It’s that time of year again, when the sweaters come out and we start thinking about Christmas shopping.
I started seeing the first signs of Christmas during my Halloween candy shopping. There in the corner of an aisle dedicated to Halloween, on the very lowest shelf was the start of Christmas in the form of candy.

Now that Halloween and Thanksgiving are over, it’s time for the Christmas shopping to commence. 
If you were a Black Friday shopper I want to first LOL at you, seriously the frustration, crowds, and attitudes of tired over-caffeinated shoppers didn’t seem worth it. 
Now form a line and receive your I survived “Black Friday Shopping” award. All joking aside, I’ve always wanted to shop on Black Friday, just to say I did. 

To make our Christmas shopping even more confusing, I think every gadget guru adds to the confusion by releasing their newest and greatest model. 
Which new cell phone, iPod, game, gaming console, camera etc. should be bought, wrapped and placed under the tree? 
Below is a selection of tech gadgets that this geeky woman wouldn’t mind seeing Santa leaving under my tree. 



Dear Santa, I’ve been an awfully good girl this year. Ok I got carried away. How about an early Christmas Tune while you check my list.
 

 

Apple Products

Starting at $499 (USD)
Latest model released March 2011- now with iOS 5 and iCloud, and an all new thinner,
lighter design equipped with two cameras for FaceTime and HD Video recording, dual core A5 chip and the same 10 hour battery life. Choose either Black or White.

New iOS5 which includes over 200 new features: (A select few listed below)
Newsstand – a folder that lets you access your favorite subscriptions and publications quickly and easily all in one place.
Notification Center – keeps track of your notifications all in one convenient location.
Siri – lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. I remember seeing the commercial and thought… Ha! I want it. 
Twitter Integrated – sign in once in Settings, and suddenly you can tweet directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, or Maps
Camera – now accessible from the locked screen
Safari Reader – displays web articles sans ads or clutter so you can read without distractions
PC Free – With iOS 5, you no longer need a computer activate and set up your device wirelessly, right out of the box.
Those are only a select few of the new features with the iPhone 4S, along with iCloud and the new 8MP camera, this phone will do almost everything.

 

Kindle Fire 

from Amazon
Released on November 15, 2011  costing around 199.99 (USD)

I have last year’s version of the Kindle with Wi-Fi and love it, but the Kindle Fire is pretty amazing. 
New features include- Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, plus Amazon’s revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser.
I believe that the Kindle Fire is giving the Apple iPad a run for its money with the new features. Can’t beat the price 199$ nearly half the price of an iPad. What can I say I am easily pleased, and rarely ask for much, but let’s peek into the Top Gadgets being requested this year.

 

Playstation3 Starter Move Bundle

Starting at 349$ (USD) 320GB

I asked Santa for one last year and he was sweet enough to place it under my tree (Thanks again Santa) It remains on the top of the list this year with the price coming down $50 from last year’s $399 for the 320gb hard drive. The Playstation3 Starter Bundle includes the PS3 320 GB system, one game controller, the motion controller and the eye camera (both are needed to get things moving). 
Also includes the Sports Champions blu-ray disc with features seven games. This system does everything with Blu-ray gaming and movies all playable in stunning high definition, the ability to download games, movies and more from the PlayStation Network, built-in Wi-Fi, Internet browser and hard drive, the PlayStation 3 can be enjoyed by every member of your family. No monthly or yearly membership fees to access Playstation Network (online game zone)

 

Kinect for Xbox 360

prices from $100-$2009 (USD)
Kinect for Xbox 360 (note this is only the sensor Kinect and doesn’t include the Xbox) Includes both the proprietary cable that works with Microsoft’s latest Xbox 360 and a USB cable and power cord 
that will work with the original Xbox 360s along with the actual Kinect sensor.
Great add-on if you already own and Xbox 360, the only thing I don’t like about Xbox is you have to pay a monthly/Yearly membership to access the Xbox live.

Don’t like iPhones or can’t find a provider in your area that lives up to your standards, or maybe you prefer an Android. Whatever your case may be there are a few good phones to choose from.
 

Android Phones

Price starting at 599.99 without a contract. Price range is different with each provider.

Samsung Galaxy S II – available with At& T, Sprint, TMobile, Verizon
 Lightweight 
Heavy duty glass screen which helps in preventing smears, and smudges as well as scratches.
Battery life is decent which is important for the traveler. Lasting a day (with normal usage) and 2 days (none app user)
Features a 4.3 in touchscreen, I.2 Ghz dual core A9 processor and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. The 8 mega pixel camera can also capture videos in 1080p (one review mentioned 0 shutter lag) I am not of much of a camera person so that means nothing to me.
4G capable – assuming your provider supports the 4G network

With this phones feature and the many apps available on the Android Market it would be great for that special someone on your shopping list.

Well this concludes this session of Gadgets with Deb, I hope Santa brings you the gadget of your choice.