Brian Cooley: The Twelve Tech Buys Of Christmas
(KPIX 5) - For this holiday shopping list, I'm skippping smartphones, computers, cameras and a host of other technologies that have either become utterly routine or obsolete. Instead, let's get a quick look of what I would think of this year when I think great tech that will delight as well as surprise.
Game Consoles: This is the big one this year. The XBox One ($499) and Playstation 4 ($399) are here with stunning new versions of often exclusive games but, more importantly, these are becoming the ulimate hub for your live and streamed TV entertainment. But make sure you check our reviews for the details on backward compatibility with past games.
Wearables: This category is truly hot this year for the first time and really giftable. Our pick is the FitBit Force: For $130 you will be giving the best of the fitness band crowd so your recipient can start to sleep better, feel better and lose a little weight. But note it works best with the latest iPhones and Galaxy phones.
Television: This is the classic big holiday gift but you might be surprise to hear that, yet again, the editors at CNET prefer a 1080p plasma TV like the Panasonic ST60 series -- not the newer technologies like LED, OLED or 4K. The good news is plasma is real mature so prices are excellent: The 55" is $1,250 street.
Tablets : These remain a great gift because a lot of people don't have one yet. If you have the money, get your recipient the new iPad Air: it's amazing, though rather expensive and large. Also consider the Google Nexus 7 ($229) or Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 ($379) but know that the Amazon tablet doesn't support the full range of Android apps but does have built-in live help.
All our gift picks are at the CNET Holiday Gift Guide 2013.
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