’Tis the season for a little high-tech ho-ho-ho. This week we’ll look at a few inexpensive, but essential, gift ideas for your favorite PC user this holiday season.
PMice make nice gifts. More than 25 years after their commercial introduction, the mouse remains one of the most-used components of any computer, be it desktop or notebook. Consequently, it’s also one of the first peripherals to need replacement, because of poor performance or physical discomfort. Not all mice are created equally, and because they are your direct link to the computer, it pays to like the one you use.
Mice come in all shapes, styles and colors, widely ranging on both price and functions. You could spend nearly $200 on a specialty mouse made by some obscure manufacturer, but for the average holiday shopping list, I’d recommend sticking with products in the $20-to-$80 range from three companies known for making quality hardware: Logitech, Microsoft and RAZAR.
To determine whether your gift recipient could use a new mouse, consider the following criteria: Does their present mouse use a ball to navigate the on-screen pointer? Ball mice are old-school and unreliable. Even the cheapest optical mouse will be an improvement. If they work with precision software, such as photo editing, make their day with a laser mouse, which is twice as accurate as optical and only slightly more expensive.
Does your computer user complain about the mouse cord being too short or always in the way? Give the gift of freedom with a cordless mouse, which sends a signal to the PC via a USB-mounted Bluetooth or infrared receiver. Infrared seems to work best, in both distance and strength. Cordless mice tend to be smaller than their corded cousins, so make sure the model you choose is a good match to the size of the user’s hand.
Notebooks can be nice, but using the built-in touchpad to navigate can be a major pain. A real mouse — whether corded or wireless, full-sized or mini — is a much-welcomed accessory. Logitech makes an excellent high-resolution cordless mouse, the V220, that retails for $24.95 but can usually be found on sale for half that price.
PYou can never have enough storage space, especially if it’s portable, which makes flash drives the perfect low-cost holiday gift. Not just for computers anymore, flash drives are used in lots of electronics these days, from TVs to car stereos. Everyone seems to make them, but my two favorite brands are Lexar and Kensington, both of which sell 16GB drives for about $18, 8GB for about $12 and 4GB for around $8. You can never have too many of these things. Novelty flash drives are cute but not always practical.
PFor digital camera users, another excellent computer gift is a USB card reader. These handy devices let you read and write to flash memory cards of various sizes and styles. Card readers can be internal or external. I prefer external models because they are portable. Simply plug them into a USB port, insert an SD card into the appropriate slot, and the computer instantly mounts it as a drive. Most card readers contain multiple slots to accommodate different types of flash memory cards. Depending on your needs, you can get card readers that are compatible with as few as 12 different cards, or as many as 72. Best of all, these devices are inexpensive. An external USB multi-card reader typically runs about $10.
PMiscellaneous high-tech gift ideas include blank CD or DVD media. Get the “-R” variety for greatest compatibility. If a computer gamer is on your list, a USB gamepad, like Logitech’s Rumble Pad, will bring a big smile. For notebook users, a protective bag with plenty of pockets is a great idea. Finally, USB hubs give users easier access to ports while increasing the number of devices they can use.
Source:http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2011/dec/20/stuff-stockings-with-doodads-for-pc-users/
