I teamed up with Shellie Bailey-Shah over at Portland's KATU Channel 2 News to come up with some good tech gifts ideas for the holidays -- not HD TVs, but gadgets a little easier on the budget. Besides, I hear everyone already got their TVs at Best Buy last week during Black Friday, so we needed something else... here's some cool technology that you can grab in a pinch and will be a surefire hit for that gadget lover near you:
My list, in more detail:
The fitbit is a tiny, bluetooth enabled device that automatically tracks your fitness and sleep, great for meeting those New Years' resolutions or working off the Thanksgiving leftovers. It's basically a pedometer 2.0, that uploads all your data when you walk within 15 feet of the charging base station attached to your computer. You can also track meals/calories, and interact with other fitbit users in the online community (anyone familair with Nike+ ?).
The new Apple TV lets you connect almost anything to that giant HD TV hanging on your wall. It provides the best photo slideshow I've seen on an HDTV, and also streams in movies from online sources like iTunes, NetFlix, Amazon.com. You can rent movies instantly too, if you don't already own them (buh-bye RedBox trips). In a similar vein, a Roku player ($60) will get you a similar array of online movie features for a better price, though you'll be foresaking Apple's signature (amazing) UI and access to things like iTunes over the airwaves (both units are wireless, and can be controlled from your iPhone/iPad).
A wifi-enabled streaming music player that lets you play the music on your computer, or stream directly from your Playlists on Pandora, Slacker Radio, or Rhapsody without any wires. This is a great unit to keep wherever you are in the house, or out next to the BBQ pit (well, hot tub in the winter). Sure, you can plug your iPhone into a speaker, but when you're the host of the dinner party where you want the music, I can guarantee you that you'll have the phone undocked to answer texts and calls and be remixing every song with that distinct iPhone ping. (You can find a similar gift in Sonos, which is a high end version of the same technology).
Jaybird wireless headphones - $99
Jaybird Sportsband wireless bluetooth headphones provide great sound, and don't look totally dorky like all other wireless headsets I've found. Go retro, and go cord-free! Works with iPhones and anything else that can pick up bluetooth.
Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer - $50
Let's call this "Polaroid 2.0" - rememebr when you used to be able to take photos and have them spit out instantly, with just a littel shake? Well Polaroid's bringing instant back, and this time it prints from any bluetooth enabled device (most mobile phones). And, it does all this without messy ink, using "ZINK" Zero Ink technology... great for, well everything that old Polariod was great for.
Grove bamboo iPhone cover - $89
These hot, all-wood iPhone cases are made in Portland! Buy local. Not really tech itself, but for tech lovers, this is a sure hit. And, you can have them carve any design you want in the wood, or choose from their artists gallery.
A new project project is about to launch, that is being crowd-funded by a renown Nike designer. The TikTok and LunaTik transform the Nano into the world's coolest multi-touch watches.
Well, that's a wrap! Keep an eye out for the Problem Solvers clip on KATU Channel 2 News. And let me know if you end up getting your hands on any of these gadgets this holiday season (even if you're getting a gift for yourself!).
Paul Biggs lives in Portland, Oregon where he writes about technology, apps, and gadgets when he can find a spare second.
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