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Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate
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The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility
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Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty
April 24, 2013
Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
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Caroline B. Glick: Why Obama's visit to Israel had no impact on public opinion or government policy
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Jewish World Review
December 14, 2012
/ 1 Teves, 5773
Tech year's good, bad, and, well, confusing
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Herewith, the first of some last-minute gift ideas, suggestions and strategies ...
START WITH MUSIC - I'm a big fan of gifting music, especially gift cards for Apple Inc.'s iTunes service or Amazon.com's MP3 music store. The Apple gift cards are widely available in many retail outlets, including Target stores and others. Amazon.com will sell you "virtual" gift cards you can send via e-mail or Facebook, or "real" ones they'll deliver via a courier.
You could also offer a gift subscription to a music service such as Pandora or Slacker, which delivers a lot of music for the money. These are online services compatible with many different mobile devices and desktop systems; Pandora compatibility is also found in some car audio systems and the Sonos (www.sonos.com) line of Internet-friendly audio systems.
CONTINUE WITH BACKUP - One of the interesting things about the digital age is that while we may have lost some of the paper in our lives (a subject I hope to explore here early next year), we still need the information. Here, having a good backup hard drive is essential. It may not be the "sexiest" holiday gift, but thoughtful recipients will appreciate it, especially when they need to recover crucial data.
My personal last-minute shopping place for such items is either Costco (www.costco.com) or a brick-and-mortar store such as Staples (www.staples.com). Both should have a good selection of Western Digital and/or Seagate external hard disc drives, ranging from under $140 for a 3 Terabyte drive on up. Again, there's little glamour, but data protection is important.
For more portable (and, of necessity) selective storage, I like the Victorinox Swiss Army 8 Gbyte Jetsetter Flash Drive, a $39.95 product designed for Mac users and available at the Apple Store. The manufacturer says you can "encrypt files, securely store personal information and browse the Internet in Swiss Army style, without leaving traces of browsing history, files or cookies." Plus, there's a scissors, nail file with screwdriver end, a tweezers, a key ring, a ballpoint pen and a "clamshell opener," great for opening those hermetically sealed plastic packages.
Higher-capacity versions of the product are available, with additional tools. I'm just glad to have the 8 GB model in my pocket.
GO MOBILE FOR DATA - The AT&T Mobile Hotspot MiFi Liberate is a $199.99 device that'll serve as a wireless "hotspot" for as many as 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices: notebook computers, tablets, phones, whatever. Made by Novatel Wireless, the cost drops to $49.99 if you sign up for a two-year AT&T mobile data plan, which starts at $60 per month.
I'm not thrilled with the data plan pricing, but if you travel around the country (or work locally where you'd like a secure, private, Internet connection), this device is a great product offering powerful service, a touch-screen, color display for settings and information, and up to 11 hours of use. Not everyone will need this, but if you know someone who does, they might bless you for this gift.
ADD THE NET TO YOUR TV - If you don't have the latest-latest HDTV, but want to access the Internet and streaming services, check out the under-$50 SmartStick HDTV enhancer from FAVI Entertainment. Plug it into an HDMI port on the TV and you can grab movies, music, apps and games via the device's Android OS and your wireless home network. There's an optional wireless keyboard available for $39.99, but it's of the tiny, hand-held variety.
This is another good idea, I think, and perhaps even a useful stocking stuffer.
Need more ideas? Come back next week.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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© 2012, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
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