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Massively's Super-cheap MMO Gift Guide
In a year when everyone is looking to their bank balance, it's just common sense to seek out ways to maximize the fun of Christmas giving while minimizing the economic impact. Online gaming in particular is a great way to offer an 'in' to fun without a lot of expensive electronics or batteries required. Most folks probably already have everything they need to participate (a PC and an internet connection), and unlike other gifts that claim to 'keep on giving' online gaming really does. Introducing someone to a new MMO can – literally – change their lives. New friends, new adventures ... MMOs have a lot to offer as gifts.Massively aims to help with your holiday woes, and so today we have on offer a series of gift ideas that won't break the piggy bank. Ranging from the low, low cost of free to the cost of a few DVDs, this year more than ever it's incredibly easy to get into the online space. Just follow us into our gallery guide and forget worrying about what's under the Christmas tree. Dig into our Gift Guide >> %Gallery-39352%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for her
Buying tech for your number one lady can be pretty nerve-wracking, especially if she loves gadgets as much as you do, but we're here to help with the latest installment of Endgaget's Holiday Gift Guide. We've tried to keep it hip with the right balance of usability, design, and functionality, but only you know what she really wants -- treat this as a jumping off point and we know you'll do fine.P.S.- Don't forget, we've also got for him and lots of other guides coming up as the days roll by -- they'll all be sorted by suggested recipient and price on the main Holiday Gift Guide page.
Gifts for the beginning developer
Whether you've just started writing your first lines of code or you've just moved over to the Mac/iPhone platform as a developer, this guide is sure to please.BooksCocoa Programming in Mac OS X ($31.49 on Amazon)There are really two excellent books that should be on every Mac developer's bookshelf. First is a book by the magnificent Aaron Hillegass. Aaron not only teaches at the Big Nerd Ranch, but he also wrote a Cocoa (Objective-C) programming book that some would consider to be the Bible of Cocoa development; he has also been programming for over 18 years. His book, Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X is an excellent place to start for anyone looking to develop on the Mac; he covers topics from the history of Cocoa, to classes, to creating custom views -- it truly is all there. iPhone Developer's Cookbook ($26.39 on Amazon)Written by former TUAW Blogger, Erica Sadun, this book helps anyone with previous Cocoa programming experience begin to program on the iPhone. This isn't the standard programming book in which the author tries to teach you something through instruction. Rather, Erica has designed this book so the reader can learn through examples. If you have been waiting to jump on the theoretical iPhone application bandwagon, then this book can definitely help you master iPhone development. HardwareIt doesn't take a developer to want Santa to bring hardware, but most of the time being a developer means you need certain hardware. One such piece of hardware is external hard drives. Who couldn't use a little extra storage now and then? I personally recommend the Western Digital MyBook hard drives for their cost and storage options. Always being able to view your code is a must, therefore most developer's like to code on a huge display. There's truly nothing bigger than the Apple 30" Cinema Display; however, if you're pressed for money, you can find Dell monitors with bigger screens for a lot less dough.Apple Developer Memberships If you are not already a member of the Apple Developer Program, then you really should consider it. While it can be a little expensive, the experience that you can get out of it might just be worth the cost. They offer memberships for online, students, select, and premier. The online and student memberships are basically the same, with the exception of the price. The online version is free and offers limited access to Apple's developer tools. The student membership costs $99 and includes a hardware discount. The select membership gives you a ton of resources including: joining in Apple's software seeding program (meaning you'll get a copy of Apple's pre-release software like Snow Leopard), code-level technical support, coding head starts, ADC videos on iTunes, and the opportunity to attend the compatibility labs. However, the select membership costs $499 (US) per year. Stocking Stuffers That Programmers Will Love. If you've been looking for geeky clothing, then look no further than the wonderfully designed T-Shirts and other clothing from ThinkGeek. It's no secret that programmers (and geeks alike) love caffeine, therefore most programmers would love to just have a gift card or bag of coffee from Starbucks or other coffee company. Also, a pack of Mountain Dew might also work just as well. Just because we're programmers doesn't mean that we can't rock out ... just like anyone else, we would gladly accept iTunes Gift Cards.
