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Gadgets & Gizmos
There are plenty of choices for tech-minded holiday gift-givers

By Anne Straub
Brevard Technical Journal

Technology's tendency to get better and cheaper can work in your favor this Christmas. Electronics sellers say prices are lower and quality is better on a host of gadgets.

"You can get so much technology now for so little money," said Greg Rhoads, general manager of Gateway on U.S. 192 in Melbourne.

You also can get many options in a single item. "You're seeing convergence from both sides. PDAs are adding phone capability, cell phones are adding color display," said Tara Dunion of the Consumer Electronics Association. "It's very much targeted to the executive. You don't want to carry four or five items when one will do."

Gift givers have plenty of choices for the tech-minded person on their gift list, and "all of them do three or four cool things," Dunion said.

In short, says Rhoads, it's a digital solution Christmas.

Here's a look at some gift ideas available in stores:

MP3 players

Memory has increased so much that some players can hold up to eight hours of music.

"They can put a lot more music on them now, and they've come down a lot in price," said Ryan French, manager of Circuit City on Merritt Island. The store carries MP3 players as low as $39.

PDAs

The personal digital assistants have come down in price so much that they're not just for the executive anymore. All kinds of customers are buying them, French said, to store phone numbers and to-do lists. Prices are as low as $100; more expensive versions come ready to hook up to the Internet.

Compaq iPAQ models are particularly popular, said Cheryl Medina, manager of Best Buy in Melbourne.

Laptop computers

The portable computers have gotten more portable: Batteries last longer and weigh less, Medina said.

Digital cameras

Lower prices and better quality mean that users aren't limited to emailing their photos. "Now you can get a fine one for printing for a much lower price," French said. A camera that can take print-quality photos can be had for about $200 this year.

If you're giving a digital camera as a gift, consider Shutterfly for the stocking. The service, a Best Buy partner, allows users to take photos with the digital camera, send the pictures to the service over the Internet, and Shutter Fly will send professional quality prints to their house.

Memory sticks are another option. "Instead of using rolls and rolls of 35 millimeter film, take two memory cards on vacation," suggested Rhoads. The product allows you to store hundreds of photos to be deleted or printed out later. "It gives a consumer plenty of options."

G3 phones

Business executive meets soccer mom in this high-tech toy, which is a phone with camera capability. Now you can conduct business at the sidelines, take a photo of the game and transmit it to friends and fans via the cell phone.

Portable DVD players

These were pricey gadgets when they first came out, going for more than $1,000. Prices are as low as $399 now, and Toshiba has a version for $799, Medina said.

Business travelers find them particularly useful for passing time on long plane rides, she noted, since they may be permitted to run when laptops are not.

Scanners

People are becoming more comfortable with their PCs, and that's leading to more interest in accessories like scanners, Rhoads said. People are scanning in heirloom photos to halt loss of quality and are compiling genealogies.

Training

A gift certificate at Gateway could be used for any product, or for training on a new gadget or software, Rhoads suggested.

Game consoles

In addition to lower prices and more availability this year, customers can enjoy more game options. Unlike last year, Xbox and GameCube now have plenty of games to make them popular, French said.

PlayStation and the Xbox are particularly popular for their realistic football games, Medina said.

Home theater in a box

This packaging arrangement makes giving a home theater system simple. Each set comes with the stereo, speakers and necessary equipment for hooking the surround sound system to your television. "You can just come in, pick one and it comes with everything you need," French said.

Plasma TVs

Think flat-screen TV, not a blood product. The televisions use ionized gas between two pieces of glass to produce a clear image in a lightweight package. The TVs, going for $2,995, offer consumers the versatility of being able to mount the screen on the wall, Rhoads said.