 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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