The Thoughts and Theories of Julie Minevich » Guide to Geek Gifts 2009

Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009″: Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio

Julie Minevich — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:13:33 +0000

The following post is part of Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009“, during which she highlights 20 gifts that she’s deemed geek-worthy. Check back to see what other gadgets and tech goodies will make her list. And be sure to contact Julie or leave a comment below if you have a suggestion of your own!

Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio (Black)

Why it’s geek-worthy: iPhone/iPod compatible alarm clocks are becoming much more in demand as the geeks among us try to get a handle on nightstand chords. But after a long research period, I can tell you that while there are many choices for this type of gadget, many of them are sub par.

I recently ordered the Philips system I’m featuring today. I had been on the lookout for an iPhone compatible alarm clock and I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for as soon as I walked past the box in the store…

There were a few things that sold me on the Philips speakers in particular:

Dual alarms. The number one reason I have strayed from a tradition alarm clock and instead use my iPhone is the ability to set my alarm to only go off on workdays. I love not having to worry about remembering to turn the alarm off for weekends (and back on again).
The design. The iPhone is integrated very nicely with the overall design of the alarm clock. Without a doubt, it’s a modern, clean and sleek look that doesn’t look cheap,
Gradual alarm volume. I think this is a really cool feature that makes waking up much more pleasant. I really disliked the inability to have my iPhone play music or the radio as the alarm. With the Philips speakers, I’ll be able to do just that, and in a less jarring way at that.

For about $84 on Amazon, this Philips system is sure to be a hit with the iPhone and/or iPod carrying geek in your life!

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Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009″: Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card

Julie Minevich — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:27:26 +0000

The following post is part of Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009“, during which she highlights 20 gifts that she’s deemed geek-worthy. Check back to see what other gadgets and tech goodies will make her list. And be sure to contact Julie or leave a comment below if you have a suggestion of your own!

Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card

Why it’s geek-worthy: One of the things I love most about my smartphone is the ability to share my life through pictures no matter where I am. For this reason, I find more and more that I’m inclined to pull out my phone rather than my camera to snap a picture. But as we all know, the picture quality on a phone camera leaves a lot to be desired at this point.

Enter the Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card to solve that problem! The card fits into the SD slot found on most cameras and stores media (audio and video) as your memory card does now. What makes the Eye-Fi card different (and priceless) is that it as built-in Wi-Fi so that you can upload pictures and vidoes to sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube through a variety of wireless networks that you designate during set-up and through a variety of hotspots provided by Eye-Fi.

There are four different types of memory cards available (offering a variety of functions at different price levels) but I recommend the 4GB “Explore Video” Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card pictured above which allows to upload both photos and video and gives you one year free of uploads through Eye-Fi’s designated hotspots – a function which has a $15 yearly fee. The card is valued at $99, but through Amazon, Eye-Fi is selling it for $79!

(Two gripes/wishlist items to note: I think Eye-Fi needs to add the number of services to which one can upload media and to improve how uploads are handled – I would love to be able to search – for free – for nearby wi-fi networks and upload videos and photos that way.)

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Julie’s “Guide to Geek Gifts 2009″: DOTS Gloves

Julie Minevich — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:24:58 +0000

DOTS Gloves

Why they’re geek-worthy: By now every geek – and beyond – has an iPhone or similar smartphone. And although many may have forgotten since we haven’t yet pulled out the gloves this season, it’s impossible to use a touch screen while gloved. DOTS Gloves have the perfect solution – the fingers of the gloves have little balls of threads (I think that’s how it works, at least) that enable you to reclaim use of your phone during winter months. AND they keep you warm, to boot. The D105 (picture below on the left) are already sold out, giving an indication just how geektastic of a gift this is, but you can can snag the D110 (pictured below on the right) for $20, and the even more solid D200 for $25.

If I have my history correct, DOTS Gloves were the first to create these types of gloves, making me like them even more, but since the D105 is sold out and the D110 is only available in Medium, I’d like to point you to a variety of other brands available on Amazon.

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