget freaks like me who like having a variety of gizmos, each dedicated to particular facets of their lifestyle. It’s possible you may even be able to get some of these devices at cheaper rates depending on where and what deals could come up depending on the dealers, but these are the prices that they’re available at now.

Mobile Phone Nokia E63 – Rs. 12,419

Nokia’s E63, little brother to the E71, is fully equipped to handle nearly everything that the previous aforementioned model could. It’s equipped with the same QWERTY keypad and 320 x 240 pixel, 2.36 inch display. The differences in the two are that the E63 is available in red and blue colors, comes with 2MP camera and the build quality may not be as metallic as the E71’s. It’s perfect for normal mobile usage i.e. calls and messages, but with EDGE and Wi-Fi for internet connectivity, it’ll work out just fine for business usage since you can download emails and review documents right from the handset. The E63 also supports external memory with microSD cards and Stereo Bluetooth. The lack of GPS is not really a big deal so as an alternative you could use Google Maps.

Personal Media Player GoGear SA5245BT – Rs. 7,205

Philips’ GoGear range of media players took a very neat upscale with the SA5245BT, BT meaning Bluetooth enabled. It’s 4GB of space, ensures that you have plenty of space for your audio and since you’ll have to convert videos, their size is reduced so you’ll have enough space for those as well. The SA5245BT has a 2.8-inch TFT LCD with a QVGA display resolution (240 x 320 pixels) and supports USB 2.0 for quick data transfer. Philips’ Full Sound Technology tries to ensure that audio quality is at the optimum level in terms of decibel level and overall quality. It also comes equipped with a sound recorder form the built-in microphone and a Stereo FM radio that also has its own recorder. It’s a feature rich device for portable video and audio.
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Digital Camera_
Canon PowerShot A470 – Rs. 6, 500 (Rs. 6, 800 with 4GB memory card)_

The A470 is a 7.1 megapixel camera with 3.4x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch TFT LCD display. For those who are particular about style and color it’s available in Gray, Blue, Red and Orange. Feature-wise, the A470 comes with Canon’s Face Detection Technology that in itself has specific features like WB for calculating white balance for skin tones and Face Select and Track that can be used to highlight one face among several in a scene. There are plenty of scene modes to choose from and other features like Motion Detection Technology and Red Eye Correction. The A470 is also capable of shooting videos in VGA (640 x 480 at 20 fps/20 fps LP) resolution. For storage you can use a normal SD or MMC card which in most places will be available with the packaging (2GB).

Portable Gaming Device Nintendo DS Lite – Rs. 6,500

Nintendo’s handheld gaming console, the DS Lite is perfect for the avid gamer on the go. The dual (3-inch) transmissive touchscreen portable gaming device is a lot lighter and sleeker than the original DS, hence the name. Along with the standard gaming controls and stylus, it also uses voice commands for certain games via the built in microphone. It comes with built in Stereo Speakers as well as 3.5mm earphone socket. It has support for both Nintendo DS game cards and Game Boy Advance game packs and also uses Nintendo’s proprietary wireless format for connecting to other DS users for co-op play or chatting via the PictoChat application. Click on the link for more information on games and news on the Nintendo DS.

Speakers Sonpre S021 Capsule Speaker – Rs. 2000

What may seem like an odd, black Easter egg shaped device is a Sonpre’s S021 Capsule speakers. These mini portable speakers are exactly what the doctor ordered for those who like to share their music (I implore you to please avoid using these in the trains). The egg shaped speaker set expands and splits into two separate speakers that can be connected to each other via the mini USB ports on each. The main speaker that can also be charged via the same USB port from a PC is also equipped with the volume control and Line In socket for connecting your player. The accordion line style helps enhance the overall bass effect, not that you should expect too much of it anyhow. Don’t expect to be throwing parties with S021 speakers, but you can at least share your audio with a few people in the vicinity and also use them if you’d rather not use a headset.

What you’ll end up with is a surplus of Rs. 76 which you can use towards your transport to and from the store to buy your goodies. So there you have it, even in these hard times of recession with a realistic budget of Rs. 35,000 you can equip yourself with the very latest in portable technology for all purposes. These are just my choices and there are plenty more options out there. Of course you could probably use that money in a more sensible way, but I know I wouldn’t.