Holiday Gift Ideas 2013

[Sky]

~$50 bucks - Dozen Titlist Pro V1 golf balls.

Dammit, I had these in my amazon cart yesterday for $40 and now they're sold out from that vendor and over $60 from another vendor. And the reason I didn't nab them at the lower price? I wanted to show my fiancee my stupid joke comment to my dad in the gift card 

Nebu, continue the soul search and seek something not monetary, but meaningful in other ways.

It's camera year. I get a new camera, everyone gets a new camera. My mom gets my old camera because it works with the canon photo printer she loves (that I got her years ago). Fiancee gets an ELPH for her purse. For work I got one of the young girls (late teens), so she gets a gas card.

[Viin]

I picked up one of these a few months back, works fairly well as long as the can isn't nearing empty. Might make a good gift for a guy who'd like to shave with hot shaving cream.

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Heated-Shaving-Cream-Dispenser/dp/B001M1JC6O

[Nebu]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

[Sky]

I share your concerns with the Kindle. Great device, walled garden sucks. My fiancee can do about half the things she wants to on it and uses her laptop 95% of the time.

I struggle to see tablets as anything but toys.

[Lianka]

I asked that same question.  The Nexus 7 comes highly recommended at about ~$200.  Lenovo ones also reviews well, but I wonder how much of that is "It's good for the cost" bump. 

I'm more in the market for a 10" tablet, but wonder if the Samsung Note 10.1 is overkill for what we're going to use it for, and it's slightly out of my budget at closer to $300, but man do the reviews ever appeal to the graduate student in me!   

[Merusk]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

Microsoft Surface.  It's a mini PC for all the good and bad that comes with that classification.  Tho they're sold out everywhere from what i hear.   I took it to my conference 2 weeks ago and it was better than having the laptop in conferences and 10x better than a tablet because I could run more than apps.   (and it was a good thing i took it because my laptop monitor died.. fucker)

[Trippy]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

Nexus 7. Amazon app store is still very limited.

[RhyssaFireheart]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

Nook HD/HD+ - full Google Play store now (so no more walled garden) plus it's got some nice features like separate user accounts, 1920x1280 resolution, and microsd slots.  The 32GB one is ~$179 (I was checking earlier for myself) and it's supposed to be pretty easy to hold for a 9" tablet.  No camera though and just wifi access, which is fine with me.  I currently have a Nook Tablet and it works great for reading, checking stuff online, and watching video, and this is the old model with a walled garden.

[Evildrider]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

Nexus 7. Amazon app store is still very limited.

I just bought a Nexus 7 32gb from Office Depot for $229.  I think it's still on sale for a couple days.
The 16 gb is $180 as well atm.

[Nebu]

Thanks for all of the input folks!

[Nevermore]

What do you need to spend these days to get into a tablet with reasonable functionality, wifi access, and software options.  I was thinking about a Kindle Fire, but have my concerns about the limited software choices.

Thanks.

Microsoft Surface.  It's a mini PC for all the good and bad that comes with that classification.  Tho they're sold out everywhere from what i hear.   I took it to my conference 2 weeks ago and it was better than having the laptop in conferences and 10x better than a tablet because I could run more than apps.   (and it was a good thing i took it because my laptop monitor died.. fucker)

From what I understand, the regular Surface is limited to a Microsoft store for apps.  The Pro isn't, but is really, really expensive since it's basically a laptop in a tablet shell.

[01101010]

From what I understand, the regular Surface is limited to a Microsoft store for apps.  The Pro isn't, but is really, really expensive since it's basically a laptop in a tablet shell.

That is what the gf and I were told by the guy at Microcenter 2 weeks ago. Surface 2 if we needed to install work related programs (which she does payroll and other stuff).

[Trippy]

The Surface and Surface 2 use an ARM CPU instead of an x86 chip and therefore regular Windows 8-compatible apps will not run on them -- apps have to be specially compiled to run on Windows RT to work on the Surface and Surface 2. The Surface Pro has an Intel x86 chip so it can run any Windows 8-compatible app.

[01101010]

The Surface and Surface 2 use an ARM CPU instead of an x86 chip and therefore regular Windows 8-compatible apps will not run on them -- apps have to be specially compiled to run on Windows RT to work on the Surface and Surface 2. The Surface Pro has an Intel x86 chip so it can run any Windows 8-compatible app.

Right. Thanks for clarifying. The two tablets on display were the Surface and the Surface Pro 2. I know little about tablets and just logged it in my brain as 1 vs 2. I did see the i5 chip listed on the Pro 2 which is where we were leaning on purchasing after the holiday. Then the owners of the store promptly got her a 17" Lenovo for "work-related" stuff.

[MahrinSkel]

I've been using a Coby 10-inch from Amazon for the last year and a half, and got a couple of 7-inch versions for my daughters.  It takes some technical skill to put the Google Play market on it.  It comes with GetJar, which not only suck but interferes with any other app market you put on it (but if you can figure out putting Google Play on it, you can strip out GetJar).

At $155 for the 10 inch, it makes a good cheap couchsurfing option.

--Dave

[Bungee]

The wife is fairly fond of trying out new cosmetics and the like, so I splurged a bit and went with a Glossybox subscription for her. 

 
A thousand thanks for that idea!

[Nebu]

Found this site for ugly sweaters in case anyone needs it.

$30 is almost worth it for a gag gift.

[Yegolev]

Interestingly, that is where I last looked for tactical flashlights.

[Rasix]

You have a pressing need for tactical flashlights?

[Trippy]

For his wife's gun

[Rasix]

We can rephrase and try the question again if that will help.  

Holiday shopping done.  Just waiting on a delivery.   I should probably get my wife another small item, but we just got a new microwave and need to get a full set of rather expensive tires.   

[Yegolev]

You missed the thing about my wife's flat-ish flashlight going bad due to battery leakage.  It was metal and she could hold it against her Glock very easily.  So... Trippy is correct.  But not a pressing need, no, unless you consider Jesus' Gift Day is fast approaching.

[Sky]

Found this site for ugly sweaters in case anyone needs it.

$30 is almost worth it for a gag gift.

I want to know where this one came from:



I hear it only keeps you lukewarm, though.

[HaemishM]

 

[Bann]

If you know someone who likes DOTA 2, TI3 Items are back in stock on the steam store. Specifically, the Mircoplushies are back at 10 bucks again.

http://store.valvesoftware.com/product.php?i=ADT009

They come with a lockless luckbox, which seems to still be going for at least 20 bucks on the steam market.

[Paelos]

I bought one. I figure I can sell the item back on the market for around what i cost and get a free plush in the process.

[Ghambit]

In an interesting juxtaposition:

-Got my savant-like 6-yr old computer genius nephew his first computer (scrapped and wiped my mom's old one, threw xp, a typing tutor and some other stuff on there).  He will also be getting my entire 'Descent' boardgame collection.  The kid already types quickly, eschews consoles, knows his way around Steam (little fucker challenged me in Solforge), and aspires to mod minecraft.  I caught him embedding a minecraft video into MIT Scratch the other day.   So yah. 
-Got my glue-sniffing, 3rd generation oye' non-english speaking,  overweight inlaw niece a giant German chocolate snowman.  Woo her with candy and simple shapes; always works.

[Paelos]

I bought one. I figure I can sell the item back on the market for around what i cost and get a free plush in the process.

Got this in the mail the other day. Got a plush Warlock thing, sold the lockbox on the Steam market for $22 takehome to me.

So $14 including shipping netted me $22 in steam credit and a free plush. Not a bad deal.