TechnologyIQ

#12 GoPro HD HERO Camera - Wearable 1080p HD Video and Still Photo Camera My friend, Ric Turner , introduced me to this HD camera. It is specially designed for capturing your outdoor adventures in full 1080p HD glory. It comes with a waterproof casing and it can stand up to some extreme abuse. There are mounts for your mountain bike, safety helmet and even your surf board, if you are so inclined. the quality of the video is amazing and truly bring your viewers along for the ride. All Gift Guide Recommendations: #11 Lego Harry Potter and other Lego Games #10 Leatherman Mutli-Tools # 9 Scrolling LED Name Tag # 8 Apple iPod Nano # 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

#11 Lego Harry Potter and other Lego Games We love all the Lego games, but I have pursued Lego Harry Potter the furthest. I am about 88% into the game and enjoying every minute of it. We also have Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones for good measure. The Lego games are available for a variety of platforms and are perfect for family fun time. More Lego Games All Gift Guide Recommendations: #10 Leatherman Mutli-Tools # 9 Scrolling LED Name Tag # 8 Apple iPod Nano # 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

#10 Leatherman Mutli-Tools If you are a tech geek, or know on, you know it is often necessary to do a little "fix it" no matter where you are. Pliers, screwdrivers, knife blades and more, all in one convenient package -- a toolkit on your belt or in your bag. Entire collection of multi-tools at Amazon.com All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 9 Scrolling LED Name Tag # 8 Apple iPod Nano # 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

# 9 Scrolling LED Name Tag Here is an inexpensive piece of tech geekery that never fails to attract attention at conferences, meetups and other events. Program it to say whatever you want. I typically have mine scrolling through my name and my web site URL. More Scrolling LED Name Tags from Amazon.com All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 8 Apple iPod Nano # 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

When I am trying to get a handle on a project, or my entire stable of projects, mind-mapping can be a great way of collecting everything in one place. While mind-mapping is typically done with pencil and paper, there are a host of great mind-mapping programs for your computer. This article links you to 8 excellent tools for mapping your mind on your PC. 8 Great Mind Mapping Tools For Effective Brainstorming : "A mind map is considered a great way to brainstorm and generate more ideas. It helps you create a number of small ideas from one big idea, see how different ideas could be connected together and create a plan of action. This article talks about eight mind mapping tools to help you brainstorm effectively. Almost all of them have free versions available. Some of them also help you collaborate with other people while working on the tool. Check them out."

# 8 Apple iPod Nano I have been looking for a replacement for my old iPod Video 30GB. Looking back I realize I never really used it to watch much video but I still have a need to hold a bunch of podcasts. I listen a lot in the car, probably more than I listen to the radio. I think the new iPod Nano might meet my needs. The size would certainly make it easier to carry around and I think 16GB of storage would be plenty, based on my current list of shows waiting to be listened to.. All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

# 7 Laptop/Netbook/iPad Cases & Bags If you are going to spend all that money on a new laptop, netbook, tablet or iPad, make sure to protect your investment with some sort of case or cover. Laptop bags are different from your typical bag or backpack in that they have extra padding to keep you from banging the laptop when you set it down on a floor or table. In this list, you will also find covers that attach right to your device to provide some protection even when you are using your device. All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

# 6 Cisco-Linksys WRT120N Wireless-N Home Router This the wireless router I use here at WelchWrite HQ and it has proven as reliable as the previous Linksys routers have installed for myself and my clients. I prefer Linksys routers for their easy install and configuration and the fact that they just site there and do their work for years at a time. All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 5 Panasonic BL-PA100KTA Ethernet Adaptor Starter Pack # 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

I have a long time client who has always had difficulties with their wireless network. The construction of their home, and outlying office suite, seems to suck up whatever bit of wireless signal a typical WiFi router sends out. In order to reach the outlying office, I had previously installed a Linksys Range Expander. While this worked, partially, it often needed to be restarted and wasn't nearly as reliable as I would like. What I really needed was a way to link these remote areas back to the main router without using wireless. Luckily, I found a solution. This client called last week and said that the Link Expander had failed completely. That wasn't too surprising as it was living in an un-cooled garage. The heat probably finally did it in. This meant, though, that I needed to come up with a different, and hopefully better, solution. I had looked at the powerline network extenders, which use your home of office electrical wiring to distribute network data, but most reviews se...

# 4 Point and Shoot Digital Cameras If you don't have a smartphone like the Apple iPhone (and perhaps, even if you do) a mid-range point-and-shoot digital camera is a great companion both for special trips and events and simply to capture the daily events and scenes that pass your way. A good-point-and-shoot should be small enough to fit in your pocket while having a high enough quality to allow you to print out images or put larger images on your Facebook pages and web sites. If you need a new camera, or haven't upgraded yours in a while, take a look at this list of bestselling point-and-shoot cameras and see if there is one for you and/or a friend. All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

# 3 Seagate FreeAgent Go 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive You can never have enough hard disk space and this 1 TB (terabyte) drive from Seagate gives you a whole lot of breathing room. You can use this to store your video projects, huge photo collections or use it as a backup device. If you are an Apple Macintosh user, this drive would be perfect for setting up as your Time Machine backup. Time Machine is "set it and forget it" backup software included with every Mac that backs up your entire machine -- and then checks for changes each hour. With such a backup, you can rebuild a new hard drive or and entirely new Macintosh. This has saved my clients hundreds of hours of lost time and many gigabytes of data. All Gift Guide Recommendations: # 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) # 1 Apple iPad

# 2 Dragon Dictate (Windows/Mac) Use a computer keyboard enough and you are bound to suffer some issues with your fingers, wrists and arms. My wife had been complaining of low-level pain in her wrists for years. She is a writer and also a college professor. In addition to her writing, she teaches many online courses where she must interact with online discussion groups and offer detailed comments on scripts, outlines and research papers. During the particularly busy semester I decided to buy the latest version of Dragon Dictate, a computer-dictation program that turns your voice into the printed word. My wife was regularly spending several hours at the keyboard and had started to mention her aching hands again. I am quite impressed. After about 5 minutes of training it easily understands both my wife's and my own speaking voice. While we could probably type more quickly, when faced with hours at the keyboard, the relief that Dragon Dictate can offer is substantial. It inputs direct...

# 1 Apple iPad While i don't own an iPad myself, I have several clients who have purchased them and all seem very happy with their decision. In my case, an iPad would be a bit redundant as I already have a Macbook Pro and an iPhone 4. That said, there are many people, including many of my clients who might be better served by owning and using an iPad than a traditional desktop or laptop computer. Through the years, the complexity of Microsoft Windows, and even Mac OS X, computers has led to trouble for my clients who aren't necessarily tech geeks. There are simply too many ways to go astray on traditional computer systems and one misplaced click can lead to no end of trouble. Then add to this the threat of viruses and spyware. I recently had a client who accidentally changed their default email client and then had to wait for several days until I could stop by and sort it out. This isn't the experience a computer user wants or needs. The Apple iPad and the iOS operating sys...