There’s no doubt about it: the Sony Walkman NWZ-A845 is a classy MP3 player. Unfortunately, its exceptional performance is more than reflected in its price.

At $399 for the 16GB model, the NWZ-A845 is considerably more expensive than its equivalent model from Apple, the 16GB iPod Nano - $150 more expensive, as a matter of fact. Its features and performance are on a par with the Nano, while sound quality is slightly better. Whether or not it’s $150-worth of better will be up to you to decide.

Price aside, this is a classy device from Sony - both in terms of looks and performance. It’s both slim and sexy, measuring in at under 8mm thick, and is finished in glossy black. It boasts an excellent 2.8-inch OLED display that handles photos and videos admirably.

Then there is the NWZ-A845’s audio quality. As mentioned above, it’s excellent. It features built-in noise-cancellation technology in three profiles: bus, plane and office. Each profile is customised for the unique noise conditions of that environment. You can also adjust the equaliser settings, depending on how much bass you like served with your music.

Battery life is also a significant improvement over the iPod Nano. Sony claims it’s capable of 29 hours of audio playback or eight hours of video off a single full charge. Unfortunately, the device can only be charged by hooking it up to a computer, and you can’t use it when it’s charging.

Buy a cheap MP3 player on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

Well, nothing is guaranteed to make the working day miserable like wet feet, and that means I’m suffering from a severe case of the sads today.

We’ve had on-and-off periods of torrential rain here in Sydney today, and it appeared to stop at around 10am so I thought to myself, “here’s the perfect opportunity to nip over to the IGA for a can of Coke Zero”.

Unfortunately, the rain decided to start up again when I was halfway to the supermarket, and now I’m sitting here with soaking wet feet.

Also unfortunate is the fact that I had a perfectly good pair of gumboots sitting under my desk, but decided I didn’t need them for the two minute trek to the supermarket and back.

Anyhow, the long and the short of it is that there’s no shame in wearing gumboots when it’s raining, even if it does make you feel like you’ve just rolled in from the farm. It beats sitting around with wet feet for the rest of the day, and anyway, who cares what people on the street think about you wearing gumboots with your work attire?

I love these Pucci-inspired gumboots from Puddle Beach, which are available online for $88.11.

Puddle Beach is the best Australian site I’ve found for buying gumboots online, so you should keep it in mind for the winter months.

By Caroline Warnes

Now here’s a great idea for anyone on a budget (i.e. most of us) - a fashion site where nothing costs more than $50.

Fashion Under $50 is a brand new site from the people behind the Alibi clothing site, so you know these pieces will be fashionable and of decent quality.

If you haven’t found a coat for winter yet, this trenchcoat is very chic and amazing value at just $49.95.

And you should check out the knitwear section if you still haven’t stocked up for winter.

By Caroline Warnes

Digital SLR (dSLR) cameras are generally used by more advanced or professional users. This buyers guide can help you decide whether you should buy one.

Digital SLR or compact camera?

Digital SLR (from now on I’ll refer to it as dSLR) stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. They are generally not a beginner’s camera, given the range of manual controls (particularly exposure flexibility) and also the fact that most dSLR cameras are somewhat bulkier than compact cameras (the upside is that they generally produce better quality images). If you want a basic camera that you can lug around with you on holidays and take snapshots with, then you need a digital compact camera.

While dSLR cameras do tend to be more expensive than compact cameras, these days the top end of the compact heap is gradually meeting the bottom end of the digital SLR heap. This is also true in terms of features. The most advanced compact cameras often have a host of manual controls – these high-end compacts are known as compact prosumer cameras.

dSLR sensors

When looking for a new dSLR camera, one of the key terms you’ll come across is sensor. The larger the sensor, the more light it can capture and the more information it can send to the camera’s processor. This results in a better quality image, particularly for shots taken in very bright or very dim lighting.

Because dSLR cameras have larger sensors than digital compacts, you can’t compare resolution between the two. That is, a 10-megapixel dSLR will generally still produce superior images to a 10-megapixel compact. dSLR cameras with the lowest sensor resolution still product great images for print, however if you’re planning on producing prints of landscapes or other detailed work you should consider looking at higher resolutions.

