OVERVIEW: Comparison of 6 of the top Twitter apps for the iPhone. Echofon, Tweetdeck, Tweetie, Twitteriffic, Twittelator, and Hootsuite.

There are tons of Twitter applications for the iPhone. I took a look at 6 of the most popular ones to see which one is the true champion.

Here are the Twitter apps that I tested:

• Echofon
• Hootsuite
• Twitteriffic
• Tweetdeck
• Tweetie
• Twittelator

How I Tested

I installed all of the applications below on my iPhone and used them fairly heavily. Over the course of two weeks, I used one application as my only Twitter interaction for two straight days. I tried to test every situation that I could think of to see how well each application worked. I also took detailed notes on things that caught my eye as good, bad, or weird as they occurred.

Disclaimer: I have been using Twitteriffic Premium for several months and LOVE it. I think that my work on this blog demonstrates my passion for free software. So if my cheap ass springs for the most expensive app on the list, you should take note.

Echofon (formerly Twitterfon)

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium

Echofon used to be called Twitterfon until Twitter’s copy write lawyers got involved. I tested the free, ad supported version of this client. I generally liked everything I saw. Reading, retweeting, creating of tweets all was very nice. Everything functioned exactly as I thought it should. If I had not already bought two of the premium apps on this list, I would definitely consider Echofon. iPhone App Store

Pros: “Nearby Tweets Map” is awesome! Instapaper Support. Smooth interface.

Cons: 5 bucks is a lot to get rid of a few ads.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

HootSuite lite & HootSuite

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $1.99 premium

I like Hootsuite. I think it’s more for the SEO social networking power geek than the average user. It feels slightly less smooth than Twitteriffic or Tweetie, but it could be good for some people.

iPhone App Store

Pros: You can post to multiple accounts at once. You can schedule tweets.

Cons: Can’t sort tweets from oldest to newest.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

TweetDeck

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / No premium version

If you want to keep track of your Facebook and Twitter presence from the same app, than this is the one for you. I don’t love the interface. It seems like you’re always clicking left, scrolling down, swiping right, etc. It’s all over the place.

Download from App Store

Pros: Facebook support, there are cool little shortcut keys to insert # and @ into your tweets.

Cons: Busy, clunky interface, no oldest to newest sort.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Tweetie 2

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $3.99 premium

Tweetie 2 is constantly labeled as the “best twitter app for the iPhone”. Well, I’m just not sure at all. I constantly felt like I was clicking all over the place to get things done. I just doesn’t feel quite as smooth as I liked.

Download from the app store

Pros: I love the “Nearby Tweets Map” in the Search view. Landscape Scrolling. Draft Saving. I also like that there is support for Instapaper.

Cons: No free version. If feels like there are too many “keystrokes” required for certain functions. Draft saving.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Twittelator & Twittelator Pro

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium

I wanted to love this one so badly. Mostly for the cool egg logo. Sadly, I’m just not that into it. When you see a tweet that you like which has a link in it, guess what? You can’t open the link! Done! not even close to good enough.

Pros: Cool nearby tweets map view.

Cons: You can’t open links in a browser.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Twitteriffic & Twitteriffic Premium

Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium

This is my absolute favorite of the whole bunch. I love how solid the interface is. Love how you can save tweeted web pages with Instapaper for later reading. Yes, it’s tied for the most expensive app in roundup, but if you use Twitter a lot, it is worth every penny.

Pros: Very smooth, clean interface. Everything works just like you expect it to.

Cons: No Nearby Tweets map feature

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

iPhone Twitter Application Feature Comparison

The following table breaks down some of the main features for all of the contestants.

Which Twitter Client Do You Use?

Show some support for your favorite Twitter App in the survey below.

As always, please leave your thoughts, questions, or feedback in the Comments section. Also, if you use a great Twitter app that is not listed here or is on a phone other than the iPhone, let’s hear about it.

There is a common stereotype that techie types are not romantic, especially in the gift department. While this is rooted in a lot of truth, it doesn’t have to be so. Follow these simple recommendations and you are Guaranteed to Get You Some High-Tech Lovin’.

Ratings System

Good vs. Bad Partner Scale = You are a thoughtless cad who will be roundly criticized at your partner’s work tomorrow. = Typical lame thoughtless partner. Nobody will remember your “effort”. = You’re a hero. You will be talked about at your partner’s work tomorrow. = You’ll be calling in sore sick tomorrow.

NOTE: For the sake of simplicity, I will use the term “partner” for Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Husband, Wife, Life Partner, etc. Please substitute your title where appropriate.

