Gadget Gift Ideas
A gift buyer's guide to laptops, smart phones, and GPS devices.James A. Martin
Contributing Editor James A. Martin offers tools, tips, and product recommendations to help you make the most of computing on the go. Martin is also author of the Traveler 2.0 blog. Sign up to have the Mobile Computing Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
Want to lose weight after Thanksgiving? Here's one strategy: Postpone all holiday buying until one day before exchanging gifts. The anxiety that your procrastination creates will cause you to lose your appetite. And that last-minute mall dash will provide excellent cardio.
Another idea: Shop early. That way, you may actually have time for gym workouts.
This week I've got suggestions for laptop, smart phone, and GPS gifts. Check out last week's "Head-Start Holiday Gift Guide" for a look at digital camcorders and cameras.
Laptops They'll Long For
Think laptops are out of your price range? Not necessarily. Plenty of worthy laptops cost $1K or less. For a look at three current models, see "Best Laptops for Less Than $1000: Can They Get the Job Done?" Also check out our "Top 10 All-Purpose Laptops," where you'll find the most affordable models.
As for specific laptops to consider as gifts, here are three:
Toshiba Satellite A215-S4757. This budget-priced portable doesn't offer blazing speeds, and at 6.2 pounds, it could lose a little weight. Still, you get a lot for the money, including a DVD burner, a full range of ports, an ExpressCard slot, a memory card reader, and a first-rate keyboard. I recently found this online for as low as $980.
Lenovo ThinkPad X61. Lenovo has continued the sophistication and excellence IBM once brought to the ThinkPad line. The ThinkPad X61 is a prime example, a 3.6-pound ultraportable that performed well in our tests. It offers amazing battery life (the extended-life four-cell battery went 6 hours, 14 minutes on a charge). There are lots of nice touches, such as a one-press keyboard launch of the laptop's recovery system. The unit lacks a built-in optical drive, however. The ThinkPad X61 is available for about $1595 online. For a look at other Lenovo portables, go to our Info Center.
Apple MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro and other Intel-based Macs can run both Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS (you'll need to supply the Windows software, however). It's also the fastest Windows laptop in our recent roundup. Add to that great software like iPhoto and other features, and you've got a home run. Downsides? The 17-inch MacBook Pro may be a bit heavy, at 6.2 pounds. And battery life was a short 2 hours, 45 minutes in our tests. It's not cheap, either: The lowest price I've seen is about $2330 online.
Worth noting: As of this writing, rumors are flying that Apple may introduce an ultraportable Mac in January.
More Notebook Resources
Smart Choices in Smart Phones
Giving a smart phone can be tricky. You won't get a price break from a wireless carrier unless you or your giftee is a new customer or eligible for a discount. Also, buying a new phone from a wireless carrier when you're not a new subscriber often requires you to extend an existing service contract.
Another idea: Buy a smart phone from a reputable eBay dealer (preferably one with 100-percent positive feedback). You'll most likely save money, and your purchase won't affect an existing cell phone service contract. I went this route when upgrading to a Treo 755p this summer, and I'm glad I did. For more information about buying cell phones, see "Before You Buy a Cell Phone."
Here are two gift-worthy smart phones:
Palm Centro. With discounts and rebates, Palm's latest smart phone (in red or black) can cost new Sprint customers only $100. The phone doesn't offer anything particularly new, and it lacks a few features such as Wi-Fi and GPS. Still, it's feature packed, and it could make a great first smart phone for someone on your list.
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8300. This consumer-oriented cell phone/PDA hybrid offered by AT&T is a stylish choice. The phone packs lots of multimedia features, such as a 2-megapixel camera, that aren't usually found in BlackBerrys. The current price is $200 after a $100 rebate (a two-year contract is required).
For more information, read "Top 10 Cell Phones" and "Top 10 Cell Phone-PDAs."
Portable GPS Receivers
It's easy to get lost among all the portable GPS devices for sale. But here's one I like: Garmin's Mobile 10 It's a clip-on unit for smart phones and PDAs that have Bluetooth but lack built-in GPS. The device is incredibly compact and, for the most part, gives good directions. It's less expensive than most portable GPS units; I've seen it for as little as $115 online. Its only significant downside is that the spoken directions don't provide street names.
For more options, see "Magellan Maestro GPS: From AAA to Z," "First Look: A Deluxe GPS Unit Versus a Lower-Cost Alternative," and "GPS Slugfest."
Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
Another Laptop Gift Idea: The XO. The so-called $100 laptop for kids in developing countries is actually nearly $200. But it's a truly cool little machine, one that our editor-in-chief Harry McCracken couldn't resist. If you want one, though, step on it: The machines are currently being sold to U.S. consumers until November 26 only. You'll pay $400, but half of that is a tax deduction.
Portable Media Player Gift Idea: Microsoft's Zune. Probably 99.99 percent of all portable media players given as gifts are Apple iPods. Microsoft's latest Zune models are worth a look, though. The 80GB Zune we tested offered great sound, competitive pricing ($250)--and unlike iPods--premium headphones, an FM tuner, and the ability to wirelessly sync.
Digital Camera Gift Idea: The Eye-Fi Card. The Eye-Fi card combines a Wi-Fi antenna with an Secure Digital Card for image storage. The result: You can add wireless capabilities to almost any digital camera with an SD card slot, for uploading images. The new card goes for $100 for a 2GB SD card.
Suggestion Box
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.