Geekscribe Gift Guide 2007 Part 2
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Print This Article
| 
Email This Article
Here is part 2 of my Geekscribe Gift Guide.
6) Digital book reader
What is it?: Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard of Amazon’s new offering. It’s called the Kindle. It has been on the cover of Newsweek recently and Amazon is pushing it like crazy. It holds up to two hundred books and can access 80,000 books, newspapers, blogs, etc. Sony has a version which has been out for some time.
I frankly have mixed thoughts about this item. I like individual books. However, there have been times (long trips) when it would have been easier to have something like this along. Also, it is fun to go to book stores and garage sales and find gems for 50 cents or a quarter. I doubt you’ll be able to have that kind of experience with a digital reader.
Cost: $279.00 to $349.00 for the Sony reader; $399.00 for the Kindle.
Where to find it: www.amazon.com is the only place I have seen to get the Kindle. You can find Sony’s reader on www.sonystyle.com and select brick and mortar stores.
7) A Real Book such as I Am America (And So Can You!)
What is it?: There is nothing better than cuddling up with good, real, book. One possibility is I Am America…. It is just about the funniest book you can buy right now. Stephen Colbert is hysterical. If your geek likes biting but insightful humor, then this is the perfect gift. I read a few pages in the store and almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard. Hopefully I’ll get this one for Christmas!
By the way: that award you can see on the cover picture to the right is a fake. It’s hard to see from this picture, but the inscription is: “The Stephen Colbert Award for Literary Excellence.”
Cost: $16.00 to $29.00 for the hardcover.
Where to find it: This book is everywhere.
Gift Cards to Brick and Mortar Stores or Point Cards for XBOX Live or Wii
What is it: Most people hate giving gift cards. My wife says it is so impersonal. She’d rather spend hours picking out the perfect gift and another twenty minutes wrapping it.
However, by the same token, most people love getting gift cards! Try and figure that one out. If you have a gift card to your favorite store, that is. There is nothing worse than getting a gift card to Mervyn’s or Macy’s, if you’re a guy.
Point cards for the Wii store or XBox Live are great gifts for gamers who own such a system. You can get all kinds of great stuff from those sites. If you have a geek in your life who doesn’t game but likes Electronics, I suggest a gift card from places such as Best Buy or Circuit City. You can get a lot of cool stuff there.
Cost: Varies. Point cards come in different denominations.
Where to find it: Retail establishments like Fred Meyers and Best Buy carry XBOX and Wii cards. You can also get them online at places like www.amazon.com. Safeway has a variety of different gift cards near their checkstands.
9) Magazine Subscription to a Great Gaming or Entertainment Magazine
What is it: Only the gift that keeps on giving all year long! My favorites are GamePro (12 issues for $17.97), Game Informer (12 issues for $19.98), and Entertainment Weekly (40 issues, 8 of which are double issues, for $20.00). I linked each name to the respective website. If you are so inclined, you can subscribe at the site.
Cost: Varies. Be wary of those free issue deals. They will charge you for multiple issues or an entire year if you don’t cancel your subscription properly.
Where to find it: Look around for the best deals: some are better than others. Typically, I like picking up a magazine in the store and looking for a subscription card. That way you can check the content as well.
10) DVD and Video Movie Guide Books
What is it: Anyone who likes watching movies should have one of these. Movies are rated and given a brief synopsis. My Favorite is by Nick Martin and Marsha Porter; you should be able to see a picture of it to the left. I have been getting this guide for years. Movies are rated from 5 stars all the way down to “Turkey.”
Cost: $8.00. Not bad for a year’s worth of use. The authors also watch movies that are in the theater, so there will be ratings in there for movies that haven’t been released yet, which I appreciate. This extends the life of the book.
Where to find it: Most book stores carry a selection of these guides. Check with the salesperson to make sure you are getting the newest edition.
Related Entries:
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 25th, 2007. You can follow any responses to this entry
through the Comments RSS 2.0 feed.
Comments
Got somthing to say?
Loading ...