One of my friends is going to study abroad next year.  He's looking to get a nice camera for under $300.  Here's what I found.

• Compact
  • Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V (Review of the video capability by pros) Slightly over budget, but really good HD video. (My top choice.)
  • Canon PowerShot SX230HS (Review, Review)
  • Fujifilm FinePix F550EXR (Review)
  • Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR This is older (and cheaper), but some people are saying they like the picture qualities better than the newer F550.
• Bigger
  • Nikon COOLPIX L120
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
• Coming soon
  • Sony DSC-TX55

Don't forget extra memory cards (16 GB or 32 GB SDHC )!

Xbox 360

• Kinect Sensor
• 12 Month Xbox Live
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Dragon Age 2
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3

PlayStation 3

• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Gran Turismo 5
• LittleBigPlanet 2
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Wii

• Donkey Kong Country Returns
• Just Dance 2
• Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
• Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board

For the first quarter of 2011, here are some laptops that I like.  They all have the follow specs (unless specified differently):

• Intel Core i3
• 4GM RAM
• Integrated video card
• 500 GB HDD
• Resolution: 1366x768

• Apple MacBook Pro MC374LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop
• ASUS U35F-X1 13.3" - 3.7 lbs
• ASUS U35JC-A 13.3" - Nvidia 310M - 3.7 lbs
• ASUS U43JC-X1 i5 - Nvidia G310M - 14" - 4.7 lbs
• ASUS U45JC-A1 Nvidia G310M - 14" - 4.6 lbs
• Acer Aspire TimelineX 320 GB HDD - 13.3" - 3.97 lbs
• Sony VAIO Y 1366x768 - 3.9 lbs
• HP Pavilion dm4 i5 - 14" - 4.4 lbs (I bought a version of this laptop!)
• HP Envy 14 i5 - ATI Radeon HD 565 - 640 GB HDD - 14.5" - 5.2 lbs

Amazon:

• Black Friday
• Cyber Monday
• Electronics

Video Games

• Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle

The next generation of the Kindle comes with WiFi ($139) or 3G/WiFi ($189). If you travel a lot or don't mind spending a litle more cash for some conveniences, I would opt for the 3G/WiFi version.

Currently the Kindle has almost 5000 reviews with an average rating above 4 star. That's saying a lot! If you like to read, the Kindle is the way to go.

If you're looking a media player but don't want to go with Apple's iPod (either because of price, principle, or other), Microsoft's Zune HD is a good alternative.  Some of the features that you get from the Zune that's not available in an iPod is HD output and HD radio.  But you give up the Apple's AppStore (currently, Zune's apps aren't as plentiful).

If you have a Zune, some of the nice accessories are

• Zune HD
• HD AV Dock
• Silicon Skin
• Screen Protectors

Super Street Fighter IV is coming out on April 27, 2010. If you pre-order via Amazon, you also get a 5 Pack Costume Download code.

There are 10 new characters and a few additions. My most anticipated feature is the online team battle. Finally I can play this game with multiple friends at the same time!

For the first quarter of 2010, here are some laptops, broken into a couple categories:

Ultra Portables

• ASUS Eee PC (1201N)
• ASUS UL (UL30A-X5, UL30A-A2, UL30Vt-X1)

i7

• Dell Studio s1557
• HP DV6-2190US
• Sony VAIO VPC-F111FX/H

i5

• Dell Inspiron i1764
• HP Pavilion DV6-2170US

I used to play a lot of board games when I was younger.  Some notable ones were Risk and Acquire .  Recently I started hearing good things about The Settlers of Catan (Extension).

Every now and then Amazon has a good deal on a 12-month Xbox Live subscription!