Holiday Gift Guide

We?ve assembled a perfect list of tech-savvy gifts to take the pain out of shopping.

It’s that time of year again: snowflakes are falling, sleigh bells are jingling, and the days you have left to pick out the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list are flashing by like dividing lines on the highway to Grandma’s house. Never fear, though. Whether you live and breathe technology or you’re just shopping for someone who does, we’ve assembled a perfect list of tech-savvy gifts to take the pain out of shopping (if not the credit card bill that arrives afterwards).

$154.99 USD Corsair 16GB Survivor Ultra Rugged USB 2.0 Flash Drive 
Forget toting around documents and images on the tiny thumb drives of yesteryear, these things have become so spacious they’re like portable hard drives that fit on a keychain. Entire MP3 collection? No problem. Full-length movies? Pile them on. Data backup? No sweat. And once you get all those files onto this drive, you’ll appreciate Corsair’s water-resistant, shock-dampened, CNC-milled aircraft aluminum case to keep them all intact, plus TrueCrypt 256-bit encryption to keep prying eyes out.

$798 USD Orb Audio Mod1 Home Theater Speaker System
If you can shake the TV and radio brainwashing that makes it seem as if only one big-name company is capable of putting out big sound from little speakers, some basic research will show that Orb Audio’s tiny systems have been reviewed favorably in the audiophile community compared to that company’s, and the price for a 5.1 surround system is right in the same league. Orb also throws in 100 feet of speaker wire, a 12-foot cable for the subwoofer and a three-foot digital audio capable. Sound good? We think so.

$289.99 USD EVGA GeForce 8800GT Superclocked Card
With all the choices in high-end PC graphics hardware, shopping for a gaming enthusiast can be treacherous business. But unless the gamer in your list is right on the bleeding edge of hardware, this hot-selling graphics card is sure to be a welcome step up in performance. Nvidia’s 8800GT has had reviewers swooning since it dropped in late October, and this version from EVGA has stepped-up clock speeds for even higher performance. Just make sure the host computer is PCI Express 2.0 compatible to get the most out of this card, and order early, since this particular model is proving tough for retailers to keep in stock.

$399.99 USD Sony PlayStation 3
Some may be tempted to rule out the PS3 this year after its $600 USD introductory price tag and a lack of games which earned it a rather icy reception over the last 12 months, seriously deflating Sony’s reputation. But if you’re willing to forget the system’s rough first year, now is the time to buy. Not only are PS3s $200 cheaper than last season, there are also a slew of games headed for the system in 2008, and Sony has recently baited even more developers to cook up games for the PS3 with a cheaper development kit. Sorry, early adopters, sometimes patience pays off.

$1,968 USD Aperion Audio Intimus 533-PT Cinema HD
For those who would rather put their home audio system on display than keep it low key, Aperion Audio offers a high-end 5.1 channel system that’s sure to draw some stares. Finished in either medium cherry or high-gloss black with front towers measuring three-and-a-half-feet tall, these speakers certainly make no attempt at hiding. The included 532-LR speakers have been met with almost universal respect from enthusiasts, and with a price under $2,000 USD, the whole system is priced very competitively with similar products. Aperion’s customer service has also earned them rave reviews as a retailer: they’ll take back anything within 30 days paying shipping both ways, offer a full-price trade-up program, and warranty all speakers for 10 years.

$399.99 USD Asus EEE
If you want to give the gift of mobile computing, but this year can’t quite squeeze a thousand-dollar gift into your budget, the Asus EEE may make a perfect compromise. This petite two-pound laptop will go anywhere, and allow users to surf, type and chat until their heart’s content, with a price tag significantly smaller than almost any other new notebook computer. Its intuitive operating system also makes it appropriate for kids. A tiny 7-inch screen and extremely limited 4GB hard drive won’t make it much of a gaming or work machine, but for less demanding users, the price and portability can’t be beat.

$399 USD Samsung Juke
The flurry of hype for Samsung’s latest fashion phone has not only earned it style points and widespread recognition, it’s also produced some killer introductory deals with contracts. The $399 USD phone can be picked up for 1 cent through Amazon with a 2-year contract. It features a slick jackknife-style opening mechanism, 2GB of internal memory for music, optional GPS navigation, plus all the standard bells and whistles like Bluetooth capability and a built-in camera.

$279.95 USD Kodak EasyShare V1253 Digital Camera
Digital camera prices continue to plunge lower this year as their popularity surges ever upward, putting cameras with high-end features like Kodak’s EasyShare V1253 well within reach even for amateur photographers. The V1253 packs a high-resolution 12-megapixel image sensor, 3x optical zoom and generous 3.1-inch LCD in a thin, pocketable package. It can also capture hi-def 720p video at 30 fps, and outputs both video and still images in HD for TV viewing. Despite being perched at the top of Kodak’s consumer line of digital cameras, it only retails for $279.95 USD, and Kodak offers a free 1GB memory card with purchase.

$399.99 USD Garmin nüvi 660 Pocket Vehicle GPS Navigator
Now that GPS nav systems are no longer the sole domain of luxury car owners with money to burn, retailers are pushing them hard this year, milking their new, more affordable price point. But beware: not all GPS units are created equal, and a higher-priced unit can actually save money in the long run by rolling features from products – that would otherwise have to be purchased separately – into one unit. This Garmin, for instance, will not only tell you where to go, it will also play MP3s on your car stereo through an FM transmitter, and link up with your cell phone via Bluetooth to act as a hands-free speakerphone – with a spacious 4.3-inch screen to boot.

$699.50 USD LG Super Blu HD-DVD/Blu-ray Player BH100 
You’ve waited long enough. Quit trying to predict winners in the hi-def format war and just invest in a device that will play both: LG’s BH100. Not only will you be able to disregard movie studio loyalties and pick up HD movies on whatever format they appear on, you’ll also be able to mop up left-over titles for cheap if either format ends up tanking later on. It will also upconvert standard DVDs to 1080i, meaning you’ll only need one player for your home theater. Can’t all formats just get along? Yes.