Have Yourself a Very Techy Christmas

Dec. 3, 2005 — -- Tech-mas, Tech-nukkah, Tech-wanzaa: OK, it's overkill, but you get the idea. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 76 percent of Americans plan to give a tech gift this year. So if you are shopping for digital cameras, music players, video game consoles or computers this year, here are some specific ideas and some wacky tech gifts that might breathe more fun into the unwrapping process.

High end: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT $850
www.consumer.usa.canon.com

If you need to buy something for a photo enthusiast who has resisted the digital camera age, or maybe your point-and-shoot friend is ready to move up to the big leagues, you should be thinking about a digital SLR. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex, which doesn't mean much unless you're a shutterbug. Basically, these are the traditional-looking cameras with interchangeable lenses and higher image quality.

My pick this season is the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. It's a 6.3 megapixel camera, the controls are simple and clear, but they give the user much more control than the point-and-shoot cameras. The real beauty of the digital SLR cameras is the ability to change out lenses and add telephoto and wide-angle lenses into the mix. You will pay extra for the add-on lenses, but the ability to get higher quality images more than makes up for the price. The Canon is a lightweight and responsive camera that does what it's supposed to do: it takes beautiful pictures.

Low end: Kodak EasyShare V550 $350
www.kodak.com

These days you can spend $350 on a digital camera and get plenty of features and good image quality. The Kodak EasyShare V550 fits that description. It's a five megapixel camera, which is plenty of resolution for a casual photographer (resolution is a measure of image quality at varying print sizes). It has a somewhat limited optical zoom at 3X (the actual distance the lens can physically zoom in on an object), but the V550 makes up for that in two ways: First, it is incredibly easy to use. I gave my mother an earlier version of the EasyShare for Christmas last year and she was taking pictures in 10 minutes -- she's never owned a camera of any sort, let alone a digital camera. Secondly, the V550 has a video function that allows you to capture audio and video for as long as you like -- well, as long as you don't fill up your memory card. This is not a replacement for a video camera, but it's a nice feature to have when you're not lugging both devices around with you.

iPod Nano $199 (two gigs) and iPod (video) $299 (30 gigs)
www.apple.com

The Consumer Electronics Association holiday buying survey shows digital music players at the top of the holiday tech wish list. The king of that crowd is the iPod.
The iPod Nano is a pencil-thin version of Apple's music player. The two-gigabyte version holds 500 songs and costs $199. The iPod video comes in either a 30-gigabyte version ($299) or a 60-gigabyte version ($399), and holds 7,500 and 15,000 songs respectively.
There are lots of good music players on the market and many that are cheaper than the iPod, but when you are giving a gift, the brand name counts. Keep in mind that iPods have become status symbols for teenagers, and that little white or black brick carries more weight than the jeans or sneakers kids are wearing these days.

Xbox 360 $399
www.xbox.com

'Tis the year of the Xbox 360 -- if you can get your hands on one. Microsoft released a limited number of these graphically rich, high-definition gaming consoles at the end of November and the market has responded with Cabbage Patch Kids intensity. Resellers on eBay are charging outrageous prices for the consoles and parents are scratching their heads wondering how they can get an Xbox without breaking the bank.

Sony PS2 Slim $200

www.us.playstation.com

The Sony PlayStation 2 Gaming Console is available and in stores now. The slim version is a nice touch for parents because its tiny form factor gives it less of a presence in the living room. There are plenty of games available for it and it's a good solution if all the Xboxes are gone.

Alienware Sentia $1000
http://www.alienware.com

According to an ABC News poll -- computers or laptops are second on people's overall holiday wish list, only losing out to automobiles, which take the top spot this year.
I am recommending the Alienware brand of computers this holiday season for two reasons:
1) They are powerful machines that are built for gaming.
2) They look really cool.
The Sentia ($1,000) is the ultra-portable version of the Alienware line. Alienware's high-end gaming notebook is the Aurora ($2,200).