Separating the Romeos from the Rejects

The little touches are what sets you apart. For starters, if their present has batteries, open it and charge them. If it uses memory, buy it and put it in the device. If the device stores personal information, load in some of their data/files. If there is a complicated set up process, do it for them. This is why their with you. You’re their personal I.T. department.
Think back to being a child and getting an awesome toy. Then, you had to wait for your parents to get around to setting it up for you. That just ruined it. Well imagine if you opened your gift, took it out and started playing with it on the spot. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Without Further Ado, Let’s Bring on the Gifts

iPhone – Ah the Cadillac of gadget gifts. ($200) This is a slam dunk, right? Not so fast Romeo. Here’s how it breaks down:
Get your own iPhone and show it to your partner over pizza dinner. Don’t forget to taunt their ugly old phone.
Get a gift certificate for an iPhone and don’t include a sincere and touching personal note in the card.
Buy them an iPhone, then, get it engraved with something sweet, funny, romantic, or sexy. Last I checked, engraving is still free.
Buy them an iPhone and do the following:

1. Unwrap it and Charge it (Nobody wants to take out their new toy and wait four hours for it to charge.)
2. Load in all of their phone numbers and addresses (You’ll have to go into stealth mode for this, but that’s what makes it so romantic.)
3. Make the home screen a romantic picture of the two of you
4. Have it set to play their favorite song when they turn it on

Let the geek lovin’ begin!

iPod Touch

Get them an off-brand “iPod killer” that they’ve never heard of, forcing them return it in a week when they realize that it sucks.
Give them an iPod still in the box and make them struggle through the setup process alone. Oooooh, sexy.
Unwrap it and Charge it – Load in a bunch of their favorite songs and make a playlist – Another nice idea is to make a few “themed” playlists like Work Out, Party, Sexy, you get the idea. Combine the previous step with this:

1. Take and load pictures of you holding up hand written signs with romantic notes on them
2. Load in a bunch of pictures of the two of you and anything else sentimental
3. Now, here’s the clincher: Have it set to play their playlist and slide show when they turn it on

You’re not getting any sleep tonight.

Nintendo Wii ($400 +/-)
Tell them that you can’t go out for Valentine’s Day because you’re going to a Lan Party at your friends house.
Buy them a Nintendo Wii. It’s good, but on its own, still just a video game.
Set up the Wii by building your partner’s Mii to look just like them. Buy them a game that matches something unique about their personality. Write the connection in your card.
Make them play the game with you and let them win, especially if they’re the world’s worst gamer. Then tell them that they won the rights to their “itinerary” for the rest of the night.

Easy to Use Digital Camera ($150 – $300)
Take a picture of them on Valetine’s Day morning (preshower) and put it on their MySpace page.
Buy them a new camera, unwrap and Charge it, Put in the Memory, Learn how to use some of the key features.
Then, keep it in your pocket so that you can take a picture of them unwrapping the empty box. Now, that magical moment is captured forever. (Use it against them the next time they say that you’re not romantic.)
Combine with the previous step: Take and load pictures of you holding up hand written signs with romantic notes on them.

*Nice extra touch*
Get them a Flickr or even a Flickr Pro account and set up everything on their computer so that they can instantly start loading up their pictures. ($25)

Digital Picture Frame to show off their favorite pictures ($50 – $150)
Give them a plain old picture frame with the picture from the store.
Buy them a digital picture frame that neither of you can figure out how to use.
Buy them a cool picture frame, put in the Memory, Learn how to use some of the key features.
Then, keep it in your pocket so that you can take a picture of them unwrapping the empty box. Now, that magical moment is captured forever. (Use it against them the next time they say that you’re not romantic.)
Combine with the previous step: Take and load pictures of you holding up hand written signs with romantic notes on them

Make a Romantic Memories Calendar ($25)
Tell them that the time that you have spent together feels like it has aged you in dog years.
Buy them one of those calendars from the middle of the mall with something that they like (Dogs, Cats, mountains, etc.) Boring!
Make them a calendar with pictures of yourselves, your friends, and families.
Make them a calendar at XXXXX using photos of things that you did together. Put the pictures on the month that they occurred. Then, write a hand written memo on days in each month with things that you did together on those days. Don’t forget to add the years in. Now, your partner will have a year’s worth of memories to revisit. Yes, this is a ton of work, but that’s the whole point. I did this for my wife for our first anniversary (paper) and she loved it.
Cost – $25.00
Time – 18 hours
Value – Priceless

Exernal USB Hard Drive $100 – $200

Install Linux on their machine and format their whole drive, because Linux is way better than Windows.
Buy them a backup drive and tell them that they should backup once a week. Then, don’t help them do it.
Set up the drive on their computer. You’re not done yet. Now, set up a dead-simple backup program to protect their valuable data.
Pretend that you didn’t find all of their porn while you were poking around.

