This Christmas, there are plenty of choices in the market, which makes it difficult to choose because most of us have limited funds. Research shows that students want Apple iPods, digital cameras or digital video cameras, Tivos, or Sony PSPs. Since the research was done, Microsoft has announced the release of the Xbox 360. Many consumers in this category have already bought iPods so the iPod has probably dropped lower on the list. Unless you’ve preordered an Xbox 360, however, you’re going to have to pay a huge premium for one given that the initial allotment has already sold out,(and yes, I’ve ordered mine and yes, I too am paying a premium).

The following is a list of the products I find most interesting and that are currently in stores. Use the prices listed as a guide only as you will probably find that retail prices will drop rapidly over the next few weeks.

iPod

At first glance this may seem easy but there are two equally compelling products to choose from (no one really wants the third, the iPod Shuffle), and they both come in two capacities and two colors. Initially black was the hot color but as problems with scratching became evident buyers switched back to white. Apple has now apparently fixed the scratching problem so black is again the favorite choice. Despite this, white is probably the safer choice but either way the person receiving the gift will likely be happy. In terms of capacity, my advice is to go with the lower capacity in the hard drive-based video iPod (30GB is probably six times more than anyone really needs) and the larger capacity if you are choosing the Nano since 4GB is the ideal size for this device.

I found that boys prefer the Nano and girls the Video iPod but we already know that girls have more expensive taste! www.ibuydigital.com

A lower priced alternative is DELL’s Susan G. Komen Foundation bundle, which takes a Dell DGJ Ditty and adds a pink armband. Some of the proceeds of this product go towards breast cancer research, which may make it a more meaningful gift special for some people. Currently there is a special on this product at $129. It also has a built in FM radio, which is something the iPod doesn’t have yet so it may be useful to help you keep track of events or listen to the TV at your gym. The regular product is in black and is priced at $99; probably more appropriate for guys who aren’t concerned with fashion. www.dell.com

Another low-cost player is the Samsung Yepp YP-T7X, which is generally rated much higher then the crippled iPod Shuffle and even has a 65,000 color screen for viewing photos. It also has FM radio and the 1 GB version can be found on Yahoo shopping for $140. shopping.yahoo.com

iPod Accessories

iPod accessories are another safe path given that many people already have iPods. A few accessories that stand out are:

• The Griffin RoadTrip, which is a combined FM transmitter and iPod cradle for the car. This is nicely designed, easy to use and at $89 is reasonably priced compared with your iPod. The latest version of this product works with virtually all 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation iPods. If the person you are giving this to has a Nano then consider the Griffin iTrip; it is drop-dead gorgeous, uses the Nano display, but only works with the Nano. The price is around $50. www.amazon.com

• For iPod speakers the Altec Lansing Inmotion IM7 is considered the best. It’s not cheap at $250 but it is relatively portable, robust, and sounds great. www.techonweb.com

• If you want something that is less expensive but still relatively good the Logitech MM22 at $60 is small, has a clean sound, but not a lot of volume. www.directron.com

• For swimmers, the H20 Audio Waterproof Case for the iPod costs $150 and comes with special ear buds. Another cool gadget is the Nyki iTop Button relocator for the iPod, which costs only $30 and moves the buttons to the top making them easier to use while the device is in your pocket. http://www.h2oaudio.com

• The best value for money headphones are probably the Grado Labs SR80s. These headphones are over the ear style but at $95 dollars won’t break the bank. While they are light on bass they should impress anyone who receives them. www.sound-room.com

• The Harman Kardon Drive + Play built-in car system isn’t cheap at $200 but it appears to be the best way to get the BMW experience without actually buying a BMW. It should be on the market by the time this guide reaches you. It has a dashboard mountable display, a joystick control and can be plugged in to your car stereo using either an analog cable or an FM transmitter. www.crutchfield.com

Personal Computers

These days you can get a lot of value without spending a great deal. For school kids, a tablet PC is hot property. The tablet that stands out the most for use at school is the Gateway CX200X. It has a 14” wide screen unique to tablet PCs (I’m a big fan of 14” wide screen products). It performs solidly and costs $1,400. www.gateway.com

For regular laptops I like special edition products because, well, they are special. The HP L2000 Livestrong Special Edition is feature rich, including that wonderful 14” wide screen, and costs $900 - hard to beat. www.hpshopping.com

Want a desktop PC that is cool, unique and won’t break the bank? CompUSA has the NASCAR PC Desktop. With a 160 GB drive, ATI graphics, a Media Reader, 16X dual layer drive, and costing $549, it is an amazing deal. www.compusa.com

