Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category

Clocks are an essential part of everyone’s daily lives no matter what your age or occupation, making them the perfect gift for anyone. We all know at least someone who is not a morning person and could use any extra help they can get waking up in the morning. For those who never seem to be able to get up in the morning on their own, the new vibrating alarm clocks are perfect and are sure to not only be amusing to those who receive it but are practical as well. Clocks are also great presents to give as housewarming gifts or wedding presents. Clocks make the perfect wall accessory and are not only visually appealing but useful as well. Based on your loved ones personal style you could have fun with the clock and select some of the more modern artistic ones or go with the simple elegance of black or silver. If you are not scared off by a higher price range and are willing to go all out with your present, a grandfather clock is something you could give that is sure to not only last forever but be passed down through future generations as well. 

Grace: Valentine’s Day is not just a holiday for women, although it may be difficult to remember.  Actually, in Japan women give men they’re interested in chocolate on February 14th, and then a month later, if the man feels the same, he gives her chocolate back.

However, if you feel like participating in a more traditional Valentine’s Day, a great gift for a guy are these bluetooth stereo headphones.  They cancel ambient sound AND they connect wirelessly, which is always a plus.  I’ve tripped over the chord to my headphones way too many times, so I think anyone would love to receive chordless headphones.  This is a great gift for any guy, regardless if he loves listening to music (although that would be a plus).

Grace: As most of you know, karaoke is very popular in Japan and other parts of Asia.  A lot of my Asian friends back home are OBSESSED with it, but I promised myself I would never ever go karaoke.  To my surprise, it turned out to be really fun, and although it’s not something I plan on doing every weekend, I can see why people love it so much.

That being said, if you know someone who loves karaoke and just can’t get enough of it, I found the perfect gift for you.  Known as the Ikaraoke for Ipods, this little device is a great gift for social events, provided the person enjoys karaoke.  It’s far more compact than a karaoke machine, and since you can just plug it into your iPod, you don’t have to worry about not being able to find songs that you like.  Ikaraoke removes the lead vocals so that you can enjoy the karaoke parlor experience without having to pay the devistatingly expensive fee at the end.

Dan: Do you know someone who is going to travel to a foreign country for an extended period of time?  If so, and it is outside of the Americas, than most likely their electrical appliances will not work.  In many other country’s, the electrical outlets cannot handle the amount of power that some of our appliances normally use.  Therefore, that person will most likely need a host of power converters for the different countries.  These make great travel gifts because they are so commonly used!

This winter, I am going to be traveling to Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong and will be needing some of these converters.  My parents were kind of enough to get me these converters as a gift, but I know that some other people on my trip do not have them yet.  Some of the best gifts, are things that people need!

Grace: This is a really great gift idea Dan.  I am traveling and studying abroad in Japan this winter/spring and have the same issue to deal with.  You are right that some of the greatest gifts are practical ones that can be used time and time again.  Once you receive these converters (usually come in sets), you will never have to invest in it again.

Dan: A lot of musicians have some of the gear they NEED but not much in terms of stuff they could REALLY use.  This may not apply to all musicians, but for guitar and bass guitar players they have the instrument but not a good enough amplifier.  Since they can be quite costly if you do not shop around smartly to find great values, it takes time and effort to find a good one.

There are also many different brands and qualities.  If you are looking for a perfect gift and the comfort of knowing that you got the RIGHT thing, go with Fender amplifiers.  For both the electric guitar, acoustic electric, or the bass electric guitar, Fender distributes the highest quality and most durable amplifiers.  So even if someone you know has a guitar, do they have the right amp?

Grace: This is a great gift idea!  You are right that so many musicians have a suitable instrument but not the right system to make it come out sounding its best.  People who play acoustic guitars that are not amplified do not have to worry about this problem, but if you do need amplification, it is a problem.  $2000 Gibsons sound terrible on a $60 25 watt amp.

Grace: Even though I love all my techo things, such as my computer and my iPod, I’m also overly paranoid about them.  As my sister would tell you, I freak out when she touches either of them because even though they are made to be touched and used, they COULD break.  It comes to no surprise that even though I love to bring my iPod everywhere, I get really paranoid when I want to listen to it outside or while I’m taking a shower because what if it gets soaked?

A great gift idea for someone who is as paranoid about their iPod as I am (or not) is this waterproof sound case for the iPod.  The clear case protects your precious iPod from dirt and water, and it even floats so you can use it in the pool if you’d like.  There is even a click-wheel membrane so you can still operate the iPod as usual.  This is a great gift for music lovers everywhere who just don’t want their iPod to die.