Tickets to an Event that THEY Would Like (The sky is the limit)
Tell your partner that you’re going to see your college basketball team play on Valentine’s Day. (And they like the ballet.)
Take them to dinner and a movie.
Buy tickets to an event that they like and you typically don’t. Then, go with them. Do your homework before the event. If it’s a play, then find out what the play is about and read some reviews of the play. Then, on the way to the play talk about why you’re excited to go. It’s a great feeling when your partner gets excited about your stuff. Tell them how much you enjoyed sharing it with them.
Get some screen savers, ring tones, or what ever for their phone. Score some limited access perks for the event. You know, backstage passes, a meet and greet with key people, get their name put on the scoreboard – anything that gives them an “it’s all about me” moment.

What, You don’t think I have any low priced ideas on this list? Cheap Bastards need lovin’ too!

Get them their favorite books ($10 and up)
Tell them that, “Reading books is stupid, because they’ll just make it into a movie any way.”
Buy them a subscription to the Book of the Month club.
Buy them a book on a topic of interest (Sports, Poetry, Theater, History, whatever). If you can find some way to get it signed, that’s a huge bonus. If not, write a personal note in the inside cover. Give them a gift certificate for one undisturbed hour a night for the next two weeks to let them read it.
Tell them that you are going to read the book when they’re finished and discuss it with them. Then, actually do it. Pays off now, Pays off later. That’s two for the price of one.

E-Book reader and load it with a few books. $400

Have a Romantic Movie Night

Make them watch your Pulp Fiction DVD after dinner on Valentine’s Day.
Get them a Netflix account.
Buy them a few of their favorite movies, or movies that they have been dying to see.
Get movies that you would never go to with them and make a special date to watch them together. Don’t complain, and try to actually enjoy the show. Then, you can discuss it with them afterwards. Believe me.

Geeky T-Shirts ($15 – $25) ThinkGeek and Jinx.com both have a huge selection of great T-shirts for geeks and their lovers Use their favorite T-shirt to clean up a sloppy mess that you made. Buy them a T-shirt for their favorite band, team, school, etc. Get them an I heart My Geek shirt and tell them that you love them for putting up with all of your techno-obsessive flights of fancy. Give them the shirt wrapped around you. No other clothing is required. (Probably not as sexy if you’re a dude.)

Other Gift Ideas

If you don’t like any of theses gadgets, try my Electronics Gadgets Christmas Gift Buying Guide article. There are a bunch of other cool suggestions.

For the Road Warriors

Who couldn’t use a new computer? How about an additional inexpensive one for the household? What if your gift recipient already has a computer? Then you can grab them the perfect accessory or upgrade to help them get the most out of it.

Pink Tranquility Laptop Bag Just because they’re carrying computers doesn’t mean that women want their laptop bag to look ugly. Pick up a stylish, feminine laptop bag for the lady geek.

Price: $25

Targus Netbook Case Wrap up that new netbook in style. Let a fancy new bag add some sheik to that geek.

Price: $25

Overview: This list will help you find the right gifts for the technology buff in your life based on price range.

Who Says You Can’t Find Cool Gadget Gifts in Your Price Range?

Let’s face it, we’re all on some sort of budget. That still doesn’t mean that you can’t find great gifts. This list groups my favorite electronics and gadgets into the following price ranges:

• Under $50 (Good Things in Small Cheap Packages)
• Under $100 (Best Bang for the Buck)
• $100 – $300 (Breaking the Bank)
• Over $300 (The VIP Room)

Under $50 (Good Things in Small Cheap Packages)

Who says you can’t buy cool gadgets on a small budget? Here are a few awesome additions to any techie’s bag of tricks that will fit into any gift giving budget.

Pink Tranquility Laptop Bag Just because they’re carrying computers doesn’t mean that women want their laptop bag to look ugly. Pick up a stylish, feminine laptop bag for the lady geek.

Price: $25

Targus Netbook Case Wrap up that new netbook in style. Let a fancy new bag add some sheik to that geek.

Price: $25

CORSAIR Flash Voyager 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Carry all of your files around with you. Portable Flash Drives serve 101 different uses.

Price: $25

Remote Control Helicopter All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. A remote control helicopter will help relieve the stress of crunching all those boring old numbers

Price: $25

Kingston 8GB USB Flash Drive Carry all of your files around with you. Portable Flash Drives serve 101 different uses.

Price: $45

Griffin PowerMate/USB Multimedia Controller This USB device allows you to control aspects of just about any program by turning the know or pressing down on it. Aside from providing a unique user control capability, it just looks amazing on any desk.

Price: $45

CALL OF DUTY 4:MODERN WARFARE Sometime you just want to blow something up. Call of Duty will let you get your frustrations out in a safe and fun way.

Price: $45

Leatherman 830146 Core Pocket Multi-Tool The ultimate do-everything tool for any geek. A Leatherman tool will allow you to fix, build, or disassemble anything.

Price: $49

Under $100 (Best Bang for the Buck)

The $50 – $100 price range offers a lot of great gifts. Here are some cool tools to add on to any respectable gadget collection.

