Holiday Gift Guide 2013 – Jon's List

Lakers Box Suite

This one shouldn't come as much of a surprise, It is what I'm '4' after all. Before anyone gets into yelling at me how badly they will suck this year, that's ok. A true fan is there through all the good (and they've had plenty) and the bad.  I always imagine having a suite at Staples Center, inviting all my family and friends, and watching the game with my son sitting on my lap.  When I close my eyes, that' s my happy place.  Although at around $100,000 per year, that's going to stay a dream.

LG 29" Class 21:9 Ultrawide IPS Monitor

$999.99

I saw this at CES last year and was blown away.  Look at it!  The geek in me, is yearning for this, but admiringly, it's probably 90 percent for its novelty and 10 percent for its actual utility.  This 29-inch ultra wide monitor is essentially two displays crammed into one, allowing awesome multitasking or pretty immersive gaming.  It's definitely not the highest resolution monitor out there at only 2560 X 1080 but it definitely will start a conversation.

See at Amazon

Nexus 5 32GB White

$399

I'm an Android purist.  I like my smartphone operating systems like I like my beaches… untouched.  The Nexus line of devices have always been to me the peak of the Android experience.  They may not always be the best spec'd, but the experience is always incredible, plus you are guaranteed OS updates. The Nexus 5 continues that trend and bring KitKat in tow.  I'm a sucker for candy, so of course, I'm in.

Xbox One

$499.99

Get your fanboy comments out of the way now.  I've always preferred gaming on the Xbox only because of the controller.  I can't wait to get my next gen gaming on, and by that, have you seen my Dance Central skills?

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Kindle Paperwhite

$119

We have the pleasure of sampling all of the latest tablets here in the TechnoBuffalo office.  I've tried reading on tablet screens, with the brightness at different levels and changing the background/text colors, but my old eyes still start to hurt from the glare after a few minutes.  When it comes to a pure electronic reading experience, nothing can touch e-ink, and no one does it better than Amazon.

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Dropcam Pro

$149.99

I'm not going to lie to you, the Dropcam was the biggest surprise gadget of 2013 for me.  We reviewed it, thinking it was going to be just another connected camera.  What we found was it's a baby monitor, security system, dog watcher, or anything else you want.  All that, coupled with awesome video quality and the ability to have a DVR in the cloud, makes this camera one of the best bits of tech around.  I liked it so much, I actually bought one myself to put in my son's room.

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Logitech Washable Keyboard K310

$39.99

I'm a messy guy. My keyboard at the office looks like I've smeared black marker on it.  It's gross, and I know it.  This K310 does what I wish every keyboard could do.  It can get washed off in the sink.  Now if it would just clean my hands after lunch, I'd be all set.

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Star Wars Heroes & Villains Pancake Molds

$24.00

I'm a sucker for Star Wars nostalgia, and coincidently I happen to love pancakes. This looks like a match made in heaven.  Now Yoda and Darth Vader can battle it out in your belly.  Make sure you cool them all the way, or you will be doing battle with the dark side.

See at Amazon