For a change, I am attempting to get an early start on my Christmas shopping. The earlier you do it, the better selection you will have and you might even get what you really wanted instead of settling on what is still in stock at the last minute. So here are some of my suggestions for the techie inclined on your Christmas list.
With more and more things going wireless, I am offering suggestions for your favorite wireless geek. The first is the latest portable battery powered wireless router. This device is made to work with the either 3G or 4G USB devices and converts their signal to WiFi. So if your geek has an iTouch or he/she thinks the iPhone connection to the Internet is slower than molasses, this is going to be a big hit. This device is like having you own private WiFi speed hotspot wherever you go. There are a few brands out there but the one I would like is this one made by Cradlepoint. The PHS300 is now available under a few branded names and even has one from Time Warner Cable. This router has all the usual security features and can connect up to 16 different devices at one time. The price should ranges from $99 to $199.
Another neat wireless device is for your photographer geek. This has been around for a little while but the memory size and features have been increased. The device is called the Eye-Fi and it is a digital camera memory card (SDHC type) married with WiFi transceiver. Their best card comes with 4GB of memory, GPS capability and a Waypoint hotspot account for a year. The set up of this device is done by plugging it into your computer. You then pop it into your SDHC compatible camera and start taking photos. The card then automatically connects to the hotspots you programmed in (if you are in range of it) and starts sending the recent taken photos to your computer or directly to any of 20 your favorite photo sharing sites.
No longer do you have to worry about forgeting to download your photos from the last party or trip because it done automatically. (http://www.eye.fi/)
You all should have gotten a wireless headset for using your cell phone while driving but I still see fairly often people driving around without one. So save your procrastinating geek a ticket. After using the Sound ID 300 Bluetooth headset for the last few months, I can recommend it even more than I initially did. It connects flawlessly to your cell phone and due to the tight fitting ear piece and dual microphone technology; your voice is clear with a minimal amount of background noise. Please see my previous article for more information (http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyle/computers/2009-06-are-you-driving-illegally.html) or the Sound ID website.
How about something that goes along with all your wireless devices? A portable battery charger. Has your gadget toting geek lost power to his/her iPhone/iTouch, Bluetooth headset, Blackberry or portable game? This device is a high capacity battery with different adapter plugs to charge whatever needs a charge to get you through the day. There are a few different brands out there and are sold by specialty stores such as Radio Shack or even Wal-Mart. They should range from $40 to $50. If that is too much to spend and you are looking for a cheap but useful device to recharger a cell phone, look at this charger that uses two AA batteries.
A couple small things from my favorite geek store, ThinkGeek.com: A WiFi detector cap and t-shirt.
Lastly the best electronic photo frame: the Sony VAIO WiFi 7" picture frame. Price is $249.99
This should get you started and I’ll be back next month with a few more suggestions.
