The 2008 Cool Tech Gift Guide
SPOT MORE COOL STUFF:
Accessories For Photographers | Bargain Deals | Home Audio | iPod Accessories | 1 Comment
| All Tech & Gadget Reviews
The holiday season is upon us. And so is the need to find cool gifts. Here’s a roundup of some of the presents that the friends and family of Spot Cool Stuff will be finding under their trees shortly. If are one of those friends and family then please don’t read any further. Otherwise, check out our gift recommendations for the photographers and music lovers in your life, as well as for those who (seemingly) already have everything.
Gifts For Photographers & Photographers-To-Be
The perfect first digital SLR camera
More and more people who have been beholden to simple point-and-shoot cameras are looking to make the jump to a “real” camera—a camera with exchangeable lenses and a variety of manual settings. For that novice photographer in your life who wants a digital SLR camera there’s no better choice than the Olympus Evolt E420.
The best ultra-compact point-and-shoot
Of course, some people prefer the small size and ease-of-use of a point-and-shoot. Among the best ultra-compact models, the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS takes the best pictures though the Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 is smaller and takes nearly as good photos and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 is perfect for the person who will also be using their ultra-compact camera to take a lot of video.
The best camera for the serious amateur photographer
For the more experienced photographer two of the best cameras available are the Canon Eos 40D and 50D. Both take high quality photographs and both possess the features and manual settings a professional photographer would want. Of the two cameras the 40D is probably better deal for you; read our comparison review for the details.
- Buy: 40D | 50D | READ OUR 40D vs 50D COMPARISON
Know exactly where a photo was taken
If the photographer you are purchasing a gift for already has the camera they want they likely don’t have a PhotoTrackr. This little pod-shaped device keeps track of a photograph’s location via GPS and slips discretely into a pocket or camera bag. When photos are downloaded from a camera the PhotoTrackr syncs up the time-stamps with the corresponding GPS coordinates. The included software then can then tag every photo by location or automatically create a cool, map-based photo tour.
Gifts For Music Lovers
MP3 Player Speakers
Chances are that the music lovers in your life already have their iPod of choice. But they likely don’t already have all the speakers they want. The Zeppelin Loudspeaker from Bowers & Wilkins is the best single-unit iPod speakers available. Unfortunately, the Zeppelin is also priced like the best single-unit iPod speaker available. For a very good portable speaker system at an almost unbelievable price (under $60) the music lovers you are shopping for will be thrilled with the On Tour from JBL—and they will never know how cheap these speakers were from the sound they produce.
- Zeppelin: BUY | READ OUR REVIEW
- JBL On Tour: BUY | READ OUR REVIEW
- THE BEST IPOD SPEAKERS REVEALED
Listen to an iPod through a car stero
Few car stereos come with an iPod dock. If the music lovers on your gift list have an AUX audio port in their cars, they’ll love the Griffin TuneFlex. If they don’t have an AUX port or if you aren’t sure whether they do, get them the Griffin RoadTrip. Both Griffin products are the best available for playing an iPod through a car stereo.
Share Tunes Between Two iPods
The miShare is a cool little gadget that allows songs, videos and files to be shared between two iPods. It is extremely easy to use and is one of those gifts that your recipient might not know they want but will wonder how they did without it after they own one.
Gifts For The Person Who (Seemingly) Has Everything
The Erector Spykee Transforming Spy Robot
The Erector Spykee Transforming Spy Robot is part futuristic surveillance machine, part Skype communication device, part wifi speaker system, part transforming toy and a whole lot of fun for older kids and young-at-heart adults.
A small or really small HD camcorder
In the last year prices for HD camcorders have plummeted. Happily, the smallest of those HD camcorders also happens to be one of the least expensive and one of the best: The Flip Mino HD. The Flip Mino fits comfortably in a shirt pocket and doesn’t need any cords to be able to download its 60 minutes of stored video to a computer. For a slightly larger, full-featured the Sanyo Xacti HD1010 is the best deal going.
- Flip Mino HD: BUY | READ OUR REVIEW OF THE FLIP MINO
- Sanyo Xacti: BUY | READ OUR REVIEW OF THE SANYO XACTI
Watch Home TV Channels On A Laptop Or Mobile Phone
The Slingbox is one of the coolest, least known, gadgets on the market this holiday season. Plug your TV and/or DVR into the Slingbox console and you’ll be able to watch all of the video you could at home on any computer anywhere in the world with a broadband internet connection. (And by “your TV” we mean “the TV of the person you are giving this gift to” but, really, you may want one too). The Slingbox also allow you (er, the gift recipient) to watch their home TV on a cell phone over a 3G network.
BUY | Related Post: COOL GIFTS FOR TRAVELERS
May 13th, 2010at 3:16 am(#)
I really love the MP3 speaker that has been featured from up there. Zeppelin Loudspeaker will be one of my shopping list this coming July. I will definitely purchase one of those.
[Reply to this comment]