Retailers brimming with affordable gifts
This is an exceptional year for buying gadgets, as the nation’s recession has coincided with a glut of new products.
As a result, retailers are brimming with affordable gift ideas. I decided to hit the pavement recently in search of items under $100. Keep in mind, bargains also can be found on digital cameras, GPS devices and even small flat-screen monitors for around $150.
I browsed the aisles at three big-box stores, Best Buy, Costco and Target, looking for deals. I found plenty, but some of the best deals are below.
If you’re exchanging gifts after the holiday, looking for just the right thing for Valentine’s Day or birthdays, or you just want to treat yourself, here are some ideas.
Please note: These products are not necessarily best in class, just best in price, and you may be able to find the items at other retailers.
UNDER $20
Here’s something for the family shutterbug: a small tripod. Target had the Targus table-top tripod for $7 and the Targus Grypton, a flexible model you can use outdoors and mount on practically anything, for $13. These tripods are for point-and-shoot digital cameras, not heavier digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) models.
The Mini Clip 3 LED light was so tempting for $5 at Target that I bought one for myself. It’s a tiny light that clips to a book so you can read at night without disturbing anyone else. Batteries are included, too.
HMDX Audio offers the On-The-Go portable speaker and carrying case for MP3 players. It’s a bit bigger than most MP3 player cases because the speakers are built into the case. For $10 at Best Buy, it’s perfect for teens who want to share music but don’t require great sound quality.
The RoadMaster photo is $19 at Costco. This is great for grandma — it can store 98 photos. The images are about the size of a postage stamp and the resolution is below average, but it’ll be a crowd-pleaser at her weekly card game.
UNDER $50
For $25 at Costco, you can get the SanDisk Cruzer 8-gigabyte flash drive (model sdcz6-8192-ac11). I can load up this USB-based flash drive with thousands of tunes and plug it into my after-market car stereo, which has a built-in USB port, for a lot less than a digital music player. Compare that with a $150 8GB iPod. Of course, you also can use that storage space to move or back up computer data.
SanDisk offers two 4-gigabyte SD memory cards for $32 at Costco. Because many households have more than one digital camera, this could count as two stocking stuffers. I spotted a single 4GD SD card from Lexar for $19 at Target.
What to do with extra camera gear? The Lowepro EX 120 camera bag is $21 at Best Buy. This will hold a point-and-shoot digital camera plus accessories, such as a small tripod or extra memory cards and batteries.
Old school alert: If you need a portable CD player — they are great for kids — the Insignia CD player and boom box (a generous description) is $25 at Best Buy.
The Sansa Clip is a good little MP3 player that includes an FM radio. It offers 4GB of storage and clips to your shirt. It’s $45 at Best Buy, $5 cheaper than the 1GB iPod Shuffle — which doesn’t include a radio.
The iHome portable iPod speaker dock (model IH27B) is $50 at Costco. You can use this on your nightstand, but road warriors might appreciate this more since it’s tiny enough to throw in a suitcase.
If you know someone who wants a nice mobile phone but not a monthly contract, there was an array of pay-as-you-go phones priced from $20 to $80 at Target. The phones come from LG, Motorola, Nokia and others and in a range of styles, from candy bar to flip.
UNDER $100
The Polaroid PoGo photo printer, one of my top 10 gadgets for 2008, can be found at Best Buy for $79. The PoGo does not require ink. That’s built in to the special photo paper. The 2-by-3-inch paper, which doubles as a sticker, is sold in packs of 30 for $13.
The Dazzle DVD Recorder from Pinnacle is $52 at Best Buy. If you have family memories stored on VHS tapes — or you’re tired of hearing the grumbling from the family video archivist about what to do with all those old tapes — this is a useful device to transfer those files onto a DVD. It connects directly to a VHS player and other video sources.
The Polaroid 7-inch digital picture frame with wireless weather station is $70 at Target. There are a lot of picture frames in this price range, but what’s notable here is that the display includes a temperature reading for indoors and out. That’s useful.
The Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth earpiece is $80 at Costco. It went on sale at AT&T stores for $129 last month, and it’s one of the best Bluetooth earpieces I’ve tested this year.
A flexible music option is the Jensen HD Radio with iPod dock for $100 at Target. This model could use more style — it’s cumbersome — but it has fine features for the price. HD Radio adds a growing amount of interesting stations to the free radio dial.
For storing movies, music and photos, the cost to back up your entire digital portfolio is incredibly affordable. Several 500-gigabyte external hard drives are offered for less than $100 at Best Buy. They include models from Western Digital and SimpleTech. And starting for less than $150, 1- and 2-terabyte hard drives were offered.
XEric Benderoff writes about technology for the Chicago Tribune. Contact him at ebenderofftribune.com.
2008 Chicago Tribune