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Wonder of Tech readers have been very good this year, so it’s time to be making your holiday wish list! Lots of new tech was launched in 2011, giving you plenty of ideas for tech gifts.
If the tech elf were to visit your home this holiday season, what would you like her to bring? Vote in today’s Wonder of Tech poll and let us know what tech is your heart’s desire. If you want more than one tech gift, feel free to vote multiple times in today’s poll!
Are you more or less enticed by tech gifts this year than in previous years? Do you have any specific tech wishes not listed in the poll? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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Happy Veteran’s Day to our honored veterans. In tribute to our veterans, please enjoy this moving post by John Boyle, A Veteran’s Final Family Address – Veterans Day 2011. Thank you to those who have served our country, enduring sacrifices so we can enjoy freedom.
* Image by Dark Devill
** Image by Paul Williams
Hi Carolyn,
I have been thinking a lot about buying the iPhone 4S, but I’ll have to wait some more. I can’t afford it right now, it’s a long story 🙂
I have also read some exciting things about Apple TV, and that’s something I’d love to have.
That’s the two things I’ll add to my wish list, and maybe Playstation 3 for my kids (but I’ll probably play more than them).
Hi Jens, Sometimes we have to wait for the latest and greatest tech due to budget factors, but it can get expensive to keep up with the latest gadgets.
Apple TV is really useful to have. We only have the original version of Apple TV which can’t do as many functions as the more current model, but we enjoy it anyway.
My husband likes the kids’ Wii games and plays it as much as they do. It’s okay to enjoy the kids’ tech, so long as they let you!
After months of reading ebooks on a laptop screen – which isn’t bad per se – I’m looking into ereaders. Be good to have one on the train.
However, I might spring for a tablet, because I could do more with one of those. The kindle fire looked like an attractive proposition but then I learned about the inbuilt browser, Silk. It pries into user activity a little bit much for my taste. My sympathies lies with the openness of Android, so I might go that way.
Hi Bell, If you have been reading ebooks on a computer screen then you should have no problem reading them on a tablet. Some people prefer to read books on an e-ink screen because it doesn’t have a backlight, but that may not be an issue for you!
You can turn off the Silk browser on the Kindle Fire, but there is no telling how slow the internet connection will be without using Silk until the device is launched. Here is an article from Computer World with in-depth coverage of the privacy issues and the Silk browser: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9221030/Amazon_answers_some_privacy_concerns_about_new_Silk_browser
Cool, thanks for the article. My initial enthusiasm for the Kindle Fire waned when I read about Silk, and then that it was a retooled Playbook — made by the same company in China. As I said, I have yet to come to a decision. The new $79 Kindle is looking mighty appealing.
As for the typos, thanks for the offer to edit, but to err is human, like you said.
In my humble opinion, I strongly suggest that you spend the extra $20 and get either the touch screen or the keyboard on the Kindle. Your navigation will be much more pleasant.
Oops. Please read “my sympathy lies.” or “my sympathies lie.” (no-one’s immune to the occasional grammar fail, I guess)
(It’s refreshing to do something dumb yet harmless from time to time)
To err is human, but let me know if you would like me to edit your comment. 🙂
Hi Carol, that’s an interesting poll, and the results are interesting to.
I’d love a new PC as my one is getting old and is struggling under the strain of the new tools I’m using. When i create videos the PC is making some very strange noises and is struggling to keep up with me 🙁
If only Santa could fit one down the chimney 😉
That’s a very nice image to add for vetrens day, we shall never forget those that defend us, passed and present they have my total gratitude and respect.
I waer my poppy with pride every November and will do for life 😉
Thanks Carol,
Barry
Hi Barry, A new PC is a great idea, especially if yours is straining under the weight of your video editing. You may want to hold out until next year, though, when Windows 8 is launched.
The poppy tradition is a proud one, it’s great that you’re wearing one. I used to wear one in November when I lived in England, but the tradition seems to be lost here in the US. I wish it would return as I know many people are commemorating veterans today in the US.
