Who's on the tag?
This new-on-the-market TiVo is the ultimate gift for TiVo fans who have both cable TV and HDTV. While not cheap, this is a brilliant device that is certain to please. 

What's in the box?
A beautiful, shiny TiVo Series 3 with a stunning backlit remote control and all the necessary cables. Our recent review highlights everything you need to know.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Excellent quality, 300 hours of standard definition video, 30 hours of HD video, and an awesome backlit remote.

Downside: Does not work with satellite. Only 30 hours of HD video (for more, see the 750GB upgrade).

What's the damage?
$709.99

TiVo Series 3 at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
If you're buying a gift for someone who needs a pair of speakers but you're on a limited budget, these are the speakers to get.

What's in the box?
A pair of Insignia NS-B2111 18" tall bookshelf speakers with 6-1/2" woofer and 4/5" tweeter plus a basic user guide.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: The price, really decent sound, styling and build quality. 

Downside: Ok, so these can't compete with a $1,000 pair of Paradigm Studio 20s. However, at this price or anywhere under $100 per pair, there's very little that competes as well. Can only be purchased at Best Buy.

What's the damage?
$44.99 per pair – seriously

Insignia NS-B2111 at Best Buy

Who's on the tag?
A perfect gift for iPod and iTunes users on a budget who would enjoy listening to their iTunes music over their home stereo. A dandy way to play iTunes playlists over your home stereo for parties and holiday entertaining.

What's in the box?
A small device used to remotely play iTunes music on any stereo or audio device. It can also be used as a portable WiFi hub, however, its best use is as a remote iTunes player.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Excellent audio quality, easy hook-up wired or wireless and price.

Downside: Playlists and control only from a computer. Additional cable purchase required.

What's the damage?
$129.99 for the Airport Express
$46.94 for the cables

Airport Express at Amazon

Airport Express Stereo Connection Cable (Toslink and analog) at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
If the person on your list is ready for house-wide audio and/or wants a better interface to their MP3 files, the Sonos system is a gratifying modular way to simply cut the cord from the PC interface of digital audio. For those with an existing home stereo, a good starter set is a ZP80 Player, a CR100 Controller and a CC100 Cradle which runs about $800.00. For those without a home stereo, a good starter set would be the a ZP100 Player, a CR100 Controller and a CC100 Cradle which runs about $950.00.

What's in the box?
A scalable system, Sonos has zone players, wireless controllers and speaker options. For full details, see a recent TechDigs.net Sonos review.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Superior quality, great interface, beautifully-designed handheld controller, scalable.

Downside: With lots of zones, the price can get up there. Limited podcast support.

What's the damage?
Ranging from $349.00 for a zone player without an amplifier, to thousands of dollars when you outfit multiple zones in your house.

Sonos ZP80 Bundle at Amazon
Sonos ZP100 Bundle at Amazon
Sonos ZP100 Player at Amazon
Sonos ZP80 Player at Amazon
Sonos CR100 Controller at Amazon
Sonos CC100 Charging Cradle at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
While not flashy, a nifty way to speed up wired home networks is to move to Gigabit Ethernet. This works especially well for someone with a newer (last two years) computer who streams music and video files around their home network. This switch significantly speeds up communications between computers on a home network for streaming video, etc. It does not increase Internet speed. Also, it will only increase wired network speeds, not wireless.

What's in the box?

Netgear GS108 Prosafe 8-port Gigabit Switch, power supply and mounting screws. 

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Solidly built metal case. Price.

Downside: It's all good. This is a great network switch.

What's the damage?
$76.95

Netgear GS108 at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
Are you buying for TV sports fan, news hound, favorite-show fanatic? For anyone who travels on business, wants to catch news, sports or other programming from their office, and/or uses a notebook computer in parts of their home to watch TV -- this is a killer gift! It's best suited for wired home networks and broadband Internet access. The Slingbox Tuner is designed only for over-the-air or cable without cable box access. The Slingbox AV is designed for use with a non-HD cable or satellite box. The Slingbox Pro is best suited for use with HD cable or satellite boxes, but also accomplishes what the Slingbox Tuner or Slingbox AV does. If in doubt, the Pro is a great gift.

What's in the box?
The Slingbox player and all the cables necessary (except for the HD input cables for the Pro).

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Easy to use, great software, good picture quality, mobile phone support, Mac support.

Downside: Wireless interface not included.

What's the damage?
Prices are $223.99 for the Slingbox Pro, $158.00 for the Slingbox AV and $147.28 for the Slingbox Tuner

Slingbox Pro at Amazon
Slingbox AV at Amazon
Slingbox Tuner at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
Any music or audio book fan who exercises regularly will appreciate the light-as-a-feather clip-on iPod Shuffle. This gift fits existing iTunes users best for use as a second, smaller iPod.  If the person you're buying for is invested in a Microsoft-based music player, this probably isn't for them.

What's in the box?
Second generation iPod Shuffle, USB cradle charger and ear buds.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Excellent build quality, size and weight, long battery life, price, Windows and Mac support.

Downside: AC adapter not included (USB charging only). No display, probably works best either for shuffling music or listening to a single audio book. Ear buds don't fit very well in some ears.

What's the damage?
$77.00

iPod Shuffle at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
Time for a new digital camera? Small and capable, the SD800 IS is a wonderfully practical new digital camera for aficionados to novice users alike. Its wide angle lens is a unique feature in a sub-compact camera, and Canon's image stabilization is second to none.

What's in the box?
SD800 IS 7.1 MP camera, lithium battery pack, battery charger, 16MB SD card, wrist strap, software, USB interface and AV interface.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Excellent build, optical image stabilization, wide angle lens and 3.8x zoom.

Downside: 16MB SD card is too small, you'll want to spend a few bucks to get at least a 1GB card.

What's the damage?
$361.49 for the SD800 IS
$20.99 for a 1GB SD card

SD800 IS at Amazon
1GB SD Card at Amazon

Who's on the tag?
Are you looking for a gift for a gadget person who doesn't have a dedicated GPS or perhaps their GPS is a few years old? This thin, easy to use GPS will please both the driver and the walker/hiker. 

What's in the box?
Whether used in the car or the pocket, the Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS is small enough be transportable, but comes with plenty including a 320x240 screen, Bluetooth phone interface, vehicle suction cup mount, carrying case, 12/24 volt adapter cable, dashboard disk, USB interface cable, and user guide.

What's to like... or not?
Upside: Small size, good screen, nice interface, SD slot, Bluetooth phone interface, Audible support.

Downside: Firmware updates and computer interface requires Windows.

What's the damage?
$565.00

Garmin Nuvi 360 GPS at Amazon