A Geeky Holiday Gift Guide

Hard as it is to imagine, the holidays are right around the corner. And if you're hoping that Santa will bring you some new tech toys, here's what to ask him for.

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Flat Panel Displays

Large flat panel (LCD) displays are a steal right now. As little as two years ago, if anyone had suggested that you could buy a 19" LCD for less than $200, they would have been sedated and locked away somewhere for their own protection. Yet today, they could probably run for president. Image quality is great and if you haven't seen the Web on one of these big bright screens, you haven't seen the Web.

The wide-screen (16:9) format is growing in popularity, but unless you plan to play virtual reality games, view large spreadsheets or watch movies (and who watches movies on a computer?), it's wasted space.

Give the no-name models a wide berth and go for brands you know like Sony, Samsung and HP, to name a few. You can even get original Dell monitors at a great price without buying a whole computer. Give us a call and we'll show you where to find them.

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External Hard Disk Drives

These are a must-have for both home and office.  Like adding a big file cabinet, external hard drives give your computer more space in which to store documents, photos, music, whatever.  They can also be used for auxiliary backup ("auxiliary" because we still recommend using CDs or DVDs for backing up your most critical files). As if that's not enough, an external drive can easily be set up so that all the computers in your home or office can access it, allowing you to keep all of your shared files in a single location. Very easy. Very safe. Very cool.

External hard disks come in two physical sizes: 2.5" and 3.5" (oddly enough, these dimensions are largely unrelated to how much data the device can hold).  The smaller models are very attractive because they'll almost fit in your pocket and well, they're just so cute.  Despite that, go for the big ones (about the size of a large paperback book).  They're not quite as cute, but they cost less and they run about 30% faster.  Because hard drives are fairly complex devices, quality is important and price is usually indicative of that, so steer clear of the cheapest. Look for models from Maxtor or Seagate (which are actually the same company).

As for capacity, unless you're storing a lot of video files, look for a drive that's about twice the size of your main computer's hard disk.  For most PCs built in the past couple of years, that means something in the 160-250GB range.  Prices start at less than $100, but you might be tempted by markdowns on higher capacity devices, but anecdotal evidence suggests that larger drives may be more prone to problems.

A cautionary note: Virtually all external hard disks come with their own backup software and almost all of that software stinks. Many of these programs are difficult to use and unreliable and, when it comes to the safekeeping of your important files, ease of use and reliability are very important. We have a small, simple, efficient backup solution which we'll be more than happy to tell you about. Give us a call.

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Mouse and Keyboard

These basic input devices haven't changed much in a long time.  But if you've been using the same mouse and keyboard for more than 3 years, consider replacing them. They're among the most heavily used parts of your computer and if they don't work well, you'll want to toss the whole machine out the window.

Go to a computer or office supply store and test drive a few.  Look for quality construction and ones that just feel good to the touch. The click of the mouse or the keyboard keys should be as comforting as the sound of a solid car door closing.

Of course, both come in wired or wireless versions. Not to sound stodgy, but we still prefer those with a cord. They may not be as hip and cool, but going wireless will only rid you of 2 cables at most -- which is really no help with the mass of wires that most people have.  Also, for every ten calls we get about mouse or keyboard problems, nine of them will be for wireless devices.  And eight of those will involve dead batteries.

Another nice thing about the wired models is that most are "plug & play". Plug them in and the computer will recognize them after a few seconds. Just that easy. 

A good keyboard and mouse won't cost that much, so don't go cheap -- you'll regret it. Nothing is more frustrating than a mouse that won't do what you want it to. Figure $30-40 for a mouse and $25-60 for a keyboard (more for wireless). Avoid those with lots of extra buttons. You probably won't use them, but you'll pay for them anyway. Look for names like Logitech or Microsoft.  DO NOT install the software that comes with them unless they just won't work without it.

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The Rest of the List

Of course, computers -- desktops and laptops -- always make great gifts. Prices are low and you get lots of z-o-o-o-o-m for your buck. Brand new, well configured machines, with 17" or even 19" flat panel displays, can run as little as $550-600 (shipping included), less than that if you already have a monitor.  Put the sedative down -- it's true!  Call us and we'll show you where to get 'em.

Thumb drives - those little memory chips that are about the size of your thumb -- make great stocking-stuffers. They cost $20 or less per gigabyte and 1 or 2 GB drives have 1001 uses.

Digital cameras and MP3 players are still on many people's Christmas lists, and not just kids. And, by the way, despite what the folks at Apple want you to believe, iPod^® is not the only MP3 player on the planet. There are a slew of others that perform beautifully for a lot less money.  For example, check out the Insignia models at Best Buy.

Games are bound to be popular as always, but those at the high end require more  speed and memory from a computer than ever before. So go to the store and look on the box for "system requirements" -- processor, memory, video card, etc. Remember that what you'll see listed are the minimums. If your computer doesn't exceed every point mentioned, get another game. Or a another computer.

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And there you have it -- The good, the better and the best! It's going to be a great holiday season and you really can't go wrong asking the big guy for any of the above mentioned items.

As always, if you have questions about anything mentioned here, call, write or "I.M." us (MosaicPC on AIM). We're here to help! We'll provide answers and we'll even be glad to pick up whatever you need, deliver it and install it for you. Just like Santa!*
 

Steve @ MCS

 
* Available in the greater Nashville, TN area only.  What didja think?