Shopping for gadget lovers or technophiles isn’t always the easiest task. Unless you know the exact model of the device they want, they might be disappointed when they unwrap your gift. You also run the risk of giving them something they already have or don’t want.
But if you are set on giving something high-tech this holiday season, think about accessories. There are thousands of them for every conceivable device, and many are reasonably priced. A thoughtful accessory can make someone appreciate a favorite gadget even more.
To get ideas, pay attention to the electronics the people on your list already own and how they use them.
Are they always on their cellphones, even while driving? Then a Bluetooth headset or hands-free car kit might be a good gift. Are they never without their iPods? Then they might enjoy a cool carrying case or some nice headphones.
Another option is to pay for tech-training classes or services, such as custom installation of a flat-screen TV. I recently bought a new Apple iMac, so my fiancee got me a $100 Apple “One to One” membership as a gift. The membership gives me weekly sessions with a trainer at an Apple retail store so I can learn more about my computer.
Here are three great accessories that will impress even the most tech-savvy person on your gift list.
• For the digital photographer: Eye-Fi Card — $100; eye.fi
Taking pictures with a digital camera is fun and easy, but transferring them from your camera to a computer or to a website with cables or a card reader can be overwhelming. The Eye-Fi is a 2GB SD memory card for your camera that lets you upload photos to your computer or a photo-sharing website via a wireless Internet connection.
It works with PCs and Macs, and setup is easy. Once the software is loaded on your computer, all you have to do is take pictures and when you are in range of your wireless network, turn the camera on, and your pictures are automatically uploaded.
• For the student: Xtreme Mac MicroMemo for iPod — $60;
If you’ve got high-school or college students on your list, they probably own iPods. So why not give them a reason to bring the iPod to class? The XtremeMac MicroMemo plugs into the bottom of an iPod and turns it into a digital voice recorder. It uses your iPod’s on-screen menus, and recorded files can be imported into iTunes.
• For the Internet lover: Sansa TakeTV from SanDisk — $100 for 4GB or $150 for 8GB;
The Sansa TakeTV is an inexpensive and simple way to transfer videos from your computer to a USB flash storage drive that you can hook up to your TV to view the videos. It works on both PCs and Macs but only supports the following formats: DivX, xVid and MPEG-4. It does come with a remote, and the video-playback quality is good.
