 With the holidays approaching, shopping is, or soon will be, on everyone’s mind. Last year computers and high tech gadgets ranked high on many wish lists. This year will be the same. It is, however, always difficult to decide if you should buy now or wait for that better gadget, the more capable software, or a lower price. Here’s my take on a few of the gadgets and gizmos that you might want to put under the tree this year.
Let’s start with computers. If you are looking for a Mac, it’s a good time to buy. While Macs are always pricier than Windows machines, the new Macs are based on Intel chips and so they can run both the Windows and the Mac operating systems. This means if you have some Windows software you can run it on your Mac (as long as you purchase a copy of Windows.) The new Macs are feature-filled, quiet, have beautiful screens, and are almost completely free from viruses and spyware.
The new iMac is a thing of beauty. All the new Macs will include the new Leopard Mac OS 10.5 operating system. That means easier backups, better parental controls, and lots of new features that will make your computing just a little easier.
If you are a Windows user, your computer decision is only slightly more complicated. The Core2 Duo, is breaking all performance records, so if you want best hardware, the chip choice is easy. The AMD high-end chips are also excellent. Just stay away from Celeron chips and other low-end chip choices. They simply won't be powerful enough to run Vista.
That brings us to the operating system. For a PC, Microsoft Vista is the only viable choice. While you may have heard some folks grossing about having to learn a new operating system, it really is not too difficult for most users to make the change. I find that Vista has a lot of great new features. It is also much more secure than Windows XP, so it is a must for most home users. If you have older printers, scanners, or other peripherals, you might want to make sure that they will work with Vista before you take the plunge. Also allow a little extra in your budget in case you have to update your software to work with Vista. It is best to check out all the programs you use before you buy, so there won't be any surprises.
How about a new digital camera? This is a great time to buy. Features and capabilities have increased while prices have decreased. On the high end, the new Single Lens Reflex cameras by Nikon, Canon, and Olympus are especially appealing. Point and shoot cameras by the likes of Kodak, Fuji, Canon, and Nikon are all feature-filled, affordable, and take great photos. Even if prices continue to decline, you can’t go wrong with a digital camera purchase this year.
What about that digital music player? Get ready to shop for this one. Apple has just introduced several new iPods including a an iPod Nano with a touch screen. Others, like SanDisk and iRiver are rolling out small portable music players with built-in speakers, voice recorders, and alarm clocks. So if you are in the market for an MP3 player, you will be doing a lot of comparison shopping this year.
Don’t forget to peruse the wide variety of high tech toys for both big and little kids. If you have some extra bucks, the Sonos music player will let you play your digital music throughout the house. The Slingbox will let you watch your home computer from anywhere in the world. The Fly is a computer in a pen that lets you draw a calculator and then tap the numbers you drew and have it actually work. You can even draw a piano keyboard that plays music when you tap the keys you drew.
There are so many great high tech gadgets and toys this year that just shopping for them is bound to be fun!!
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