The Spectacular Mac|Life Holiday Gift Guide of Awesomeness

Mac|Life Staff — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:01:00 -0600

To help you with your holiday shopping, we share our own tech-centric gift lists—both what we want and what we’ll wrap up for the ones we love.

We hate to fall prey to the retail industry marketing mavens who have turned the winter holidays, which hold deep spiritual meaning to many Americans, into shameless displays of greed and conspicuous consumption. But we like to open gifts as much as the next person—and wrapping them and seeing the excited look on our giftees’ faces is pretty cool too. Now we know that by the time you read this, there won’t be many more shopping days left, so to make your job as gift giver and receiver easier, we hereby present our own Apple tech-inspired holiday lists—along with a handful of products we plan to use to stick to our New Year’s resolutions.

Rock on, Back up, Nerd Out
Reviews Editor Ray Aguilera

As Mac|Life reviews editor, my desk is always buried under the constant flow of the latest and greatest—and sometimes not so great—gadgets, gizmos, and doodads. When people ask me what my job is like, I often describe it as being sort of like Christmas morning every day, with all the boxes to open and new stuff to fiddle around with. Of course, real Christmas doesn’t involve press deadlines or last-minute edits—but you get the idea. Here are the tech gifts that I’ll be giving—and hopefully getting—this year.

Ray's gifts for getting...

The Flip Mino is mini but mighty.

The Pure Digital Flip Mino ($179.99, www.theflip.com) was easily one of the most talked-about goodies I encountered this year (5 out of 5 stars, Oct/08). Whether it was questions from strangers while I tested the camera or covetous looks from coworkers, it seemed like everyone wanted to get his hands on one. And I can understand why. Tipping the scales at just a couple ounces, the sleek Flip Mino is the perfect size and shape to go anywhere, and its 640x480 video is a snap to transfer to your Mac and edit with your favorite video software.

Etymotic hf2s block out everything but your favorite song.

Between my commute to and from the office and the marathon editing sessions that take up many of my days, my iTunes library is a lifesaver. Whether it comes via my iPod, iPhone, or my Mac at work, music is what keeps me focused—and I tend to have friends and a number of family members who are the same way. A good pair of headphones is key. For commuting, I adore my Etymotic 6i earbuds ($149, www.etymotic.com), which are designed to fit in your ear canal and are able to drown out both BART trains and crazies on the bus. For the iPhone, the Etymotic hf2 mic-equipped ’buds ($179, 5 out of 5 stars, Nov/08) are indispensable. At my desk, I’m often rocking a pair of Grado SR60 headphones ($69, www.gradolabs.com/) because of the excellent sound and the open-air design—so coworkers can get my attention without having to throw things at my head.

Ray's gifts for getting...

I’m kind of a data pack-rat, which means my hard drives are always bursting at the seams—and I’m always worried about them failing. Which is why I really hope someone puts a Drobo ($499, www.drobo.com) under my Festivus pole. The Drobo is a “data storage robot” that stores your data redundantly across up to four drives, and unlike a RAID array, you can mix and match drive sizes and hot-swap easily, with virtually no setup or time spent managing your disks.

In 2009, Ray resolves to...

BBEdit: A code monkey’s best friend.

Further develop my nerd-fu and sharpen my CSS and HTML skills. And to do that, I’ll need a hard-core text editor. BBEdit 9 ($125 or $30 upgrade, www.barebones.com) fits the bill, with all the code completion, syntax-coloring, and powerful searching I could possibly need. Plus, the document-comparison features come in handy when I’m editing for the magazine too.

Get it Together, Girl
Editor-In-Chief Leslie Ayers

You might be surprised to hear that I don’t have as much time in a typical workweek to play around with nearly as many Apple-friendly gadgets as I’d like to. In fact, if there’s any theme unifying the gifts I plan to give and hope to get this year, it’s a theme of getting more done in less time and getting and staying organized at home, so I can do everything I want to do Monday through Friday—and have more time on the weekends to enjoy life that much more.

