Men are so hard to shop for. What usually works for women (jewelry, candles, chocolate…) are rarely appreciated by men. And with the holidays quickly approaching, what's a girl to do?
I surveyed some guy friends and coworkers about their often elusive desires and found a consistent theme: tech stuff! Here's a sample of the most frequent responses:
- Wireless headphones. If your guy likes to crank up the volume like mine does, this is a gift for both of you.
- Media players like iPod and Zune. The Zune 120GB MP3 player will, according to Microsoft, hold up to 30,000 songs, 25,000 pictures, or 375 hours of video. You know, because we all need 15 days worth of movies in our pocket.
- Game systems. With recent price drop and new features, the Xbox 360 is a natural choice for most men. But if the kiddos will be playing, too, I'd consider a Wii.
- Media Center Extenders. These techcessories provide the ability to wirelessly stream music, photos and movies from your computer to your home theater system. Some kinds may also act as a DVR, allowing you to pause and rewind live TV or record shows for later viewing.
- GPS that plays MP3s, and then some! Most of the men polled brought up GPS, and one system in particular really stood out: the Garmin Nuvi 750. It's more than just a GPS system, it also plays MP3s, videos, audio books (with Audible.com subscription), converts currency and more. A total guy gadget!
- HDTVs. I know these are on the higher-end of the budget scale, but just about every guy I polled mentioned them. Look for 1080p & 120hz for the "full high-definition" and the highest vertical resolution available on consumer TVs today. This is also the resolution at which Blu-ray outputs.
Or, if you are looking for something a bit more whimsical for the men in your life, how about these interesting finds?
- Designer USB Flash Drives by Mimobot are clever, fun and useful.
- Design your own shoes at Converse.com. OK, this is pretty darn cool for anyone, not just men. You can print out your creation or e-mail it to a friend, whether you make a purchase or not. Gift certificates are, of course, available so your guy can design his own.
- Vinyl Record Bowls and Snack Trays are recycled from real vinyl records to make interesting functional art. Choose your genre (or even your artist).
- Multi-gadget charging station can charge his phone and MP3 player while offering a convenient place for keys, wallet and watch.
- Let him go really, really fast. Cloud9Living.com offers Corvette Thrill Rides and Ride Shotgun in a Stock Car experiences in various cities throughout the United States.
Still stumped? I'd suggest checking out Gifts.com for inspiration. The site gives gift suggestions based on the recipient's gender, age and even personality.
Yes, finding the perfect gift for your guy can be challenging, and I hope these tips help. If you have any additional suggestions, please be sure to drop a comment!