So here we are on Christmas Eve. No more time left to order any gifts online and have them delivered. However, if you’re still looking for gifts and stocking stuffers, there are some tech toys (for all ages) you can acquire without taking that dreaded trip to a big mall and fighting traffic, other shoppers, etc. Here’s some ideas for tech gifts that you can find within, say, a fifteen-minute drive.

If you have a digital camera (or are about to have one, in, let’s say, eighteen hours or so), you can find some great deals on memory cards at the nearby office products superstore. Some of these deals involve a “mail-in rebate”, so you’ll want to make sure you save the receipt and get any other required documents from the retailer. Read them closely to see what you’ll need to mail in. When you get around to opening the package, make sure you protect the “proof of purchase” area of the packaging, as that will very likely be required later. This can be hard to do, especially if the packaging is that molded, heat-sealed plastic wrap that requires a chain saw to open. If you’re purchasing memory as a gift, remember that different cameras use different formats – make sure (with a little covert intelligence gathering) you’re getting the right format for the recipient’s camera.

Also at the office superstore (and even at that other superstore), you’ll find a wide variety of multi-button mice, expanded keyboards, extra computer cords, etc. I highly recommend a multi-button mouse for your Mac, especially one with scroll wheel. One session with a multi-button mouse, and you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

There are also great deals on “bulk” lots of blank CDs and DVDs. You may think that you’ll never go through one hundred blank CDs. However, as your digital music, photo and video prowess increases, you’ll be surprised how many CDs get used up as you burn music CDs for the car stereo, burn photos to give to friends, back up your data, etc.

Now head down to the bookstore. Although Mac OS X and Apple’s applications are inherently easy to use, there are many fine books out there that can expand your horizons. Look for O’Reilly Media’s “Missing Manuals”, Peachpit Press’ Visual QuickStart guides, and Jim Heid’s “Macintosh iLife ‘04”.

© 2004 Peter F. Zimowski