STM Bags Small Loft Laptop Bag (Chocolate/Orange) Just because we’re men doesn’t mean that we want to carry our computers around in ugly bags. Why not spruce the place up with a cool, stylish laptop bag.

Price: $55

Eye-Fi Share 2 GB Wi-Fi SD Memory Card This two-in-one miracle goes in your camera and stores all of the photos that you take. After that, it can wirelessly send them back to your computer or up to the web using wi-fi.

Price: $69

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro Any computer can be improved by adding a solid keyboard and mouse. After all these are the two things that you touch all day long.

Price: $79

Memory Upgrade If you know someone with a computer, you know someone who wishes it were faster. Help them speed up their machine with a memory upgrade.

Price: $

Memory Upgrade

Digital Photo Frame After taking thousands and thousands of pictures, why not show them off? A digital photo frame allows the photographer in your life to proudly display a collection of their favorite images.

Price: $50 – $100

Roku HD Player Media Streamer The Netflix Media Streamer hooks up to the TV and allows you to click and watch streaming Netflix movies instantly. No more waiting around for your new disks to arrive.

Price: $100

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player Hook the WD TV to your television and plug in a USB drive with music, photos and videos and you have a great home theater. The WD TV allows you to stream your media right onto that huge, beautiful TV and get out of the computer room.

Price: $99

Rock Band Game Let’s face it, all geeks and nerds want to be rock stars. Well this will let them, if only for a few hours. Jam out with groups of friends and family members.

Price: $99

$100 – $300 (Breaking the Bank)

If you have a little extra room in the budget (really?), you can hit a home run this Christmas. Put one of these gems under the tree and you’ll see some eyes light up.

Powermat Wireless Charging Device All of those gadgets in our life make quite a mess with their chargers. Well why not ditch them all? The Powermat Wireless Charger allows you to just drop your devices onto a pad and have them charge without hooking up any wires.

Price: $125

Apple iPod nano with Video Camera This super tiny iPod now has a really good video camera built into it. So now, not only can you take your music, pictures, and movies with you, you can capture new movies too.

Price: $135

Nintendo Wii Console Nintendo Wii is great for family members from 2 to 102. No other system will provide more hours of fun for everyone.

Price: $150

Roku SoundBridge Music Streaming System The Roku Sound Bridge will allow that special someone to stream the music from their computer, pandora, or internet radio stations wirelessly to the bathroom, basement, garage or back yard.

Price: $165

Flip Ultra HD Camcorder The best way to capture videos is to have a camera with you. With the size of the Flip UltraHD Camcorder, you can carry it with you at all times. The video quality is very good and the user experience is so simple you won’t believe it.

Price: $175

Canon Powershot SD780 Do you know someone who needs an incredibly good and incredibly small point and shoot camera? Well look no further than the Canon Powershot SD780. This thing is like a chubby credit card that shoots great pictures and sharp video.

Price: $199

Xbox 360 Console Microsoft Xbox 360 provides hours of gaming and entertainment options.

Price: $199

Apple TV with 160GB Hard Drive This is probably the most simple way to get all of your music, photos, and movies onto your TV. If it’s in your iTunes Library, then you can have it on your TV in a snap.

Price: $229

Kindle EBook Reader Know someone who loves to read? Are they a commuter? Well the Amazon Kindle is the perfect gift. They can carry tons of books, magazines, and newspapers in their pocket.

Price: $250

Slingbox TV Streamer If your geek is on the road a lot, why not let them watch their favorite TV show and Sports teams from anywhere. The Slingbox will stream their home TV and DVR to them over the internet or 3G phone.

Price: $275

Logitech diNovo Keyboard and Mouse Combo Want to add killer form and function to your desk, get a high-end keyboard and mouse setup. Your fingers and eyes will thank you.

Price: $299

Super Portable Pico Projector Want to share your pictures and movies on the go? Then you need a Pico projector. These cell phone sized projectors can display images and videos from your computer, camera, iPod or other device anywhere.

Price: $299

PlayStation 3 Console Video games, streaming media, BlueRay DVD movies, what more could you want from a home entertainment console?

Price: $299

Over $300 (The VIP Room)

Who says money can’t buy love? If you spring for one of these gifts, you sure can test the theory out. Hopefully my wife will give it a shot

Super Portable Netbook Computer Have a student or globetrotter in your life? Why not get them a tiny, but powerful computer that can go anywhere and do anything that they need?

Price: $300 – $400

Canon PowerShot G11 Maybe your nerd has outgrown their tiny point and shoot camera, but still wants something that they can take with them. The Canon G11 has most of the quality and features of a DSLR at a fraction of the size. It allows fully manual control and has a mount for a good flash attachment.

Price: $449

Canon Digital Rebel DSLR Do you have a serious photo buff on your gift list? Well they’re probably ready to move up to a Digital SLR. The Canon Rebel is the most affordable way to get into a DSLR. Great quality and usability all in one.

