When it comes to high-tech gadgets and electronics, tablets are the current hot product, thanks to the iPad. So expect plenty of tablets to land under Christmas trees this holiday season.
Here's a look at the hottest iPad alternative, the Kindle Fire, along with a variety of other quirky gadgets, some more useful than others:
-- Kindle Fire (Amazon.com, $199): If the Apple iPad 2 is a bit pricey for you at $499, Amazon offers a reasonably priced alternative tablet. You get Web access, email support, Kindle e-books and Android apps. The tradeoff for the price: It lacks photo or video camera capability, memory expansion or a GPS.
-- Rocksmith (Ubisoft, $79.99): Ditch the clunky plastic fake guitar used on "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero." This game allows you to use a real guitar and gives you an opportunity to learn chords. There are varying difficulty levels. Songs comes from acts ranging from the Rolling Stones to Nirvana to the Black Keys. It's available on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
-- Cat and dog pet eye-view camera (Perpetual Kid, $39.99): Do you wonder what your cat or dog does while you're out? This camera, attached to your pet's collar, will take interval photos of one, five or 15 minutes. You can upload the photos onto your computer via a USB cable.
-- iPhone blood-pressure monitor (Hammacher Schlemmer, $99.99): If you need to track your blood pressure, this does the trick but also downloads all the information directly into your iPhone. Your results can even be directly emailed to your doctor. The included arm cuff and docking station links to the iPhone, which displays systolic, diastolic, and pulse readings via a free application.
-- Coffee-cuprshaped car charger (RedEnvelope.com, $49.95): This power inverter looks just like a travel mug and fits into a cup holder in the car. Plugged into your car's DC outlet, it provides two AC outlets for laptops, DVD players and phone chargers, and a USB power port for iPods, MP3 players and cellphones.
-- "Star Wars" Mimobot thumb drives (ThinkGeek.com, $24.99-$29.99): For geeks who find a regular thumb drive a visual bore, try out these limited edition 4-GB thumb drives shaped like your favorite "Star Wars" characters, from Yoda to Darth Vader.
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