Rick's picks for hot tech gifts this holiday season

By Rick Castellini Special to PRIME The holiday season of 2007 marks the sixth year that I have written this annual shopping article. I like writing about technology shopping because the products and services really do change year-to-year. Technology changes in 2007 stand among some of the greatest changes in a one year period since the technology revolution started in the 90s. This year, I plan on covering some new ideas in tech gifts that I haven't covered as much in past holiday shopping articles. Give a gift of digital memories My first new gift on the 2007 list is the digital frame. Digital frames allow digital photographers to display multiple pictures in a single frame through rolling slideshows and digital memory. Digital frames are not new to store shelves, but the selection and affordable price has never been better. Also, the screen technology and sizes have improved greatly and make digital frames a true gem to have in any household. Screen sizes range from seven inches to 13" and prices start at $60 and move up from there. If you get a chance to see them in a store, you will be able to make better decision about screen clarity and what frame you like the best. However,they all support hundreds of pictures that can be displayed in a variety of formats. I like the frames from Philips and Kodak, but many other brands make nice frames as well. Digital frames even make great gifts for family members who aren't tech oriented, but would adore being able to watch their frames flip through hundreds of pictures of their loved ones you pre-loaded for them. Visit http://tinyurl.com/2m6gcn for a good comparison of many of the available frames. Keep them current with convergence Next on my list of new items is an older item that is maturing into a new standard; converged devices. Converged devices perform the functions of multiple devices in a single device. Think iPhone. iPhone's made a huge splash with their release and pre-release hype this year. Was the iPhone a new type of device? No. Phones capable of Internet access, music and video playback, organization applications, and of course phone functions have been around a long time. Apple just does a great job at publicizing their technology and produce head turning designs. Instead of walking around with a separate music player, phone, PDA (personal digital assistant), and Internet device, carrying a converged device is infinitely more useful and quite a bit cheaper. I've carried the Palm Treo for years and still like the Palm today. The newest models are the 755p and 700p along with the newly released Palm Centro. I prefer the Palm devices over the iPhone, but it is a good choice as well for tech folks looking for a capable, yet more expensive converged handheld. Get them there with GPS Global Positioning Systems (GPS) seem to be everywhere this year. With a slew of new releases and companies entering the market, I would suggest shopping thoroughly for a GPS. Portable car GPS units prices range from $99 to $999, and their features and screen qualities also run the gamut as well. Make sure you read online customer reviews of these devices and try them out in stores before jumping on the GPS bandwagon. Actually, I think the GPS market is still a year or two away from maturity. Unless you really need the help of a talking map, I suggest waiting and using the great online mapping resources like maps.google.com, maps.yahoo.com, and maps.live.com. All three sites are accessible from your cell phone if you want portability. Are you in the shopping spirit yet? Hopefully, I've cleared up some questions you might have about some of the new and expanding technologies available today. If you have further questions about shopping for tech gifts and tech gift recommendations, be sure to visit my web site at HelpMeRick.com Rick Castellini is an author, computer consultant, and hosts a nationally syndicated computer radio show from Colorado. Visit his web site at www.HelpMeRick.com for new tips every week and sign up for his free weekly email newsletter.