Upping the ante -- Gifts $201 to $400
With a suggested price of $249, the Radeon HD 6950 from AMD delivers great performance and value in the sub-$300 range, not to mention that with a little tweaking and a BIOS flash you can unlock all shaders and get Radeon HD 6970 performance. Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti can be had for around the same cash and is a very tempting option as well. Either way you go your beloved one will certainly appreciate it, as both cards can handle pretty much any modern game you throw at them.
Sonos' high-end wireless audio products make setting up a multi-room sound system a breeze. It can be a tad expensive since you'll want at least a couple of speakers to enjoy the full benefits of Sonos, but you can get started with the Play:3. This is their entry-level unit but it offers surprisingly good sound for such a small speaker, and provides wireless access your local music collection as well as a range of streaming services, including Last.fm, Mog, Pandora, Rdio, Spotify and others.
While classic Polaroid cameras have slowly faded away in today's world of digital photography, the company is back with a device that combines the form factor that launched them to fame with the printer and digital photography tech of today. The Z340 features a 14MP sensor and 2.7-inch LCD with a built-in Zink printer, allowing it to spit out 3x4 inch full-color prints without the hassle of ink cartridges – it can print up to 25 photos before needing a recharge.
If you don't want your data and media files tied down to one device, but rather accessible from any device on your local network (and maybe even via the Internet), network-attached storage is the way to go. Synology is one of the big names when it comes to NAS devices and their DS211 certainly doesn't disappoint. It's a breeze to setup, supports automatic backups on Mac OS X and Windows computers, and its DiskStation Manager software is second to none in design and functionality.
Diehard football fans can often be found 'tailgating' outside the stadium or on the campus of their favorite team, but doing so typically means missing coverage of other key games going on simultaneously. The Dish Network Tailgater is a portable satellite TV antenna you can take nearly anywhere, including the stadium or camping trips, and enjoy broadcasts in a hurry thanks to its automatic satellite locating technology. You'll need a separate $150 receiver for HD programming, in addition to supplying the TV and a 110-volt power source. Current Dish customers can add the Tailgater to their monthly bill for $7.
Dell's newest UltraSharp monitor is aimed at satisfying enthusiasts and professional users' needs without quite getting into the professional display price range. The U2412M delivers over 2.3 million pixels with its 24-inch LED-backlit display and features in-plane switching (IPS) technology with a wide viewing angle of 178/178 degrees. Specs are similar in many respects to the U2410, with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 and 1000:1 contrast ratio, but it drops a few features to cut costs – namely, an HDMI port, card reader, and larger color palette.
The Lytro camera may look more like a child's kaleidoscope than a digital camera, but it has certainly caught the attention of amateur photographers and camera enthusiasts. Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field – up to 11 million light rays in a single shot. There's no auto-focus motor and thus no shutter delay. This allows users to quickly capture a moment and worry about focusing or re-focusing pictures after they've been snapped. Pre-orders are being accepted now but unfortunately cameras won't ship until early 2012.