If you always leave your Christmas shopping to the last minute you might need some impressive inspiration to find the gifts that your relatives and pals can cherish. Fear not, as this little list of technological gadgets and gizmos are sure to put a smile on anyone`s face, particularly if they have a passion for electronic goodies.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Amazon has decided to take on the tablet market with the Kindle Fire and while some had assumed it would be gunning for big boy Apple and the iPad, this device proves that it has a different strategy in mind. The Kindle Fire is set to be one of the most affordable Android tablets around and although it will be based on Google`s mobile operating system it will feature a heavily customised interface which is very much unique. As well as playing games, running apps and allowing you to read eBooks, the Kindle Fire will let you browse the web and use Amazon`s various cloud-based services to stream media and store your data.
Pioneer Steez
The new family of urban-oriented portable speakers from Pioneer, known collectively as Steez, will catch your attention one way or another. Angular designs with piano black plastic, brushed metal speaker grills and a built-in handle for easy long-distance hauling make these models particularly suited for use out on the street. Dance crews who want to kick out the jams at their local park or take on others at a competition will know precisely what Pioneer is aiming to achieve with the Steez range and with a dock for portable media players it is ready for the digital age.
Nintendo 3DS
A generous price drop and the incoming addition of an add-on that will endow it with an extra analogue control stick makes the Nintendo 3DS look more attractive than ever. While it is still a good family-friendly portable gaming device, it is not just for playing Nintendogz with your nephew. Titles from leading franchises like Mario and Zelda are on the way and the three dimensional effects can be scaled back or turned off altogether if they do not appeal to you. In addition the cameras mounted in the Nintendo 3DS mean you can enjoy augmented reality gaming the likes of which has never been seen before.
Doxie 2.0
This may be the most practical piece of must-have technology on the list for Christmas 2011, but it is by no means a boring addition to your collection. It is a very compact document scanner which lets you create digital copies of paper documents which can be shared via your PC, Mac or smartphone. It can also be synchronised with services such as Evernote and Google Docs, making it simple to share your documents with others. This gadget and most of the others can be bought cheaply on the internet if you use PC World discount vouchers.
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