Leslie's gifts for giving...

Touch it all you want

For my friends and family members who ogle my iPhone 3G when I reach for it to tap out an email message or squeeze in a quick game, I’m wrapping up an iPod touch ($229 and up, www.apple.com) for each. It can’t dial out, but they’ve got cell phones already—and the touch doesn’t come with any of AT&T’s strings or monthly bills attached.

I always say Lew has selective hearing when I’m talking—so why am I encouraging this behavior by gifting him the Sennheiser PXC350 ‘phones? Why ask why?

My husband, Lew, is getting a sweet set of noise-canceling earmuff-style headphones from Sennheiser. He can take the PXC 350 ’phones ($299.95, www.sennheiserusa.com) with him on his next flight, to block out the sounds he doesn’t want to hear and listen to the ones he does, in luscious hi-fi. These cans work just as beautifully plugged into our Mac, his iPod nano, or our home stereo, so he can blast the Stones or Stevie Ray Vaughan as loud as he wants after dinner without me nagging him to “turn it down—the baby’s sleeping!”

Leslie's gifts for getting...

Even though I already know an iMac ($1,199 and up, www.apple.com) isn’t going to fit into our household budget for 2008—maybe we should have foregone that family vacation to Maui?—I’m still putting one on my wish list, with a caveat for Santa that it doesn’t have to be brand-spanking-new. There are plenty of refurbished iMacs available online from the Apple Store (store.apple .com), with prices generally starting around $999. Even if I can’t persuade Santa’s elves to build one for me this holiday season, my birthday’s in February, so hopefully I don’t have to wait too long—and when Feb. 8 rolls around and I see that iMac, new or refurbished, next to my birthday cake (though not too close; it’ll be a fire hazard), the first thing I’ll do after making a wish and trying to blow all those candles out at once is head over to Other World Computing (macsales.com) to buy more RAM for my new baby ($21.95 and up for SO-DIMM modules).

In 2009, Leslie resolves to...

Mother’s little helper.

Stop making excuses and clean out my closets. Simplify and organize. I’ll start by loading Home Inventory ($22, binaryformations.com) onto my iMac. (Lew, are you reading this? The iMac will do more than just look awesome in our home office!) I’m also going to sock away a few bucks each week, after I blow my holiday shopping budget in early December, to buy the IntelliScanner Mini ($299, intelliscanner.com), a handheld bar-code scanner that comes with software for managing my junk, ahem, assets—from wine to books to shoes. And I’ll take a cue from Susie and load Bento 2 ($99, www.filemaker.com) on the iMac too, so I can stay on top of our family’s belongings, contacts, grocery lists, vacation plans, and other details.

Tablets, Guitar Solos, and Robots, Oh My!
Online Editor Roberto Baldwin

I’m on a mission to make sure no one ever gets another pair of socks, bright green reindeer sweater, or any other horrible gift for the holidays again. Every gift should be an excuse for the receiver to try something new and be creative. Remember how quickly your excitement was crushed when you opened that extra-large present, just to find out it was a case of underwear? Yeah, let’s stop giving those gifts. This year give the gift of creativity. The youngins’ and the adults will thank you for it.

Robbie's gifts for giving...

Ergonomically entertaining.

The mouse is the worst input device ever created. There, I said it. I switched from a mouse to a tablet about a year ago and my wrist thanks me for it every day. Wacom’s Bamboo Fun tablets ($99, www.wacom.com/bambootablet) are definitely on my list of hardware to give to friends who make their living with their computers. Before you say, “My friends don’t draw, why do they need a tablet?” keep in mind that I use the tablet to write, edit video, manipulate photos, and surf the Internet. If I had my way, everyone would throw out their mouses, ahem, mice. Giving a tablet means my friends won’t be wearing orthopedic wristbands when they’re older, talking about how quaint the first iPhone was.

