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TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Docks that rock
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. There's an entire world of docks out there -- "Hickory Dickory Dock," "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," our very own Doc Rock, and the green light at the end of Daisy's dock in The Great Gatsby -- but the docks that make Apple fans the happiest are those that hold and charge iPhones, iPods, and iPads. There are some that act as big speakers for your iDevice, others that fill in for that old clock radio that you finally threw out the bedroom window, and some that charge more than one device at a time. Our dock recommendations come in an assortment of types as well: basic docks that just charge or sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, speaker docks for blasting out your tunes, and docks for helping you get to sleep at night or wake up in the morning. All of the prices that are quoted are in US dollars. This is just a sampling of the huge number of docks that are made for Apple devices. Be sure to check out TUAW coverage of many of the docks that are available.
TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: Must-have apps for your iPhone 4
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. It's that time of year again -- we're all giving and receiving gifts, and odds are there's going to be a few new iPhones and iPod touches in your immediate vicinity. Maybe you've been lucky enough to get one, or you've given one to a spouse or family member, or there's someone at work or school who just got one and is looking for app recommendations. For all of those people (and for you if you're just looking for some great new apps), we've compiled this quick list of terrific apps to download and fill out your iOS device's app collection. These app recommendations come from multiple categories -- some are paid, some are free. There are some games and utility apps. Some are easy to get into right away, while others will require a little more knowledge or an extra service. Some have been around as long as the App Store, while others are newcomers. But if you're starting from scratch and install all of these on your new iPhone, you'll get a nice taste of everything Apple's little handheld piece of magic can do.
TUAW's Holiday Gift Guide: 10 must-have apps for a new Mac
Welcome to the TUAW Holiday Gift Guide! We've sorted the treasure from the junk and are serving up suggestions to make your holiday gift-giving a little easier. Once the gift-giving holidays arrive, the lucky among us will find new Macs among our haul. Part of the fun of owning a Mac is acquiring some goodies to go with it. In this post, we'll focus on software. Specifically, the 10 apps you'll absolutely want on your new machine. WIthout further delay, here's our list (all prices are USD). 1. Quicksilver (free) [The Quicksilver page appears to be down, here's an alternate. - Ed] This is absolutely, positively the first piece of software I install on every new Mac. In fact, I dislike using a Mac without it. Quicksilver is a utility which, at first, appears to be a launcher. That is the most popular way to use it. Assign a hotkey combination to elicit its minimal window (there are several designs to choose from), type the first few letters of your target app, hit return and presto! Your app launches. This also works with URLs, contact names and phone numbers...on and on. Plus, the more you use it, the smarter it becomes. Now I can just hit "Command-Space-T" to open TUAW, even if a browser isn't running. It's a huge time-saver. Of course, that's barely the beginning of what Quicksilver can do. A huge number of other apps offer Quicksilver support. For instance, you can upload files via FTP with Transmit, launch AppleScripts, move files, compose email messages and more, all with a few keystrokes that will get so finely sewn into your muscle memory that conscious thought will be removed from the process. Not a bad start; our first gift suggestion is supremely useful and free! Now, on to number two.
