Newswise — DMZ resident Adrian Bulzacki knows tech. As CEO of ARB Labs, currently housed at Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone, Adrian is well-versed in the latest trends in digital technology. With much of his holiday shopping already done, below are his tips for the best tech buys for your loved ones this holiday season.
Tech gifts for the young at heart:
•For the young and the young at heart, Adrian recommends an intergalactic gift for the technophiles on your list: a flying UFO. Remote operated, the user can hover the UFO throughout the home. His favourite is the Air Hogs Vector Wave Battle which is available for less than 40 dollars at a wide variety of retailers including Toys R’ Us and Amazon.ca
•A similar gift that continues to be popular over the last few years is the mini-helicopter. Helicopters available today are vastly improved from those of years passed. Remote-controlled helicopters that are the market today include features such as 3 channel directionality and can be charged via USB, eliminating the need for costly batteries. Many versions also include high tech extras such as dual cameras to show the user both the view ahead of the copter as well as the ground below. The best part? The user can watch the videos remotely on their i-phones. Mini-helicopters range in price, starting at $40 and can be purchased at retailers including Future Shop and Best Buy.
•But why not go one step further? Bulzacki recommends that gift-buyers get more bang for their buck with the purchase of a quad-copter. With an extended range of features, including longer air time and smoother controls, quad-copters are the perfect gift for the true technophile on your list, pricing starts at $300.
For the gadget lover:
•The latest in gadgets doesn’t necessarily mean toys – Bulzacki is a fan of the new vacuum beard trimmer from Philips. The built in vacuum means that there is no mess to clean up and the contour following makes the trimmer easy to use. The trimmer is available online at Philips.ca and at retailers such as Best Buy.
•For those that like to keep their info close at hand, Bulzacki recommends the LaCie FastKey. The 3.0 USB key is nine times faster than a standard 2.0 USB – which means it is fastest enough to run the user’s entire operating system. The LaCie FastKey is available on line and at major tech retailers.
For the home:
•For the home media center, Bulzacki says the Logitech K400 is a must. The wireless keyboard is multi-touch, has a great range, and a navigation touchpad. The keyboard can be used for both your home pc and your television and stands vertically to take up less space when it’s time to store it. The keyboard retails for approximately $50, retailers include Future Shop and Best Buy.
•Another sure bet for technophiles is a netbook, a good choice is a small one with an AMD Fusion chip like the A4 or A6. They are available in the same price range as a notebook, but have two or four cores and a good-quality graphics card that can handle most graphics-intensive activities like playing HD content or light gaming.
•When considering a computer like a netbook, a SSD(Solid State Disk) drive is key. They cost approximately $100 but make a huge performance difference on any low-cost computer.
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