Five Gadgets A Geeky Mother Would Love

Springtime is here, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner. And, your mom is a hopeless gadget geek. And you have no idea what to get her for Mother’s Day. Have no fear – just check out this list of helpful suggestions, and you’ll have a gift that will make your geeky mom happy in no time.

1. Kindle -- this landmark e-reader is lighter, thinner, and more affordable than ever. Amazon.com now offers two new Kindle versions: one with wifi, for $139, and the other with 3G, for $189. Moms love to read, and a geeky mom will appreciate being able to carry her library of thousands of titles around in her purse with her. The wifi model can connect to the Kindle Store from any wifi connection – but if hotspots are few and far between, the 3G model connects automatically, with no need for a contract or an account since the access is free to Kindle owners. Sweet.

2. External Memory -- Moms love to save things. Millions of things. All kinds of things. About you. So why not give her the gift that keeps on giving: external memory! A 1 terabyte Western Digital My Passport drive connects via USB 3.0 or 2.0, and offers more storage than even a mom will ever use. Currently, this external drive is available at Amazon.com, for $99.99.

3. Flip MinoHD – Let your mom express her artistic talents as a film maker with the latest Flip Video Camera. The 3rd generation Flip MinoHD records up to 2 hours of high definition video and has 8GB of storage – and will only set you back $178

4. iPad – Don’t let anyone fool you: your mom would love an iPad (if she hasn’t already rushed out and gotten one) – and the newest model starts at $499. If you shop around, you may still find lingering stock of the original iPad available from Apple resellers online at great prices. iPad is several gifts rolled into one: e-reader, game system, computer, Internet and email device, and social networking hub.

5. Digital Photo Frame: the Aluratek 8” hi resolution digital photo frame, not available in stores, can be purchased from walmart.com for $39.54, with free store pickup (or an additional cost to have it shipped directly to your home.) Mom will be able to view images at 800x600 resolution on this high quality frame that supports SD/SDHC cards and USB drives for importing pictures of those special times mom will want to cherish.

Those are a few ideas that I hope will help you select a perfect gift for your geeky mom. Happy shopping!

Mackenzie Bryant is a technology blogger who enjoys writing about gadgets and cloud based services. She currently writes for alliedsatellite.com

Read More

Nook and Kindle: Which e-Reader is Best for You?

People don’t read anymore, right? We’re all too busy watching TV, playing video games, and surfing the internet to care about literary masterpieces. Then someone should tell that to Amazon and Barnes & Noble, makers of the Kindle and Nook e-readers respectively, who each have a have huge success with their e-readers. People are reading as much now as they ever were and maybe even more now that we have thousands of titles available to us at the touch of a button through e-book services. If you’re in the market to download the Jane Austen library, but are not sure which e-reader to invest in, here are a few things to consider.

Connectivity and Storage

First of all, your choice of e-reader really depends on the kind of features you need, based on how, where, and when you read. If you’re the type who reads everywhere and is constantly looking for new material, you’ll probably want to consider connectivity. Both the Kindle and Nook come with wi-fi connectivity and 3G access on upgraded models, although the Nook is slightly more expensive. But if you really want to store an entire library, you’ll probably want to go with the Nook. All Kindle models come with 4GB of storage (roughly 3,500 books), and the Nook comes with only 2GB (about 1,800 books), but all Nook models come with the ability to expand your storage with MicroSD cards up to 16GB.

Light and Battery Life

Again, where and when you read will determine your preferences for lighting and battery life. Both readers come with e-ink technology that looks very similar to the written page, but you’ll need an external light in order to read at night. However, the Nook offers models that come with LCD backlit screens and touch screen functionality, so you don’t need to rely on book lights of bedside tables for night reading. Some Kindle models come with a light as well, but it is not backlit; it is built-in lighting that simply illuminates the screen. But with backlighting, comes lower battery life. The Kindle battery life, on most models will last you up to a month of normal reading, where as the Nook models will only last you 10 days or so.

Formats

Another big difference between the two e-readers is the number of formats they can read. The Kindle beats the Nook hands down on this one. Although the Nook can open epubs, pdfs, and jpgs, the Kindle can open all those formats plus Word docs, html, txt, and more. The Nook Color, however, beats them all, covering just about any known format known to man, including mp4, ppt, and more.

If you’re looking for an e-reader with a long battery life that will open most e-book formats, go with the Kindle. But if you want an e-reader with expandable memory and a fancier display, the Nook might be the better choice.

About the author: Diane Johnson writes about a number of her interests including four wheeling, online courses, shopping, and traveling.

Read More