Christmas already? Holiday shopping starts earlier every year. But it's probably wise to start shopping now, as the hottest items usually sellout before Thanksgiving.
Here are a few items that would be on my Christmas list.
Nintendo DSi and PSP Go
You've probably seen people of all ages engrossed in their DSi, that ubiquitous portable game system/camera/personal flamethrower. (Okay, there's no flamethrower. But I wouldn't put it past Nintendo in the future.) I dig the DSi's sleek design, wide variety of games (some that will actually teach your man how to cook), and built-in camera. While not as slick, the new PSP Go with its 16GB hard drive (say goodbye to physical game discs, grandpa) is definitely a must-have for the serious gamer who absolutely must be able to blast zombies at all times. It's not exactly cheap (at $250 you can almost get the new lower-priced PlayStation 3) but the features--BlueTooth enabling, access to the vast PlayStation network--are definitely worth the dough.
Kindle
I wasn't on-board with the Kindle at first, not because I hate to read, but because it just looks kinda dumb. (This is the future of the printed word? A glorified Speak & Spell?) But I have to admit the sheer staggering amount of reading material available--everything from the latest Jonathan Lethem novel to The New York Times to geek blogs like Boing Boing and Slashdot--has won he over.
DJ Hero/LEGO Rock Band/Beatles Rock Band
Does your boyfriend want to channel his inner Ringo on "Octopus's Garden"? DJ a hot a club in Ibiza? Be LEGO Iggy Pop? If you had told me when I was a kid about the wide variety of music games available in 2009, I would have...well, I probably would have screamed "Stranger!" and ran away. The point is, there are a lot of fun music games out there right now.
On the the cheaper side, the Palm Pixi Phone is only $99.99 and has a pretty sweet keyboard and enough apps to make me want to toss my glitchy BlackBerry out the window. (He can always name it something more manly than "Pixi.") Also, the Mino mini-camcorder is also pretty affordable (and downright adorable).
Finally, while certainly not cheap, the new LEGO Mindstorm Robot ($349) is the closest your boyfriend will ever come to owning his own Johnny 5.
What do you guys think? Anyone else have ideas for fun, affordable gadgets this holiday season?
Here are a few items that would be on my Christmas list.
Nintendo DSi and PSP Go
You've probably seen people of all ages engrossed in their DSi, that ubiquitous portable game system/camera/personal flamethrower. (Okay, there's no flamethrower. But I wouldn't put it past Nintendo in the future.) I dig the DSi's sleek design, wide variety of games (some that will actually teach your man how to cook), and built-in camera. While not as slick, the new PSP Go with its 16GB hard drive (say goodbye to physical game discs, grandpa) is definitely a must-have for the serious gamer who absolutely must be able to blast zombies at all times. It's not exactly cheap (at $250 you can almost get the new lower-priced PlayStation 3) but the features--BlueTooth enabling, access to the vast PlayStation network--are definitely worth the dough.
Kindle
I wasn't on-board with the Kindle at first, not because I hate to read, but because it just looks kinda dumb. (This is the future of the printed word? A glorified Speak & Spell?) But I have to admit the sheer staggering amount of reading material available--everything from the latest Jonathan Lethem novel to The New York Times to geek blogs like Boing Boing and Slashdot--has won he over.
DJ Hero/LEGO Rock Band/Beatles Rock Band
Does your boyfriend want to channel his inner Ringo on "Octopus's Garden"? DJ a hot a club in Ibiza? Be LEGO Iggy Pop? If you had told me when I was a kid about the wide variety of music games available in 2009, I would have...well, I probably would have screamed "Stranger!" and ran away. The point is, there are a lot of fun music games out there right now.
On the the cheaper side, the Palm Pixi Phone is only $99.99 and has a pretty sweet keyboard and enough apps to make me want to toss my glitchy BlackBerry out the window. (He can always name it something more manly than "Pixi.") Also, the Mino mini-camcorder is also pretty affordable (and downright adorable).
Finally, while certainly not cheap, the new LEGO Mindstorm Robot ($349) is the closest your boyfriend will ever come to owning his own Johnny 5.
What do you guys think? Anyone else have ideas for fun, affordable gadgets this holiday season?
I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that realdoll technology is becoming impressively sophisticated. That is, if you're not afraid of a little competish.