Some Gift Ideas of the Digital Kind

It is time again for me to give my annual suggestions for gift giving of the digital kind ranging in price from only a few bucks to a couple hundred. This week and next we will look at a few.

If your gift giving list includes someone who likes to read books, an eReader may be just the ticket. There are a number of them on the market right now and there seems to be a new offering every week. My recommendation is still the Kindle which has several models. I suggest either the Kindle Touch or Kindle Keyboard. While Amazon.com, the maker of the Kindle, now has the Kindle Fire, if the person getting the gift is really just interested in reading books, the Touch or Keyboard versions are the best as they both use eInk technology that is easy on the eyes and allows battery life to extend to weeks.

The least expensive Kindle costs about $79.00 but you have to put up with annoying advertising pitches and Amazon “special offers” on the screen. Spend the extra 20 bucks and select the version without screen saver advertisements.

The Kindle Fire has been getting a lot of attention for the very attractive price of $199 and many describe it as a less expensive iPad; I don’t agree. The Fire has great graphics and a color screen, but it is not an iPad. In my opinion, the Fire is a device primarily designed to allow the easy purchase and display of the many media products sold by Amazon.com. If that is what you are looking for, go no further. If you really want the best tablet on the market, the iPad is still the gold standard.

How about some stocking stuffers for that teen on your list. You can’t go wrong with an iTunes gift card. They come in denominations from $15 up to $100. You can get them on line at the iTunes Store. For that avid reader who uses the Kindle, Amazon.com has gift cards in most any denomination. They can be used to purchase books as well as any other product sold by Amazon.

For that digital photography buff, how about giving an extra SD Card? They can be purchased beginning at about 10 bucks. You can never have enough SD Cards especially when you are on vacation as they fill up fast.

Next week I’ll have more suggestions.

Some Gift Ideas of the Digital Kind

It is time again for me to give my annual suggestions for gift giving of the digital kind ranging in price from only a few bucks to a couple hundred. This week and next we will look at a few.

If your gift giving list includes someone who likes to read books, an eReader may be just the ticket. There are a number of them on the market right now and there seems to be a new offering every week. My recommendation is still the Kindle which has several models. I suggest either the Kindle Touch or Kindle Keyboard. While Amazon.com, the maker of the Kindle, now has the Kindle Fire, if the person getting the gift is really just interested in reading books, the Touch or Keyboard versions are the best as they both use eInk technology that is easy on the eyes and allows battery life to extend to weeks.

The least expensive Kindle costs about $79.00 but you have to put up with annoying advertising pitches and Amazon “special offers” on the screen. Spend the extra 20 bucks and select the version without screen saver advertisements.

The Kindle Fire has been getting a lot of attention for the very attractive price of $199 and many describe it as a less expensive iPad; I don’t agree. The Fire has great graphics and a color screen, but it is not an iPad. In my opinion, the Fire is a device primarily designed to allow the easy purchase and display of the many media products sold by Amazon.com. If that is what you are looking for, go no further. If you really want the best tablet on the market, the iPad is still the gold standard.

How about some stocking stuffers for that teen on your list. You can’t go wrong with an iTunes gift card. They come in denominations from $15 up to $100. You can get them on line at the iTunes Store. For that avid reader who uses the Kindle, Amazon.com has gift cards in most any denomination. They can be used to purchase books as well as any other product sold by Amazon.

For that digital photography buff, how about giving an extra SD Card? They can be purchased beginning at about 10 bucks. You can never have enough SD Cards especially when you are on vacation as they fill up fast.

Next week I’ll have more suggestions.

TV without a TV

The other day I was asked if there was an easy way to watch TV programs and movies now available on the Internet on a large screen TV. With Netflix, Amazon.com, iTunes and Hulu all providing more and more programs once only available on broadcast TV, cable or satellite, viewers now want to watch in a more comfortable environment than is possible sitting in front of the desktop or laptop computer. Even those who have graduated to the iPad or other tablet devices often want to watch some programs on a large screen.