If you really want to put a sparkle in your kid’s eye, the AlienWare Star Wars Special Edition PC looks incredibly cool, is a solid gaming platform, and costs $1,500. Remember though that your child is saving the world from aliens so what does a few extra dollars matter? www.alienware.com

Want a Media Center PC? There is one that really stands out from the crowd and won’t break the bank. The HP Digital Entertainment Center z556 is a little pricey at $1,500 but will look right at home in a stereo cabinet. Jet black and rich-looking; this is the king of the Media Center PCs. If you want one that looks more like a PC and about half the price, the HP M7100e is also a good choice at $800. www.hpshopping.com

Monitors

There are two monitors that stand out:

• The Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch, is currently the most lusted-after monitor on the market for gaming and graphics use. The price has recently dropped to $950. www.dell.com

• A lower cost option is the Gateway 21” display. It can be positioned in either portrait and landscape mode, has a fully articulated base, and is much more affordable at $600. It is also good for game systems and has picture-in-picture if you want to watch videos while you’re emailing. www.gateway.com






Software:

Want to learn to sing? Wish your kid or spouse would stop scaring the pets? Have a neighbor whose singing sounds like the coming of the apocalypse? Then how about a software package that teaches singing. Look no further than singing Coach Unlimited. With over 10,000 songs there is a good chance it has that at least one that is driving you insane. This product is $80 at www.amazon.com .

One of the best new movie editing packages is Pinnacle Studio Plus Version 10. It allows you to edit in HD (you kind of need HD content) and create DVDs that have a professional look. What better way to enthrall folks with vacation videos, shots of your child’s birth, or even (hold your breath) wedding videos! It costs about $80 at www.tigerdirect.com.

If you just want to make cool movies quickly using only one product, the Muvee AutoProducer often comes preloaded on new PCs. This will allow you to put together a DVD quickly and the software costs only $40 at www.amazon.com. You can then give the DVDs as gifts! Think how excited people will be to get movies of your kids, pets, or last doctor’s appointment!

A photo editing product that leads the way is Corel’s Paint Shop Pro now in version 10. Easier than the Adobe products but equally as powerful as the professional tools and containing one of the best photo organizers, this is a great application for taking your poorly-shot photos and turning them into masterpieces. It costs $100 at www.buy.com, or $57 from www.digitallyunique.com if you are a student.

TVs

I know it is tempting to get a Plasma TV but there is a massive oversupply right now, which means prices should drop like rocks after the end of the year. Next year the new LED–lit LCDs are supposed to start appearing in stores and will be vastly better than anything in this class that is currently on the market so long as they are priced as expected.

If you choose DLP, two TVs stand out:

The 61” InFocus Screenplay 61MD10 has a 7” depth and in the past was sold under the RCA brand for nearly $8K. This year, it’s selling for a vastly more reasonable $3K although you’ll need to shop around for this price. Along with its RCA brother, it is the only DLP set that can be wall mounted and, compared with a 60” Plasma that can cost ten times this amount, is one hell of a deal. www.costcentral.com

The new HP DLP 65” TV is expected to hit the market around the time this is published. It has an amazingly sharp image and the AV hookups have been moved to the front of the set behind a concealing door, making it easy to set up and easy to change. At $5K, it isn’t cheap but it is a stunning set and is the product to beat at the high end of the market this year. Shop around for the best price. www.tvauthority,com

Digital Cameras

At the high end of the market, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT stands out. There are two schools of thought - some professionals argue that Canon makes the best lenses while others argue that Nikon is better. I personally prefer Canon). A kit, which includes lenses and costs about $1,000, is ideal for someone (like a spouse) who you really wanted to impress. www.buy.com

If you want something cool but not that expensive, the Casio Exilim EX-2750 is small, performs impressively, looks great, and is much more affordable at $450. www.photonation.com

Even more reasonable is the HP Photosmart R517, which comes in at $200 and has 5.2 mega pixels and an impressive set of features, including a 2” display and a clean and simple user interface. A camera with these specs cost me over twice this much a little over a year ago, which goes to show how rapidly prices are dropping among different technologies. www.hpshopping.com

Tivo

If someone wants a Tivo then by all means get them a Tivo. They aren’t expensive and, even though people think they are daunting to hook up, they aren’t really any more difficult than a VCR with a tuner (in fact, they may be easier as you don’t have to worry about the flashing 12).

