Best of Everything 2010: Tech Gadgets and Deals
1. What weighs 8.5 ounces and holds 3,500 books? The Kindle, of course, Amazon's slender e-reader that manages to stay a step ahead of a growing list of competitors.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
Best tech gadgets
Smartest ways to read, phone, view and store.
1. What weighs 8.5 ounces and holds 3,500 books? The Kindle, of course, Amazon's slender e-reader that manages to stay a step ahead of a growing list of competitors. Not only does the latest Kindle feature a higher-contrast screen than its predecessor, it costs less, too: $139 for the Wi-Fi model; $189 for the 3G cellular edition.
2. Data backups don't have to be dull. Iomega's line of eGo Portable Hard Drives bring attitude to your archive. Featuring eye-grabbing cases with funky designs, an eGo drive brings you an extra-large, 500 gigabytes of storage for $120.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
3. The Motorola Droid X ($200 with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract) leads in a crowded field with its dazzling 4.3-inch touch screen and excels as a portable media player for Web videos and Verizon's VCast shows. The 8-megapixel camera shoots sharp still shots and high-def videos.
4. Apple's multitalented media player, the iPod Touch (8GB model, $230; 32GB, $300; 64GB, $400), keeps getting better. The latest model adds two cameras: a front-facing one for video chat and a rear-facing eye for shooting HD videos and still pictures.
Best cell plans, with and without a contract
Wal-Mart Family Mobile is a no-contract plan that's a good deal for families seeking low-cost wireless service, or for individuals who'd rather talk and text than surf the Web. Unlimited calling and texting is $45 a month on T-Mobile's network. New users can download 100 megabytes of data, which can be shared among family members. Additional lines are $25 each.
Some cell-phone plans will “nickel-and-time” you with sneaky usage fees, but Sprint's Simply Everything plan has no surprises. For $70 a month, you get unlimited calling mobile to mobile (and 450 minutes for daytime mobile-to-landline calls), plus unlimited text and data for Web browsing, video streaming and music downloads. The deal requires a two-year contract (naturally). Customers whose phones use Sprint’s new and faster 4G network pay a $10 surcharge for unlimited data with no monthly cap.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
-
Dow Adds 1,206 Points to Top 50,000: Stock Market TodayThe S&P 500 and Nasdaq also had strong finishes to a volatile week, with beaten-down tech stocks outperforming.
-
Ask the Tax Editor: Federal Income Tax DeductionsAsk the Editor In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, Joy Taylor answers questions on federal income tax deductions
-
States With No-Fault Car Insurance Laws (and How No-Fault Car Insurance Works)A breakdown of the confusing rules around no-fault car insurance in every state where it exists.
-
9 Types of Insurance You Probably Don't NeedFinancial Planning If you're paying for these types of insurance, you may be wasting your money. Here's what you need to know.
-
When Tech is Too MuchOur Kiplinger Retirement Report editor, David Crook, sounds off on the everyday annoyances of technology.
-
I Let AI Read Privacy Policies for Me. Here's What I LearnedA reporter uses AI to review privacy policies, in an effort to better protect herself from fraud and scams.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
What Is AI? Artificial Intelligence 101Artificial intelligence has sparked huge excitement among investors and businesses, but what exactly does the term mean?
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2026Roth IRAs Roth IRAs allow you to save for retirement with after-tax dollars while you're working, and then withdraw those contributions and earnings tax-free when you retire. Here's a look at 2026 limits and income-based phaseouts.
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnbreal estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute VacationTravel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.