Gadgets and gizmos for the holidays

This is the final installment on the subject of new and exciting technology gadgets and gizmos for the holidays.

Although you are reading this after Christmas, it doesn't mean that can't get that special someone or yourself an after Christmas gift.

Let's begin with something for all the kids that is really cool and educational at the same time. The Fable is a new tablet that is totally interactive and designed specifically for kids. This device gives kids the ability to read, draw, play and establish a connection to a mobile broadband network.

The Fable has a kid-friendly, high-resolution, 7-inch LCD touch screen and it comes loaded with some of the best known kids stories that include color pictures as well.

Besides the e-books that are already loaded onto Fable, parents will have the ability to purchase more directly online, by way of VizitMe, which is an online bookstore that The Fable can connect to.

Kids will love The Fable even more because of the other features it has, like an artistic toolset with digital markers, paintbrushes, magic pens and different shapes used to draw and color on a blank page, coloring pages and photos. There are cool, interactive games that are based on numbers, reading, food, colors, shapes and a bunch of other themes.

And parents, if you're concerned about security protocols to protect your child against getting into digital content that they shouldn't, you can monitor and restrict your child's access through pin codes and a password-protected VizitMe account. The Fable is made by Isabella Products and can be purchased from most big box stores or online.

Now we are going to take a trip down memory lane. A lot of you won't remember this and I am really dating myself with the mention of this, but how many of you remember the Dick Tracy cartoon strip that was once in the newspaper and there was a comic book as well.

If you do recall the master detective, then you have to remember the cool watch that he wore and the fact that it was a walkie-talkie and also had two-way video.

You too can now be just like Dick Tracy. Behold the arrival of the Rebel sWaP Watch, which is not only a watch, but also a mobile phone with Bluetooth, camera, video player, recorder and MP3 player all combined into one sweet package.

The Rebel sWaP Watch has a 1.46-inch touch screen with a mini stylus and it supports WAP connection, enabling you to surf the web on the go. Even though the Rebel sWaP Watch has an incredible amount of varied functions, it is still a watch that does tell time accurately. To find out where to get this watch, just Google it.

I thought it would be only fitting to finish off with something from the green realm. Given that there is a big push to bring the electric car onto the automobile market in a bigger way, we should definitely review a device that, if you decide to move to the electric car, promises to turn your home into an electric car charging station.

This new technology is named the Coulomb CT500. This device is the brainchild of Coulomb Technologies and is being made available to residential consumers who own or will own electric vehicles.

The CT500 charging station is a 7.2 kw single output station intended for residential and light business applications. It features Level II (208/240 V @ 30 A) charging and is compatible with plug-in electric vehicles that meet the terms of SAE J1772 plug-in electric vehicle-charging standard.

CT500 charging station is available through Coulomb's OEM and distribution channels. Coulomb has already partnered with Ford and Chevy and has placed a significant number of the charging stations throughout the United States For more details on the device and how to get it, just go online.

From all of us at Bardissi Enterprises, we hope you enjoyed this year's holiday gadgets and gizmos and we hope that your Christmas was very merry and that you got some good gift suggestions from this series.

- Andino Ward