Christmas gifts for tech-geeks<\/p>\n
Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
vmahmud@yahoo.com<\/p>\n
Christmas is the season of giving, even if you don't celebrate
\nthe holiday. In fact, the year-end holidays are a perfect excuse
\nto buy something for yourself in order to keep up with the most
\nup-to-date technology.<\/p>\n
Things have changed greatly in the past five years, with more
\nand more people embracing the latest gadgets and tech tools.<\/p>\n
Audiocassette tapes, floppy disks and VCRs are slowly going
\nthe way of the dodo, so you'd better get a handle on the current
\ntools. Here are some excellent, useful gifts for the season.<\/p>\n
Instead of those terrible, scratch-prone, data-corrupting
\nfloppy disks, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives are considered
\ntheir next-generation replacements. With its light frame and no
\nmoving parts, the USB Drive -- also known as Thumb drives or Key-
\nchain drives -- can store at least 60 to 200 times more data than
\na floppy. Simply plug it into your USB port and watch it work
\nflawlessly.<\/p>\n
Those who are still using Windows 98 and older programs would
\nneed to install special drives, ranging from 64 megabytes (MB) to
\n512 MB.<\/p>\n
There once was a time when digital cameras were only for elite
\nprofessional photographers. Now, thanks to the advances in
\ndigital photography, prices have fallen dramatically while
\nquality continues to improve. Nikon, Canon and Olympus are the
\ntop three favorites, although "traditional" film companies Kodak
\nand Fuji also provide excellent consumer-grade digital cameras.<\/p>\n
Get a camera that has a zoom function and built-in flash. Most
\nimportantly, purchase one that offers a minimum three mega-pixel
\nresolution, since they provide the best picture quality when
\nprinting on your Inkjet printer. On that note, Fuji, Hewlett-
\nPackard and Canon are but a few vendors that offer high-end photo
\nprinters for printing at home.<\/p>\n
To get an idea of the various photography hardware on the
\nmarket, check out www.dpreview.com for reviews and user comments.<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding the recent crackdown on piracy, DVD movies
\ncontinue to be a major source of entertainment in Jakarta. Rent
\nit or buy it, you can view them at home or in your car during one
\nof the city's many traffic jams. Portable DVD players with built-
\nin LCD screens allow you to watch Pirates Of The Caribbean
\nwherever you are. Another alternative is to go to your local car
\naccessories dealer and get one mounted on the ceiling or on the
\nseat-back.<\/p>\n
Tired of real life? Why not try a virtual one? Computer games
\nare now bringing in more money then all of Hollywood's
\nblockbusters put together. Contrary to old-school thinking, games
\nare no longer just for kids -- proven by the fact that video
\ngames designed for adults are bestsellers. You can play the Hand
\nof God in The Sims, be a wronged cop out for revenge in Max
\nPayne, or play a total thug in Grand Theft Auto. Granted, some of
\nthese digital entertainment products have questionable moral
\nattitudes (Postal, anyone?), but remember, it's only a game.<\/p>\n
Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's X-Box and Nintendo's
\nGameCube consoles are readily available at Taman Anggrek, Ratu
\nPlaza and Mangga Dua mall, just to name a few, despite the fact
\nthat they are not officially distributed in Indonesia. This
\nhasn't stopped thousands of people from buying them, and there is
\na growing number of service centers for these game consoles.<\/p>\n
If your life is so hectic that you need a computer to put it
\nall together, maybe it's time to get a Personal Digital Assistant
\n(PDA). You can choose between Microsoft's Pocket PC and Palm
\nComputing's Palm OS-based PDAs.<\/p>\n
The Pocket PC is said to be ideal for surfing the Internet and
\nplaying games, while the Palm OS is considered to be more stable
\nwith a longer lasting battery. Both offer the same kinds of
\nfeatures and it is up to the user to select a model based on
\nindividual needs. For beginners, Palm's Zire series is perhaps
\nthe best bet.<\/p>\n
Finally, what's Christmas without Christmas carols? MP3
\nplayers have now replaced the Walkman as a portable music player.
\nDepending on your needs, you can easily get one that can store a
\nfew songs to literally a year's worth of non-stop tunes. These
\nplayers are either based on frictionless solid-state memory or
\none with a hard drive and related accessories.<\/p>\n
Apple's iPod is perhaps the world's best MP3 player, offering
\na long-lasting battery and up to 40 gigabytes of memory. It also
\nhas excellent peripherals to further extend the usability of the
\ndevice, such as a microphone for voice recording as well as
\npowerful external stereo speakers. Considering the iPod's premium
\nprices, you can also take a look at some of the digital voice
\nrecorders available on the market, such as Korea's Elson brand,
\nas they also provide USB hard-drive storage facilities in
\naddition to MP3 playback capabilities.<\/p>\n
Simply select one that fits your needs and requirements. You
\ncan perhaps even charge it to the office, since it can be used to
\nrecord meetings and brainstorms, too.<\/p>",
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