It’s that time of year again. The geek in your life has a wishlist so to make shopping easier, here are some items that are sure to be on his or her list. Good luck, Santa.

1. Jawbone Up
   Price: $99
   The newest innovation from Jawbone (makers of the best bluetooth headsets and speakers; #4 on this list) bring us a new device that inspires healthy living. This small bracelet and app combination tracks your movement, sleep patterns and eating habits. It reminds you to move when you’ve idle too long. It gently (silently) wakes you at the ideal part of your sleep cycle, just before you have to get up so you’re not late for anything. It asks you questions after each meal and learns which meals make you feel best. And with challenges, you can strive to reach new levels in your health
   Website:  http://www.jawbone.com/up
2. Looxcie 2
   Price: $150
   It’s a wearable video camera, but that’s not all. It sits on your ear like a bluetooth headset. You can also take calls with it. The fun part is that not only can you record your own point of view, but you can broadcast it live so missing family members can feel like they were there. You can also upload short snippets directly to YouTube.
   Website:  http://looxcie.com/device
3. Apple MacBook Air
   Price: $999 - $1599 (depending on configuration)
   It is super thin and light (under 3 pounds) and fast (1.7GHz dual-core i5) with a unibody construction, fantastic display. If your recipient travels, this is the machine. It is thinner than an iPad in some spots.
   Website:  http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air
4. Jawbone Jambox speaker
   Price: $199
   Another amazing product from Jawbone, the Jambox is 6”x2.25”x1.6” and puts out a whopping 85 decibels of clear, crisp sound. It is small and durable and delivers a music experience in all environments. Beyond that, with its built-in microphone it is also a speakerphone. You can install a variety of apps that will customize your experience. Bluetooth means no wires, but a standard headphone jack is on it as well for those moments when your music player is not bluetooth compatible. Note: my most amazing tech purchase of 2011.
   Website:  http://jawbone.com/speakers/jambox/overview
5. Apple iPad 2
   Price: $499 - 829 (storage capacity and 3G functionality)
   Everyone know the iPad by now and it is still an amazing device. Some may have expected this higher on the list, but with a reported iPad 3 on the way in spring, real Applephiles will want to wait. With the latest version of iOS allowing for messaging to other iOS devices, multitasking and the thousands of apps available, this gadget has something for everyone.
   Website:  http://www.apple.com/ipad/
6. Amazon Kindle Fire
   Price: $199
   Amazon released their answer to the iPad recently and it is a 7” tablet. Contrary to popular belief, it is not an iPad competitor, not directly. The fire is not build for productivity or creation. It is for media consumption. If you are giving gifts to a tech geek that loves music, movies and books the best then this is the device for you. With 5,000 books on loan from Amazon and 10,000+ movies available instantly, all for a $79 Amazon Prime subscription (which as other benefits while shopping, such as free 2-day shipping), the Kindle Fire is the go to device for media, without a doubt. Naturally it includes web browsing and email functionality as well. All content is stored in the cloud so you never have to worry about being without it.
   Website:  http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-Amazon-Tablet/dp/B0051VVOB2
7. Kinect for Xbox 360
   Price: $149
   The motion sensor add-on may have come out in 2010, but it is still a hot item in 2011 with an expanding library of games becoming available. This will get you off the couch and test your ability to dance, run, jump, and play a dozen or more sports. It sure is one way to work off all the fruitcake you’ve been eating. It is a surefire hit at parties as well. There is no controller. YOU are the controller with full body and voice control.
   Website:  http://www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect
8. Apple TV
   Price: $99
   If you are an Apple fan and a movie/music fan, this is for you. For the price, you can stream your entire iTunes music library to your TV, push media and your actual home screen from an iPhone or iPad, rent TV shows and movies from the iTunes store, gain access to YouTube, Netflix, Flickr, and many other services. All that is required is a power cord, HDMI cable and an Internet connection (wired or wireless, with built-in WiFi).
   Website: http://www.apple.com/appletv/
9. Boxee Live TV
   Price: $50
   Want to cut the cord with the cable company? The Boxee Live TV takes a plain antenna signal and connects to your TV so you can still catch all the live broadcasts that you don’t want to miss. Instead of a guide, there is an interface that will help you find shows and recommendations and remove channels you never watch.
   Website: http://www.boxee.tv/live
10. Lytro Camera
    Price: $400-$500
    This super-advanced tiny camera is not much bigger than a lady’s lipstick, but does much, much more. It’s a new type of camera called a Light Field shooter. It captures color, intensity and vector direction of the light rays - to the tune of 11 million of them. And here’s the really exciting news, you can focus after you’ve taken it.
    Website: https://www.lytro.com/camera

Technology and consumer electronics are constantly being updated and upgraded. It feels like it is impossible to keep up, at times. Whether it is an Xbox that has added WiFi or a computer with a better processor, or even a TV with more HDMI ports and apps; we feel like we need to have the latest and greatest. If you are like most people you have a drawer full of old cellphones and box full of unmarked cables with no clue as to what they plug into. You save all your old gadgets with hopes of one day finding a use or, better yet, a buyer. Most times they sit until you (or your spouse) can’t stand the sight of them anymore and they go in the trash.