I’d certainly like a new android, but other then that I pretty much have everything I need at themoment
Hi Matt, I’m glad you’re a satisfied tech user. Do you have your heart set on a particular Android phone or will any one do?
Happy 11 11 11 !
Thank you, Jerry! Happy 11 11 11 to you as well.
Have a great weekend! 🙂
Definitely an eReader. Not sure which one yet – but it’s on my list!
Hi Ruth, You’re right, you do have a lot of choices in ereaders these days. Consider not only the features of the ereaders, but also the availability of books on the device.
Keep us posted! 🙂
My tech wishlist has now been complicated by the Nook Tablet. I have no idea whether I should get that or the Fire.
Any suggestions or preferences yourself?
Hi Bryce, Both the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire look to be a lot of tablet for a bargain price. Until these arrive on the market next week, it’s difficult to compare the two fully.
You might also want to consider a gently used original iPad which would be only slightly more expensive than the Nook Tablet. Not to complicate matters for you! 🙂
I’m wishing for stuff I’ll wish for an ipad2 (I don’t care about the elfs and he’s budget) lol
But if I’d had to choose and buy one myself, the kindle fire is my first choice.
Hi Cristian, You make a great point that may be the exact trend in tablets this holiday season. While people may want the iPad 2, they may not have tech elves and have to stick to a budget, which makes the Kindle Fire a very enticing purchase.
Time will tell, but I’m thinking you are much like other holiday shoppers this year!
Wow- what a wonderful poll Carolyn!
I love the beautiful fairy waiting to turn our wishes into reality! But as you mentioned ‘wish’, which also means that we don’t necessarily have to buy one and just wish that we had them 🙂 I would wish for a Kindle Fire for my kids and of course an iPhone for us!
When and how we manage to save up money to purchase both of them is another story! But as long as one can wish for this coming season, anything is possible.
Demands, wishes, and desires never seem to end. When we wish for something and get it, the desire to own something better crops up, so the cycle continues.
At times I do wonder, we were much better off at the older times when there was less of technology and more time to share and be with each other. However, the wonderful world of technology is here to stay, and it is us who have to change ourselves to strike the right balance and choose things that are best for everyone.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Harleena, I’m glad you like my beautiful tech elf. She is lovely and very generous.
But, alas, my beautiful tech elf is not real so people have to live within their budgets. What people wish for may be very different from what they can afford.
So far the iPad is the most popular item on people’s wish lists, but the Kindle Fire may be more popular in reality due to the lower price, we shall see.
I can understand your nostalgia, wondering whether life would be better without technology. But very often I wonder how we survived without tech such as cell phones, GPS devices and computers. It’s amazing how quickly we can become spoiled by new tech!
Hello Carolyn,
I’m a huge Kindle fan – got Kindle 2.0, 3 and 4 ($79 one) in my house – I always get the 2.0 ’cause the kids have the newer ones, but that’s fine.
Even so, I am really liking the look of the new Nook Tablet. B&N looks to have squeezed a lot into that. The Fire is going to be the top seller this Christmas – it’ll probably beat out the iPad – but B&N is really carving out its own slot in the market.
Maybe it’s because I’m a Brit, and we do so like underdogs, but I love the way that B&N has sucked it up and got on with their business when so many other booksellers and publishers have been warning us that the sky is falling as a result of ebooks and ebook readers. I even liked the (slightly naughty) way they went after Amazon when they unveiled the Nook Tablet.
Anyway, if anyone from B&N is reading, please start shipping the Nook Tablet over to the UK.
Hi Hamish, You’re right, Barnes & Noble really had to introduce a tablet to compete with the Kindle Fire. Nook Color is a very impressive device but didn’t have enough functionality to compete with the Fire.
The Nook Tablet has superior specs to the Fire (for $50 more than the Fire), but content is king. If Amazon offers superior content to Barnes & Noble, then the Fire should beat out the Nook Tablet.
No matter who comes out ahead in the tablet wars, it’s great to see competition for the iPad!
When iPad came in, I was skeptical about it and its usage. but guess what, now iPad is in my tech wish list.. 🙂
Hi Faran, You’re not alone. The iPad is the most popular tech device in the poll so far! Now whether people will choose to spend the extra money over a Kindle Fire will be the big question!
