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computerwriter.com
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Santa Myles's Christmas Gift GuideToronto Star Fast Forward Column for December 7, 2000 HO, ho, ho. 'Tis the season to go shopping for your favourite computer user.
The bad news about computer hardware and software is that you won't find very
much in the under-$60 category. The good news, unless the gift is a computer
game, is that your gift Let's start at the low end of the price scale. For those on the tightest of budgets, there are some gifts that I have appreciated in the past that have provided years of service or at least intense pleasure, even though you might argue that some of them are only vaguely related to computers. Some examples include (and I'm looking at them right now), a pen and odds and ends holder with a gargoyle theme. I collect wizards, dragons, and chimera of all kinds, so for me, at least, it's an appropriately styled and useful gift. Fortunately, they come in many designs. Another favourite that I use every day is a coffee-cup warmer - a tiny hotplate that's made one of my habits a thing of the past (Is this your coffee? If it's cold, that's mine). Post-It notes are another favourite gift. True, at the end of the year, my office sometimes looks as though it had been hit by a sticky snowstorm, but I'm one of those people who believes that all hand-written notes are committed to disappearing paper. However, if they're stuck to the edges of my monitor, the shelves above my desk, or my computer's case, they tend not to disappear quite as quickly. Another less-expensive gift, particularly if your computer user works at home and uses his or her computer to make a living, is a copy holder. These can be the light-plastic-with-stickum models that attach to the top and one side of a monitor, or the more robust metal sort that either clamp to a desk or shelf or sit in a heavy metal desktop holder. Simply remind your user that if the holder also employs a magnet to hold paper to its metal surface it may not be a grand idea to have it near floppy disks or their monitor. And, while the price of this next item doesn't exactly fall into the small category, I've asked Mrs. Santa for a new phone with a hands-free headset so I can bully (...er, interview) public relations people and make notes at the same time. My neck will appreciate it. Does your user have a CD-R or CD-RW drive (also known as a CD-burner)? If so, find out how fast it writes (some typical numbers are "4X," "8X," or "12X"), then stop by your local office supply store to pick up some blank discs rated at the appropriate speed. It's necessary, by the way, for you to also find out whether the drive can erase and re-write if you settle for the more expensive CD-RW discs. But CD-R (non-erasable) discs work in both types of drive, so you can't go too far wrong here. Those same office supply stores can provide you with CD "jewel cases" or packages of paper CD envelopes - and if your cybersweetie has piles of CDs lying about, you can also find myriad cutely designed storage options in wood or plastic to fit the tightest budget. Does your recipient own an ink-jet printer (or bubble-jet)? Find out the brand <italic>and model<italic> (the model is important), then go hunting for replacement ink cartridges. The black cartridges are the least (relatively) expensive and always run out more often, but colour cartridges will be appreciated, too. And, while we're on the topic of ink-jets, you may also want to spark some fun in the process by considering a gift of paper. Oh, sure, you can get paper for mundane office correspondence, but for a home-bound user, you can also get creative with photo paper or T-shirt transfer paper. To double-check whether the printer can handle the stock, and if you have access to the Internet, you can check up on the model's capabilities by using this formula: www.<company_name>.com. In fact you can get all sorts of gift ideas by using the Web, even if you don't buy there. I find two search engines, www.google.com and www.askjeeves.com to be particularly effective. For example, go to the google site and type in Robotics Kits as the keywords, then spend a happy hour or two following the pages of sites dedicated to just this genre of toys (and no so toyish products). Then we come to the black socks and ties equivalent in the computer world: the mouse pads and wrist rests. They're everywhere and they're dirt cheap. Your challenge is to find products that (a) don't carry some company's advertising, and (b) have some unique styling, shape, or decorative value. Good luck. More expensive: Okay, dig into your bank account; here's where we really start spending money. For years, I've been buying my lady wife refills for her paper DayTimer. She already knows it, so I'm not giving away any secrets, but this year, she's getting a Palm electronic organizer with a colour screen. Other choices include less-expensive Palms with monochrome screens or more expensive products with a similar physical format based on Microsoft's Windows CE by Compaq, Casio, or Hewlett Packard. Price could range from $300 up to nearly $1,000. Too expensive? How about a pointing device? I have developed a fondness for optical mice and trackballs. With no ball to gum up, they last for a very long (and maintenance-free) time. Options include products by Microsoft (Intellimouse with Intellieye, Intellimouse Explorer, or Trackball Optical) and Logitech (TrackMan Marble or the new wireless version). It's hard to find one more expensive than $129, and most are under $100. Has your spouse been complaining about sore wrists? If s/he is a full-hand typist (as opposed to a hunt-and-peck artist), then Microsoft's Natural Keyboard (Elite or Pro) may help. I hate giving Microsoft a pat on the back, but I've replaced all of the straight rectangular keyboards in my office with them for that very reason. I do notice a difference. Again, were in the under-$100 to not much more range. This space is too short to reveal all I know about buying either notebook or desktop computers, but for notebooks, the major name brands have models starting at just under $1,500. And, the average consumers paid last year for a desktop system with monitor, some extra software, and perhaps some peripherals such as speakers, or a game controller, or a printer, came to around $1,890. Of course the top price in both categories can be over $5,000 (or well over for a notebook) and, if you're planning to spend that much, let's have lunch. You can get more details on computer buying strategies by checking out the 2000 Computer Buyer's Guide and my Computer Fest Handouts. Last, but not least, you might consider putting some pre-Christmas fun into life with non-computer-related gifts. For example, if you come up with a couple of surprise tickets to this year's Sing-along Messiah, you'll find my wife and I in attendance (and I'll be in the part of the audience set aside for the bass section). |
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will keep on giving all year long and quite possibly for
many more to come.