Gifts For The Tech Savvy - A Buyer's Guide

As we approach the silly season, you may be wondering what are some of the gifts you can get for your loved ones. Here..

This year, I'm sure that there is someone special on your gift list who has an interest in technology. (For example, you.) And if you've ever done this before (and haven't you?), then you know what a minefield it can be for users of all kinds to find the right gift. There are so many different kinds of technology out there: Gadgets, mobile devices, wireless devices, cameras, video cameras, video games consoles. (My personal favourite, the Wii U.) How do you know what to get? Fortunately for you (and your wallet), I'm here to help!

I've put together a list of some of the most popular tech gifts this year based on what I can tell is hot based on reading reviews and watching hot deals fly by on my price comparison site (I'm not bragging, but it is a little bit awesome.) So, whether your loved one likes mobile devices like tablets and smartphones or they're more of the home entertainment type (or even if you don't know and you'd prefer to ask them), we've got some suggestions.

Here we go:

  • If your loved one likes music but is especially fond of working out or likes watching videos on their devices, you might want to go with the iPod Touch. It comes in (for now at least) three sizes, so you can get the one with the biggest screen without paying for features your loved one will never use.
  • If they're more of a gamer or just someone who likes to watch movies on their device, then check out the Kindle Fire HD. It comes in two sizes and is supposedly great for watching videos.  And the Kindle brand has a great reputation for ease of use and quality products.  (And they're made by Amazon, so there's that.)
  • If you want something with the biggest screen available that can do just about everything except, make coffee, then check out the iPad Mini. It comes in two sizes and is compatible with most all of the applications that the full-sized iPad is.
  • For gamers, there's always the Nintendo 3DS XL. Although I have to admit, I don't know a lot about this one.  It hasn't been on the market long and it doesn't seem like there are a lot of great deals/sales on it right now (And I didn't know there was a 3-D version of the DS so that's neat.)
  • If you're on a really tight budget, you might want to consider an MP3 player. Although not quite as popular anymore with the advent of smartphones, they do still have screens and are great for listening to music. There are also some good deals on these right now. There are many variations of the same thing: a small handheld device that contains one or more functions for playing digital media files.
  • That makes it tough to narrow down your options. About the only thing they all have in common is that most of them connect with headphones somehow, but beyond that there are so many differences.  Screen size, battery life, storage capacity, price range...it's tough to pick just one. (Which you're going to have to do, because I'm not making any of them for you.)
  • The iRiver SlimX 300 is also probably a good bet here. It's inexpensive, seems to have decent reviews, and comes in three colours (black, orange, and pink).  And it can connect with headphones or speakers via an auxiliary jack or Bluetooth (It also has a built-in FM radio, which is a pretty nice feature.)

How about Digital photo frames?

Although you might not think of them as tech devices, these actually qualify because they connect to your home wireless network and allow you to access photos from your digital library or even stream them live. So, if your loved one is a shutterbug who spends hours taking photos or spends hours looking at photos or even someone you would like to keep their memories alive then, you've got to check out the digital photo frames.

Final Thoughts 

That's it for my list. Hope everyone finds something they like! (And no, I don't work for any of these brands. I just love tech!)

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