Dan: This is a really genius gift idea.  Most everyone is rocking out on their iPods these days but do not realize how much damage they are inflicting upon it all the time.  My first iPod, which died…last summer from two and a half great years of service…broke because I kept dropping it and letting it get wet outside.  If I had this case than I am sure I would still be using my old iPod and not the new one I have today.

Dan: Recently released data highlights that DVD sales make-up twice the amount of profit for movie production companies than the actual showing of them in theaters.  Due to considerably falling prices due to a lack in demand for most ALL goods, DVD sales are reaching all time lows and production companies are bracing for the future.

For the most part, many illegal means of getting movies on DVD have been shut down.  There has been a high cut in DVD prices, and if you look in the right places, bundling, a selling technique, is starting to be used (buy these three DVDs and receive a 40% discount for example).  Also, with Blu-Ray DVD players now reaching all time lows at stores such as Costco and Wal-Mart (roughly $124.00), DVDs are a great buy!  Give a few DVDs for gifts this holiday season, it is really hard to miss on this gift idea.  Even if it is not the PERFECT movie for that one person, it is still ok, because they most likely already have that.

Grace: This is a REALLY great gift idea, especially if the gift recepient has been kind of hinting at wanting a certain dvd.  For example, one of my friends just never buys dvds of movies she likes, so DVDs of movies she likes is always a great go-to gift.  This is also a great way to introduce people to movies you think they’ll like.  I’ve discovered a lot of great movies from my friends giving me DVDs they enjoy and think I’ll like too.

Dan: Many people believe that are video games are detrimental to kids because they display the wrong messages.  However, there has been a new wave of games that are more child and family friendly.  Some games such as Wii fit promote exercise while the Leapfrog games are all developed for educational purposes.

The most recent game that is of the best quality is Guitar Hero World Tour.  This music game is a great gift.  The game promotes hand-eye coordination and also is a great tool for timing training.  Training that is crucial for playing musical instruments, singing, dancing, sports, etc.  It is great to finally see a game that teaches something in a fun way.  Music training has also been accredited with other benefits such as better performance in school.

Grace: Another thing that’s great about the Guitar Hero games is that they can also be social games, which I really enjoy.  This way, you can enjoy the game yourself or with a bunch of people.  And I definitely agree with Dan’s comments about the game promoting hand-eye coordination and timing training.  I’ve always had a lot of trouble keeping time when I play music, and maybe I’m delusional, but I like to think that playing the game has helped me keep time a little better.

Dan: This season there are many new products coming out for purcahse but so many of them may be out of budget.  This gift idea may sound typical, but it is one that can be USED and truly appreciated.  Many gift certificates are frowned upon because of the store(s) that they can be spent at.  A McDonald’s gift certificate for $50 is amazing, but the health benefits are not.

An iTunes gift certificate, though, is great because the program has evolved into a store that carries more than just music.  You can find movies and even books on tape at the iTunes store now.  There are no applied time limits for the cards so that there is no rush to use them right away.  You can spend as little as $25 and go up to $2500 I beleive.  The card alleviates the stress of continual credit card charging (per song) and really makes music and other mediua purchases in the future more relaxed.  This is the ultimate gift card and a GREAT gift idea!

Grace: I LOVE getting iTunes gift cards as gifts!  I hate buying full CDs because I usually only like a couple of songs, so I find iTunes to be very convenient.  However, it may be convenient for me, but it makes it rather difficult for other people to buy me music as a gift.  That’s where the iTunes gift card comes in.  There’s no more of this guessing and gambling when buying music for someone; they can do it themself, but it still feels like a gift from the heart, which is what is important.

Dan: Now that the iPhone is becoming a mainstream product whose prices have come down considerably since its first introduction it may be a great gift idea.  Even though it still comes with a considerable price tag and an AT&T wireless services to finance, it is an amazing device.  I do not have one and will NOT be receiving one, but it is a great gift idea!

Not only does it have an MP3 player, camera, speakers, and internet capabilities, there are numerous helpful applications.  One recently released application lets you put the iPhone next to the radio, it listens to the song, and finds it on iTunes.  It is the master solution to the common dilemma, “What is this song!”  It is also a really helpful GPS tool for long trips.  The iPhone is also a gift that will not expire quickly, it is one that will be in use a lot and for a long time.  The money will not go to waste if that is the concern.

Grace: I also do not have an iPhone nor will I be getting one any time soon, but I do envy all my friends who have one.  There are lots of cool features crammed into this slim, lightweight phone.  The only bad part about the iPhone (besides its price tag) is all the glitches.  I haven’t heard of any disasterous ones like the battery exploding or the phone just not working at all, but my friends iPhone likes to automatically forward emails I sent her back to me, which is a little strange.  Her phone also has a bad habit of recalling the last person who called her.  Despite all this, the iPhone is a great gift idea as long as you don’t mind a few speed bumps.