Bernell DorroughWith the winter holidays just around the corner, two important questions are on shoppers’ minds: What should I get for my friends and family, and more important, what should they get for me?
Digital cameras and mp3 players used to be gifts that only the geekiest gadget hounds would appreciate, but now they are some of this year’s most sought-after presents. But with literally hundreds of products flooding the market, it can be hard to decide which ones should be subtly mentioned to parents. To save eager buyers the trouble of spending hours reading reviews online, Student Life has gathered a list of the top seven tech gifts for 2003.
Under $25
100-pack of TDK CDs-$7.99 at Best Buy (after rebates)
Some people say that not much can be bought for $25 anymore, but that amount of money can go a lot farther than one might think. Spindles of 100 blank CDs have enough storage to hold over 130 hours of music or seven gigabytes of computer files (several seasons of favorite TV shows). With prices dropping every weekend, it can be hard to find the absolute best deal, but it’s easy to find good ones. Best Buy sells 100-packs of TDK disks for under $8, after mail-in rebates. At prices that low, one can buy a pack for beloved suitemates.
Finding Nemo DVD-$17.99 at Amazon.com
“Finding Nemo” became the best-selling DVD of all time before it had even been on store shelves for a full week. Continuing the tradition of Pixar’s great computer animation and entertaining story lines, “Nemo” wows audiences of all ages. This movie is great for singles, but it’s even better for couples. Fun for both sexes, take a chance and dive back into childhood with this new classic.
Under $100
Logitech Pocket Digital Camera-$73.87 at Buy.com
With four megapixel digital cameras becoming less expensive, one can finally get professional quality pictures without the hassle of using film. But what good is a high-quality digital camera if it is never available? After all, how many people actually carrycameras in their backpacks or purses? Logitech comes to the rescue with the Pocket Digital, a camera literally the size of a credit card. Stuff it in a pocket, and the chance to capture crazy Hilltop misadventures is at one’s fingertips. Its 1.3 megapixel-interpolated resolution is far from stellar, but it’s better to have a low-quality picture than no picture at all.
HP PSC 1210 Multi-function Printer-$94.05 at Amazon.com
Being able to print papers, scan photos, and copy documents without leaving a dorm room makes an all-in-one printer a smart winter gift for any college student. The print and scan quality of the Hewlett-Packard PSC 1210 isn’t going to win any awards, but it’s hard to beat this all-in-one’s sub-$100 price tag. Plus, the PSC 1210 is one of the smallest multifunction printers on the market, taking up the same amount of desk space as a regular inkjet printer.
Nintendo GameCube-$99.99 at Circuit City
Video game fanatics will debate for hours about which game console is best, but the fact of the matter is that every system on the market today will knock the socks off the old Sega Genesis. For under $100, one can enter the 21st century with a console that offers incredible graphics and won’t even take up a lot of space in a dorm room. The GameCube doesn’t have all the features of the PlayStation 2 (like the ability to play DVDs), but at about half the price and with a free disk containing all four “Zelda” games, it’s a hard deal to beat.
Under $300
Palm Tungsten E – $179 at Buydig.com
The easiest way to get your parents to buy an expensive holiday gift is to convince them that it will help with schoolwork. Fortunately, it won’t be hard to convince them of the benefits of a Palm Tungsten E. With a vibrant color screen and improved personal information management software, the Tungsten E makes it easy to manage class assignments, extracurricular commitments, and all the dates users will rack up when people see this snazzy device. It even plays video clips, and for an extra $99, the Palm MP3 kit turns your handheld into a portable music player.
Apple iPod (10 GB)-$269 at Apple’s Education Store
Ever wonder why so many people walking to class have the same pair of white earphones? They’re all listening to iPods, the portable music player that needs no introduction. The iPod is the gold standard of mp3 players, with room for about 2,500 songs – all in a device smaller than a deck of cards. Apple’s iTunes software makes it easy to organize the songs already on a computer and to encode old CDs. If an iPod is ordered through Apple’s online education store (www.apple.com/store), buyers can save 10 percent off the retail price.