Tech Tips: Summer gifts for grads

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Posted 4:31 PM 5/15/2012 : Tech Tips: Tech gifts for the graduate in your life

TUCSON - Today on Tech Tips, our technology contributor Quincey Hobbs stopped by with some great tech gift ideas for the graduate in your life.

Below are some of Quincey's suggestions:

• Are there any considerations when selecting a tech gift for a graduate?
Yes. Generally, I like to think that there are three considerations. The first being whether the person is graduating from high school or college. The second being, selecting something that the person will benefit from, and last being the budget.

• You list the Roku LT as one of the best gifts to give. Why?
The Roku LT is a streaming media device. It allows a person to stream movies and video from content providers like Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO 2 Go and more. The Roku isn't the only streaming device worth mentioning. There are the Apple TV and Google TV just to name a few. The major difference is that the Roku LT costs about $50 where the others start at about $100. For the cash-strapped college student that may not have cable, the Roku hits the trifecta for gift giving.

• Are laptops still a good gift or would a tablet be better?
Although many people see tablets as laptop replacements, they serve different functions. Even with keyboard accessories, tablets do not have the productivity power and efficiency of laptops. The name of laptops has been rebranded to the more marketable ultrabooks, but they are still a mainstay for gifts for grads. You want to make sure that you have a full keyboard and not the slightly smaller keyboard that can be found on Netbooks, but with that notwithstanding I am partial to the Dell Inspirion Mini Duo. If you purchase it with it's cradle it can serve as an alarm clock, an ultrabook, and the screen can pivot to provide tablet functionality. All of this for roughly the price of an entry level iPad.

• What are some of the other items that you recommend?
Three more items that many grads will appreciate are the Lama Key from LaCie. It is an usb flash drive that looks like a key and can be attached to a key ring. If you grad has an iPhone, then you may want to consider the Smartflex card case from Speck. It combines a wallet and cell phone cover. Finally, you can consider buying a subscription to services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Instant video as a gift.

• Any final thoughts?
Most grads on both the high school and college level will benefit from gifts that involve their cell phone, laptop, or tablet.

Websites

http://www.roku.com/Roku_LT - Roku LT
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-duo/pd - Dell Inspirion Mini Duo
http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-duo/pd - LaCie Lama Key
https://www.speckproducts.com/smartflex-card-for-iphone-4s-4.html Speck SmartFlex