What's Hottest This Holiday

Multimedia, wireless, and virtual stuff are smokin' this season, say retailers.

Tom Spring, PCWorld.com

This holiday season digital shutterbugs are going mainstream, sub-$300 flat panel monitors are all the rage, and Harry Potter is performing software magic.

Some high-tech gear is hot and in short supply. But no impossible-to-find item dominates this season like PlayStation II console games did last year, causing aisle fights and sparking bidding wars on EBay. Still, as the number of shopping days narrows, the pressure is on to pick just the right gift without doling out a digital dud.

It's too early to tell whether holiday spending is pulling the tech world out of the doldrums. But early anecdotal reports suggest consumers are opening their wallets in virtual malls and real-world stores for a variety of digital gifts.

Wireless Is What's Hot

This year, if it lacks wires it's hotter than a Yule log.

"All the wireless hype is starting to get traction," says Ling Hong, an Amazon.com spokesperson. Wireless networking gear tops Amazon.com's list of hot holiday must-haves. Its number one high-tech product is the Linksys Wireless Access Point Router With 4-Port Switch. Second runners-up are the D-Link wireless AirPlus DWL-650+ Wireless Cardbus Adaptor and the Linksys WMP 11 Wireless PCI Card.

CompUSA and Best Buy tell similar stories, reporting that wireless routers and adapters for notebooks are among the largest sellers.

"People just seem to want to connect wirelessly, whether it's in the home, office, or a public [free wireless] hot spot," says Garry Bale, CompUSA division merchandise manager.

Picture Perfect Holiday

Digital cameras, tiny storage cards, and photo-quality printers are earning a top spot on gift lists.

"It's a camera Christmas without a doubt," says Bill Cimino, spokesperson for Circuit City. He says entry-level digital cameras are the most popular, citing the Kodak Easy Share line that starts at $150 for a 2-megapixel model.

It's the same story at Amazon.com. Hong says the online retailer's most popular camera is the low-end SiPix StyleCam Blink 3.0 digital camera, priced at just $39.

"We blew through them," Hong says. The online retailer has also seen tremendous sales of the Canon S-200 PowerShot digital 2-megapixel camera, which can be found for $179.

Another extremely popular pocket-size camera is Minolta's $350 DiMage X 2-megapixel camera, reports Donna Beadle, Best Buy spokesperson.

Predictably, photo enthusiasts are also snapping up photo accessories like extra memory cards, carrying bags, and photo-quality printers. "Naturally people want to print out their great digital photos," Bale says.

The pricing sweet spot for photo printers this holiday season is between $89 for printers like the four-color Lexmark Z45 photo-quality printer, and $180 for the six-color Epson Photo 825. CompUSA and Best Buy representatives say they are surprised at consumer interest in the high-ticket $700 Epson 2200. Many stores have sold out of the top-of-the-line photo printer.

Ho, Ho, Hardware

PCs are topping the Christmas wish list again this year--but not traditional desktop models. Newcomer Tablet PCs are garnering interest, says CompUSA's Bale.

"Demand for Tablet PCs is definitely outpacing supply," Bale says, adding that stores are having a hard time keeping the $2499 Toshiba Portege 3505 Convertible Tablet PC, introduced in November, in stock. He adds that CompUSA is surprised how well the Hewlett-Packard Media Center PC, also released at Comdex in November, is selling. "We can't keep HP Media Centers in stock," Bale says.

Nobody has given up on traditional desktops. In fact, Best Buy says fat rebates are convincing desktop owners to finally ditch their hulking CRT monitors in exchange for svelte LCD flat panel displays. CompUSA's most popular models skew toward sub-$300 15-inch models like those from Gvision, which sell for under $200 with rebates.

Another flat-panel monitor popular with Best Buy customers is the $500 15-inch Samsung 150MP display, which has a built-in TV tuner card.

It's the Click that Counts

Gadget hunters looking for this year's hot tech gizmos have plenty of popular choices. New high-capacity storage devices like writable DVD drives and alternative input devices are among this year's favorites, retailers report.

"The Logitech wireless optical computer mouse is one of our most popular and affordable gifts," Hong says. The $39 Cordless Optical Mouse is among Amazon.com's top ten tech gifts.

Coming closest this year to the Cabbage Patch Doll Award--the gift you can't find anywhere--is Creative Labs' $100 Prodikeys, a 104-key QWERTY PC keyboard with 37 touch-sensitive, piano-style keys. No matter what online or offline retailer you visit, the keyboards are just about impossible to find in stock.

Big rebates at Best Buy have made the sub-$200 Universal Buslink DVD-RW external drive an affordable and popular holiday gift, store representatives report. Also much sought after and selling fast is the $300 Sony Dual DVD+RW/-RW Combo Drive, which was introduced this fall.

But recent price drops in the PDA market are making the personal digital assistant an affordable gift option, retailers say. Among the hottest at Amazon.com are models in Dell's Pocket PC-based Axim line, which starts at $249. Amazon.com's e-shoppers are also snapping up the first $99 Palm, the entry-level Zire.

Games From St. Nick

One might say that software games this holiday season have gone to the dogs, considering the most in-demand title is an add-on to the hugely popular Sims collection, Sims: Unleashed, priced at $30. But the Sims don't stop there, according to NPD Techworld, a market research firm. The $40 Sims Deluxe Edition is the second most popular software game this holiday season.

Timely Harry Potter film hype likely has kick-started interest in Electronic Arts' Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets, which is one of this season's most popular games.

Infogrames Entertainment's Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 tops NPD Techworld's charts as well. In this game you get to design the perfect theme park, with everything from stomach-churning roller coasters to Ferris wheels, log flumes, and concession stands.

Rounding out the list of top-selling software game titles are Infogrames Entertainment's Backyard Hockey, Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead, and Microsoft titles Age of Mythology and Zoo Tycoon: Marine Mania.

"Like it or not, education titles are out," says Steve Koenig, senior analyst with NPD Techworld.