When you’re the super-nerd among your friends and family, you get support calls all the time. Leopard’s ability to easily share screens means no more explaining to my sister what the Finder is for the one-hundredth time. Never again will I have to explain to folks how to get their WAN IP address while they boot up Remote Desktop. Leopard makes it easy with Back to My Mac and screen sharing in iChat. Giving everyone Leopard ($129, www.apple.com/macosx) will make my life easier and will help my friends and family get back to editing their latest iMovie creation—at least before they have to call me with another tech question.

Robbie's gifts for getting...

Instant guitar collection you can turn up to 11.

Now that I’ve mastered Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it’s time step up to the challenge of relearning the guitar. The Line 6 Variax 600 guitar (around $800, line6.com/variax/) has 25 built-in sounds, which should make learning a bit more interesting. That’s 25 different guitar/effect settings right on the guitar for the on-the-fly ability to go from deep blues to sitar to acoustic. It’s like having my very own roadie handing me a guitar every few minutes. Best of all, it plugs directly into my Mac, so I can create my own custom sound for my big sitar-stompbox solo.

Build your very own Iron Giant.

Since robots will someday overthrow their human masters, I want to stay ahead of the curve. If I build a few Lego Mindstorms robots ($249.99 for the Mindstorms NXT Kit, shop.lego.com) and treat them the way robots deserve to be treated, when the big scary robots come to throw me into their undersea human prison, my army of tiny robot friends will speak on my behalf and I’ll be given a cushy job at the robo-smoothy hut. Mindstorms programming software is available for Mac and PC. Bluetooth support means I can control my robot with my phone, and I’m pretty sure someone, somewhere is working on software for the iPhone.

In 2009, Robbie resolves to...

Get back in shape. Writing doesn’t exactly burn calories. No matter how fast I type, I’m sure that summer job on the farm when I was a kid burned more calories in one day then a month’s worth of writing. Needless to day, I’ve gotten a little rounder in the middle. After seeing how much my wife enjoys her iPod nano with Nike+ ($29, nikeplus.nike.com), I’m ready to join the running revolution. Being able to see how many miles I’ve run on the Nike website is nice, but it’s the ability to challenge others (Laura, are you ready to get served?) and set goals for myself that makes the Nike+ a must-have for my get-back-in-shape resolution.

Creativity in Motion
Art Director Robin Dick

The holidays are a happy, hectic blur of candy canes, parties, and a good excuse to shop, but the new year is what I’m looking forward to. I don’t do “resolutions”—too much artificial pressure; anyone who knows me will agree I don’t need more of that. But as 2009 gets closer, I do have intentions, both professional and personal. As Mac|Life’s art director, I have the luxury of working with some of the smartest tech whiz kids in the business, not to mention access to the latest and greatest state-of-the-art gear. With an eye for design, plus the right hardware and tools, we can make multimedia magic.

Robin's gifts for giving...

Pricier cameras may have more bells and whistles, but I still love the D40.

For the friends at the top of my list, I’ll be wrapping up my favorite tools to open up their photographic possibilities. First, the always-dependable—and affordable—Nikon D40 ($499.95, www.nikonusa.com) comes with an ultra-compact 3x Nikkor lens, can shoot up to 2.5 frames per second, takes beautiful 6.1-megapixel images, and is easy to use, thanks to the intuitive controls and in-camera editing.

My friends’ will turn their living rooms into art galleries with archive-quality prints from the R2880.

For gallery-quality prints, I’ll toss in the Epson Stylus Photo R2880 ($799.99, www.epson.com). It uses Epson UltraChrome K3 pigment inks for smudge- and fade-resistant color prints in tons of sizes, and even supports printing on rolled photo paper for gorgeous panoramas. The possibilities for their creativity are endless.

Robin's gifts for getting...

My life is cluttered enough without DV tapes—I’ll archive footage from the flash-based HF11 onto a spare 1TB hard drive.