There are two types of digital SLR sensor: CCD and CMOS. While there are differences between the two technologies, the key is really in how each manufacturer uses them, so there is no one answer as to which one is better.

dSLR lenses

There are three main typres of lenses for dSLRs: wide angle, standard and telephoto. As the name suggests, wide angle lenses (generally 28mm and under) are best for anything where you want to capture a lot of landscape horizontally. Standard (up to 85mm) are best for general photography and portraits, while telephoto (up to 300mm) are good for wildlife, sports and so on. Macro lenses are fairly specialised and are best for shooting close-up detail, for example on flowers.

Digital SLR cameras are sold either as standalone, body-only kits or with lenses from the same manufacturer included. If you plan on using lenses from a different manufacturer with your new dSLR, do your research first as not all lenses are compatible with all makes of camera.

Best digital SLR cameras

Popular dSLR models include the Nikon D90 (pictured here) and the Canon EOS series. Sony Alpha models are popular with first-time dSLR buyers.

Buy a cheap digital SLR (dSLR) camera on sale

Guide originally published June 4, 2009; updated May 27, 2010.

By Caroline Warnes

The new LG HR599D media player may be something of a Swiss Army knife, but at $1379, it doesn’t come cheap.

If that price wasn’t enough to make you look away, then you’ll be happy to know that the LG HR599D does offer reasonable bang for your buck: it’s a Blu-ray player, DLNA media player and dual-tuner PVR with 500GB hard drive, all rolled into one neat package.

If you want to break that down, that means that as well as playing your Blu-ray discs and DVDs, the HR599D can also play back content in a wide range of formats (MPEG2, MPEG4 AVC (H.264), SMPTE VC-1, DivX, DivX HD, MKV and AVCHD). That content can be delived in two ways, either via USB or from your home network (whether it’s Ethernet or wireless). Then, of course, there is the dual-tuner PVR functionality, which allows you to record, pause and rewind live TV. To top it off, LG has thrown in YouTube compatibility, so you can playback online content.

The good news is that the HR599D’s price tag is entirely justified. It’s easy to set up and use and handles most media very well. Blu-ray playback isn’t quite on a par with that of some high-end standalone players, but it’s still very good.

Buy a cheap Blu-ray player on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

Nothing brings out the crazies like an Apple product launch, and by the looks of it, the impending iPad launch will be no different.

Yes, come June 7, there’s no doubt we’ll once again be subjected to endless news reports about the iPad and the people who camped out to own one. Personally, I can’t wait.

To get the ball rolling, here’s something fun for iPad owners-to-be to lust over: iClothing. This stylish dress and unisex t-shirt come with a built-in pouch so you can have your iPad front-and-centre at all times - literally.

The dress sells online for $89.95, but is already sold out (however you can put your name down on a wait list). The t-shirt is available in black or white and is priced at $44.95.

By Caroline Warnes

We are giving you the chance to win one of three Logitech S125i portable speakers valued at $99.95 each simply by sharing your shopping experiences in the latest Lasoo survey.

Complete the survey and tell us in 25 words or less where your favourite place to shop is and why. The best three responses will win.

The competition closes on June 30, 2010.

You could win one of five Breville Fresca espresso machines simply be redeeming your FlyBuys points.

To go into the draw to win, simply redeem your points on one of the Breville products on page six of the current FlyBuys catalogue before August 15, 2010.

The Fresca espresso machine is new to the Breville range and is valued at $799.95. It features an integrated conical burr grinder and dosing control to help deliver the optimum path for beans to espresso in under a minute. FlyBuys has five to give away.

I’m not entirely sure what an Ultrasonic push-up bra is, but it sounds high-tech and therefore gets my seal of approval.

Well, actually, I suppose in the interests of not being lazy, I could find out more about it, so here goes. According to Lovable, the Ultrasonic push-up bra “fuses paper-touch Italian micro jersey together using heat, pressure and glue to create the ultimate smooth and flexible bra.” OK, sounds good to me.

What sounds even better is the news that Target has selected sizes of this nifty little number in white on sale for just $15 this week.

Considering the bra has an original RRP of $34.99, this could be one of those “run, don’t walk” to your nearest Target store type of situations.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re stocking up for winter, then you need to head into your nearest Portmans store by tomorrow to get 40% off all full-priced merchandise.

To claim the discount, you’ll need to be a Portmans Eport Member, so make sure you sign up online first.

Portmans has some gorgeous and affordable pieces for winter in-store at the moment, and the 40% discount makes them even more affordable.

I love this look for casual days in the office plus weekend lunches during the winter months.

By Caroline Warnes