I am always looking for the next best gadget to add to my life. Today, I stumbled across the SodaStream and I wondered why I hadn’t heard of this before!

The premise behind the SodaStream is that it takes ordinary tap water and turns it into soda water (or flavored soda) in a few seconds. Not only it is good for the environment (no cans, 2 liter soda bottles, C02 cartridges are recycled, etc), it’s also kind on your wallet. You can make a quart of flavored soda for about $0.41/quart.

Of course the main attraction for me is the convenience. I am not a HUGE soda drinker but when I want some, I never seem to  have it handy. So that would be pretty amazing to be able to create a batch of soda within a few seconds!

I have found it for under $80 (delivered) on the internet. I am sure if I wait a little while longer it will come down in price a little more. Still, at $80 I think it’s a great deal. What could be better than soda on demand – especially if it’s good for the environment AND my wallet. SOLD!

Just a few short years ago, the only way to transfer old VHS tapes to DVD was to use a service – usually starting at about $35.00 per one hour worth of tape. The price slowly dropped as new technology was introduced. Consumers could purchase DVD-recorders, connect them to their TVs and transfer tape that way. The process was not always simple and many rejected discs later, most consumers gave up.

Fast-forward a few years, and now for about $200, Sony’s DVDirect® DVD Recorder MC6, model #VRD-MC6 can take the task of transferring your old home movies from just about any camcorder format, and turn them into a nice little pile of DVD discs. The VRD-MC6 will connect with virtually any camcorder, VCR or DVR, and it even accepts four of the most common memory cards (MemoryStick® Pro, MemoryStick Pro Duo, Secure Digital (SD/SDHC), or xD). You can record high definition AVCHD video from Sony HDD or Memory Stick® Handycam® camcorders to DVD, playable in Blu-ray Disc compatible devices. Naturally, as a Sony product, it will natively work best with Sony camcorders.

The major downside would be that it copies to disc in real-time so that a 1 hour VCR tape takes 1 hour to transfer. To me, that’s a small price to pay to have my precious home videos and digital pictures safely – and easily – transferred to disc.

For more information and specs, go to the Sony product page.

So you need to buy a replacement cell phone midway through your contract period. You check out the replacement cost and are shocked to find that the phone will cost you hundreds more than you paid to begin with. The truth is, the cost of electronic components used to build your portable electronics is a pretty high percentage of the gadget price. While the increased availability of surface mount electronic components has kept the prices in check overall, there are still some necessary components that have kept the prices of these electronics elevated.

Here’s a breakdown of retail price vs the cost of the  components used to build some popular electronic items:

Phones

Google Nexus One

Retail price: Starting at $179
Cost of components: $174

The retail price is for a Nexus One through T-Mobile with a 2 year contract.  Without a contract, expect to pay over $500 for this phone.

Motorola Droid

Retail price: Starting at $199
Cost of components: $185

Heavilly promoted as the ‘anti-iPhone’, the Droid is another smart phone that is made up of an expensive list of electronic parts. If you purchase the phone without a contract, it will cost you nearly $600; a Motorola Droid with a 2 year Verizon Wireless contract is just under $200.

Apple iPhone 3GS

Retail price: Starting at $199
Cost of components: $179.16

In general, the cost of new generation electronics usually decreases with each new round. The iPhone 3GS is an exception due to the price of the included memory which has not declined as much as in the past. In the case of the iPhone, the new version actually costs about $5 more to produce than its predecessor.

Research In Motion BlackBerry Storm

Retail price: $249 (before rebate)
Cost of components: $202.89

Also hailed as an ‘iPhone-killer’, the newest Blackberry smart phone is an expensive piece of equipment to produce. The most surprising thing is the cost of the wireless chip that’s included: $35 for just the wireless chip in this phone.

Other Devices

Amazon Kindle 2

Retail price: $359
Cost of components: $185.49

More than half of the cost of materials for the latest version of the Kindle comes from the cost of the display ($60) and the included wireless chip ($39.50). Interestingly, the battery for the Kindle costs $7.50 according to the tear-down report done by iSuppli.

Apple iPod Shuffle

Retail price: $49 (4GB)
Cost of components: $21.77

The bulk of the cost of components for the Shuffle is about $10 for two chips: a flash memory chip to store the music and a chip for the control functions of the unit. Including packaging, the Shuffle costs less than $22 to produce.

Apple iPad

Retail price: Starting at $499
Cost of components: $219.35 to $334.95

The recently introduced Apple iPads are produced in both 3G and non-3G models. Apple hopes you will buy their 3G models as those are the most profitable for them.  Either way, the cost of electronic components for the iPad averages less than 50% of the retail price.

Just in time for Super Bowl weekend….West Florida Components has a free shipping offer!

Here’s the ‘catch’: US shipments only. Good now through Sunday, February 7th, 2010, 11:59PM. Minimum order: $15.00. Use code: SUPERBOWL during the checkout process to get free shipping on your electronic components, parts and supplies.

The best part is that we don’t care if you’re rooting for the New Orleans Saints or if you’re an Indianapolis Colts fan….EVERYONE gets the free shipping discount. (Even New York Jets fans!)