I have a very creative job, but my art generally lives on paper. Lately, I’ve wanted it to move, so this year I’ve got my eye on Canon’s Vixia HF11 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder ($1,199; www.canon.com). This baby has a 32GB flash drive, plus a slot for SDHC cards, and records full high-definition video, 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. With my trusty Mac Pro, I can edit the AVCHD video clips in iMovie 08, or step up to Final Cut Express ($199, www.apple.com).

In 2009 Robin resolves to...

After Effects will let me add snazzy motion graphics and special effects to my movie projects.

If I have to make an official resolution, I resolve to get moving! Inspired by the title sequence of the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and a home video of a sassy 4-year-old, I’ve decided to pursue my interest in motion graphics, combining my passions for art, typography, and design with my love of film and video. To help, I’ll be leaning on Adobe After Effects CS4 ($999, www.adobe.com), a powerful tool for playing with 2D and 3D animation and compositing. A Wacom Intous3 9x12 tablet ($449, www.wacom.com) will help my hands keep up with my imagination.

Gifts That Keep On Giving
Managing Editor Jan Hughes

Everyone loves getting shiny new toys for the holidays, but the ones that melt my butter are the ones that help prevent more important things from melting. And, while everyone around here gets excited about each new iProduct, I get especially excited when I hear about new feats of technical engineering that will steer us toward a healthier planet. My ultimate holiday wish list includes gifts that can help my loved ones reduce their carbon footprints and still have fun. From solar powered to responsibly manufactured, I have picked out some of my fave eco-friendly gadgets to share with my loved ones this holiday season.

Jan's gifts for giving...

The juice-while–you-ride Voltaic solar backpack is perfect for my bike-loving husband.

Why use electricity when you have the sun? I love the idea of my husband charging his iPod in a Voltaic solar-panel-powered messenger bag ($250, www.voltaicsystems.com, see review) while he’s riding his bike to work. The bag comes with an assortment of connector tips to plug in myriad devices, and one hour of sunlight yields three hours of iPod listening enjoyment. The company will soon release a solar bag powerful enough to charge a laptop, which will undoubtedly take telecommuting to a whole new level.

The Iqua BHS-603 SUN ($99.99, www.iqua.com; see review) is the first solar-powered Bluetooth headset that converts light into power, and ultimately means freedom from the grid—not to mention clunky chargers. (Special thanks to Credo, the greenest phone company in the United States, which sent us the Iqua to review.) There are a host of new alternative energy-powered chargers that I’m keen to share with friends.

With Solio’s Magnesium Edition, we can beam the sun’s rays directly into our son’s ever-depleting Game Boy.

The Solio Magnesium Edition ($199.95, www.solio.com/charger, 4 out of 5 stars, Sep/08) is a heavy-duty solar-powered charger that radiates its delicate “leaves” so they can soak up the sun, and it charges most handheld devices with ease. With an internal rechargeable battery, you can leave the charger wherever it can catch the most rays, and it will be charged and at the ready. It’s a little on the pricey side, but my friends—and the planet—are worth it. I’m completely in love with Freeplay’s FreeCharge 12V ($32, www.freeplayenergy.com/product/freecharge12v), which not only can charge just about any gadget with the power generated from its hand crank, but also, because it contains no internal batteries, is completely independent of conventional power sources, which makes it a great gadget to add to an emergency kit. And, if my heart weren’t singing already, the Freeplay Foundation (www.freeplayfoundation.org/index.html) shares its wealth with vulnerable communities in Africa and India.

Jan's gifts for getting...

The Vers 2X is stylish and eco-friendly.

I’ve been looking for an iPod dock for the house, so I’d be supremely happy to find a Vers 2X ($179.99, versaudio.com) with my name on it under the tree. Made from sustainable wood veneer, the Vers 2X is 100 percent RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances)-compliant. Even the plastic components are PVC- and BFR-free. Rock on.

