GIZMO
Gift-Giving Made Easy
November 30, 2007
by Marci De Vries
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As the holiday season approaches, advertisements for new high-tech gadgets begin to multiply. Gizmo gift-giving is easy for those in the know — there’s so much to choose from! But if you’re among the less technologically inclined, it can be hard to shop for the technophile on your list. How do you know what is hot and what is not?
We’re here to help with a selection of winning gifts that will impress your techie friends and loved ones. Who knew that you knew?
Top Pick:
Garmin Nuvi GPS
If your techie does not already own a Global Positioning System, or GPS, this is a must-have. The system works whether you’re in a car or have just jumped off the Metro and need to know which way to turn from the station exit. It’s small (shirt pocket-sized) and powerful, and after a year of using this product in an earlier version, I can vouch for the accuracy of the maps and distance estimates. The Nuvi also gives directions to the closest gas stations, restaurants and hotels, useful when you’re out of town. And you can display photos from a memory card on the screen, which makes it a traveling photo album as well.
Awesome Pick:
Apple iPhone
No gift guide would be complete without mentioning Apple’s got-to-have gadget for the year, the iPhone. It’s a combination of wireless phone, iPod, GPS, BlackBerry, camera, photo album — and more. With its hefty price tag ($399 at press time), you’re also paying a vanity premium. I have an iPhone and like it very much (and I paid more for it, too — the price dropped in early September). The menus and functionality are great, but the keyboard is a little tough to use. Do its super-sleek styling and the media hype make up for this? Maybe.
Online Pick:
Netflix Subscriptions
Even if your friends and family don’t use Netflix yet, try giving them a subscription for a few months or a year (www.netflix.com/GiftPurchase). The price ranges from $8.99 for one month to around $200 for a full year of unlimited service. This is a convenient online system for getting your friends the flicks they want to see — new releases, classics, documentaries and more. I have enjoyed Netflix’s wide selection of documentaries for the last several months. I also watched all the seasons of The Wire via Netflix. It’s great stuff. If your friends are more into video games than movies, try a subscription to www.gamefly.com.
Bargain Pick:
iTunes
Everyone’s taste in music is different, and now that the iPod has made music so portable and individualized, it’s passé to buy CDs for your friends. Now you can go to iTunes and download a gift certificate that your favorite techie can use to download music or podcasts to her heart’s content. An added bonus: You can buy these with American Express Membership Rewards points. At 99 cents per tune, a $25 gift certificate is much appreciated.
Storage Pick:
Flash Drives & Memory Cards
If the loved ones on your list don’t already have a storage device — a flash drive (a little USB plug for the side of a laptop that you can use instead of a disk) or a memory card (the Chicklet-sized card that goes into cell phones or cameras to extend their memory) — then you’re in luck: These make great, low-cost gifts. But take note: Many companies give away these devices as freebies, so check with your techies to see if they already have one. The convenience that these little storage devices offers is really something. Do yourself a favor and buy a minimum of 512 MB of storage. You can get up to 4 GB for $50 at www.pcmall.com.
The key for gifts in 2007 is tools and services that will help your favorite techie protect and keep her data, or help her use data in a practical way. There are so many neat ways to use different devices to help your techie enjoy her music, photos and more in a variety of contexts.
Look for items that plug into computers directly and that can synchronize information from the device to the laptop. This helps your techie keep the laptop and the device up to speed with each other. You’ll also want to look for items with online updates that download automatically to the laptop so the devices can be updated during synchronization.
If you’re having trouble deciding what to get, just ask. Most online stores have a help desk that can answer any questions you have. If you shop off-line, rumor has it that those in-store people are pretty helpful, too.
Happy holidays!
Marci De Vries is vice president of digital communications for Imre Communications LLC, an online marketing strategy company specializing in best-practice methods for reaching customers and generating revenue with the advertising and communications tools available online. She can be reached at 410-727-7392 or visit www.imredigi.com.
