By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: iPods, GPS devices and a cheap-ish TV are amongst the best selling products at Dick Smith in the lead-up to Christmas. Also on the list are gaming consoles, a mobile phone and an entry level mobile phone.

Dick Smith released this information this morning, with general manager Debra Singh noting a consistency from last year of small and portable devices topping the charts.

The #1 selling product on the list is the 8GB iPod Nano, which beat out the TomTom One Start and a sub-$100 digital camera from Samsung. Other brands represented include Nintendo, Sony PlayStation, Compaq, Nokia and Flip.

The two most surprising entries are Sanyo, with a 32-inch LCD TV, and Thomson, with an iPod dock. The Sanyo entry will raise eyebrows, as many consumers probably didn’t even know it was still suppling TVs to retail. And Thomson has done well to cut through the swathes of competing docking stations to find a stable market for its product.

The most expensive product on the list is Compaq Presario Notebook, which at $699 is further evidence of the move in the IT segment towards cheaper and less featured devices. The cheapest product is the $97 Samsung ES 15 digital camera. With digital imaging such a fashionable category at the moment, it may cause consternation that one of Samsung’s more premium cameras isn’t ranked so highly.

Across the Top 10 list, the average sale price is $328.90.

The full list is:

1.    Apple iPod Nano (8 GB)
2.    Tom Tom ‘One Start’
3.    Samsung ES 15 Digital Camera
4.    Sony Playstation 3, Slim 120GB Console
5.    Nintendo Wii Console
6.    Sanyo 32 inch LCD TV
7.    Compaq Presario Notebook
8.    Nokia E63 Mobile Phone
9.    Flip Mini Pocket Sized HD Camcorder
10.    Thomson Micro HiFi with iPod dock

“Across the board, it seems to be that smaller is better when it comes to Christmas gifts this year,” said Singh.

“Many of the items on the best-sellers list in 2009 such as the iPod Nano, the Tom Tom One Start, the Samsung ES 15 and the Flip Mini HD Camcorder are small enough to use anywhere, anytime. These make a great gift option for a range of ages.

“The most popular products this year have mirrored trends in 2008 despite the GFC. The 8GB Apple iPod Nano was one of last year’s favourites and easily topped the list again this year. Our statistics also show that competitively priced digital cameras are also a popular option each year.”

All prices quoted were provided by Dick Smith.