It’s no secret that most parents aren’t as up do date on technology as their college-aged kids. So, we’re here to help you save some face and impress your kids when gift-giving this year. Here are 10 of the most wanted gadgets for this holiday season.
iPhone (or a Comparable Touchscreen Smart Phone)
I think it would be hard to argue that the Apple iPhone wins the gadget of the year of award. It has quick and easy internet access, links to your iTunes, the full letter keypad makes for easy texting and sending out e-mails. Also there are thousands of applications -- from newspaper feeds, to radio, restaurant guides, and libraries of books, all of which can download right onto the phone. The iPhone operates with AT&T, but if you’re stuck in a different contract check out these phones on the other networks.
Sprint: Samsung Instinct
T-Mobile: G1
“Ooohs” and “Ahhhs” were heard by college students everywhere when the new MacBook debuted. It’s carved from a solid piece of aluminum, which gives it a sleek new look and allows it to be lighter and stronger. The trackpad is bigger- the entire smooth glass surface is clickable. Not only is it pretty- it's faster. Advanced NVIDIA graphics improve graphics performance up to 5x faster than previous models. And it’s green- Apple is removing harmful CO2 emitting chemicals from its products and the new MacBook uses mercury-free LED displays and arsenic-free display glass.
If you can't afford the price of a MacBook, netbooks are small, light, and perfect solution for computing "on-the-go.” They’re perfect for taking to class or the library, writing papers, and doing quick Internet research. They can range from $250-$600, most of them float around $350. There is a great review guide here.
P.s. The reason they’re called “netbooks” rather than “laptops” is because they don’t have an “internal optical drive” (a.k.a. a CD/DVD player for us not so savvy members of society.)
You probably won’t be surprised to know that most college kids don’t take very good care of their things. The plastic cases will keep laptops pristine against the inevitable scratches and wear. Personalized “skins” are basically a big sticker to cover a laptop which can add some flair. If you’re looking to be sensible- laptop locks and lights are pretty handy.
No explanation is really needed here. You can’t go wrong with an iPod, especially the new ones with fun colors, touchscreens and Internet!
These are just fun. Urban Outfitters has a nice selection.
Makes it easy to voice or video chat from a computer with family and friends while away at school. Skype is simple and cheap long-distance calls from a computer!
Digital Camera
Another place you can’t go wrong. These are the best years of our lives- we need to be documenting them. Gizmodo’s “Ultimate $250 Camera Shoot Out” is a great place to start.
With this glorified digital camera you can point-and-shoot up to an hour of video in hi-def. Not only is the Flip small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, it has a little USB plug-in for easy uploading to the computer (which really mean easy uploading right onto Facebook)
The Kindle is a portable reading device (equipped with wireless internet) that can download books, newspapers, magazines, and even blogs. It’s easy for both geeks and non-geeks to buy and read titles from Amazon’s catalog. Much much more convenient than making a trip to the library or bookstore and it has a paper-like display that won’t strain the eyes like a computer screen.
