Holiday Guide: Gifts for the Whole Family

Here are a few off-beat gift ideas for every member of your family.

If you’re the type of person who already has a blender lined up for Mom, a tie for Dad, and a new scarf for Grandma, it might be time to take a break from your cycle of incredibly lame gift giving and find something your family members will actually enjoy – and use. Tech gifts might be an obvious solution for your 20-something brother or nephew, but we happen to think that gear and gadgets make fine gifts for just about everybody, with a little bit of careful thinking. Here are a few off-beat gift ideas for every member of your family.

Orb Audio Mod1 Home Theater Speaker System, $798

The best gifts are those that can be shared with the entire family. Orb Audio’s Mod 1 speaker system sounds better than most systems twice their price, and with a number of colors to choose from, they look great in any room of the house. Plus their small size allows them to blend in without drawing a lot of attention, what’s not to like?. www.orbaudio.com

Kodak EasyShare EX811 Digital Picture Frame, $200

Digital picture frames have to be one of the most oft-gifted and least-used gifts out there. After the initial setup, few people can be bothered to dig out the flash card and load it with new photos every few weeks, meaning you’re usually stuck looking at the same 20 photos all the time. Here’s one that won’t stagnate though – it hooks into your wireless Internet connection and can automatically grab new photos from a Kodak Gallery album without any manual effort. Give one to Grandma or Mom after configuring it to access an album you control, and her frame will display new photos from you without her so much as touching a button. Check price

Asus AiGuru SV1, $300

Anyone who’s even remotely computer-savvy probably knows how to use Skype video chat, but what good is it if you can only chat with fellow geeks? For less technically inclined members of the family, Asus’ all-in-one video phone is a great way to chat face to face without the complexities of a computer. All of the controls have been simplified to a handful of buttons, and the webcam, speaker and a VGA screen are all built in. The videophones you’ve been awaited for a decade has finally arrived. www.skype.com

P3 International Kill-A-Watt EZ P4460, $60

Everybody knows that very eco-conscious (or very cheap) person who goes around turning down thermostats, dimming the lights and unplugging appliances. If you want to give them something to feed their utility-saving OCD, this is it. After plugging it into the wall like a surge protector, then plugging any electric device into it, it will tell you in kilowatt hours exactly how much juice that device is using, and even estimate how much it will cost you to run over different periods of time. Use it to figure out whether that decrepit old fridge is worth saving, or which of the kids is driving up the utility bill so much. Just beware of giving it to someone you live with, unless you want to be part of the next electricity-saving inquisition. Check price

Callpod Fueltank, $70 

Nothing’s worse than having your phone die in the middle of a big conference call, your DVD player crap out right at the end of Fight Club, or your MP3 player die when you’ve still got another 10 hours to go on a Greyhound. Give the travelling gadget junkie in your life this portable battery charger – a sort of electric fuel tank – and it won’t happen again. www.callpod.com

Peek E-mail Device, $100

Whether you’re still trying to ween someone onto e-mail, or just don’t want to shell out for an insane data plan for the kids, this is one cheap way to help family members stay in touch. It’s a slate-like device that only sends and receives e-mail, and it does it on the cheap. You can snag one at Target for $100, and from there the data plan only runs $20 a month. Sure, you can’t surf the Web or play games on it, but if it’s for the kids (or an easily distracted significant other) that might be a good thing. Check price

MSI Wind U100-411US $350

Not sure whether those clutzy nieces and nephews are ready for a real $1,000 notebook? Set them up with an MSI Wind instead and let them dabble until heart’s content, at a third the price. The shrunken keyboards on these notebooks are great for smaller fingers, they’re light for kids to carry, and with prices down to $350, you can skip the tears when they finally end up crashing to pavement. Check price

Aliph New Jawbone Bluetooth Headset, $130

From California to New York, states are banning cell phone use behind the wheel – and even if your state legislature hasn’t caught up with the times yet, driving with a phone to your ear is still a terrible idea. Spare someone a ticket, or an accident, by picking them up a Bluetooth headset. You have a lot of options, but Aliph’s Jawbone has consistently been praised as one of the best sounding, most comfortable and stylish. Check price

Polaroid PoGo Printer, $100

It might be tough to convince someone to move on past their 20-year-old Polaroid camera, but this little portable printer should make the case for digital. Just hook it up to a camera – or even a camera phone – with Bluetooth, and you can wirelessly print pictures on the go. You don’t even have to buy ink for it, the ink is right in the paper refills. Instant photography lives again! Check price

Nintendo Wii, $250

Last year’s gaming system? No way. Nintendo has continued to trounce Sony and Microsoft in numbers ever since the Wii was introduced, and it’s obvious why: it’s a console that anyone can enjoy. From the elderly in retirement homes to high-powered business men, it’s proven to be a hit with just about every age and demographic. If you can actually manage to find one on store shelves this season, it’s still a surefire hit for whoever you’re buying for. Check price

TomTom ONE Third Edition GPS, <$150

We think that anyone of driving age can benefit from GPS, but if you’re trying to introduce someone to a technology they’re not familiar with, an entry-level model might be best. This unit doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of pricier models, but it handles basic navigation just fine, and has an intuitive interface that’s easy for even non-techies to master. Even better, they seem to be on sale nearly everywhere these days for over half off. At the time of writing, RadioShack had this particular model refurbished for only $80. Check price