We all know that gadget lovers tend to have more expensive tastes, and they can be a finicky bunch of folks to buy for when money is tight. That’s why we’ve assembled a list of ten last-minute gift ideas to fit your $50 (or less) budget, with stuff that they’ll really enjoy, including Mac software, iOS accessories and a couple of things to make your last-minute buying look like you had it together all along.
It’s getting increasingly difficult these days to have one password for everything we do online, and let’s face it: That’s not a very good practice anyway, what with phishing attacks on the rise. Agile Web Solutions’ 1Password 3 is your cure for the password blues, making online shopping and browsing secure and easy. Best of all, an electronic purchase makes a great last-minute purchase, and you’ll even come in more than $10 under your budget.
AirPlay may have negated a lot of the need for wires between your iOS 4.2 device and your television, but let’s not forget that few apps can actually play video wirelessly just yet, not to mention the fact that older non-iOS iPods are left out in the cold entirely. Thanks to a recent price cut, the Apple Composite AV Cable makes a great sub-$50 gift; if your friend or family member is more tech-savvy, you may want to consider the higher-quality Apple Component AV Cable instead at the same price.
If you have a friend who’s into photography and their iPad, Apple’s $29 iPad Camera Connection Kit makes a great stocking stuffer, and you’ll have more than $20 left to spend on something else. The kit includes a pair of dock connectors -- one for USB digital cameras, another for SD cards. It’s one of those things that’s awfully handy to have around for the holidays when you want to quickly port photos onto your iPad to convert it into a digital picture frame when company comes.
If you have friends or family who suffer from the dreaded “CRS” (let’s say that stands for “Can’t Remember Stuff” to keep it clean), turning them on to Evernote will make them quite happy this holiday season. Even better, drop the $45 to gift them a one-year subscription to Evernote Premium, which will get them a monthly upload allowance up to 1GB, maximum note size of 50MB, search within PDF files, no ads and plenty more -- then maybe they’ll remember to give you a cool gift next year.
In case you haven’t heard, the iPod shuffle has buttons again, making it a perfect first iPod for casual users who aren’t as gadget-savvy as we are -- not to mention that it’s a perfect way to indoctrinate a non-Mac user into the fold. Ulysses S. Grant would approve.
Whether your friends and family like organizing photos, editing home movies, learning or playing music, making their own website or creating DVDs to share with others, Apple’s latest iLife ’11 has them covered, in one of the best editions to date. The only catch is, your loved one will need to have Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 installed, so make sure you slyly drop OS compatibility into your next conversation with them before you buy.
For the most demanding MacBook user who wants both video and audio to a single HDMI connection for their HDTV, this adapter will make the magic happen. This USB-powered unit converts both Mini DisplayPort (for video) and mini Toslink (for audio) into a female HDMI port, waiting to couple with any old HDMI cable you have on hand and make a sweet, sweet connection with your HDTV.
Most Mac users know that it’s cheaper to buy bare internal hard drives than it is to purchase them in external cases, and most any Mac user would love you for buying them this hard drive docking solution. It’s USB 3.0 ready (but also works with USB 2.0) and can accept any 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA hard drive up to 3TB. It’s also Time Machine ready, so it makes a perfect plug-and-play backup solution.
For just a few bucks over $50, you can own one of the cutest and most versatile wireless Bluetooth keyboards that works with your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch rocking iOS 4.0 or higher as well as any Bluetooth-enabled Mac. Know someone with a Mac mini in their home theatre system? This would be right at home, and the keyboard is even backlit for when the lights are turned down and your favorite flick is rolling on the big screen. Amazon Prime members, this is also eligible for free 2-day shipping.
Here’s a handy idea: An SDHC flash memory card reader for the iPhone 4 or iPad, complete with a free app for either one in the App Store that lets you share photos, movies, audio files and documents or just transfer content between those iOS devices and the flash memory. It’s a similar concept to the more costly AirStash (see $100 Gift Ideas section), but sans the wireless aspect.
