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Holiday Tech Gift Guide by Mark Stone

Can’t decide what to get your tech-loving friend/family member/spouse/significant other? With so many choices out there, it’s hard to navigate through all the options and features. You still have a few weeks left to get your gifts but before you do, check out our guide.

The tech guide is divided into two parts: Today we’ll start with the pricey stuff; the second part will be all about mp3 players, a list of really cool tech gifts and my recommendation for the best tech gift this holiday season.

What is likely to be the most expensive tech gift in any season is a laptop (also referred to as a notebook or netbook). If money is no object, or, if total cost of ownership actually means something to you, your best bet is with Apple’s line of Macbooks.

Macbooks don’t come cheap, but you can get one of the white Macbooks for $1100. For $200 more you can step up to the Macbook Pro line. One warning that may come as a shock to those who are used to the price of Windows laptops – that $1,300 you’re dropping will only get you into a 13.3-inch model. Apple’s 15” and 17” models are on the expensive side, and will set you back about $1799 and up. Those looking for a great bargain on Apple laptops (as well as desktops), check out the refurbished Macs online at the Apple Canada online store here.

I can go on forever about the benefits of going Mac, but I’ll try to sum up briefly: to this day, no harmful viruses or spyware; generally speaking, your Mac will run just as fast two years from now as it will when you buy it; you can run Windows on it at the same time; the resale value is significantly higher than any Windows-based machine; a superior operating system; and last but not least, you will look and feel cooler for owning a Mac.

Still not convinced? Or perhaps budget is a deciding factor? If a Windows laptop is in your future, I personally prefer the Toshiba line of laptops. You can pick one up for under $600 and you can’t go wrong with an AMD chip. Because there are so many variables to consider when purchasing a laptop, I suggest looking into CNET’s laptop buying guide here.

A word of advice to serious gamers would be to go Windows and stay away from the Macs. The Mac has never been a great gaming machine, and if gaming is your thing you can check out the guide above to see which Windows-based laptop is for you.

Next up on the expensive list is a high def television. LCD, LED or Plasma? 1080p or 1080i? HDMI? Lots of confusing technical specs to be considered, but I’ll make it really easy for you. Looking for a good TV? Go to the electronics store and compare them with your own eyes. Unless you’re a serious video buff, practically all the new makes and models will keep you entertained and technologically up to date for years to come. This isn’t saying you shouldn’t be picky; again, go to the store and check the TVs out for yourself. As someone who is pretty serious about home theatre, I’ve always found that Sony is probably the best brand for televisions. Models from LG, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic and Toshiba are also good.

We’ve been enjoying our shows in HD for eight years now, and I can’t imagine watching TV any other way. All scripted shows have been broadcast in high def for the last five years, and the only holdouts are a few talk shows and reality shows. A good 40” set can be had for under $1000, so if you haven’t jumped on the HD bandwagon yet this is the season to do it.

In the second part of the tech guide I’ll run down a list of some really cool tech gifts that you may not be thinking about, we’ll talk about mp3 players and I’ll reveal my recommendation for the best tech gift this holiday season.

Tags: lg, mac book, panasonic, samsung, sharp, tech gifts, toshiba

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 7:35 am and is filed under Holidays, Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.