Tablet Express
I wound up with one of those radio-controlled UFOs earlier this summer, long before they became the rage on television advertising and appearing on Internet sites of all types. As silly as they look, they are actually quite fun. The hover concept isn't exactly complex, but when you get board, you could always gut it for parts to make your own robot. Good entertainment for pets or kids as long as you are careful (dogs might be inclined to chomp on the Styrofoam). If someone on your gift buying list is impossible to shop for, the UFO may seem like a silly option, but it managed to keep this geek entertained on more than one occasion.
While unpacking my boxes from the move, I ran across a copy of DVD Workshop Express that no one claimed when it was originally offered back in September. I really need to clean out my office, so it's got to go. Make a post in the forums before Monday December 20 and I'll draw your username at random from the list. DVD Workshop Express is a DVD authoring program with many pro level features for creating motion menus, titles, buttons, and all the stuff you might expect to see on a Hollywood DVD. If you're looking for a cool way to spruce up your home movies or make a professional looking slideshow, this $299 retail app just might be the solution you were looking for. 5 more copies of Easy Digital Home Movies will be given away at the end of the month to forum posters as well. If you'd like a shot at an autographed copy, make a post in the forums and you just might be one of the lucky 5. This will be the last opportunity to get a free copy of Easy Digital Home Movies - I'm all out after giving away the 5 at month's end.
Someone must be trying to force me to eat my words on Tablet PCs. Not so long ago I declared the Tablet PC neat, but not for me. I haven't changed my stance (yet). In the meantime, I managed to win a Fujitsu Stylistic ST5010, which will make an awesome portable video screen, if I don't find a better use, and offers a more portable solution at under 4 pounds, than my Toshiba laptop, which is just over 8 pounds. Unlike the Gateway flip-screen model I tested several months ago, I already like the Stylistic form factor, which truly is a tablet, offering no built-in keyboard. Heat producing hardware inside the unit seems better distributed than the Gateway too; I don't feel like my arm is overheating as I tote it around. The price (for me) was certainly right, although I'd be more excited if they could find a way to drop the price to something more in line with low end laptops.