Gifts for Nerd Who Has Everything
My computer’s built-in clock/calendar has just reminded me that it’s time for my annual holiday gift column. Here are some relatively inexpensive items for the computer nerds on your shopping list.
A few months ago, I reviewed a product that lets you use your IBM PC, Apple II, Apple Macintosh or Commodore 128 to control lights and appliances. At a suggested retail price of $69.99, the X-10 Powerhouse computer home-appliance interface and software is a good buy. At $19.90, it’s practically a steal. That’s the sale price from the DAK mail order catalogue (phone 800-423-2866). The X-10 system also requires modules (starting at about $12) for each lamp or appliance it controls.
There are other optional controllers, including a new $49.99 radio transmitter that lets you control lights from your driveway or anywhere in your house. Be careful. The original investment may be low, but once you or your friends are hooked, it’s back for more modules and controllers. The manufacturer, Northvale, N.J.-based X-10 (USA), can be reached at 800-526-0027.
Borland International, the Scotts Valley, Calif., company that publishes Sidekick, the memory-resident note pad, calculator and schedule program, has come up with an answer for those who can’t carry a computer around when they’re on the road or about the town. Traveling Sidekick, for the PC ($69.95), comes with software for maintaining a schedule as well as an address and phone directory. After you’ve entered the data on the computer, you can print it out and insert the pages in the handsome vinyl binder that comes with the program. You carry the binder just as you would any personal organizer.
Borland may have the trademark on Traveling Sidekick, but my traveling database and schedule program comes from Casio, the electronic watch company. I debated whether this item belongs in the Computer File column. But the Casio “Data Bank” wristwatch is, in a sense, a personal computer. The principal differences between it and the computer that sits on a desk is that the watch has less random access memory and its software, rather than being loaded from a disk, is built into the read-only memory (ROM). OK, I’m stretching the point, but this is the kind of product that appeals to computer hackers.
Like some other electronic watches, it includes a stopwatch, calculator and alarm. But it also has a database management program and a built-in scheduler. You can store up to 50 names and telephone numbers. Each item can have up to six letters and 12 numbers. Items are sorted alphabetically, and to search you have to scroll through the entire list. It’s not dBase III, but it is handy.
The watch, which also tells time, retails for about $70. I bought mine at a discount store for under $40.
If a friend or loved one has ever cursed about a printer cable getting caught up in a stack of paper, then why not gift wrap a “monster cable.” What sounds like a restraining device for King Kong is actually the name of a San Francisco-based company. The most unusual feature of these highly durable cables is that they connect to the computer at a 90-degree angle, allowing you to plug it into the printer without the wires interfering with the paper feed mechanism. They range in price from $35 to $65 for 6- to 25-foot lengths. If your local dealer doesn’t stock these cables, you can call the company at 800-331-3755 (outside California, call 800-437-2853).
The Price Tag Factor
In past Christmas columns, I’ve held back from discussing computer systems, but Hyundai, the South Korean company that makes those low-cost cars, has introduced a line of IBM PC-compatible computers, starting at $699. I haven’t actually evaluated the computer, but the price tag, combined with the company’s decision to market it through large discount retailers, makes it a likely consideration for some gift lists.
If a friend likes to play games, you can select from a wide variety of game and entertainment programs. To be honest, I rarely use my IBM PC for games, but I like playing “shoot ‘em up” games on the Apple II or Macintosh. Your more militaristic Mac friends will appreciate Airborne! ($34.95) from San Diego-based Silicon Beach Software.
For a more sobering experience, give someone the opportunity to save or destroy the world. Balance of Power, a $49.95 game from Mindscape of Northbrook, Ill., runs on the PC and the Mac with coming versions for the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga and Apple II. The user becomes a high-level strategist for either the United States or Soviet Union, making diplomatic and military decisions. The goal of the game is to solve an international crisis without blowing up the world. I pray that the leaders of the real nuclear club are more skilled at their craft than I was at playing this game.
A now classic game on both the PC and Mac is Flight Simulator from Microsoft. I’ve made hundreds of successful takeoffs and landings in a real Cessna, but I’ve yet to master Microsoft’s simulator. The display and controls are realistic, but for me it’s hard to “fly” a keyboard. Nevertheless, a lot of people are addicted to this game. An easy way to shop for computer items is to get hold of a catalogue from Inmac (800-547-5444) or Global Computer Supplies (800-845-6225). Both catalogues, along with some computer stores (including many Radio Shack outlets), stock plenty of handy low-cost items. You can buy a box of floppy disks or a disk case for the desk or briefcase. Be sure you know whether the recipient uses 5-inch disks or the newer 3 1/2-inch size. If one of your computer-bound friends has bloodshot eyes, consider a glare screen. If you know someone with a strained neck, you could arrange for a series of chiropractic sessions or purchase a swivel base for the monitor.
I don’t mean to get moralistic, but while you have your checkbook out, this may be a good time to pay for any software that you may have copied without authorization. I’d hate to see Santa pass you by. Remember: “He knows when you’ve been good or bad.”
