Last Minute Gift Ideas

Still struggling with your Christmas shopping? Here are a few hot items guaranteed to please. All are available locally, and there’s something for every budget.

Let’s get right to it, because you are running out of time, my friend. We'll start high end and work our way down:

iPad 2 $499 to $829
The ultimate coffee table accessory of the new millennium. Available at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Radio Shack.

Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Wireless Speaker System $299.95
Get that sweet Bose sound from your MP3 player or phone without the hassle of docking. Available at Bose Stores, Apple Stores, Target.

iPod Touch $199 to $399
The device of the decade. nuff said. Available at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Radio Shack.

Cuisinart SS-700 Coffee Maker, Single Serve Brewing System $199
Coffee and tea and the java and me, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup. Just like the Keurig system, only the coffee is actually hot. Available at Kohls, Macys.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS $149
The ultimate point and shoot, now at an even lower price point. Available at Hunts, Best Buy.

Good Earbuds $79 to $117
Dump the lackluster iPod standards for something that sounds great without breaking the bank. Go for the Bose for a natural sound, or the Klipsch for heavy base and noise isolation.
Huh..? Did you say something? Available at the Apple Store, Bose Store, Target.

Bose MIE2i Mobile Headset $117 (with mic)

Bose IE2 audio headphones $89 (without mic)

Klipsch Image S4i $99 (with mic)

Klipsch IMAGE S4 $79 (without mic)


Apple TV $99
Because streaming is where it’s at. Available at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, Radio Shack.

iTunes Cards $15 to $100
Official coin of the realm for geeks everywhere. Every Christmas I pick up a couple of 3 packs of the $10 cards. They make great stocking stuffers and they’re good to have on hand in case your Cousin Marvin shows up unannounced bearing gifts. Available everywhere.

That’s it. As I said, something for every budget, and I’ve actually seen and laid hands on all of these options just this week, so you're officially out of excuses. Now get out there and wrap things up, you slackers.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS

With Black Friday looming large and the holidays following close behind, its time to roll out some gift ideas that are guaranteed to put a smile on the face of that special geek or geekette in your life. First up is the Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS.

This is a great little point and shoot camera; small, solidly built, and chock full of features. The 300 is a 12.1 megapixel digital camera with a 24 mm ultra Wide-Angle lens, 5x optical zoom, full 1080p HD video with stereo sound, and an optical image stabilizer. Canon’s HS system provides fast image processing and great low light performance, and it can capture 8.0 frames per second in high speed burst mode. Not bad for a camera you can slip into your front pocket.

I’ve been playing around with one of these for about 2 months now, and I’ve been very pleased with the results. Nice sharp photos, short time between shots, very decent battery life, and although it’s capable of all kinds of magical image processing, the thing I’m most impressed with is its Smart Auto setting. It reads the situation and adjusts accordingly, giving you the best picture possible with a minimal amount of effort. Just point, and shoot; as it should be.

That being said, I’m looking forward to trying out the Movie Digest mode this Thanksgiving. In this mode, the camera pre-captures a 4 second video clip before each still, and then stitches the whole day together in a file that you can play back as a montage. Cool.

There’s a nice review here on the Hunt’s Camera website, and I’ve posted a video review from infoSync below, because the only way to appreciate how tiny this thing is is to see it in someone’s hands. It’s tiny, but it’s solid. There’s a nice heft to it in your hand, and when it’s off, it turtles itself into a sleek, sturdy little package.

Hunt’s just dropped the price from $199 to $179, and I’m expecting them to bundle it with an extra battery or a nice memory card and case for the same or less this Friday. If they do, jump on it, you won’t be disappointed.

Looking For a Digital Camera?

A coworker was asking me about digital cameras today. He's looking to buy one as a gift and really wasn't sure what to look for. I sent him a link to a nice primer I found on Boston.com, Nine questions to ask when purchasing a digital camera.

If you're new to digital photography this article will give you a leg up before you hit the stores. It covers the main points well, megapixels, optical vs. digital zoom, batteries and storage media. As with most things today different users have different needs and the article is quick to point that out and give you a good basic foundation to build on.

Once you're ready to get started you should check out another great source, Steve's Digicams. This site does very comprehensive reviews of digital cameras with sample photos from each and "Steve's Conclusion" which cuts right to the chase. There's a ton of info on this site.

My wife and I happen to favor lens quality over megapixels and we prefer SD cards for storage to keep to a standard, plus they're pretty reasonable. We're not real big on teeny-weeny either. They just don't seem to fit right in the hand. For a small, carry around, I won't croak if I lose it kind of camera we have a Canon PowerShot A540 . It's small enough to tote but has a knurled edge that aids in one hand shooting. It's also got a lot of features and functionality for the price. There are newer models out in the PowerShot line, be sure to check them out.

Of course there's a lot of options out there and there's a camera that's right for you. Take your time and do your homework. Then get out there and start snapping!