Send a tiny DS wishlist in Mario's voice
Nintendo has offered two resources for compiling and sharing your Nintendo DS holiday wishlists. The first allows you to select a DS color and up to three games, along with a few other details, and send the list to someone's phone or email as a voice message from Mario. The second allows you to compile a wishlist and send it as an E-card. Both suffer from the same problem: the list of games is extremely limited, comprising Nintendo's big hits, new releases, and a few E-rated third-party titles. Some of the games, like New Super Mario Bros., are way old. These "gift guides" actually make the DS look worse than the super-awesome system it is. We understand the E rating restriction, but why limit the selection to 25 games? And why include Disney's Bolt in that selection? The one salvation of either of these services would be the hilarious and adorable Mario voice messages (they are very cute and enjoyable), but Mario can't say "JC." How could Nintendo forget to record this crucial word?
Panasonic Blu-ray players, LCD projector jumpstart your holiday gift list
Panasonic is putting a little holiday cheer into our summer with the release of its Canadian gift guide, and wouldn't you know it, there's some HD goodies in the works. Based on the product mix in the guide, we assume this stuff will make it to other regions in time for the winter holidays as well. Details on the gear are thin, but there's definitely some good stuff coming from Panasonic before the year is done. First up, we see the PT-AE3000 1080p LCD projector, a CAD $3,500 follow-up to the well-respected PT-AE2000U. Also on tap are a couple of Blu-ray players, named the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55. Both of those decks come with BD-Live functionality, but we're psyched about the 7.1-channel analogue outputs on the DMP-BD55 along with "audio grade components" (we assume that means "audiophile grade components"). No pricing on these Blu-ray players, but that can't stop you from starting up the not-so-subtle gift hint-dropping campaign, right? Hit the link for the full release.[Via FormatWarCentral]
Valentine's Day for the gamer in your life
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo/Valentine_s_Day_for_the_gamer_in_your_life'; Valentine's Day might be all about spending ridiculous amounts of money on crap sharing sweet moments with that special someone, but that doesn't mean that those moments -- and the gifts -- can't be tailored to your specific quirks. If you're blessed with a significant other with a particular gaming-related fandom, why not get creative and find gaming-friendly ways to juice up the holiday? Wii Fanboy is here to help, of course, with some holiday gift ideas for all the gamers out there who view the approaching holiday with the utmost dread. From the traditional candy and glittering jewelry to ... well, gifts of a more unique variety, we've got everything you need (if it's Nintendo-related).And, for the really clueless, we've also got some handy tips on what not to buy. Valentine's Day gift-giving can be dangerous. You don't want to be beaten with violence when your S.O. starts opening boxes, after all.
TUAW Buyers Guide: Christmas Reading
I, like Christina, am a bit of a book lover - especially over the festive season. Normally found looking through a formidable library of books, what better way to stave off the pre-Macworld hype (at least for a few hours) than a relevant book. Unlike reader Matt Holland, who chose to use his MacBook as a reader (possibly some sideways-reading with ComicBookLover?), I'm going to be sticking to books of the printed realm. Christina's recommendations for a few books can be found here. Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How The Mac Was MadeLong-serving Apple fans are no-doubt aware of the Folklore.org website - home to the anecdotes of how the original Mac came into being - but others may be intrigued to know that the site's collation of stories served as the collection point for this particular book. At just under 300 pages (including full-page copies of design notes from the early eighties) it's a particularly nice gift, hardcover and all. Sure, you can get to the website and read the stories, but as a gift? It's a no-brainer - especially at $16 from Amazon (UK Price: £11).iCon: The Greatest Second Act in the History of BusinessWhilst covering more than simply this past decade of Steve Jobs' life, this infamous book covers the much-famed second intersection of Apple and Steve Jobs fortunes. Not always flattering of Steve, it's a fascinating read - and now goes into the Pixar / Disney dealings after being updated. There's plenty of Steve Jobs books, yet this remains one of my favourite. $16 from Amazon (UK Price: £11).Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing ManualDavid Pogue, the New York Times' utterly brilliant Technology columnist, is a hero of ours here at TUAW HQ (currently located somewhere near the South Coast of England). World renowned for bringing us delights such as 'iPhone: The Musical', he's been busy at work with the Missing Manual for Leopard. If you're in need of a Leopard reference book, or tutorial book, I'd heartily recommend this latest edition. $24 from Amazon (UK Price: £15)Options: The Secret Life of Steve JobsAdmission: I've not read this one. But come Christmas Day, I hope there's a copy waiting for me! Fake Steve needs little introduction. Supposedly a world-famous CEO (I mean, he 'invented the friggin' iPhone. Have you heard of it?'), oPtion$ (as the book's cover goes) tells the fictional story of how Fake Steve handled, or otherwise, the stock backdating scandal. Laughes are guaranteed. $15 from Amazon (U.K. Price: £11) Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X (Second Edition)Written by Aaron Hillegass, this is perhaps the book for developers new to Cocoa and Objective-C. In case you're wondering why this is such a seminal book, Hillegass was 'senior trainer and curriculum developer' at NeXT as well as working at Apple before heading to Big Nerd Ranch to teach their Cocoa course. Whilst an exceptional gift for the coder-types out there: a word to the wiser that the 3rd edition is due in mid-2008, so do bear that in mind. $31.50 from Amazon (U.K. Price: £18).--There's a plethora of Apple-related books available, so if you've got a favourite to share that's not in the short-list here, let us know in the comments! Note: Today is the last day for standard Amazon delivery, so act quickly if you're wanting to order! We've even made sure all the books mentioned are currently available for delivery before December 24th.
TUAW Buyer's Guide: What to get a "switcher"
As a recent fully-fledged "switcher" myself, I'd like to think I have some ideas about what to get the recent Mac convert (and no, this is not just my Amazon wish list - though anyone buying me stuff is free to use it as such). If you haven't already purchased the switcher in your life a gift for Christmas or the Birth of Santa (tm. Bart Simpson) or any other winter-themed occasion, here are some items you might want to consider. Please note that the prices in this guide are in USD and current as of this writing, subject to change without notice. Check with the manufacturer's website or your favorite retailer for updated pricing. Now, onto the goodies!Books:Maybe I'm just really lame, but I'm always a fan of giving (and receiving) books geared towards a person's interests and sensibilities. Somehow, a book just seems more personal than a gift certificate, and less easy to screw up than a piece of clothing...
Unusual holiday gifts for LotRO players
We'll bet good money that the Lord of the Rings Online player in your life already has the Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Boxed DVD set ($65) and the 50th Anniversary Edition Leather Bound trilogy book set ($54). So we delved into the depths of the Internet to find some unusual gifts that will surprise and delight. Let's start with the funny. Cartoon Stock allows you to order any of their many licensed drawings on mouse pads ($25), t-shirts ($30), even sun-screens for the car ($28 for a pair). Check out all their humorous LotR images. Personally, we're waiting for the customized laptop iron on.Since LotR movie posters are a common gift, you may want to consider a wall scroll instead. For the same price as a standard poster, you can get a "Return of the King" Aragon poster art print ($20) or "Return of the King" montage poster art print ($15) on a 31" x 42" tapestry. It's printed on a "soft silk-like material." We don't know what that means exactly, but if it's more tapestry and less velvet Elvis, it will look very cool on the wall.
