2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple iPad Air

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Women, Men, Techies, Under $500,

Thanks to its vast ecosystem of apps, great performance, and a fantastic screen, the iPad Air earns a spot in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide (see our iPad Air review.) Compared to the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad Air is nearly identical in terms of function, although it's much faster and also sports a better front camera for FaceTime chats. The big leap is in the design department, where the iPad Air just dominates on comfortability. The iPad Air is the best full-sized consumer tablet that you can get this holiday season.

You can pick up the iPad Air now from Apple--order now if you want to ensure that it's delivered before Christmas.

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2013 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Rdio streaming music subscription

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Music, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

They say music is the universal language, and as music lovers ourselves, we think it's one of the best gifts that you can give, and we're putting it in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide. Rather than grabbing an iTunes gift card, or worse, a random CD from the bargain bin, we recommend hitting your loves ones up with Rdio gift subscriptions. Why? It allows the user unlimited access to the entire Rdio music streaming catalog. That means on-demand access to millions of tracks from the web, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and even your Sonos system. Rdio costs $9.99 per month for full access. We love it--check out Gear Live on Rdio!

We are giving away three 3-month subscriptions to Rdio to our readers as well! To enter, all you need to do is:

• Follow Gear Live on Twitter
• Tweet the following message: "Hey @GearLive - hook me up with that free @Rdio subscription! http://gear.lv/SEjTdi" (Click here to tweet this now!)

Good luck to all entrants, and be sure to look through the rest of our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide for more giveaways!

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2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Ogio Renegade

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Wearables, Features, Men, Techies, Under $250, Under $500,

Here's a backpack that's worth of being featured in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide: the Ogio Renegade. If you're like us, packing a ridiculous amount of gadgets with you when you leave the house, the crush-proof tech vault on the Renegade should pique your interest. There are also other compartments that are meant to keep your expensive tech safe, like the paddes camera pocket, tablet pouch, and the armor-sealed laptop area. The Ogio Renegade is as comfortable as it is durable, featuring ergonomic padded straps to make it easy to carry around. They're available in two colors: black and black pindot.

You can pick up the Ogio Renegade for $116 on Amazon.

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2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Bracketron NanoTek Stand

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smartphones, Features, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

Our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide needs more accessories, and we found a cool one for smartphones owners in the Bracketron NanoTek Stand. It securely grips your phone and desk without messy or sticky adhesives, and is forged out of durable, aircraft grade aluminum composite with an elegant matte finish. It'll hang onto your device in both portrait and landscape orientations, and the integrated cable management system keeps your cable handy for easy charging. They're available in both silver and black.

You can pick up the NanoTek Stand for $19.99 on Amazon.

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2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple TV

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Family, Men, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $500,

iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will be big holiday gifts this year, make no mistake about it. The Apple TV is actually a fantastic complement to Apple's handhelds, worthy of being featured in our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide. A nice little device in its own right, the Apple TV gives you access to Apple's iTunes Store entertainment content right on your television. In addition, you get Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, sports networks, and plenty of other entertainment options. Connect it to your iTunes Home Share, and you can use your iOS devices as remote controls for the Apple TV. The best part, though, is AirPlay. You can beam audio and video content right to the Apple TV with ease from your iOS device, or your Mac. You can also mirror the display of these devices as well, all wireless over your home network.

You can pick up the Apple TV for $99, or $94.95 on Amazon.

Honorable Mention: Roku 2 XS Streaming Player

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Nintendo Wii U

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Toys, Video Games, Family, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $500,

Are you ready to usher in the arrival of the next-generation consoles? Nintendo is, as it's released the Wii U, today's pick in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. There are two configurations of Wii U available: a $299 white base model that packs in 8GB of storage, and a $349 Deluxe black bundle that has 32GB of storage and the NintendoLand game.

Both versions include the Wii U console, a WiiPad, sensor bar, AC adapters, and HDMI cable. If you opt for the Deluxe set, you'll also get a play stand, charging stand, and console stand.

The current Wii remotes and nunchuks are fully compatible with the Wii U console.

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide: SOL REPUBLIC Tracks headphones

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $250, Under $500,

SOL REPUBLIC Tracks are the first interchangeable on-ear headphones featuring V8 Sound Engine speakers, switchable cables, and "Sound Track" headbands. SOL REPUBLIC engineers developed a proprietary new polymer called FlexTech, which makes them virtually indestructible, and we're recommending them in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. the company actually stands behind that claim, as you get a 1,000 day warranty on each SOL REPUBLIC headband. they just won't break. For total comfort, the team designed the Tracks ear cushions to be large and lightweight. Tracks offer the optimal balance of size, style, sound and comfort and are available in black, white and red. You can pick up a pair on Amazon for $99.

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5K

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Features, Wireless / WiFi, Family, Women, Men, Techies, Under $250, Under $500,

The nice thing about smartphone cameras is that you can instantly share photos using your data plan--but the quality of a point-and-shoot like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5K trumps your phone shots, and we're recommending it in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Even better? The SZ5K packs onboard Wi-Fi that allows you to take great pictures, and then share them immediately to your smartphone for sharing (it works with both iOS and Android devices.) You can a 14.1 megapixel sensor with 720p video recording and 10x optical zoom. They sell for $199.99, but you can pick one up on Amazon for $189.99, saving yourself 5%.

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Rdio steaming music subscription

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Music, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Women, Men, Techies, Teens, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $50, Under $500,

They say music is the universal language, and as music lovers ourselves, we think it's one of the best gifts that you can give, and we're putting it in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Rather than grabbing an iTunes gift card, or worse, a random CD from the bargain bin, we recommend hitting your loves ones up with Rdio gift subscriptions. Why? It allows the user unlimited access to the entire Rdio music streaming catalog. That means on-demand access to millions of tracks from the web, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and even your Sonos system. Rdio costs $9.99 per month for full access. We love it--check out Gear Live on Rdio!

We are giving away three 3-month subscriptions to Rdio to our readers as well! To enter, all you need to do is:

• Follow Gear Live on Twitter
• Tweet the following message: "Hey @GearLive - hook me up with that free @Rdio subscription! http://gear.lv/SEjTdi" (Click here to tweet this now!)

Good luck to all entrants, and be sure to look through the rest of our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide for more giveaways!

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2012 Holiday Gift Guide: Apple TV

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Family, Men, Techies, Under $100, Under $25, Under $250, Under $500,

iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch will be big holiday gifts this year, make no mistake about it. The Apple TV is actually a fantastic complement to Apple's handhelds, worthy of being featured in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. A nice little device in its own right, the Apple TV gives you access to Apple's iTunes Store entertainment content right on your television. In addition, you get Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, sports networks, and plenty of other entertainment options. Connect it to your iTunes Home Share, and you can use your iOS devices as remote controls for the Apple TV. The best part, though, is AirPlay. You can beam audio and video content right to the Apple TV with ease from your iOS device, or your Mac. You can also mirror the display of these devices as well, all wireless over your home network.

You can pick up the Apple TV for $99, or $94.95 on Amazon.

Honorable Mention: Roku 2 XS Streaming Player

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