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Happy Holidays from the Flying Spaghetti Monster!
As the year winds down, we all are looking for those few last minute gifts for our loved ones. And they better love us back, a lot, because we’re going to all this trouble for them. There are two basic categories of gifts at this time of year small to medium and high-medium to wow-wee (what was I thinking?). There is still lots of time, wow-wee is usually reserved for last minute desperation. So, lets look at what still has time to be delivered and costs in the low to medium range.
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Free is good - Apple TV and Roku
While Streaming boxes are not free themselves they are a great source of lots of free entertainment. I’m talking about those little cubes that plug in to your TV set (or Monitor) an give it access to all the Internet has to offer in the way of free (and paid) entertainment. The basic choices are either Apple TV or Roku. Gif-tees with an in place investment in Apple products will want the Apple TV. It allows them to stream any and al of their stored media in the iTunes library right to their living room (or bedroom) TV. Apple TV also works with a variety of other streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, Disney, etc.) and they are adding channels all the time.
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On the other hand, while Roku won’t work with iTunes it features the widest selection of entertainment of any of the streaming set-top boxes. So, if the gifted has an “other than iTunes” database of media or just would like to sample the wares of the Internet Roku is the way to go. Both of these devices are tiny, work very effectively and offer an excellent alternative to a giant cable bill.
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Clik here to view.Cut the wires - Belkin Bluetooth music receiver
At last, the days of wires are disappearing. Since the advent of portable bluetooth speakers we’ve all been waiting for a wireless connection to our sound equipment. Belkin is now offering their Bluetooth Music receiver. For about $25 this absurdly small device will let you stream music from your phone, Tablet or PC to any device with a “line in” port. That includes stereos, TVs, monitors or just about any amplified speaker system you have. Quick and easy to set-up or use, totally unobtrusive and cuts the cords cheaply and efficiently.
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Seagate's 500 GB GoFlex Satellite
We’ve said it before…Go-Flex Satellite
The seagate Go-Flex satellite is an amazing deal right now. It only has half the storage space of it’s newer brother (500gig and opposed to 1terabyte(1000 gig)) but at a price way under $100, this is one of the most versatile and useful devices you can own. Excellent for road warriors or just beefing up your tablets storage at home, the Go-Flex Satellite can be an excellent USB backup drive for your PC, or unplug it and use it as a go anywhere WiFi drive.
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Clik here to view.Quirky but cool - Eton Boost turbine 4000
We’ve all had or phones or devices go dead at inopportune moments. An extra battery can be a blessing at these moments, the USB are the most versatile of these. But what happens when they are played out? In comes Eton, makers of emergency radios of all types, with a USB battery with an additional hand crank. The built in battery is 4000mAh (milli Amp hour) so you’ll get about three full charges off it, but when that’s not enough, crank away. At about $70, this is a good gift for those geeks who already have everything or people who spend a lot of time away from a plug. It’s even good for the children whose phone seems to be always dead whenever you call.
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Clik here to view.It’s finally really cheap - Amazon kindle
Amazon’s basic kindle is now down to $70. This is an easy opportunity to get someone you love into ebooks. Once in they’ll never go back. The ease of use, the portability, the capacity to hold thousand of books in a slim purse or bag is just too enticing. Battery life is tremendous, the book selection is huge and don’t forget there are thousands and thousands of free books. This is a no-brainer for a gift-tee that likes to read. Go ahead, make them happy.
Next week as we come down to the wire, you’ll have to open your wallet a lot wider, so think about that!
Prentiss Gray is a writer and stay at home Dad with 27 years in the information systems and technology business. His favorite saying is “If you have to read the manual to use it, I don’t want one.” He can be reached via his website GrayResearch.net. More of his work can be seen on Speak Without Interruption or in his Patch blog.