Apple Store Holiday Gift Guide now live
Apple has launched a 2010 Holiday Gift Guide in their US online store. The guide this year is designed to spotlight three segments: buying entertaining gifts, buying gifts for creative minds, and buying gifts for yourself. Entertainment gifts include the Apple TV and Civilization V, while creative gifts include iLife '11, the Magic Trackpad, and Microsoft Office 2011. Gifts for yourself include a $400 Cole Haan Messenger Bag and a number of iPod docking speakers. While all the items are marked at regular price, Apple typically offers Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts at the end of November.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Stuff you don't want
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. That whole gift giving time is very nearly upon us, and if you don't know what to get your closest and dearest by now, you may well be beyond salvation. To honor those lost souls, and to appease the anti-consumerists out there who think there's more junk in stores than there is sand in Dubai, we present the dark side of the Engadget HGG. Here, nestled in the same familiar price categories, we pick out the best of the worst gadgets to see the light of day in 2009. So join us after the break, and should you find yourself unwrapping one of these in a couple of days... you have our condolences. %Gallery-80837%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Fun Stuff
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Still haven't found just the right gift for that particularly hard-to-buy-for someone in one of the more neatly defined categories? Well, then look no further, 'cause we've collected a wide assortment of other products right here that may have little in common with one another, but will each undoubtedly bring a smile to the face of anyone that receives one of them. Just try to remember you're not shopping for yourself.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide 2009
Have you checked into Engadget's massive 2009 Holiday Gift Guide? If not, you're making the biggest mistake of the season. Seriously. Don't let this year mark the end of happiness. Help us help you... just study the guides below (and stay tuned for even more)! Accessories Cellphones e-book readers GPS Netbooks PMPs Smartphones Television / Displays Toys Laptops Desktops Docks & Clocks Video Cameras Digital Cameras
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Laptops
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Buying a laptop as a holiday present for someone is fraught with danger: you're more than likely buying someone's primary machine, and they're going to think of you every single time they boot it up, whether it's to do work, play games, or gently stalk old flames on the "Face Book." Worry not, though -- we're here to help, with a grab-bag of laptop choices that offers something for everyone.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Televisions
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Want a gift the whole family can enjoy? A brand new television is sure to do the trick and with more HDTV content available than ever from antenna, cable, satellite, Blu-ray discs or even the internet, there will always be something to watch. Whether it's their first flat-panel or an upgrade, these picks come through in several price ranges selected to maximize your, we mean their, viewing pleasure. The only question left we can't help you with? Who gets the first turn on the remote.%Gallery-79792%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Smartphones
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. If your BFF's HTC has a code name like Blue Angel, Harrier, or Canary, trust us: the time has come to intervene and forcefully bring that particular chapter of their technological life to a close. It's 2009, after all, and with devices like the Pre, iPhone 3GS, and Droid all coming to market in the past few months, there's never been a better time to be a smartphone lover, buyer, or -- in this case -- giver. Of course, in the States, giving a phone as a gift isn't the easiest thing in the world since you've got contracts to worry about, but it can be done -- even if you've got to drag the lucky recipient kicking and screaming into the store and hold their hand to the dotted line. So let's get to it, shall we?%Gallery-79790%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. What luck. The Secret Santa recipient that you drew already has everything, so there's little you can buy him / her that they'll actually be impressed with. Thankfully, the peripheral market is here for you, and while some may considering these things "trinkets," others will be downright giddy to unwrap 'em. And whether you'd care to admit it or not, these are easily the most fun to shop for. Yeah, we said it -- what of it? Hop on past the break for a few recommendations on knickknacks, or "accessories," as it were.%Gallery-79783%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Cellphones
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. True smartphones like the Palm Pre, Motorola Droid, and iPhone are all chewing up a majority of wireless mindshare these days, which makes it particularly easy to forget that there's this huge, vibrant catalog of cool non-smartphone handsets sitting right below them in your favorite carrier's lineup. They can play music, games, sometimes last for days on a charge (try that with a G1 -- we dare you), and often take up just a fraction of the space in your pocket that a more powerful handset would. They're not for everyone, but odds are you know a couple folks who fit the featurephone mold, and... well, it is the season of giving, isn't it? Follow the break for a few of our recommendations. Note: Looking to give a few smartphones away to friends and family? This particular guide's all about regular cellphones -- but don't worry, we'll be posting our smartphone guide in the not-too-distant future!%Gallery-79784%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: GPS devices