Price: $575

Canon VIXIA HG21 Camcorder If your Martin Scorsese needs a little more quality and control than a Flip camcorder, than you might want to look at one of the mid-range Canon camcorders. They have powerful zoom lenses and great quality without breaking the bank.

Price: $699

Other Resources for Saving Big on the Perfect Christmas Gift

Don’t See something you like here? Well here are some places that you can find really great deals on electronics and gadgets.

Save a Fortune at Amazon.com

Amazon has an product line that goes on forever. There is always something on super-terrific clearance sale. You can find giant discounts on products at Amazon.com. The links below list products that are at least 75% OFF in their respective categories.

75% Off Books

75% Off Cameras and Accessories

75% Off Computers and Accessories

75% Off Video Games

75% Off Electronics and Gadgets

Find the Best Selection of Computer Gear at NewEgg.com

My absolute favorite place to find the best prices on computer and electronics is Newegg.com. They have tons of great deals every day.

Get Great Deals on Macs and their Accessories

MacMall and ClubMac have a lot of deals on Macs, iPods, and other gear.

Get the Absolute Best Prices on Cables and Accessories

MonoPrice.com has the best prices on cables for everything. Seriously, I got a good HDMI cable and a mini-display port to DVI cable for $15 with tax and shipping included. NEVER buy your cables from Bestbuy!

If you are looking for other arrangements of electronics and gadgets Christmas gift suggestions take a look at one of these other lists.

Complete Electronics Gadget Christmas Gift Buying Guide

Best Chrismas Tech Gadgets for Women

Best Chrismas Tech Gadgets for Men

Find the Best Christmas Gadget in Any Price Range

Overview: This is the big list of Electronics and Gadgets Christmas gift suggestions. Find the perfect Christmas present for any techie, geek, or nerd in a variety of categories in every price range.

Christmas Gift Gadgets by Category

This list of gift ideas is separated by categories. There is an approximate price next to each gift to help you find the one that fits your budget.

Electronics

Electronics can usually steal the show on any Christmas morning. Besides the fact that they are so cool and fun, setting them up also fills that dead time between unwrapping presents and waiting for food. There a lots of cool electronic gadgets available in any price range for the techie in your life.

Powermat Wireless Charging Device All of those gadgets in our life make quite a mess with their chargers. Well why not ditch them all? The Powermat Wireless Charger allows you to just drop your devices onto a pad and have them charge without hooking up any wires.

Price: $125

Kindle EBook Reader Know someone who loves to read? Are they a commuter? Well the Amazon Kindle is the perfect gift. They can carry tons of books, magazines, and newspapers in their pocket.

Price: $250

Super Portable Pico Projector Want to share your pictures and movies on the go? Then you need a Pico projector. These cell phone sized projectors can display images and videos from your computer, camera, iPod or other device anywhere.

Price: $299

Music

Let the audiophile in your life do more than ever before with their music. Here is a range of music products that will let you take your music with you or spread it around your house.

Apple iPod nano with Video Camera This super tiny iPod now has a really good video camera built into it. So now, not only can you take your music, pictures, and movies with you, you can capture new movies too.

Price: $135

Roku SoundBridge Music Streaming System The Roku Sound Bridge will allow that special someone to stream the music from their computer, pandora, or internet radio stations wirelessly to the bathroom, basement, garage or back yard.

Price: $165

Photo and Video Devices

Everybody loves pictures and videos. The latest crop of devices allow you to capture, create, display, and share your memories like never before. Here is a range of cool gift ideas for beginners through experts in just about any price range.

Eye-Fi Share 2 GB Wi-Fi SD Memory Card This two-in-one miracle goes in your camera and stores all of the photos that you take. After that, it can wirelessly send them back to your computer or up to the web using wi-fi.

Price: $69

Digital Photo Frame After taking thousands and thousands of pictures, why not show them off? A digital photo frame allows the photographer in your life to proudly display a collection of their favorite images.

Price: $50 – $100

Flip Ultra HD Camcorder The best way to capture videos is to have a camera with you. With the size of the Flip UltraHD Camcorder, you can carry it with you at all times. The video quality is very good and the user experience is so simple you won’t believe it.

Price: $175

Canon Powershot SD780 Do you know someone who needs an incredibly good and incredibly small point and shoot camera? Well look no further than the Canon Powershot SD780. This thing is like a chubby credit card that shoots great pictures and sharp video.

Price: $199

Canon PowerShot G11 Maybe your nerd has outgrown their tiny point and shoot camera, but still wants something that they can take with them. The Canon G11 has most of the quality and features of a DSLR at a fraction of the size. It allows fully manual control and has a mount for a good flash attachment.

