Gadgets Topped Holiday Wish Lists

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report in Special English. Once again, consumer electronics topped the list of the most wanted gifts during the holiday season. Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group's latest research suggests that Americans increased their spending on technology products this year. Tablet computers were one of the best-selling products. Brian Tong is senior editor of CNET.com. The website reports on technology news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini has been one of the most popular tablets. Prices for it start at $329. One of Apple's biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. Its prices start at $199. Brian Tong says the Nexus 7 has more powerful hardware than the iPad Mini and it uses Google Maps. But, there is one reason why people may like the Apple product more than the Nexus 7. The iPad still has the largest group of high quality apps. Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says smart cameras are also popular. They connect to the Internet through WiFi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Many stores understand that, so to keep customers, some stores offer to match lower prices that their customers find in other places within 30 days. For VOA Learning English, I'm Laurel Bowman. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 17Dec2012)