It would definitely be the tablet to buck the Apple iPad bandwagon. The Surface comes closest to my idea of a tablet I can actually use productively.
I have been using Windows 8 for almost a year now, spanning its various pre-release configurations and now the retail release version, and I really like it. On the other hand, for someone like me, who likes to march to the beat of a different drummer, I would also strongly consider the Microsoft Surface. But I would not completely rule out an Android-based tablet – the competition amongst tablets is very close. The reason is simple – a plethora of apps. However, if I was forced to use one, I would have to seriously consider the Apple iPad.
I have tried many of the tablets Bill Detwiler has cracked open (after he put them back together again) and while the all seem to work fairly well, they don’t really do anything that makes them compelling to me. I am not a tablet person – at least not yet. Looks like it is time to start saving up. Over the past 10 years or so I have purchased six Alienware-produced computers it will be good to have some more competition in the enthusiast market. The Maingear F131 is intriguing, mainly because I have never heard of the company before I saw the video review.
But that doesn’t mean I still don’t pine for something new and even more powerful. It is a great machine and I recently upgraded the two graphics cards to EVGA GeForce 550Tis. My current game machine is an Alienware Area 51 X58 purchased about four years ago. I am a computer gamer and I have been for a very long time – my first computer was a Commodore 64. I recommend one of the Roku boxes, but there are several products to choose from and the guide provides reviews of those for you to consider. If you don’t have a streaming video device, you really should get one – it makes television worth watching again. I have the Roku XDS and love it because it just plain works with no hassle. It might be worth the relatively inexpensive price to transfer music across a room wirelessly.
The Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver operates on a similar principle. In the past, I reviewed the ASUS WiCast EW2000 Wireless HD Video Transmitter and Receiver, which was great for getting an HDMI signal from a computer to a big screen television without a cable. I am a big fan of wireless technology, especially when it can be used to eliminate wires in the living room. Some are just interesting, but a few have me warming up the credit card. There are several reviewed products in the CNET guide that drew my attention. The review staff at CNET have compiled their list of the best consumer devices in many categories, including televisions, cameras and accessories, home theater, tablets and e-book readers, phones and accessories, desktops and laptops, audio and heaphones, printers and peripherals, games and gaming systems, and even cars and car tech.Ĭheck out the guide, read the reviews, and you are almost guaranteed to find something that would make the perfect gift for the geek in your life (even if that geek is you). That is where our colleagues over on CNET come into play with their 2012 Holiday Gift Guide.
However, the potentially more difficult part is deciding what products we should be searching in the first place. It is possible, with some careful research and attentive web-surfing, to get some really good deals on geek-friendly gadgets, gizmos, and devices. I am not what you would call a big shopper, but I do pay attention to the deals that come along with all of the Black Friday hoopla every year. Geek Gift Guide: Find the best of the bestĬhoosing the perfect geek-friendly gift for your perfect geek requires some research, let us help.