Price: $449

Canon Digital Rebel DSLR Do you have a serious photo buff on your gift list? Well they’re probably ready to move up to a Digital SLR. The Canon Rebel is the most affordable way to get into a DSLR. Great quality and usability all in one.

Price: $575

Canon VIXIA HG21 Camcorder If your Martin Scorsese needs a little more quality and control than a Flip camcorder, than you might want to look at one of the mid-range Canon camcorders. They have powerful zoom lenses and great quality without breaking the bank.

Price: $699

Video Games and Toys

2009 has not been a huge year in video gaming innovations. No new consoles, not many blockbuster new games either. My suggestions for the gamer in your life cover some old reliables. These are all great additions to the video gaming arsenal for any household. Plus, with the growing capabilities for playing, or streaming music, photos, and videos, you’ll get more action than just blowing up aliens.

Remote Control Helicopter All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. A remote control helicopter will help relieve the stress of crunching all those boring old numbers

Price: $25

CALL OF DUTY 4:MODERN WARFARE Sometime you just want to blow something up. Call of Duty will let you get your frustrations out in a safe and fun way.

Price: $45

Rock Band Game Let’s face it, all geeks and nerds want to be rock stars. Well this will let them, if only for a few hours. Jam out with groups of friends and family members.

Price: $99

Nintendo Wii Console Nintendo Wii is great for family members from 2 to 102. No other system will provide more hours of fun for everyone.

Price: $150

Xbox 360 Console Microsoft Xbox 360 provides hours of gaming and entertainment options.

Price: $199

PlayStation 3 Console Video games, streaming media, BlueRay DVD movies, what more could you want from a home entertainment console?

Price: $299

Computers and Accessories

Who couldn’t use a new computer? How about an additional inexpensive one for the household? What if your gift recipient already has a computer? Then you can grab them the perfect accessory or upgrade to help them get the most out of it.

Pink Tranquility Laptop Bag Just because they’re carrying computers doesn’t mean that women want their laptop bag to look ugly. Pick up a stylish, feminine laptop bag for the lady geek.

Price: $25

Targus Netbook Case Wrap up that new netbook in style. Let a fancy new bag add some sheik to that geek.

Price: $25

CORSAIR Flash Voyager 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Carry all of your files around with you. Portable Flash Drives serve 101 different uses.

Price: $25

Kingston 8GB USB Flash Drive Carry all of your files around with you. Portable Flash Drives serve 101 different uses.

Price: $45

Griffin PowerMate/USB Multimedia Controller This USB device allows you to control aspects of just about any program by turning the know or pressing down on it. Aside from providing a unique user control capability, it just looks amazing on any desk.

Price: $45

STM Bags Small Loft Laptop Bag (Chocolate/Orange) Just because we’re men doesn’t mean that we want to carry our computers around in ugly bags. Why not spruce the place up with a cool, stylish laptop bag.

Price: $55

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro Any computer can be improved by adding a solid keyboard and mouse. After all these are the two things that you touch all day long.

Price: $79

Memory Upgrade If you know someone with a computer, you know someone who wishes it were faster. Help them speed up their machine with a memory upgrade.

Price: $

Memory Upgrade

Logitech diNovo Keyboard and Mouse Combo Want to add killer form and function to your desk, get a high-end keyboard and mouse setup. Your fingers and eyes will thank you.

Price: $299

Super Portable Netbook Computer Have a student or globetrotter in your life? Why not get them a tiny, but powerful computer that can go anywhere and do anything that they need?

Price: $300 – $400

Tools

As soon as you get a healthy collection of electronics and gadgets, you know what comes next. You have to assemble everything. Then what? That’s right, something breaks. Well, here are some super cool and valuable tools to keep your electronic empire humming along smoothly.

Leatherman 830146 Core Pocket Multi-Tool The ultimate do-everything tool for any geek. A Leatherman tool will allow you to fix, build, or disassemble anything.

Price: $49

Television Watching

Some of the coolest tech gadgets to come out this year revolve around extending your television viewing. Want to get your media from your computer to your TV? Easy! Want to stream online video from Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube to your TV? Done! Set your geek free from the whims of the cable company with one of these awesome TV extenders.

Roku HD Player Media Streamer The Netflix Media Streamer hooks up to the TV and allows you to click and watch streaming Netflix movies instantly. No more waiting around for your new disks to arrive.

Price: $100

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player Hook the WD TV to your television and plug in a USB drive with music, photos and videos and you have a great home theater. The WD TV allows you to stream your media right onto that huge, beautiful TV and get out of the computer room.

Price: $99

Apple TV with 160GB Hard Drive This is probably the most simple way to get all of your music, photos, and movies onto your TV. If it’s in your iTunes Library, then you can have it on your TV in a snap.

Price: $229

Slingbox TV Streamer If your geek is on the road a lot, why not let them watch their favorite TV show and Sports teams from anywhere. The Slingbox will stream their home TV and DVR to them over the internet or 3G phone.

