December 1, 2014

Tech Gift Guide From The Computer Guys And Gal

By Erica Hendry

We’ve all been there: In the aisles of Best Buy or some big box store, at a total lost for what to get the tech heads in our lives.

Never fear: This month, The Computer Guys and Gals have some suggestions.

  1. PlayStation 4 ($399.99) or Xbox One ($329.99) consoles : Now might finally be the time to take the plunge on the newest generation of game consoles. They’ve been out for a year and are finally offering experiences you can’t get on the old systems. The PS4 has proven to be a little more powerful and more popular. The Xbox One offers interesting exclusive games and there are deals to be had as Microsoft fights to gain back market share. -Bill Harlow
  2. Roku 3 ($99.99): I’ve mentioned it before, but the Roku 3 is my favorite streaming media player. It’s cheap, easy to use, and offers a wealth of content (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc) if you’re looking to “cut the cord” from cable. The remote doubles as a wireless headphone adapter too! -Bill Harlow
  3. Yantouch Diamond+ BlueTooth lifestyle speaker ($149): It’s kind of silly, but it also looks REALLY cool! And the white IceDiamond color puts me in a festive winter mood. It lights up and changes colors to the music that you play. -Bill Harlow
  4. Intuos Creative Stylus 2 for iPad ($199): I have the original version, provides pressure sensitivity when using it with supported drawing apps. This new version solves the two biggest gripes with the original: It’s now rechargeable and the nib is smaller and more precise. -Bill Harlow
  5. Ride a Hoverboard! ($100) Ok, so if you want to buy a hoverboard it’s $10k, so that’s out of most of our leagues. If you want to buy something few people in the world have done, you can try out a hoverboard that scientists at Hendo have built for a more reasonable $100. For developers, they have developed a $300 kit that can help anyone develop more hovering objects. This is a kickstarter project that has brought in millions and much excitement. It’s sooooo back to the future! – Allison Druin
  6. Wear your phone on your ring ($195) Buy a piece of jewelry (with very nice stones) and connect it to your iPhone or Android phone. For women who HATE dragging their phones out of their purses this is perfect. You program your app to buzz, vibrate, or light up when a certain person calls or important email comes in. –Allison Druin
  7. Affordable 3D Printer ($100) You can only order them now, but thanks to crowd-funding you can own a 3D printer and scanner for $100. Needless to say you can only print very small objects with a very small printer, but it’s VERY cool! – Allison Druin
  8. Smart Watch ($250-$350)Major dilemma: Do I wait for an Apple Smart Watch, or enjoy an Android watch now? There’s a very cool Android watch Moto 360 available for purchase now for $250. It looks very watch-ish round, gives you updates on weather, flights, traffic and, yes, time, with reminders and voice activation. Or in “early 2015” there will be the Apple watch for $350. It will come in three styles:  sporty, upscale and very watch-like. It will do what the Moto will do, but will also have more features for tracking sports. – Allison Druin
  9. Keep your iPad safe and looking cool! ($40) The iGuy iPad case can turn your iPad into a very fun little guy and protect it at the same time. Works with iPad 4, 3 and 2 (but not minis yet). – Allison Druin

Listen for more tips during our Dec. 2 show.