How to buy a gadget gift, part 1
MSNBC has a great article on "Buying, giving and caring for the perfect gadget" with some simple and straightforward advice on gadget buying. The author's tips include "Do your homework", "Keep sane during set-up", and "Sit back and enjoy" - all smart tips.
I think this is a topic worthy of more attention, hence the "part 1" on the title.
Here are a few tips specifically tuned to buying gadget gifts for Gadget Geeks:
Links
I cannot tell you the number of times I have received some type of quirky gadget, followed with a "Oh, I know you're all into that techie stuff, so I thought you'd like it!" Well, if I am into that techie stuff, then why do you think the cheapest, low-end MP3 player on the market made by some bizarre company named "Oricon" would appeal to me? Before you buy someone a gadget just because they are a self-proclaimed "gadget geek", think about what they like about gadgets! Gadget Geeks like gadgets that are either useful, productive, entertaining, or downright silly. We don't like cheap.
Come to LIVEdigitally. Go to Amazon. Go to Shopping.com. Go the Gadgeteer. Find real-world reviews by real users. Look for reviewers who sound like your friends. Remember, Gadget Geeks are opinionated, and we like to share these opinions. Case-and-point: if you were to ignore user reviews, you might buy someone the Prismiq Media Player because Cnet gave it an editor's choice nod. But if you read people's comments on a variety of sites, you'll quickly see that the 20+ awards it has one seem much more obligatory than on merit.
Make sure your friend does not have something in the category you are looking into. Odds are pretty good the one we already own is better than the one you'd pick out. Caveat: if you know the gadget in question is at least two years old, it's probably a safe buy.
This one is a bit tricky, but you really want to make sure you aren't picking out devices that use incompatible formats with the technologies already in place. If your friend has an MP3 player that uses CompactFlash memory cards, and you really want to buy them a digital camera, make sure it uses CF as well!
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