Price: $275

Other Resources for Saving Big on the Perfect Christmas Gift

Don’t See something you like here? Well here are some places that you can find really great deals on electronics and gadgets.

Save a Fortune at Amazon.com

Amazon has an product line that goes on forever. There is always something on super-terrific clearance sale. You can find giant discounts on products at Amazon.com. The links below list products that are at least 75% OFF in their respective categories.

75% Off Books

75% Off Cameras and Accessories

75% Off Computers and Accessories

75% Off Video Games

75% Off Electronics and Gadgets

Find the Best Selection of Computer Gear at NewEgg.com

My absolute favorite place to find the best prices on computer and electronics is Newegg.com. They have tons of great deals every day.

Get Great Deals on Macs and their Accessories

MacMall and ClubMac have a lot of deals on Macs, iPods, and other gear.

Get the Absolute Best Prices on Cables and Accessories

MonoPrice.com has the best prices on cables for everything. Seriously, I got a good HDMI cable and a mini-display port to DVI cable for $15 with tax and shipping included. NEVER buy your cables from Bestbuy!

If you are looking for other arrangements of electronics and gadgets Christmas gift suggestions take a look at one of these other lists.

Complete Electronics Gadget Christmas Gift Buying Guide

Best Chrismas Tech Gadgets for Women

Best Chrismas Tech Gadgets for Men

Find the Best Christmas Gadget in Any Price Range

It seems that the biggest kiss of death that could ever hit a mobile phone is “iPhone Killer”. My wife is a Verizon die hard and refuses to switch to AT&T to get an iPhone. With the much ballywhooed release of the Motorola Droid, we were both excited for her to actually get an awesome phone for herself. I told her on Saturday morning that I was taking her to the Verizon store to buy her a Motorola Droid. I know, I’m kind of an awesome husband.

Hardware

Let’s make this short and sweet. When we got to the store, and tried the phone out, we were soooooo disappointed. Everything about it was just such a let down. The device had more jagged poking edges to scar a hand for life. It feels kind of flimsy and cheap in your hands.

Software Interface

The interace and user experience on this phone are horrendous. Everything you try to do is flakey and jumpy. Menus (if you can find them) are unintuitive and confusing. Stuff seems to mysteriously open and close as if controlled by some spastic prankster. Yikes!

The applications were even more confusing. I’m a huge user and fan of most of Google’s applications and thougth that this would really be cool. Well, I was wrong. The calendar is just a confusing affront to the senses. Ugly, confusing, and bad. Adding an appointment or contact was very frustrating. The maps application that I heard so much about was dreadful. You can’t figure out how to do anything in there. I can just see my mom and dad in the car trying to find a restaurant and just screaming at one another. Not good.

Video Review of the Motorola Droid

I took a few minutes to put my thoughts on video to express my disappointment in this product.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for an iPhone killer, keep looking. This thing is a Verizon/Motorolla Killer. The iPhone is supposed to be coming to Verizon in 2010, do yourself a favor and wait until then.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you must have heard about Google Voice. Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) is a cool new phone service that gives you the power of a sophisticated corporate phone service for free. Here are some of the great things that you can do with a Google Voice account:

• Google voicemail: voicemail like email
• Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
• Custom greetings: vary voicemail greetings by caller
• International calling: low cost calls to the world
• Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS
• Share voicemails: forward, embed, or download voicemails

Those features are available if you want to keep your existing cellphone number. Take a look at some of them in action.

If you don’t mind using a new number supplied by Google, you can also get these awesome features:

• One number: a single phone number that rings all your phones
• Free SMS: send, receive & store text messages online
• Block calls: send unwanted callers straight to voicemail
• Record calls: record phone calls and store them online
• Conference calls: join several people into a single call
• Screen callers: hear who is calling before you pick up

See what you can do with these features:

Google Voice Giveaway Rules

I have been using Google Voice since it was Grand Central and I love all of the cool things that you can do with it. I have some invites to give away to three lucky VitaminCM.com readers.

Let’s keep it real simple: Leave a comment below about what you would use Google Voice to do. (Be creative.) On Friday, November 13th I will pick three completely random commenters and make Friday the 13th their lucky day.

Good Luck!

P.S. I’m working on getting a few Google Wave invites. I’ll do the same when the come in.

I just downloaded the Wordpress 2 iPhone application. I had the previous version, but I never found it that useful. What a difference an upgrade makes!
The interface is actually very good. You can even write small posts (like this one) entirely on your phone.

Features

You can manage multiple blogs.
You can write, post, and read articles.
You can edit existing posts (title, tags, categories, text, and even images).
You can post photos and screen captures from your phone.

Reccomendation

If you need to write quick articles on the go, then this FREE handy iPhone app is definitely for you. Check it out!

