Gifts
Gift Vouchers are always a good idea if you’re not sure exactly what to get.
I especially like the idea of Amazon vouchers, as they stock a wide variety of goods. Computing stuff, tools, gadgets & gizmos, furniture, toys & games, clothing and of course books, movies and music. For a technophilic readaholic, Amazon is perfect. But even non-geeks will find something they like there. Usually pretty good value too.
Looking for a special gift for someone special? Since I don’t know who you’re shopping for, it would be silly for me to make any recommendations. So here are the things I’d like to get. In no particular order of preference:
1. An Internet Radio.
Not really for listening to Internet Radio (although I guess that would be cool), but mostly for streaming from my current music servers, especially the “Tranquility” playlist I fall asleep to. Any of these would probably do the job:
2. A new sat-nav
Update!
No longer on my list, as I picked up a fantastic little Navman at a bargain price recently.
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Since switching from my iPAQ hw6915 to the Nokia E90, I’ve lost on-phone sat-nav capability, and have just about given up trying to get this back, thinking I’d probably be better off with a dedicated navigator instead. I was very impressed with the functionality and ease-of-use of my brother’s Garmin, so this seems like a good bet: |
3. A new multi-tool
Update!
This one is no longer on my personal wish-list, as my fabulous wife got me one for my birthday. Which is not to say they don’t still make excellent presents for other people!
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I invested in one of these decades ago (quite literally), a good solid quality one. Absolutely loved it, went everywhere with me, lived on my belt, used for something or other just about every day. Part of getting dressed every morning. Sounds sad, I know, but there you have it. Anyway… on our last holiday I ended up in the queue at airport security with the silly thing still on my belt. And as a result had to bin it. Heartbroken! Haven’t been able to bring myself to part with the money for another expensive one since then, and with this sort of thing, the cheap & nasty ones really are quite nasty. Given the choice, a Leatherman Wave would be perfect, I think. I also now have a medium-sized, stamped, self-addressed padded envelope tucked into my laptop bag so I never get caught like that again. |
4. An iPhone
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I know, I know. But they’re just sooo coooool. I’ve had a couple of little play-sessions with an iPhone, and it absolutely lives up to the fuss. The UI is just amazing, and the rest of the world is scrambling to catch up. A ridiculous purchase in the UK at the moment, probably best to wait a bit longer until the hype settles and the price gets a bit more sensible. |
5. An Amazon Kindle
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As e-book readers go, this is the one to have. Unfortunately not available in the UK yet – not through official channels anyway. So get somebody in the US to send you one. Even then you’ll be limited – to get real value out of it, you need the subscription services currently supplied over one of the US cellular networks. But even so, it’s still desirable – download your entire bookshelf into it. Reference manuals, fiction, you name it. There are even tools out there to grab web pages and convert them into Kindle-esque for offline reading. Can’t lose. |
Why am I so in love with the idea of e-books? Imagine this… you’re going on holiday. You know you’ll have loads of idle time (isn’t that what holidays are for?), and that’s a great chance to catch up with your reading. For example, Peter F. Hamilton’s latest trilogy. Or, if you’re a real readaholic, four of his trilogies. Now you could either take them all in the Kindle (or something similar), or lug around an extra suitcase. Hmmm…..
6. The Ultimate Briefcase
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If you’re feeling really extravagent… these look absolutely awesome. The last case you’ll ever buy, if the marketing propoganda is to be credited. I certainly wouldn’t mind giving one a try! |
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