There are several options available. Some of them simple and inexpensive and others a bit more pricey. If you already are using a laptop computer and you have a relatively new HDTV, very likely you can connect the two. Many newer laptops have HDMI outputs and many digital TVs have more than one HDMI input. So if you have your TV connected to a cable box using one of the HDMI inputs, you can use one of the remaining HDMI inputs to connect to your computer. Once connected using an HDMI cable, the TV serves as a large monitor for the laptop by displaying on the TV any content viewable on the laptop.

If you do not have a HDMI output on the computer you most likely have a VGA port. That port can be easy to identify since it uses a plug with 15 very small pins. Look on the side or the back; I am sure you will find it. It is also called an external monitor or projector port. Again, many new TVs have a VGA input. All you need to connect your laptop to your TV is an inexpensive VGA cable.

In both of the first two options, you still need to run a separate audio cable to your TV in order to get the audio to play from the TV. This can be a hassle.

If you are in the market for a new TV you might want to consider one that already is Internet ready. This means that you can connect the TV, via either a network cable or
your home wifi network, to the Internet. These TVs have a special remote control that allows you to select between off air, cable or internet sources. All are displayed on the large screen. Deciding to watch a video from the Internet is just as easy as changing the channel on your cable box.

Since many network programs are now available on the Internet, more and more people are reconsidering the monthly cost of cable or satellite. Broadcast TV has increased the number of free over-the-air channels in the Cincinnati market from seven in the analog world to more than twenty in the digital world. There is a fee for some Internet based services like Netflix, but considering that these programs can be watched virtually on demand with a monthly cost well below what most of us pay for cable, it is not surprising that some viewers are seriously re-evaluating the price of cable or satellite services.

TV without a TV

The other day I was asked if there was an easy way to watch TV programs and movies now available on the Internet on a large screen TV. With Netflix, Amazon.com, iTunes and Hulu all providing more and more programs once only available on broadcast TV, cable or satellite, viewers now want to watch in a more comfortable environment than is possible sitting in front of the desktop or laptop computer. Even those who have graduated to the iPad or other tablet devices often want to watch some programs on a large screen.

There are several options available. Some of them simple and inexpensive and others a bit more pricey. If you already are using a laptop computer and you have a relatively new HDTV, very likely you can connect the two. Many newer laptops have HDMI outputs and many digital TVs have more than one HDMI input. So if you have your TV connected to a cable box using one of the HDMI inputs, you can use one of the remaining HDMI inputs to connect to your computer. Once connected using an HDMI cable, the TV serves as a large monitor for the laptop by displaying on the TV any content viewable on the laptop.

If you do not have a HDMI output on the computer you most likely have a VGA port. That port can be easy to identify since it uses a plug with 15 very small pins. Look on the side or the back; I am sure you will find it. It is also called an external monitor or projector port. Again, many new TVs have a VGA input. All you need to connect your laptop to your TV is an inexpensive VGA cable.

In both of the first two options, you still need to run a separate audio cable to your TV in order to get the audio to play from the TV. This can be a hassle.

If you are in the market for a new TV you might want to consider one that already is Internet ready. This means that you can connect the TV, via either a network cable or
your home wifi network, to the Internet. These TVs have a special remote control that allows you to select between off air, cable or internet sources. All are displayed on the large screen. Deciding to watch a video from the Internet is just as easy as changing the channel on your cable box.

Since many network programs are now available on the Internet, more and more people are reconsidering the monthly cost of cable or satellite. Broadcast TV has increased the number of free over-the-air channels in the Cincinnati market from seven in the analog world to more than twenty in the digital world. There is a fee for some Internet based services like Netflix, but considering that these programs can be watched virtually on demand with a monthly cost well below what most of us pay for cable, it is not surprising that some viewers are seriously re-evaluating the price of cable or satellite services.