Scandyna the Amp
$700
It looks like a Weber grill, but it puts out sound like a concert
speaker. The Amp comes in a variety of colors and can be mounted on a
wall for easy access. Scandya’s The Scandyna is sure to catch a few
eyes, as you plug it in to your television, MP3 player, or home stereo.
There’s a reason this thing costs $700: it sounds amazing when given
proper speakers. Perhaps more striking than the Amp’s look is its
simple interface. This amplifier was designed to be used for one thing
only: bridging the gap between audio device and speakers. It doesn’t
try to be a surround-sound coordination machine, or an
all-home-network-enabled media server. It’s just an amp. It is, in
fact, the Amp. (PodSpeakers.com)
Stanton DaScratch
$250
For the DJ in your life there’s nothing more frustrating than the
constant rate at which they must replace their needles. Those little
slivers of diamond get expensive after a while. That’s why the
DaScratch is perfect for the local depression-affected DJ. It’s a solid
pad of touch-sensitive surfaces that can be translated into turntable
movements. Plug the DaScratch into the USB port on your Mac or PC and
you can treat it just like a turntable. The only real difference is
that you’re scratching up a digital file, not your precious copy of the
Magical Mystery Tour. DaScratch is fun for pros and amateurs
alike, and it’s even cheaper than a new set of turntables with a mixing
board. (EntertheSystem.com)
Samnson Zoom H2 Handy Recorder
$300
For the budding young director or the established journalist, the
need for clear and present sound recording is always present. For movie
makers, most film sound problems come from poor microphones and sound
not coming from a place near the recording device. For journalists,
digital recorders can be a pain in the butt if they don’t work
properly, or make it tough to manage stored recordings. The Samson Zoom
H2, however, solves all of these problems. It contains four microphones
for perfect stereo sound capture, it uses flash cards to store
recordings, and it’s face is resplendent with easy-to-understand
controls. And on top of all that, it has a screw hole in the bottom so
it can be attached to a boom. (SamsonTech.com)
Nintendo Entertainment System
Around $30
Sure, the Wii is all the rage right now, but who has $250 to spent
on a hard-to-find game console in these troubled times? For the
thirtysomething hipster on your list, there’s a simple and cheap way to
give them back a piece of their childhood. Pick an upcoming Sunday and
head over to the Laney College flea market or your local junk sale of
choice. Therein, you should be able to find an original Nintendo
Entertainment System, from way back in 1986. For around $30, you should
be able to find a complete set with controllers, cables, and console.
Then, for a few dollars more, you can pick and choose some of your
target’s old favorites, like Super Mario Brothers 3, or the Legend of
Zelda. Anyone who grew up in the ’80s would likely appreciate this aged
gaming system a lot more than a new dress shirt or pair of slacks.
(Nintendo.com)
Acer Aspire One
$350
This has been the year of the subcompact laptop, also known as the
NetBook. These devices have small dimensions, low price tags, and no
DVD drives. Many of them come with Linux pre-installed, lowering the
cost of ownership even further. For people who are evaluating the EE
PC, the One Laptop Per Child, and the many other offerings, the Acer
Aspire One is really the best of all worlds: it’s lighter than the
offerings from HP; its keyboard is just right for adult fingers, unlike
the EE or the OLPC; and the Acer adds that extra bit of flair that
makes this laptop a real looker in public. You’ll get lots of curious
questions, and most folks will want to hold it, just to prove to
themselves that a laptop can really weigh less than two pounds.
(Acer.com/aspireone/)
