Realizing that not everyone reads the print edition of Variety or scans all the stories that run on the site, thought this might be worth reposting.

With the holidays here, so too comes gift guide season. We’ll have a few extra items for the Technotainment reader in early- to mid-December, but if you’re planning to spend Black Friday in stores and need a few ideas, here are a few of the best items on the market for gadget lovers. Click through for additional information on why we selected each item.

DSLR: Nikon D5000

Home Media Player: FreeAgent Theater+ 

Blu-ray Player: PS3

Netbook/Notebook: Toshiba T100

HDTV: Panasonic V10 series

All-in-one remote: Logitech Harmony Remote 

Wi-Fi radio: Squeezebox Radio

Smartphone: iPhone 3GS

Personal Media Player: Zune HD 

Image by Lars Plougmann via Flickr

There have been a lot of so-called iPhone killers hitting the market since Apple launched its smartphone. None has lived up to its billing.

Now comes the Droid – and while it almost certainly will be just as ineffective at ‘killing’ the iPhone as the Pre and any other challenger, there’s a definite buzz building around this new device from Verizon and Motorola. More importantly, that buzz extends beyond the tiny world of cell phone geeks.

Running Android 2.0, an updated version of Google’s mobile operating system, the phone blends a physical keypad with a touchscreen and offers one of the most impressive screens yet for a cell phone. It also comes with a 5Mp camera and flash. And, the key selling point, it has Verizon’s reliable network backing it up, rather than AT&T’s spotty 3G coverage.

It sets a high bar, but is it enough for you to buy one? If you’re a Verizon customer approaching the end of your contract, are you going to renew with the carrier and give the Droid a shot – or hop over to AT&T and join the cult of iPhone? Sound off in the comments. 

Thinking about buying a new Mac for the holidays? The selection just got a lot wider.

Apple introduced a slew of new products today – and (in a departure for the company) did so without a major media event. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new in Apple’s online store.

iMacs – Apple has revamped the desktop machines with a slew of new features, including LED-Backlit screens, dual core processors, starting at 3.06 GHz (and going up to quad core) and 4GB of standard memory (upgradeable to 16GB if you really like to punish your OS by running dozens of programs at once. Wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse (see below) are standard.

MacBooks – The starter MacBook didn’t get cheaper (it’s still $999), but it was redesigned. Now featuring a unibody enclosure and LED-Backlit screen, it also has a built-in battery that boasts up to 7 hours on a single charge

Mac minis – The stepchild of the Mac lineup now has more memory and bigger hard drives. There’s even a version that can be used as a server.

Magic Mouse – Apple has completely revamped its mouse, ditching the trackball for a multi-touch surface. That means no buttons, but a touch-sensitive device that can act as either a one- or two-button mouse, depending on your needs. The Bluetooth peripheral (seen above) is also more customizable than it s predecessor. 

Admit it… that voice on your GPS gets old. The condescending way it says “recalculating” after you miss a turn? The harsh tone that seems to occasionally seep in when it tells you to “Turn right”?

Maybe it’s time to replace it – with the dulcet tones of Homer Simpson. TomTom has unveiled a new voice skin putting the patriarch of the Simpsons household in charge of your navigation. It’ll cost you $12.95.

Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick, but with lines recorded by Dan Castellaneta, it’s a more entertaining way to get where you’re going. For example, “Take the third right. We might find an ice cream truck! Mmm…ice cream.”

Homer isn’t the first celebrity to lend his voice to navigation systems, of course. Everyone from Mr. T to John Cleese have offered skins. Kevin Carter, a TomTom spokesperson, said the most popular, by far, has been Mr. T. The company declined to give any sales numbers though.

Carter, though, says the company expects Homer to give the iconic “A-Team” brawler a run for his money.

AT&T has offered up the details about its CruiseCast in-vehicle TV service.

The system, which is on sale now, will cost  $1,299, and carry a $28 monthly charge. Viewers will be able to watch 22 satellite TV channels and listen to 20 satellite radio channels via their rear seat entertainment systems.

The initial programming will chiefly be focused on families, says Winston Guillory Jr., president of RaySat Broadcasting Corporation, which is working with AT&T to introduce the product.

Adults won’t be left out, though, with channels such as the NFL Network and CNN being part of the mix.

A more thorough lineup of featured channels is after the break.

Microsoft is taking the battle with Apple to the next level. 

The company on Tuesday officially announced the Zune HD, a completely redesigned media player that looks set to go head to head with Apple’s iTouch and iPhone. And to help it in its fight, it's enlisting the Xbox 360. From the press release:

“Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.”

Since the Zune was first announced, Microsoft has been teasing integration with the Xbox. And tying together the video marketplaces of the two systems is long overdue. (Previously, XBL downloads haven’t been able to transfer to the Zune.) The ability to carry your downloaded films and TV shows with you takes away an advantage Sony was able to boast with the PS3 and PSP.

