When the holidays roll around, it's easy to buy for friends who are
dyed-in-the-wool techies--the stores are bursting with the swankiest new
cutting-edge gadgets. But what about the people who like nice toys, but
don't necessarily have an interest in (or the budget for) living on the
bleeding edge? They deserve something nice, too, right?
That's why we wanted to turn the spotlight to a Whitman's sampler of
items that, while not likely to grace the front cover of next month's
Wired, would make perfect gifts for the people on your list who like
technology but aren't enslaved to it.
Jasc PaintShop Pro Studio: Corel's recent purchase of Jasc indicates that the company is serious about competing
with Adobe's Photoshop, and indeed, version 9 of Jasc's PaintShop Pro is
aimed directly toward professional graphic artists. But the scaled-down
version of the program, PaintShop Pro Studio (MSRP: $79) is a great
option for folks who love to restore, repair, and otherwise fool around
with their photos, digital and otherwise. And the program's special
effects are lots of fun, letting you (among other tricks) whiten your
teeth without going near a dentist's office.
Griffin Technologies RadioShark: Why is there no TiVO for radio? A
reasonable question, and now one with a happy answer. The RadioShark
not only adds an AM/FM radio tuner to any Mac or PC, it can also record any AM or FM radio
broadcast in real time. It can also be programmed to record a scheduled
show, or to time-shift (pause) live radio so you can return right where
you left off moments or even hours before. Also, any recorded broadcast
can be transferred to an iPod or any other AIFF-compatible digital music
player. Thanks to the RadioShark ($70), your favorite wacky morning zoo
show can now become the mid-to-late-afternoon zoo.
ActionTec 54Mbps Wireless PC card: Putting together a wireless network
in your home or business has never been easier, and if someone on your
list is planning on linking the upstairs PC with the downstairs laptop,
ActionTec's PC card will be the last
piece of the puzzle (in other words, leave the purchase of a wireless
router to someone else). The card ($60) is a non-techie's delight: Once
the router is set up, slide it into your laptop's PC card slot, insert
the installation disc, and within minutes you're zapping digital holiday
photos all over the house.
Microsoft Works 8: For those who don't need (or can't afford)
Microsoft's full-featured Office suite, the newest version of Works is a
hardy substitute. The idea behind Works ($50) is to give the user the
ability to read and edit files created with such pricier applications as
Word and Excel without having to buy those products. The generic
spreadsheet, calendar, database, photo-album, and e-mail programs
included with Works 8 should be all that's needed for a computer newbie
who only wants the basics.
Epson PictureMate: At $200 MSRP, this isn't the cheapest item in our
round-up, but it might be the snazziest. Epson's PictureMate is more than just a 4x6 snapshot photo printer;
it's among the first consumer-priced photo printers to behave like an
actual photo lab, giving you colorful, durable prints that you'd be
hard-pressed to tell weren't from the local one-hour joint. Plus, even
with consumables, the cost per print hovers around a measly 29 cents. If
you're a snapshot-takin' fool, and having actual, physical photos is
important to you, say hello to your new prints charming.
Encore Family Tree Maker 2005: If genealogy software has a granddaddy,
it's Family Tree Maker. For more than a decade, the
program has been the top seller in its field, and the reason is the
continual enhancements and refinements that shape each new edition. In
the case of Family Tree Maker 2005 ($30), there's a greatly improved
compatibility with the many online sources of genealogy information. The
new version also includes a history and bookmarks feature (similar to
that on a Web browser) that brings you to oft-referenced people and
families immediately.
Cambridge Soundworks CD player: Thanks to their relentless advertising,
another company (whose name rhymes with nose) has taken over the
American consciousness when the subject turns to tabletop CD players.
But Cambridge Soundworks has been quietly making
beautiful music of its own with its line of tabletop radios and CD
players. Starting at $200, the players all have a built-in subwoofer
that gives you plenty of bottom-end muscle, especially in a smallish
room such as an office. Tack on the units' versatility--they play MP3
discs as if they were CDs, while their 12-pound heft and a built-in
72-hour battery backup make them wonderfully portable--and the Cambridge
will have some lucky devil on your gift list singing your praises for
years.
Digital Innovations Skip Doctor CD repair kit: Remember when CDs were
introduced, how we were promised that they were indestructible? What
saps we were. Of course, digital discs of all kinds--CDs, data discs,
DVDs, games, etc.--get scratched, and as a result, stop working
properly. Digital Innovations offers the
chance to make your discs like new again with its line of disc repair
and maintenance kits. The motorized kits, which run about $50, promise
to fix any scratch that's making your discs skip, freeze, or otherwise
misbehave.
