With finals week quickly approaching, many students may not have time to think about what to give their loved ones this holiday season.
But instead of falling back on something like socks or underwear, take a look at my second annual Holiday Buyer’s Guide for tips on technology and gaming.
At the top of many people’s list is Apple’s “magical and revolutionary device.” The iPad has catapulted the tablet PC into the limelight, and people can’t stop buying them. Sure, there have been other tablet-like computers before, but like with the iPod in music (more on those later), Apple is dominating the tablet market this year.
The iPad has the ability to seamlessly browse the web, check e-mail, stream Netflix, play games and read books.
And with models starting at $500, Apple’s little tablet that could is a great gift for the web surfer on the go.
Sure, bookworms could download and read full novels through iPad’s iBookstore, but $500 may be a little steep to someone who won’t use all of the extraneous features. And some may find the iPad’s screen too bright for reading.
That’s where eReaders come in.
For a fraction of the price, eReaders, normally starting at about $150, are great gifts for the avid reader in your life — giving them access to thousands of eBooks at their fingertips. Plus, they use eInk, which allows readers to see the display in bright sunlight.
While the Amazon Kindle was the first and most popular eReader, I’m more a fan of the Nook by Barnes & Noble. The Nook’s bottom touch screen makes purchasing and selecting books a breeze. Plus readers have access to the complete Barnes & Noble library.
However, if reading isn’t your thing, everyone loves to jam out to their favorite song. And yet again Apple comes through with new iterations of the iPod. Although I’m not a huge fan on the redesigned iPod Nano, the bite-sized MP3 player offers a multi-touch display with FM radio and pedometer.
Where the Nano falls short, the new — and definitely improved — iPod Touch shines. Equipped with Apple’s snappy A4 processor, improved accelerometer and gyroscope, retina display and two cameras for FaceTime, the iPod Touch is a solid recommendation starting at $229.
But while the iPod Touch and iPad have become popular platforms for gaming, they can’t compare to the games available this holiday season for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.
Two big sequels of award-winning titles were released this month in “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.”
Gaining popularity from last year’s blockbuster “Modern Warfare 2,” “Black Ops” sends players through time in various wars over the game’s main story mode. “Black Ops” also made additions to the highly successful multiplayer modes and even has a mode dedicated to killing zombies.
In “Brotherhood,” players fill the shoes of Ezio Auditore da Firenze once again to fight their way through Renaissance Italy to uncover a giant conspiracy involving the Knights Templar. “Brotherhood” also introduces players to an exciting new and strategic multiplayer mode.
Nintendo returns to its roots with the release of “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” and “Donkey Kong Country Returns” for the Wii.
Finally, if motion gaming is getting repetitive and boring on the Wii, Microsoft is here to steal the holiday season with their new dual-camera sensor Kinect.
Two words: embarrassingly fun.
Microsoft’s campaign of “you are the controller” for Kinect has players getting off the couch to jump, wave and dance in front of their televisions with their family and friends.
While the price for Kinect seems a bit high at $150, the technology involved is impressive, and its few good games (like “Dance Central”) are a blast to play with family and friends.
So don’t let the looming Christmas shopping season worry you as you cram for finals.
Deep down, there’s a tech nerd in all of us, and any of these suggestions are sure to put a smile on someone’s face this holiday season.
Adam Arinder is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
 
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Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]