Best Buy is preparing to release a program (officially announced on Sunday during the Super Bowl) called the “Buy Back Program.” It is Best Buy’s attempt at what they call “future-proofing” your technology. Very often, we skip buying something, knowing the next generation or iteration may be lurking around the corner. We can’t justify spending the money on something new when the one we have “works just fine,” but we sure do want the new, fancy, shiny one glaring at us from the shelf.

This program will help defray the costs of our gadget addiction. Buy your product and when the next one is out, Best Buy will buy it back. There is a timeline with associated percentages. The longer you have it, the less you get back, of course. However, it is more than you’ll make leaving it in the closet.

Here is the schedule:

• Up to 6 months - 50%
• 6-12 months - 40%
• 12-18 months - 30%
• 18-24 months - 20%
• 24-48 months* - 10%

That may not sound like much but you can own a $1,000 TV for 4 years and bring it to Best Buy for a $100 credit. Four years is a long time in the life of technology products/electronics; and you are not stuck looking for a buyer, shipping, or dealing with an online seller/auction.

The clock starts ticking 31 days after the purchase date to account for the existing return policy and is only available for Reward Zone members. Not to worry though, Reward Zone is free to sign up for (and you’ll actually get coupons in the mail, which means you may pay less for that TV in the first place).

“For devices that are mobile phones, the original purchase price means the Best Buy retail price prior to any specific carrier based rebates, offers, discounts or promotions. In addition, for devices that are mobile phones, this Plan may only be utilized for mobile phones that are under a carrier contract.”

Translation: Prepaid phones do not count, however, the price that matters is the sticker. If a phone is $300 on the shelf, that is what you calculate from even if you only paid $79 due to a new activation discount.

This plan does not seem to be overly effective if you upgrade quickly. You lose half the value within 6 months (7 counting the first month of return policy time). If you keep items for a year or two, though, you can recoup some money.

Imagine buying a $1000 TV with a $50 off Reward Zone coupon. You lay out $950 on the purchase date. Four years later you get $100 when you trade it in. You are out $850 in the long run and you had 4 years of usage of that $1000 TV. Plus the last $100 is given to in the form of a gift card on the spot to be used toward your new purchase.

I don’t need more reasons to shop at Best Buy, but I think I just got one.

*Televisions only.

UPDATE: This program will not come free with any purchase. Just like their current “Performance Service Plan” or “Product Replacement Plan,” the item will have to be made to qualify by adding on the “Buy Back Program.” Prices will vary and it will remain free until February 12th.

If one thing in technology is for sure, it is that Apple knows how to make waves and market products. The disparity among users is staggering. People love them or hate them and rarely fall in between. It is no surprise that the iPad is causing the same kind of upheaval. Leading up to the announcement the speculation ran wild about what an Apple tablet would be and how it would work and what it would do. Then the keynote came on January 27th and immediately emotions ran high. Some people loved it immediately. Others were left wondering what it was all about and of course there were no shortage of jeers as well.

April 3rd was the big day that the iPad landed in the hands of anxious consumers. The overall reaction has been fantastic. We’ve seen videos showcasing its capabilities and durability. Its specifications, internal components and a large percentage of amazing apps. There is still come confusion about its usefulness however.

There are things to consider here. First, it’s not a big iPhone/iPod Touch. It is more. with 9.7” of real estate on the screen you can do more. This doesn’t cause apps just to be upsized but developers can pack more functionality into an app. Ten hours of battery life is something that no other mobile device can claim as well. It is not better than a netbook. It is not better than a laptop. It is not another iPhone. It is an iPad. It is its very own category. This will not replace anything. It is what is now being called a “category creator.” Why do we have notebooks? Because of the price only? No. They are small and portable. But they lack - high end video, optical drives, storage space, usability for graphics or photo work. They don’t replace laptops. They do their own thing. Right now, a smartphone user whips out the phone to look up every last little thing. Can you use an iPhone/Android/Blackberry to really and easily read a whole book? No. Is good for displaying photos? Not really. For large amounts of surfing the small screens get tedious, especially with calls coming in.

So we have a netbook. Now you can pull out a netback and open it, boot it up and run applications (which can be tricky to install sometimes without a CD/DVD drive) or you can use an iPad which is instant on and has a library of nearly a quarter of a million apps ready to be downloaded over the air (OTA) and used immediately. Sometimes you may want to sit and compose a longer email using a real keyboard, but for quick notes, checking email, surfing the web and other on the fly tasks, the iPad gives you instant access. What if you’re on the couch and want a quick reference? Open and boot the netback again or turn on the iPad.

Why is it better than Windows tablet computers? That’s easy. Tablet computers took existing versions of windows and threw them onto a tablet PC. Windows is not designed to work in a mobile touchscreen environment. iPhone OS is meant for EXACTLY that. This device is designed for its purpose. Windows tablet PCs are created with existing items to fit a new purpose. Can Microsoft answer with a mobile platform of their own and be successful? Absolutely. But they need to develop a mobile platform and not just take something and force it to be a mobile platform.

Most of the negative comments about the iPad that I’ve seen are from people who don’t own one and some are from people who don’t own an iPhone or an iPod touch. They see a resemblance and say it’s the same thing. This is uninformed. With some research and an open mind, it is clear that this is so much more.

For the record, I don’t own one. I know a lot about it but I think $499 for WiFi only does not fit my use case. It is a great price for what you get, just not in my particular situation. When the 3G version ships, I may consider that. The usability of this device is huge. My budget is now. For me, it comes down to dollars and cents.