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Look, we all know "that guy / gal." The one that never seems to end up at a meeting place on time, who incidentally is the same one that always gets tied up at the local fuel station asking for "directions." We've always heard that true friends don't let friends drive sans a robotic navigator, and if your BFF is still traversing the highways without any sort of GPS device on board, it's time for that situation to be remedied. There's a whole slew of options out there, so we'll be breaking 'em down as best we can based on how much dough you're willing to spend. Whatever you decide, just make sure you get one with the maps of your own country; after all, you wouldn't want that special someone to end up like this guy, right? Read on!%Gallery-79787%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: e-book readers
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. With the push toward convergence these days, does your prospective gift recipient really need a dedicated device for reading books on? Well, if they're a heavy reader their eyes might just thank you. The E Ink displays used on a majority of these devices is very similar to reading off of regular paper, and therefore much more easy on the eyes than those now-ubiquitous LCD screens we've all surrounded ourselves with. We've rounded up a few of our favorite devices, though be warned: with a market this much in its infancy, there's always going to be something just a bit more exciting right around the corner.%Gallery-79785%
Brenthaven: The best computer backpack I've ever seen
The TUAW gang have been searching for great holiday gift ideas and I think I've found one that's been right under my nose for five years. When I bought my brand new PowerBook G4 17" in 2004, I splurged and bought a Brenthaven backpack for it. Back then it cost a good deal more than the usual backpack -- around $75 -- but I thought it would be worth it since I lugged around my PowerBook nearly every day and it looked like the Brenthaven provided better padding than the competition. Since then, the backpack has housed a succession of three 17" PowerBooks and MacBook Pros under very heavy use. The amazing part is that outside of being a bit dusty, it's in just as good shape as the day I bought it. No frayed stitching, no stuck zippers, no torn dividers. There is no sign of wear and/or tear whatsoever. And if there was, or ever will be, all Brenthaven bags come with a lifetime warranty.
Five Gifts for the Mac AV Geek
'Tis the season to be buying. But what do you get for that special geek in your life? I can't speak for your geek, but I know what I'm asking Santa for this year – I just hope he's a TUAW reader. Whether he is or not, maybe going through my list will give you an idea on how to max out your credit card spread some holiday cheer this year. Dear Santa, I've been a good boy this year. I've cut back on the booze, and they don't greet me by name at the strip club anymore. So instead of a stocking full of coal, could you find it in your heart to bring me one or more of the following items on the night before Christmas? I know it's a long flight to New Zealand from the North Pole, but you've got to admit, at least the weather down here is waaaay better than in Cleveland this time of year. First of all, I'd like a shiny new 802.11n Airport Express. I like my Time Capsule (when it's not being a recalcitrant piece of junk), but the 5GHz wireless signal doesn't reach from my living room all the way back to my office. With an Airport Express, I'd be able to extend the wireless signal from my Time Capsule to the other side of the house and geek away in privacy. That way my wife won't have to grit her teeth every five minutes when the theme from Metroid goes off at 80 decibels and tells me I got a new e-mail. And since the Airport Express is 802.11n-enabled, I'd still be able to back up my data to the Time Capsule at a brisk pace. I'd also like these Shure SE115m+ earphones. I've been using a set of Shure E2cs for about three years now, and I love them, but the one big advantage the SE115m+ has is the controls built into the cord that would allow me to pause, play, and skip through tracks on my iPhone. I'd also be able to take calls, and it even has a built-in microphone. Santa, if I had these earphones I'd be able to put those white earbuds that came with my iPhone into a drawer and never look at them again, and that would make me a very happy boy indeed. You know how I like to shoot HD video, right Santa? But not those kinds of videos, because that would get me on the naughty list. My MacBook Pro does a good job of encoding video – it works pretty close to real-time – but if I had an Elgato Turbo.264 HD Video Encoder, it would go so much faster. Like 3-4 times faster. That way I could spend less time waiting for videos to encode and more time drinking helping old ladies across the street. If I'd been a really good boy this year, like if I'd won the Nobel Peace Prize or employee of the month at TUAW, I'd ask for a bona fide guitar amplifier. But since I haven't been that good, I'd settle for a Zoom G2.1U Guitar Effects Pedal with USB interface. This thing will simulate all kinds of guitar effects for me, and it'll plug right into my MacBook Pro. So far playing my guitar through Garageband has been an acceptable substitute for a real, live amplifier, but the one thing I definitely miss is all my effects pedals. Garageband includes lots of neat software effects that simulate pedals, but you can't stomp on them to switch them on and off. I know – I've tried. Last thing, Santa: if none of those other things will fit in your bag, could you just get me a big, fat iTunes gift card? I've got nearly US$120 worth of songs I want to upgrade to iTunes Plus so I can stop worrying about DRM nonsense on my previous purchases and get higher-quality music in the process. Thanks Santa. Next year I promise to be more helpful and honest and say fewer naughty words about New Zealand's telecommunications companies.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for enemy
Your enemy. Who do you hate more than them? No one. So who better to direct your holiday rage towards than that pitiful excuse for a human. Sure, it's a gift, but with the selections we've picked out, the target of your scorn will wish they'd gotten something as useful as a stocking full of coal. This is the moment to unleash that torrent of backed up anger from a season of crowded malls, annoying caroling, and an ever-shrinking bank statement. Let Engadget guide you through the valleys of dislike, and bore you up onto the mountain peaks of loathing and execration. And when you're done with this hate-bath, don't forget to check into our other, less nasty guides right here!