Second Life holiday shopping guide - December 8th edition
I probably had something witty to say when I started this list, but that was 7 solid hours ago, and I'm not even sure I want to look at another Second Life ad listing again! However, I've found more amazing listings from 89 incredible designers for your shopping enjoyment. If you followed along with last week's guide, you'll notice that the list more than doubled! Keep in mind that some of the deals from the December 1st edition are still going on.With that said, I structured this week's guide differently because of the sheer size of it. The categories are: Freebies, Cheapies, Free to group members, Sales, Regular-priced, For men, and Home and Garden. Once again, they are listed with the shop name linking to a store SLURL and what they're selling, with a link to their blog or forum post about the item. If you release something in the coming week, let me know, or leave a comment here, and I'll include it in next week's guide. Happy shopping!Freebies: Adam n Eve - Free men's boxers, lingerie in red or green ADIMU - Freebie Xmas boots Alchemy - Free dress in gold or silver [Via Mui Mukerji] ANIMAH - Freebie animations Chicanery - Three freebie santa hats to choose from, including traditional, dirty, and black and red Corduroy - Freebie green-striped wrist warmers Gnomenclature - Freebie Christmas Jester Hat Immortelle - Freebie Silver Felicity Top Ingenue - Weekly Christmas gifts on Mondays until Christmas Kess Creations - Free Christmas ornament necklace Rave Nation - Free Sexy Christmas, Merry Mistletoe, and Candycane Bitch outfits Reaction - Daily freebies under the tree until Christmas eve! Sy Designs - Free red tucked sweater Sylfie's Prim Seduction - Merry Xmas 2007 Stilettos [Via Alienbear Gupte] Talisman Designs - Ornament Necklace and Nixon animation Tres Beau - Free Diamond Slippers and earrings Read on for cheapies, group members only, sales, regular-priced items, menswear, and home and garden items ...
TUAW Buyers Guide: mobile Mac
Next in our series of TUAW Buyer's Guides are some suggestions for the mobile Mac users on your gift list. Whether its a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or an older Mac portable we've got some ideas that should delight the road warrior or notebook aficionado. Speaking personally I often think that some of the best gifts are things that are really useful, but I'm disinclined to buy for myself for whatever reason. A number of items in this guide meet that description.
TUAW Buyers Guide: 5 little iPhone gifts
If your honey already bought himself or herself an iPhone or iPod touch, you can still brighten the holidays with these sweet little stocking stuffers. Here are a few inexpensive accessories for your iPhone-owning special someone.
Massively's gift guide for the Star Wars Galaxies player
They say pet owners look like their pets. There are enough people who put stock in their horoscope to see it put in the daily newspaper. Heck, even which Hogwarts House you identify with probably says something about you. So why not your Massively Multiplayer game of choice? Over the next few weeks we at Massively are going to do our level best to help you make holiday gift giving easy. We'll run down some of the player archetypes you might have among your friends, based on the games they play. We'll give you gift ideas perfect for that type of player and (if it seems right) even some in-game presents that might fit well with their play style.Today I've got a pile of gift ideas for that rare breed: the Star Wars Galaxies player. Playing a much-maligned game can be hard, but the folks still participating in the story of the galaxy far, far away have their reasons. Maybe it's the crafting, maybe it's the twitch combat ... maybe it's the awesome player housing. For that player - be they Jedi or Bounty Hunter, Sith or Savior - we have an idea that'll keep them happily humming John Williams music on December 25th.Read on for our gift ideas, and (please) toss out your own in the comments!
TUAW Buyers Guide: Parents' picks for Apple-loving kids
Here we are in the thick of the holiday shopping season, and no matter your faith or creed you know that the kids, tweens and teens in your life will be expecting something nicely wrapped. What can you give them that will help get them going on the Macintosh Way or enhance their iPod educational options? Read on for a brief and subjective list; for more, you can check out Apple's kid-specific section of the Macintosh Product Guide or check out our Education and Gaming categories.
