The holidays are coming and so is the rush to get new gear. This year there’s a bunch of great gadgets out there, so it might be hard narrowing down just what’s the best. So here are five bits of tech that are sure to light up the smiles of the special people in your life.
Nintendo Wii U
The latest of Nintendo’s video game consoles, the Wii U uses an innovative iPad-like controller to give you new and interesting ways to interact with games. The early lineup of games for the console contains games as diverse as “ZombieU,” a challenging and frightening shooter and “Nintendo Land,” a blast with any group of friends or family. Be sure to grab this one early, as unit shortages are beginning to be quite the problem at stores across the U.S.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Like the previous generation of Kindles, the Kindle Fire is a great way to read, but unlike older Kindles the new one has a suite of new features. Namely, it allows you to check Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites as well as giving you access to movies and music available on Amazon.
Google Nexus 7
If you’re in the market for a small tablet PC, the Google Nexus is one of the best on the market.  Priced at $199.99, it is both an affordable and powerful purchase that ranks as one of the cheaper alternatives to Apple’s iPad.
Jawbone JAMBOX
A wireless Bluetooth speaker with a cool design, good audio quality and a range of colors, the Jawbone JAMBOX plugs into just about any audio device you own to blast sound into the room.
Pivot Power Strip
The Pivot Power Strip is a power strip that isn’t a rigid plastic rectangle, but a bendy, maneuverable chain of sockets. Perfect for anyone with a small apartment or living space. Certainly less fancy than the other items on the list, but incredibly functional nonetheless.