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for colleague
The colleague: one of the more difficult people in your life to buy a present for come holiday season. You might not know them as well as your family, but you likely spend an inordinate amount of time with them. Luckily that means you're more familiar with their work habits than most, so you're in a unique position to nab them a gift that not only expresses how you feel about your friendship, but is also something they can actually use. And that -- of course -- is where we come in. The Engadget Holiday Gift Guide is here to quell your fears of office discomfort, and lead you to the promised land of co-worker gift satisfaction. Read on for the full rundown, and don't forget to check out our other guides right here!
Gift Guide for the Twitter addict
From applications to new friends, finding the right gift for the Twitter addict isn't as easy as it sounds. They're just so busy with all that "tweeting" nonsense. Here are plenty of ideas at a variety of price points that should make your job as the gift-giver a little more pleasant.How do you know if you've got one on your list? Just answer a few simple questions. Does s/he Check Twitter immediately before going to bed? Possibly while in bed? From multiple devices? Have a stagnant blog, but a bulging Twitter stream? Stare at the display for hours at a time so as not to miss a landmark follower or tweet (like #500)? Added his or her Twitter handle to business cards, web sites, etc? If so, you've got yourself an addict, my friend. Here's how you can be their #1 enabler.AppsThis one goes without saying. No self-respecting Twitter addict is going to want to load twitter.com every time the blue-winged muse strikes. There are several options. Twitterrific and TweetDeck are nice for the desktop, while Tweetsville , Twinkle and mobile Twitterrific are great for the iPhone and iPod touch. Twitterrific (Desktop) - Free ad-supported version, $14.95US premium version Twitterrific (iPhone/iPod touch) - Free ad-supported version, $9.95US premium version TweetDeck - Free Tweetsville - $3.99US Twinkle - Free Additionally, TwitterFox is a (free) Firefox plug-in that lets you send and receive messages from within Firefox.Update: Several of you suggested I consider Tweetie ($2.99US) as a Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch, which I did. It's very snappy indeed with lots of nice features, like trend monitoring, support for several accounts and more. It's really quite nice. Of course, this isn't a reivew of Twitter clients, but I'm still happy to add another to the list.ReferenceThe Dictionary of Concise Writing will help you shorten those lengthy sentences. While you're at it, grab a copy of Webster's New World Thesaurus. Dictionary of Concise Writing - $14.95US at Amazon Webster's New World Thesaurus - $14.95US at Amazon Read on for more!
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for dad
Ah, dear old dad. Chances are, this is the guy who got you interested in gadgets in the first place, so what better time to repay the favor? Now, shopping for the old man isn't quite what it used to be -- you can't just get away with a few power tools or some Stones tickets (well, actually, those probably still work). Your dad is a pretty savvy dude, and even though he's set in his ways, we're pretty sure he'd like some new tech to toy with this holiday season. That's where we come in. Engadget makes buying a gift for your dad less of a chore and more of a pleasure, so you can leave time for the important things... like mixing that next drink. Read on for our picks, and be sure to check out all the guides right here!