What's hot for Christmas

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Adam Picerno, the home essentials specialist at Best Buy in Plattsburgh, holds two of the store's hot Christmas gift items, the Move game controller for Playstation 3 and the XBox Kinect, a-controller-free device for its video game system.
The Playstation 3 Move game controller and (on right) the Xbox Kinect device.

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November 28, 2010

Toys, gadgets that are flying off the shelves

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Nov 28, 2010, 02:28 AM EST

Every generation has its own way of preparing for Christmas, whether it be creating, shopping or dropping hints.

Up until the early 1900s, most gifts were handmade, whether knit socks, carved trains or home-baked foods and crafts, and they're still very popular. Then came the "wish books" from Sears and Montgomery Wards and window shopping. Retailers got smart and sponsored Santa Claus on the local radio station, reading letters from little kids stating their heart's desire, hoping parents would dash out to fill that list, making the kiddies happy on Christmas morning.

Now we live in the age of technology, a quick search on the Internet will open a vast world of possibilities for gift giving. If computer access is available, check out www.hottoys2010.com for not only the most popular toys, but whether or not they are available at five large retailers: Walmart, Target, Amazon, Toys R Us and eBay. Each offers direct shipping or search capabilities for a store nearby.

At the top of the popular toy list are building toys like Legos. The consumer can choose from a variety of themes like Harry Potter, Star Wars, Toy Story, Atlantix or Sponge Bob, to name a few. Next popular, according to one poll, are little people named Squinkies, who have a cupcake-shaped bakery, a surprise playhouse, among other options, and they live in bubbles. Zhu-zhu pets are third on the list. They can be a special-forces hamster, ninja warrior or samurai scorpion. Most of these toys state they are not for under three because they either have small or moving parts.

Remember Barbie— She's back and has gone high tech. Barbie Video is a real working video camera with real-time playback and full-color LCD screen. For the boys, how about a Razor scooter, the 10th anniversary edition. This one won the Toy of the Year Award in 2000 from the Toy Industry Association.

For the preschool group, Mattell games, Nerf toys and Thomas and Friends are more recognizable along with Hasbro, Fisher-Price and Matchbox. In the cross-category list are the V-Tech readers and touch learning systems.

At www.besttoysguide.com, the shopper can choose from nearly 50 categories of toys. Instead of supplying places to purchase the products, reviewers have offered product dependability, what the item is made of, safety issues and suggest price. They also break down the toys into boys, girls, babies, toddlers, preschoolers and teens.

The North Country has many unique shops that offer the more traditional toys, like Vermont Toy and Hobbies on Smithfield Boulevard in Plattsburgh. They offer gifts like wooden toys, trains, building blocks and lots of board games.

"A lot of people are choosing to stay home and hold board-game nights," said Ken Turner, store manager. "Puzzles have also become extremely popular for all ages."

For the early teens, Turner recommends science kits, Nerf toys and the more complicated Legos sets, along with model car and airplane kits.

Most larger stores are into the technology age, popular with all ages, and their product lines reflect the trend. Adam Picerno, home-essentials specialist at Best Buy in Plattsburgh, said the popular item this year is the motion-control product like Kinect for Xbox 360 and PS3 Move, which operates like a Wii.

"These two products allow you to not only interact through motion, but they read your body and tell you how you're doing," he explained. "They teach dance moves and give you a score. It's a healthy alternative to sitting on the couch with a remote."

Picerno said Kinectimals offer family-friendly games with the operator playing with a baby tiger and many other titles. He said Kinect adds even more functionality to Xbox.

"You can video chat across the country or around the world, choose from saved movies with just a touch or use voice control to pause the movie if the phone rings," he said. "There is hardly a limit to what's available."

Following the Twilight craze, Twilight 3 will be available on DVD before Christmas. MP3 players are always popular and iPod has a newly released model.

On the cell-phone scene, whether for kids or adults, Smartphones offer multiple upscale features. Internet browsers and special apps (applications) like a stock counter are catching the eye of the techno savvy.

When our grandparents or parents asked for a book for Christmas when they were young, they would find Zane Grey, Curly Tops, Mrs. Wiggs and the Cabbage Patch or the Bobbsey Twins under the tree. Not so today with the introduction of Kindle and Nook.

Kindle, made by Amazon, and Nook by Barnes & Noble, can hold up to 15,000 books when downloaded electronically from the store's website. The cost is normally less than buying the paper book, which can get torn or deteriorate over time. When the zealous reader has read all the downloads, the reader can delete all books and start again.

The Apple iPod can do all that Kindle and Nook can do, but it also operates as a notebook, allowing it to be written on.

While it is literally impossible to include all the toy choices for all the ages and all the outlets that offer them, consumers should check local stores for the products they seek. Many small-store owners are also stocking the most popular Christmas products, whether they be wooden trains, digital cameras or food baskets. What would our grandparents think of these Christmas choices— It would depend on who you ask. From wooden trains to puzzles to Smartphones, the choices are countless.

"It's all about technology these days," said Picerno, "and it's changing all the time. But the simpler gifts are out there too, and the customer makes the choice."