A little late to the party this year but if you’re still stomped on what to get your geek, here’s my list of top ten gifts ideas for geeks this holiday season.
iTunes Gift Card ($15^) – This is an oldie, but a goodie! It keeps your geek legit, allowing he or she to buy music, movies, audiobooks, and iPhone/iPod Touch Apps legally.
Starbucks Gift Card ($25^) – Starbucks is a geek’s second home and all things from our second home is welcome.
Star Trek (movie, 2009) Blu-Ray ($19.99) – an action packed and all-around geeky flick. I own it and I love it!
Belkin BG108000-04 Conserve Energy Saving Surge Strip ($34) – This surge protector converse electricity (up to 15%) while keeping your geek’s gadgets running safe. It features two always-on power outlets and six that can be completely switched off (prevents standby power consumption) with a wireless remote. I have one and I love it.
Mophie Juice Pack Air ($76.94) – It’s a slim profile pack/case that adds up to 20 extra hours of audio and six extra hours of video playback for an iPhone 3G or 3GS. A must for any iPhone geek.
Roku HD-XR Player ($129.99) – A full HD internet video streaming box. It flawlessly supports Netflix instant streaming and Amazon VOD. Plus, they recently added wireless capabilities (802.11b/g/n) and a channel store with Revision 3 and Twit Network; making this a welcoming addition to any geek’s living room.
SoctteVest Fleece 5.0 Jacket ($140) – This is the ultimate geek jacket. It has 24 pockets with no-bulge engineering, wire management for headphones, and clear touch pockets.
Amazon Kindle ($259) – If your geek loves to read, this is the device to do it on. It now boost even better battery life and more file support. And best of all, they’re in stock and you can have it under the tree this holiday season.
HP Mini 311 ($399.99) – This is one of the better netbooks on the market. It sports an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, a 12 inch LED-backlit display, NVIDIA ION LE graphics with support for 1080p video playback, HDMI output, and decent battery life (6-cell battery).
MacBook Pro ($1199^) – If your geek is in the market for a new laptop and money is no object to you, the Macbook Pros are a solid investment. It’s never been more affordable than now to gift one!
Last year, Buy.com started offering the unlocked iPhone 3G in the 16GB version for $799.99, now $899.99. The 8GB version can also be had for $674.90. Yesterday, Buy.com unveiled that the iPhone 3GS 32GB version is now also available unlocked, but with a hefty $999.99 price tag, that’s almost $200 more than what Apple charges for an official unlock version in Hong Kong (6,228HKD). I don’t know who would buy this in the States when you can get it subsidies on AT&T and unlock it yourself, but it’s good we have options.
According to my knowledge, unlocked 3G iPhones are not being sold by Apple nor AT&T in the US, but somehow Buy.com has the 16GB model for $799.99 with free shipping. That’s a $100 more than the contract-free (but not unlocked) iPhones that Apple and AT&T starting offering it’s customers last month, but this makes Buy.com the first major retailer to sell an unlocked iPhone in the US. They also state that the phone comes with full Apple warranty, which I thought Apple only honors when they are under an AT&T plan. Even more crazy, Buy.com in their product description references the iPhone previously being hacked and the “cat and mouse” game that is endured my Apple and many iPhone owners who have unofficially unlocked their iPhones. Is this a late April fools joke or is Apple and AT&T desperatly trying to get rid of inventory before the new iPhone gets unvil this June?
AT&T and Apple stores are now officially selling the iPhone 3G’s contract-free in the United States. The 8GB model is selling for $599 and both of the 16GB models are selling for $699. Sales at the AT&T Stores require customers to be an existing customer, while anyone can walk in the an Apple Store and snag one. The one per customer rule still applies.
Might I remind you that these phones are not unlocked and are still tied to AT&T. Given that the iPhone 3G will only work on AT&T’s 3G network in the United States, I don’t see any reason why anyone living in the US would peony up that much cash for a locked phone which they will most likely have to use with a carrier that is already offering a subsidies version. Not to mention, wouldn’t it be cheaper to enter in a contract ($199 for 8gb model) and cancel early ($175 early termination fee)? For international user’s this would however, be an opportunity for them snag a iPhone, which they can unlock for use in their choice of country, but wouldn’t you want to spend just a little bit more and get an officially unlocked iPhone here?
I’ve grown accustom to acquiring flash drives as their capacity became affordable and it looks like I’ll be adding one more to the collection. Lacie has release a flash drive designed by 5.5 Designers that is extremely beautiful yet simple. It’s designed to be carried around with your keys, so you’ll have it with you where ever you go. It comes in both 4gb ($18) and 8gb ($28) capacities.
Hot on the heals of Nitro’s $15 solution, the Dev-Team has announced that they too have jailbroken the second generation of the iPod Touch. It’s not conveniently packed into PwnageTool or QuickPwn yet, but I’m sure that will come soon.
Apple has just released their third generation of the iPod Shuffle and they are calling it the world’s smallest music player that also happens to be the world’s first talking one. The latest iPod shuffle comes equipped with 4GB of memory in silver or black priced at $79.99. The shuffle has always been hindered by the lack of a screen, but apple is hoping to replace that by having the shuffle speak to you. The new shuffle will be able to tell you the playlist you’re on (yes, you can have multiple playlist on the shuffle now), the name of the song and artist. But best of all, it will come with the new earbuds that are equipped with easy access controls. It’s available in stores today, expect it to ship in 3-5 business days if you order online.
Update: Because the new Shuffle doesn’t have any controls (other than the power and shuffle) on the device itself, it relies on Apple’s proprietary headphones to control the device. Non-Apple headphones will require a special dongle, but Apple states it’s working with third parties to bring other headphones to market. The new Shuffle is not as cool as I original thought, and customers in the market for a shuffle may not want this over the second gen model. Is that why Apple opted to keep the second gen Shuffle in the Apple Store?
Last Night, Joshua Topolsky, the editor-in-chief of Engadget nerded out on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. If you missed it, check out the NBC edit clip above as he explains and in some causes confuses the audience about the soon to be release Plam Pre. And do remember this coming Wednesday (March 11) Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht of Diggnation will be on the show, so check that out as well!
Microsoft’s hardware engineering team has revealed that they will be producing a USB powered laptop cooling pad (left on the pic above) that is slated to be released this July ($29.95). But WHY? This is a really bazar. Beyond the fact that Microsoft is in a market that they really shouldn’t be in, they are revealing a product that is a exact replica of Belkin’s F5L001 Laptop cooling stand (right on the pic above), which is cheaper ($20.95) and available now. I can’t understand what is going on in Redmond, are they just really bored?
It’s about that time again, we’re all scouring around to find the perfect gift for that special geek in our lives. Here’s my list of top ten gifts for geeks this holiday season.
