Christmas Gifts

As Christmas is almost upon us, it seems fitting to look at some of the hottest gifts you could give to the tech-lover in your life. This year is better than ever as the offering of gadgets is expansive and comprehensive - however it can sometimes get a little confusing to be able to pick out the biggest and best items. So here I outline my top tech gifts for Christmas 2006...

Samsung 32" LCD HDTV

This year has been the biggest year ever for High Definition, with Sky launching their High Definition service, and an influx of affordable HD-ready televisions. Sorting the wheat from the chaff can be pretty tricky when it comes to HD-ready TV's, but Samsung have consistently proven that with their range of televisions they can mix superb picture quality, great feature set, and an awesome design, all into an affordable, reasonably priced package. The majority of their models offer 720p and 1080i HD resolution capabilities, built-in digital free-to-air tuner, and great connectivity (SCART, component, HDMI and VGA). Specifically, the 32" model can be found in a number of Christmas deals at the minute, and provides an excellent entry into the world of HD for your loved one this year.

Xbox 360

With all of the buzz around the brand new next-gen consoles, you'd think it'd be easy to forget that there has already been a next-gen console on the market for over a year now. Not so however - despite the Nintendo Wii launching recently, and with the Sony PlayStation 3 on the horizon, the Xbox 360 still has had a great year, and has gone into the holiday season as the best next-gen console on the market. The perfect complement to an HD-ready television, the Xbox 360 brings high definition gaming into the living room, and has produced some incredible titles such as Dead Rising, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and more recently, Tony Hawks Project 8 and Gears of War. These titles and many more really showcase high resolution graphics that look incredible, and there are many many titles with fun and addictive game play. Throw in some great support for online multiplayer games, as well as downloadable classics such as Street Fighter 2 through Xbox Live, and it's a great entertainment system. With an HD-DVD add-on now fairly reasonably priced when compared to set-top HD-DVD players, next-gen movies are also made easy by the system. A must have for the gamer in your life!

Apple MacBook

Apple makes superbly designed products - that's been the case for years. But with the MacBook and MacBook Pro range of laptops, Apple have created more than just a great looking series of laptops. They are stylish, lightweight, and feature packed, and are now faster and more powerful than ever. Running on the newest Intel processors, these laptops outshine most other laptops on the market, and look cool to boot. There are plenty of options, with three MacBook models, and three MacBook Pro models available. Even the lowest end MacBook provides great performance in a small package, while the top-end MacBook Pro is like a portable desktop machine, packing all of the great features and extras you might need, such as extra hard drive space or memory, and a decent graphics card for design work or 3D gaming. With the ability to run Microsoft Windows alongside Apple's own Mac OS X now, there is truly no reason that even those that favour Windows shouldn't be using a decent, stylish laptop.

Apple iPod

As already stated, style and good design is a hallmark of Apple products. One of the most successful products in the last decade is of course the iPod, and while it's possible the person you are buying for may already have an iPod, the latest models have more space, and more features. Want up to 80Gb of space for your music? Done. Want a full colour screen? Done. Want to be able to download and watch video's on your iPod? Done. How about play some games? Done. The iPod has come a long way since the first generation, and alongside the fifth incarnation of the main iPod range, there are also now the tiny yet full-featured iPod Nano's, and of course the iPod Shuffle range for those possibly looking for something less expensive, but still with that great iPod feel. When it comes to music players, it's tough to consider any alternatives when the iPod is still evolving and getting better and better.

Sony PSP

The ultimate gaming gadget for those on the go, this console is a real ingenuity of design and power. Considering its size, some of the games available really push the hardware to its limits, with some great graphics and addictive game play. Having been out for 18 months now, it's got a great library of games available, ranging from the pick up and play puzzle titles (such as Bust-a-Move, or Lumines), to the latest and greatest sports titles (Madden 07, Tiger Woods 07, Pro Evolution Soccer 6), and including some brilliant action titles (Coded Arms, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories). As well as a great gaming device, the PSP also packs powerful media capabilities, able to play the most common movie and music formats, as well as store and display photos. Recent firmware updates have provided some great online functionality, including a built-in browser, and the ability to check RSS feeds and use them to download podcasts or video blogs. And future integration with the Sony PlayStation 3 make it a great choice if you are also planning on trying to pick one of those up come March.

BlackBerry Pearl

The first BlackBerry phone to have a more mainstream phone design, and it's a real pearl (pardon the pun). With an innovative keypad, a decent digital camera, and a microSD slot for great memory expansion possibilities, this is a feature packed mobile phone. Throw in a built-in music player, a vibrant colour screen and light-sensing technology to control keypad and screen brightness, and as well as the standard features one might expect from a BlackBerry (push e-mail, excellent internet browsing support), this is a really nice phone for those that always need to have e-mail, the web, photos, music and a phone at their fingertips.

Whatever you get, or get given, have a very Merry Christmas!

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