Last Minute Tech Gift Ideas

Last minute gift ideas by definition demand efficient purchasing. You are out of time. The only thing that is clear in your mind is that you would like to get a tech related gift. That is why you have come to our how-to tech site for ideas.

The good news is that except for very young recipients, your gift need not be immediately handed over in a box.

Gift Card to Print Out

We have prepared a gift card for you. You can print out and personalize it in the comfort of your home. An illustration of it follows. Just click on this link to download your gift card. Get out a pen to hand write your own personal message. How’s that for combining tech with nostalgic human touch?

Now that you have your gift card, you just need a gift that you can tell them in your note will be coming to them soon. First some book suggestions.

Books

Fun Science

The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
by Theodore Gray
This beautiful volume is an amazing look at the elements all around us. A certain conversation starter and a great addition to your library. Book or iPad app with 3D illustrations.

Give Them Some Training

There are probably many people in your life who are looking to retool themselves for a changed economy. Why not give them some training.

Twitter For Dummies
by Laura Fitton
Linda Sherman recommends this book to her social media marketing clients as a reference book.

Facebook and Twitter For Seniors For Dummies
by Marsha Collier
For the seniors in your life. Nice big print, simple language. Marsha has a lot of experience writing books for the Dummies series and she knows how to deliver. Our only caveat would be her section on purchasing a computer. In my opinion, Apple is the clear choice for seniors. Apple computers and smart phones are simpler to use, which is a major factor for this demographic.

Truly Unique, Powerful Gift – Give Them Their Own Website

Here is a truly unique, powerful idea. Buy someone you care about a personal or small business website.
Why a website? So that they can establish their personal brand on-line.

You could arrange to pay for a website to be built for your loved one by a professional.
You need to make three decisions: platform, theme and host. These are my strong recommendations. I will go into details on why in a future post.
1. The website platform should be WordPress.org.
2. The theme should be selected from the choices offered by StudioPress Genesis Framework
3. After a great amount of research, we settled on Host Gator for the server host. You should give your giftee one year of hosting as well. They will love Host Gator. They have wonderful 24/7 phone service out of Texas.

Now you need to select a professional website creator. You should be able to hire someone to build a fairly simple website for between $750 and $1,500 (including cost of the theme). Don’t forget to include training on how to use the site in your project price quote. The beauty of WordPress is that the recipient should be able to update it themselves. Hosting is another $120 for one year.

We happen to intimately know a really great website design house, The Courage Group (Linda Sherman and Ray Gordon). Buy a website from the Courage Group, and they will create a personalized gift card for you to email to your giftee.

Give Them an Excellent Pocket Video Camera

Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Camera with Microphone Jack
This is an excellent pocket video camera. What sets it apart is that it has a microphone jack that allows you to plug in an external mike. This is very important if you are attempting to record conversation where there is surrounding ambient noise. The on-board mike is also excellent. Update: Because of the interest indicated in comments as well as Twitter in the external microphone we use: It is an audio-technica PRO 24 stereo condenser microphone. The length of the cord for this microphone is six feet (1.8 meters) which is usually fine but it’s also useful to have an extension cord like a Cables To Go 40408 3.5 mm Male/Female Stereo Audio Extension Cable, Black (12 Feet/3.65 Meters).

Let Them Dictate Instead of Type Their Emails and Other Stuff

Dragon Dictate 2.0 for Apple Computers
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 for Windows Computers
This product uses highly advanced voice recognition and really works! We started using it after a hand injury in our family. The pro versions here come with a digital microphone/headset, which is essential for effective dictation.

Ready Made Gift Cards

If you are lucky, your giftee already owns a device for which you can readily buy them content for.
It takes minutes to go to the Apple Store and order music, movies, books or apps for their iPod, iPhone or iPad.

Best Tech Gift Suggestion Collection We Found OnLine

From Mashable – Ten Tech Gifts for Your Teens
Yes it would be great for your teens, but just about anyone would appreciate these good finds from Mashable. My only caveat for that though is the Kindle – this is a device built for young eyes.

We hope these Boomer Tech Talk Gift suggestions were useful. What are some of your favorite tech related gifts these days?