Meanwhile, 360 owners who previously hadn’t given the Zune much consideration may now rethink their stance on the device.

“Many of our Zune customers are Xbox Live Subscribers,” said Brian Seitz, a spokesperson for Microsoft’s Zune division. “For Xbox Live subscribers that aren’t Zune owners, we’re hoping they’ll be impressed with the video offerings they see ... and give us a second look when they’re looking for a new device.”

Look at some of the Zune HD’s new features and it’s pretty obvious that Microsoft realizes their first efforts weren’t game changing enough to make a real impact on the portable entertainment marketplace. If it lives up to the hype, the Zune HD could become a much larger player in the field.

Among the new features are:

• Built-in HD Radio receiver
  
• HD video output capabilities
  
• OLED touch screen, allowing you to flip through music, movies and other content
  
• Wi-fi
  
• Internet browser optimized for multi-touch

Of course, today’s announcement was a tease. While oodles of intriguing features were listed, nothing was said about price or memory capacity. The release date is technically “this fall,” but Seitz said mid-September was a “pretty safe bet.”

On pricing, Seitz avoided specifics, but said “This thing’s meant to go head to head with the [i]Touch, so we’ll be priced competitively.”

We’ll have more next week when we’ve seen the Zune HD and Xbox 360 in action together.

We've already seen software that could eventually replace the ubiquitoius, obsequious Hollywood assistant. Now we may have the hardware.

Per Engadget, here's a modification of the auto-vaccuum Roomba that can pick up anything. Need someone to get your coffee? Bring you your "meds" (whatever their legality)? Pick up those pens or papers or computer monitor you knocked over in a jealous rage? This baby can do it with no complaining.

The only drawback: No opportunities for inappropriate ogling when it bends over.

In a driving focused, immigrant heavy city like L.A., GPS systems in cars are pretty much de rigeur. We all need to know how to get around, especially those who work in the entertainment industry and have a big meeting for which they can't be late. They're a very, very welcome replacement for the bulky Thomas Guides that every newcomes to L.A. had to buy less than a decade ago.

Now TomTom, the biggest makers of GPS systems, is going totally Hollywood. Its new model, the XL 340S is one of several compatable with celebrity voices that can be downloaded from TomTom's website. Amongst the big names who can tell you "turn right in... point-three miles" are John Cleese, Burt Reynolds, Curt Schilling, Kim Catrall, Dennis Hopper, and, perhaps inevitably, Mr. T.

It's not really a surprise that most of those names are older B-listers. And not just because bigger names are expensive. In our irony-driven culture, most of us are probably more likely to pay $13 to hear a fondly remembered star from the '80s giving us directions than someone who's still top lining films today. (Kim Catrall, of course, gets a big exception for having a famously sexy and seductive voice.)

But TomTom's biggest draw in Hollywood might not be the voice of a celebrity who lives down the street or will be doing a meeting with you next week. It's this little feature noted in a Wired review: "You can even add your own vocals if you're feeling narcissistic."

There are a few people in the entertainment industry who are a tad bit narcisssistic and seem to enjoy the sound of their own voices. So I could see that having some appeal.

And of course the possibilities don't end there. Hollywood power players can get their assistants to record the directions for them. And they can even yell at the GPS when it makes a mistake without any fear of it quitting or gossiping about them on a tracking board.

Two great futuristic gadgets from 80s movies may finally be arriving.

New Scientist brings word of an LED camera that fits in the eye of filmmaker Rob Spence, who has had a prosthetic since he was a child and is attempting to film what that eye would be seeing. The result is that Spence looks like a self-described "eyeborg" and strongly resembles arguably the most badass movie villain of the '80s:

Engadget, meanwhile, has the scoop on the closest we're going to come to the hoverboard from "Back to the Future." The Scarpar is an off-road "powerboard" that moves with a handheld controllers and can smoothly ride in sand, on snow, or even over logs. As Engadget aptly puts it, this demo video is sick. We'll all be rolling along like Marty McFly Jr. in no time.

I'm not sure what it says about the entertainment industry, or me, that as soon as I saw this photo I immediately pictured agents, executives, and producers rolling down hallways or out of their offices to the valet stand in one.

Sure, the Chariot from Exmovere Holdings is designed for amputees and those who otherwise have trouble standing. But in a town where expending physical effort outside of the gym and without a physical trainer is generally a sign of weakness, it just could become the perfect status symbol. Reading documents and talking on the cell phone is a breeze when you don't need to move your legs to walk. Can't you just imagine a power producer rolling onto set in one of these babies, yelling at whoever needs to be yelled at, and rolling back to his or her car?

It'll be easy to differentiate between who's a worker and who's in charge based on who's got teh bottom half of a vaccuum cleaner over their legs. And of course you can bet color, power and speed will all make for subtle status differences even amongst the Hollywood elite.

Of course I'm totally joking. Even in Hollywood, nobody's that vain... right?