Gadgets. New Year Gifts.

The New Year holidays are approaching, which means the pleasant season of choosing and buying gifts for your loved ones and friends is upon us. To keep the pre-holiday days from turning into a mad dash around the shops, it's better to get on with it now. The question arises: so what to give? All sorts of figurines in the shape of the year's zodiac symbol have long since become a cliché. You want to give something truly original! We offer for your attention a selection of interesting, useful and fun gadgets that could serve as an excellent New Year gift.

The Singaporean company Creative→ has released, specially for New Year 2009, a series of MP3 players, ZEN Moo and ZEN Moo Plus, shaped like cute cartoon cow faces. Such a design choice is no accident, since the coming year falls precisely under the sign of the ox (cow)! The players have 2 GB of memory, a battery capable of up to 20 hours without recharging, a built-in speaker, and also support the WMA format. The ZEN Moo Plus model is additionally equipped with an OLED display, an FM tuner, an alarm clock and a voice recorder. The price of the players is not yet known. By all appearances it won't differ much from the price of the ZEN Stone (around 800 rubles) and ZEN Stone Plus (around 1500 rubles) players, which served as the basis for the ZEN Moo models.

The JVC SP-AW303 stereo system from Victor-JVC→ () will make a wonderful gift for someone who won't part with music for a minute, even in the bathroom! The gadget consists of two 28 mm speakers built into a special splash-proof housing. A transparent film, behind which the player sits, protects it from splashes and lets you press the buttons even with wet hands. The system can run for up to 6 hours on four AA batteries. The gadget is compatible with most MP3 players. It comes in blue, pink and white. The JVC SP-AW303 stereo speaker costs $80; you can buy it here→.

The Japanese children's toy maker Takara Tomy→, together with Zink→, whose work is based on a patented ink-free image-printing technology, have released a digital camera with a built-in printer called the Xiao TIP-521. The essence of Zink technology is that instead of ink it uses special paper whose structure contains crystals of three colors. The picture appears as a result of the printer's heat acting on these crystals. The device lets you print a 50x76 mm photo of an image in less than a minute right after taking it! The gadget is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera, a 2.48-inch display, 16 MB of built-in memory, an SD/SDHC slot, and also an IrDA port, with which the Xiao TIP-521 can be used as a wireless printer — for example, for PDAs and smartphones that have such an interface. The camera can be purchased at the online auction eBay→ for $378.50. The special photo-printing paper can also be bought there for $25.

The company Energy Sistem→ has released a new portable multimedia player, the 4040 Touch. One of the player's distinguishing features is its attractive design. The device is equipped with a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 16 GB of memory, a micro-SD slot and an FM radio. Quality sound reproduction is provided by Microsoft's PlayFX system. The device supports the following formats: MP3, MPEG4, WMV, WAV, TXT, JPG and BMP. Stereo headphones are included with the 4040 Touch player. The gadget's dimensions are 91x52x9 mm, its weight is 83 grams, and the price on the company's website→ is 99.44 euros.

The company Philips→, one of the largest makers of smart tech devices, has developed a device to combat seasonal depression. The gadget's main function is light therapy, which is very handy in the winter season. It's known that sunlight promotes the production of certain hormones in the human body that improve a person's mental and physical state. The device emits blue light waves 470 nm long. They contain no UV-spectrum rays, so they are absolutely safe for the eyes and skin. Excessive strain on the eyes is prevented by a special light filter that scatters the rays evenly. A 15-minute session a day is enough to feel energetic and cheerful! The gadget is fitted with a backlit display and an electronic clock. You can buy the Philips goLITE BLU here→ for $249.

The Stereo Toasters headphones make a pleasant and useful gift for someone who doesn't like to part with their player even in the harsh winter frosts. Warm Primaloft→ fleece will keep your ears warm, while the stereo speakers built into the nylon shell let you enjoy your favorite music. Thanks to a convenient mounting system, Stereo Toasters can be used while snowboarding or skiing. The headphones cost $29.95. You can buy them here→.

These caring USB slippers will keep your feet warm while you spend time at the computer. Each slipper has its own on/off switch, which is very convenient, since it's not always both feet that get cold at once. USB Heating Shoes can also run on three AA batteries, so you can easily move around the room while keeping your feet warm! These cute slippers come in blue and pink. You can purchase the fun gadget here→ for $29.

A clock, alarm clock, MP3 player and FM radio — the multifunctional Soundmaster HighLine gadget includes all of this. The device is fitted with an SD/MMC slot through which you can load your favorite music tracks, and also a USB port, so the device can be used as a desktop stereo system by plugging in a music flash drive or a player. The alarm signal can be anything: an ordinary buzzer, a loaded MP3 track or a radio station. Waking up to your favorite tunes is the key to a good mood for the whole day! The Soundmaster HighLine gadget costs around $70; you can buy it here→.

Thinking of redecorating at home? Don't rush to repaint the walls! The LivingColors Mini lamp from Philips→ is made especially for those who love bright colors! The gadget is equipped with three powerful LEDs in red, green and blue. LivingColors Mini can change the color of your walls every day — you just use the built-in wheel and pick the shade you want out of 256 possibilities. You can choose one steady lighting color or all of them at once, in which case they'll shift from one color into another. The lamp will please you with the amount of light it gives off. Thanks to its stylish design, the gadget fits easily into any interior. If you're planning to throw a house party on New Year's Eve, the LivingColors Mini lamp will help you create a cozy festive atmosphere! Such a gadget would also be a flawless choice as a New Year gift. You can buy the LivingColors Mini here→ at a price of around $125.