In 2009, Jan resolves to...

Lose weight. Not much, just a smidge. And to do that, I am going to delve into Nutrition For You ($15 to $100 per month, depending on services chosen; www.nu4you.net), which is a science-based, nutrition-focused antidote to my cubicle-based, seat-laden reality.

Working Hard, Playing Even Harder
Senior Editor Susie Ochs

I love the holidays—the togetherness, the time off work, and the free flowing supply of cookies and alcohol all rank high on my list of reasons why. Not on that list? Shopping for gifts. (Basically, the mall in December is my own personal hell.) So if you’re like me, don’t sweat it. Take the legwork in this article and get thee to thy favorite Internet retailer. Then kick back with another eggnog, ’cause you’re good to go.

Susie's gifts for giving...

My road-warrior brother is constantly calling from rental cars. The GrooveTooth’s magnetic clips will let him mount it anywhere—drive safely!

With friends and family scattered nationwide, keeping in touch is paramount. And talking on the phone while commuting is about to get easier—and much, much safer—at least for my giftees who will get the Cygnett GrooveTooth Talk ($79.95, www.cygnett.com). It’s a Bluetooth speaker for hands-free speakerphone calls that promises a whopping seven of hours of talk time or 460 hours on standby. It includes a car charger, or you can charge it at home via USB.

The tiny Tritton AX Micro is comfortable and stylish.

But some of my friends don’t drive cars, and for them I’m going with the Tritton AX Micro ($59.99, www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIBH200.htm), the smallest, coolest Bluetooth headset I’ve seen. It doesn’t even hook around your ear—great for glasses wearers—yet it still stays securely in place. Now we can jabber on and on, and hopefully no one will veer distractedly into oncoming traffic.

Susie's gifts for getting...

These pro-quality cans deliver sonic bliss and a comforting head-hug.

Frank Zappa said it perfectly: “Music is the best.” And I’m undoubtedly happiest with a supreme set of cans hugging my ears—it’s like a security blanket for my head. M-Audio has a set of studio-monitoring-quality ’phones called the Studiophile Q40 ($179.95, www.m-audio.com) that I’d love to unwrap this year—the soft cups comfortably surround your entire ear, the 3-meter cable is replaceable in case of accidents, and most importantly, they sound crystal-clear and totally amazing. Speaking of amazing, Rock Band 2 is pretty much the best thing ever invented (starting at $49.99 for console versions, not available for Mac, www.rockbandstore.com). Need a bandmate? Invite me over, I’m awesome—I promise we will blow the roof off your living room.

TV too small? Watch movies or play games anywhere with the MovieMate 55—all you need is a sheet or a wall.

To mitigate such wanton destruction, consider the Epson MovieMate 55 ($699.99, www.epson.com), a sleek 8-pound unit combining a widescreen projector, CD/DVD player, and built-in speakers. It’s a snap to hook up an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii and play your games outside. I’m sure your neighbors will love it as long as you invite them to play too.

In 2009, Susie resolves to...

Get organized. In 2008 I’d flit between organization systems like a hyperactive hummingbird, but in 2009 I plan to rock Zenbe Lists (free, lists.zenbe.com) on my iPhone to keep my to-dos and shopping lists at the ready. It’s easy to use, a snap to share lists, and checking off completed tasks is oh so satisfying. I’m also looking forward to Bento 2 ($99, www.filemaker.com), the next iteration of FileMaker’s personal database. It will allow me to organize everything from contacts to projects to research to events, plus it will let me design my own templates and even share them online with other Bento users. If I can lock in an organization system and stick with it, 2009 should be a very good year.

With the publication of this feature, the Mac|Life staff does not endorse any particular winter holiday—religious or not—that might be observed—or not—in your particular household. All we know is, we like unwrapping new things, especially those that help us trick out our Macs and enjoy our Apple gear all the more.

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The Spectacular Mac|Life Holiday Gift Guide of Awesomeness