Right now you can get a Tivo for $50 if you pre-purchase 12 months of TV directory service (which costs $155.40), so the total price is $205.40 for a 40-hour Tivo. It costs $100 more if you want 80 hours, $150 more if you want a DVD recorder, which means you can also replace the DVD player. The 300-hour version is the same price. I’d recommend the 40- or 80-hour version as good value products, depending on your budget. Pre-paying the first year is probably a requirement for something like this. Check out www.tivo.com for deals.

Sony PSP

This product can still be a little hard to come by but they are out there. Amazon.com has them for around $250; you’ll want to get a gift certificate for at least one game, which will be around $50 with tax (I’ll bet you are missing the old Atari now, huh?). The Sony PSP has a number of accessories and, if you know someone who has or is getting a PSP, a gift certificate for them to buy the accessories at a local game store or online retailer such as Amazon is probably a good idea. The range of accessories includes ear buds, cases, screen protectors, accessory packs and games that can eat up a lot of change so be aware that these products are hardly one-time purchases. www.buy.com

A great accessory for someone who already has a PSP is the Hip Gear PSP Stereo Station. This costs $60, charges the PSP and includes speakers while keeping the PSP off the table at a working height. It looks kind of cool, too. www.etoys.com

Xbox 360

Dream on if you think you are going to get one of these under your tree if you haven’t already ordered one. It took me the better part of a week some time ago to find someone who was still taking pre-orders and I have my doubts whether mine will arrive in time for Christmas. Your best bet is a gift certificate for around $450 for the premium player and one game (that’s right; this puppy isn’t cheap) and then they can go shopping in January when supplies free up again. You could also try waiting in line at one of the stores that doesn’t take pre-orders. Check around your neighborhood and plan to get there early.

I’ve played the Xbox 360 myself and it is as good as people are expecting it to be so it is well worth waiting for. I know, however, how important it is for a child to have something they really want on Christmas Day so this may be a difficult gift decision this year.

Satellite Radio Device

Moving away from the short list, Satellite is one of the trendy services this year. The Pioneer AirWave can store up to 5 hours of programming, making it a powerful alternative to the traditional MP3 players. It is tied to XM radio, arguably the better radio service. It’s very easy to use but not cheap at $330 and XM will set you back a further $12.95. This is probably a good one then for a spouse, and probably a male spouse at that. www.dealtime.com

Universal Remote

Do you know someone that has been breeding remotes and is up to their armpits in them? The Logitech Harmony 880, which can be programmed on the Web, is the gift for them. At $249 it is vastly cheaper than, but generally as capable as, the high end monsters that can cost in excess of $800 and that usually require a technician to program them (part of the cost). It has a rechargeable battery, a nice color display, and is incredibly easy to use. www.crutchfield.com







Cool Stuff

For lack of a better category, these are things I’ve run into that are just too much fun to forget.

Flashlight: The Lumaray FL12 looks like something out of Star Wars and is a darn good LED flashlight as well. At $120 (the similar FL6 has half of the LEDs and costs $70), it is a lot for a flashlight but if you want to see in the dark and fight aliens this one is for you (don’t you wish the guys in Doom had this?). People actually go to Star Trek conventions with this thing. www.lumaray.com

Photo Album: Photoworks at www.photoworks.com will take photos you want to share with a friend or relative and publish them into a coffee table book. Reasonably priced and very personal, these books can include text as well and may be the easiest way to achieve the title of book author. It’s certainly something unique, and if the pictures are personal, it will be treasured for a long time.

Music Mixer Revenge Gift: The StikAx allows you to mix music easily so if you have a neighbor who you want to get “even” and who has a young child, this is the gift for their child. Be warned though; only give it to them if you can’t hear what is coming out of their house! It looks like a ray gun, works relatively well, and costs $130. It is actually a rather nice, unusual gift for someone who is learning to mix their own tunes. http://www.stikax.com

Car PC: How many people do you know have a car PC? A PC designed specifically to be built into a car, the VoomPC barebone system is unique and costs $300. It is based on the revolutionary VIA C7 processor so it won’t kill your battery and it plays DVDs, handles navigation, and may even plot to take over the world. James Bond, eat your heart out. www.mini-box.com

Custom PC Case: I’m a modder and I love wild cases but it seems that no matter which case you buy they all start looking the same. How about a custom painted case that captures the image of a favorite game character, logo, idea, or color? Smooth Creations www.smothcreations.com does this kind of work for the OEMs for special events and will do it for a reasonable price. They will also paint iPods, Laptops, or any other device that will take automotive-quality paint. This really is special and, even if you don’t choose to do it, you should check out the site (personally, I love the Star Trek iPod).