Wordpress 2 iPhone app writing interface

Selecting Categories for your Article

Selecting Articles to View or Edit

This article was written entirely on my iPhone using Wordpress 2.

If you have ever taken pictures on your iPhone, you realize that they seldom turn out just right. A little off center, too dark, not vivid enough, whatever. Sure, you can sync them to your computer and edit them, then sync them back to your phone. If you have like 4,000 hours to kill. Well, Photoshop.com Mobile’s iPhone application is just what you need. You can take any picture on your iPhone and make quick, simple, effective edits in seconds just using your pointer finger.

Photoshop on your computer has millions of filters, effects, and features that are great for pros, but the Photoshop iPhone application has just what you need to clean up your phone pictures. Did I mention the price? That’s right, FREE!

Get it at Photoshop.com and give it a whirl. Direct download link.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

See the Photoshop iPone Application in Action

Take a look at the video below to see why I love it so much.

One of my favorite desktop applications of all time is Dropbox. Dropbox allows you to sync important files between multiple computers. You just install the software on your computers and set up a dropbox (folder) and place files in it. The files will instantly appear on all of your other computers.

While this is amazingly convenient if you are at one of your computers, what happens when you are at someone else’s house or out on the town? Well, the contents of your dropbox are not only on your computers, a copy is also available on the dropbox website. (They are securely protected by your ID and password.)

Well, they just released an iPhone application that will let you view and open the entire contents of your dropbox in the palm of your hand from anywhere. Once you install and log in to the iPhone application, you can see all of the files and folders just like they appear on your computer.

Just touch one of the files and view it on your phone. (View only, no editing.) You can view any file that the iPhone can handle:

• Office files like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDFs
• Audio files like MP3s, WAVs, AACs
• Video files like MP4s and M4Vs
• HTML files

Cool Features

Using the iPhone has its own set of constraints and capabilities that make it a unique user experience compared to your desktop computer. There are a few really cool features that make this a great iPhone application.

Alphabetical File Browsing – You can quickly scan through your files by name using the alphabetical browser bar running down the right side of the screen that works just like like the Contacts application. If you have a lot of files, this really helps speed things up.

Favorites – You can mark important files as "Favorites" and they will be saved locally on your iPhone. Now, the file can be opened locally without having to wait for it to download over AT&T’s amazingly slow 3G network. If the file is edited on one of your computers, it will be updated to your phone.

Photos – You can add photos taken on your iPhone directly to your dropbox. This doesn’t sound like much, but previously I had to sync my phone and pour through my pictures to move the right one into my dropbox. This is so much more convenient, especially if you are out and about and see something that you want to remember.

Wish List

While Dropbox is 98% awesome, there are always a few things that could be improved. Since the iPhone does not support many common media formats (Quicktime, AVI, WMV, WMA, MPEG, etc.) it would be cool if they could build in a simple media player that would allow me to view these files. Yeah, I know that this is an iPhone problem, it’s just that I’ll take help from anywhere I can find it.

Why you should use Dropbox

If you’re still not sold on Dropbox, watch this video and you just might be.

See this complete tutorial on using Dropbox to sync files across multiple computers.

I recently wired up my whole house with full gigabit ethernet ports in all of the rooms. The only problem is that my router, a five year old Belkin Wireless G router does not support gigabit networking or fast wi-fi speeds. To compound things my router has been dropping my internet connection a lot lately, so I decided to upgrade the heart of my home network.

What I needed from a router

I had a few big requirements from my new router:

• The wired ports had to support gigabit data transfers (1,000 megabits per second)
• The wi-fi format had to be 802,11N
• Support for External USB Hard Drive networking

I did all of my research at Newegg.com and decided on the D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Router. This router met all of my requriments for around $90.

Networking Setup – I just unplugged my old router and plugged this in and I had no problems.

USB Sharing – This was a little more tricky. There is a CD that comes with the router that lets you install a utility on Windows machines in a snap. The drive just shows up like a USB drive plugged right into my machine. The software for my Mac was not quite as effective, You have to do some crap from the command prompt and it doesn’t exactly work well. Oh joy, more fiddling. Linux is just as flakey.

Performance – I have not dropped the internet yet and my speed seems to be pretty good. The speed inside of my network is where this thing shines. I ran a backup of my Windows machine to the USB Hard drive and the transfers seemed really fast. I can’t wait to stream video to my TV.

Reccomendation

If you need a really fast router that allows you to plug in a USB drive or printer and don’t mind spending close to $100, then you should definitely take a look at the  D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Router. If you have more modest needs, head over to the Networking section at Newegg.com. and see their huge selection.

See the Video Review Below

UPDATE: I have to give a shout out to my friend Dan from MenuPix.com for suggesting this router to me. Good call Dan!

Where to Buy

You can find a good deal at the following locations:

Buy at NewEgg.com D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Router

Buy at Amazon.comD-Link DIR 655 Router