For desktops, the old standards from Dell, Sony and Apple still ring true, but on the value end, there are great deals online for desktops that include a 17-inch, flat-panel monitor. Check out this $448 Compaq system (and monitor) at www.walmart.com.

Motorola RAZR V3 $199
www.direct.motorola.com

Giving the gift of a cell phone is tough because you need to know something about the recipient's existing cell phone carrier and service plan. The Motorola RAZR V3 is my choice as a swanky cell phone that has "style" written all over it. It comes in silver, black and magenta, and has a built-in camera. But the story here is the design and form factor -- it's small, sleek and sophisticated. If you are thinking of buying a phone for someone, buy through their existing cell phone carrier: It provides more options for returning the phone or integrating it into the recipient's existing minutes plan.

Neiman Marcus IndyCar Simulator: $65,000
www.indianaracing.net

You need to have one drool-worthy gift that gets you thinking about Christmas for the Rich and Famous. Well, the Neiman-Marcus IndyCar Simulator has pools of drool all around it. This is a life-size replica of the IndyCar used by Dan Wheldon to win the 2005 Indianapolis 500 Race. It has been tricked out with a big flat-screen monitor and it runs the IndyCar Series 2005 video game. You choose which driver you want to be, which track you want to race, and away you go. All the life-size controls in the car run the game and you couldn't ask for a more realistic gaming simulator.

The Golf Gadget: RadarGolf $350www.radargolf.com

Any golfer will tell you that losing a golf ball during play is maddening, time consuming and score inflating. Lose your ball, take a penalty stroke, arghhh!
RadarGolf is here to help. Inside special balls, tiny radio transmitters, the size of rice grains, emit a signal. The handheld RadarGolf device carried by the golfer picks up that signal and directs the golfer to the ball. Can RadarGolf guarantee you'll never lose a ball again? Sadly, no. No radio signal can reach the receiver when balls go in the water. And anecdotal use of the product shows that sometimes the ball is in such deep rough that you'd still need more than a few minutes to find the ball, even with the RadarGolf device. But as golf gadgets go, RadarGolf is a good gift for the golfer who has everything.

The Watch: The SleepTracker Alarm Clock Watch $150
www.sleeptracker.com

You wear the SleepTracker watch while you sleep and it monitors your movements. If you are completely still, it knows you are in deep sleep. If you are thrashing around, it knows you are in a lighter sleep. You set the alarm time, give SleepTracker a 10- to 30-minute window in which to wake you, and when it senses you are in a light sleep, the alarm goes off. The idea is to avoid jolting you out of a deep sleep and instead give you a smooth transition into consciousness at the beginning of your day. Hey, if it means you need one less latte during the day, it's worth a try.

ThinkGeek USB Keyboard Light: $15
www.thinkgeek.com

You plug this LED light into the USB port at the back of your laptop, then bend it around to shine on the keyboard. It makes using your laptop on a dark plane or while watching TV is a lot easier.

Memorex USB Travel Drive: $16
www.memorex.com

Memorex USB Travel Drive has 128 MB of storage on its tiny little hard drive. You can transport files back and forth from the office, home or school. It fits in a keychain and is a simple way to back up files.

LED Mini-Headlamp $30
www.thinkgeek.com

Ever need to plug something into the back of a computer, but it's so dark back there you can't see? You try to hold a flashlight, and lose one of your hands and can't accomplish the task. Take a cue from spelunkers and don this LED headlamp for hands-free illumination. It's great for camping, too.

Airzooka $15
www.thinkgeek.com

The Airzooka is not exactly techy, but you must have one in your cubicle at work to assault co-workers in a totally innocuous way (please do not actually assault co-workers or if you do, don't blame it on me). The way the Airzooka works is that you pull a string that's attached to a plastic bladder thingy. The bladder thingy is at the back of a conical megaphone-like device. When you release the string, the rubberized bladder shoots out a massive blast of air on an extremely focused path. That air hits the target and whooshes them with a gust big enough to dislodge toupees and mess up anchor hair.

May your holiday season be filled with joy, and if you can't figure out how to install any of your high-tech gifts, remember it's the thought that counts.