Kindle Fire is going to be the gadget of this Christmas shopping. There is way too much value embedded into the $200 tablet. Not only that’s going to badly affect sales of iPad2 (yea, even though its a winner here), its going to bury the holiday dreams of Samsung, Motorola and 100 other tablets.
$500 is still quite a steep price for a Christmas gift, but $200, I bet is going to convert a lot of fence sitters.
Hi iRewardChart, I agree with you. This poll is a wish list, but in reality the $200 price tag of the Fire has to be compelling. The Fire does seem like an incredible bargain, though it hasn’t even shipped yet. Unless it’s a bomb, the Fire should do very well against the iPad.
It’s fantastic to see some solid competition for the iPad. You’re right, the other Android tablet makers have to be very concerned right now!
An Ipad/Iphone/Drawing tablet would be an ideal gift. I have been wishing for them for a long time! A drawing It is a really great idea that you came up with a tech wish list with the upcoming holidays and black friday coming up!
Hi Ryan, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I hope you get an iPad because your awesome list of photo editing software could include some great photo editing apps on the iPad as well. Perhaps if you do get an iPad you could do a follow up article on Sprout Confident about photo editing apps?
Hi Carolyn,
I will keep this in mind!
In this post you ask the question of what kind of technology is on the reader’s wishlist this year, what’s on on yours?
Hi Ryan, Thanks so much for asking. I voted None, I love tech but I have all the tech I need.
What did you vote, Ryan? 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
An android phone is definitely in my wish list because my Blackberry phone has gone to dust. I think I will probably go in for a Samsung or LG.
I used to like Sony Ericsson for their great designs initially but now I am going more with Android phones rather than a specific vendor.
Hi Ashvini, You make a good point. the operating system of a smartphone becomes much more important than the manufacturer. Very few manufacturers, though, make phones with more than one operating system.
I’m thinking you’re going to really enjoy having an Android phone, Ashvini. Keep us posted when you get it and let us know your thoughts. 🙂
I’m totally on the fence about a Kindle or iPhone, Carolyn! I’ve been dreaming about a Kindle for so long and you know how useful it would be here where there are limited books in English, *but* I’ve recently been thinking about how important it is that I have access to Internet all the time, so I can always be in contact with my clients even when I take short day trips to Lima (which I take almost every month). It’s going to be even crazier when I move to Trujillo next year — there are going to be various days when I won’t have access at all, which will mean a lot of apologizing and catching up! Don’t know how I’ll decide. =P
Hi Samantha, Two great choices. A Kindle is definitely less expensive than an iPhone but an iPhone can do more. For example, an iPhone can display Kindle books on the Kindle app, but a Kindle can’t make a phone call.
Both devices are fantastic so you won’t be disappointed with either one.
Let us know which you choose! 🙂
Hey Carolyn,
I’m a little late to this party but had to drop by anyway. On this list would definitely be the iPad. I think that would be cool to have and I could literally take it on the run with me. Not sure how well I’d do with the keyboard function since I’m a very spoiled computer keyboard lover. Plus you know, I don’t even text so that’s really not my thing.
Other than an iPad, I’d love to have a laptop. Yep, never owned one mainly because I’ve never needed one. It’s extremely hard for me to purchase things I really don’t need. I mean I work at home every day and I have a very good PC. When I visit my Mom, she also has a PC. I would enjoy just getting away from this desk every once in awhile and maybe sitting outside in the courtyard to do some work which is where that laptop would come in handy. But like I mentioned, it’s not a necessity so it will remain on my list. I don’t really travel enough right now to need one but some day.
Ah goodies… Tech goodies are the best too!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I have to agree with you. Tech goodies are so much fun! Useful too. 😉
I can understand you wanting an iPad and a laptop. It sounds like you would like some portable computing to access the Internet on the go.
If I got to choose for you, I would choose the iPad so you could access apps. You really should have access to Zite since your articles are on there every day!
I hope this holiday all of your wishes are granted! 🙂