Second Life holiday shopping guide - December 1st edition
It's Christmas season already, which means Limited Editions, holiday outfits, and freebies! Sifting through all the blogs, ads, and forum posts can be quite tedious. I'm going to be taking care of the work for you every Saturday!In order for you to get the most out of your Second Life shopping experience, I've broken the items down by pricing. They are categorized as freebies, cheapies, group only, sales, and regular priced items. They are listed with the shop name linking to a store SLURL and what they're selling, with a link to their blog or forum post about the item. If you release something in the coming week, let me know and I'll include it in next week's guide. Happy shopping!Freebies: Dawnshop/Dazur - Christmas outfit Ephemeral Creations - Free Holiday Chenille Scarf Essentia - Christmas tree earrings Inspired - Stocking treasure hunt - 12 in all! Ivalde - Freebie gifts under the Christmas tree MANTRA - Free Christmas tree Pixeldolls - Free holiday decorations Second Mirage - Advent calendar - Stop by daily to get a free ornament only available on that day. This event runs until Christmas. Sin Skins - Pearl treasure hunt - 12 items, including skins, manicures, and lashes! Style Your Destiny - 8 Days of Hanukkah freebies, starting December 4th Subtle Submission - Lucky chair Christmas tattoo and shirts Talisman Designs - Free snowman earrings The Body Politik - Snowman necklace and earrings WRONG - Daily freebies until Christmas Eve! Cheapies: Callie Cline - 99L Reindeer antlers Dark Eden - 50L Candy Cane..."prim attachment" (Warning: Website NSFW) She's So Unusual - 25L Googly-eyed Rudolph slippers Subtle Submission - 100L 3-pack Christmas stockings, 50L each for holiday separates, 50L Bettie Page Christmas necklace, and a *cough* 100L Santa's Little Whore costume Talisman Designs - 1L snowman shoulder pet, 40L Frosty snowman choker Read on for group only, sales, and regular priced items ...
The Joystiq Holiday Gift Guide: for gamers
If you're used to waiting until the last minute to do your holiday shopping because you're way too busy gathering every tag in Gears of War, then this is for you. Hit the pause button, drop the controller, take this gamer gift guide with you, fight the massing crowds, snatch up some of these recommendations, fight the massing crowds (again) and beat the level boss: a line long enough to stretch from the register to eternity. Just when you think you've beaten everything and are on your way back home the Final boss strikes. Gift wrapping.
MS gift guide suggests Wii controller
Ever since Peter Moore made his famous statement ostensibly encouraging people to buy a Nintendo Wii, the Wii60 ideal of Nintendo/Microsoft solidarity has become something of a phenomenon. The idea of the the two companies cooperating against Sony has persisted despite few public signs of any sort of alliance. Well, throw another log on the fire, because Microsoft Developer Network site Coding4Fun has posted a gift guide recommending a Wii remote for "your favorite engineer or technology elitist."Granted, the site recommends the Wii controller for use as a hackable, motion-sensitive Bluetooth controller for the PC and not for its console gaming capabilities. For the most part, though, the rest of the guide seems to opt for Microsoft-branded products like Visual Studio C++ and Flight Simulator X over competing products in the same categories. Then again, we suppose it would have looked a little out of touch to recommend the eight-year-old Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro for the motion-sensitive hacker on you list.[Thanks Wil]
Get your gift on: Holiday gamer shirts
Check out all of the different Way of the Rodent t-shirt designs while you're searching for stocking stuffers. Sure, they aren't all holiday themed, but this Katamari t-shirt where the Prince is rolling up a snowman is the bomb. Although the Q*bert Christmas tree trumps them all in terms of nostalgia, and that Pac-Man Christmas Carol shirt, "Tonight you will be visited by three ghosts ..." is priceless. Well, priceless to the tune of $22 plus shipping and handling. But don't let that turn you into a Scrooge, share some holiday gaming love this season.[Thanks, Trina]
Nintendo and CNN Money's best gifts for gamers
CNN Money's Chris Morris usually has interesting input on the gaming market, but with his Ten Best Gifts for Gamers, he seems to have missed the mark.Two titles for the DS appear on the list -- Brain Age and New Super Mario Bros. Great games? Indeed, and were this a list of suggested gifts for non-gamers or those new to the hobby, we would happily applaud. But for established gamers? Who hasn't played these games? How many of us still own them? We thought the whole idea behind gift-giving was to find something new, but maybe we've been doing it wrong all these years.Any DS games on your personal wishlists? Or are you the type who can't stand waiting and just buys them on your own?
Apple Store gift guide
Ah, it is that time of year again! The gift giving season is upon us, well it will be soon enough, and Apple is there to help you send your money. The Holiday Gift Guide at the Apple store has suggestions for iPod gifts, Mac gifts, and Gift cards (for both the iTunes Store and the Apple Store). What more could a Mac geek want? How about free shipping for anything ordered off the guide?Here's hoping that Santa leaves a Mac Pro with dual 30 inch Cinema displays under my tree this year.
