Want to know which gadgets are gift-worthy this holiday season?  Sit tight and hang on, because we’ve put together a list of the best gifts worth giving to your friends, family and anyone else that might be on your holiday shopping list.

We’ve got the guide broken down into a few price categories, as well as some product categories later on down the list.  Check it all out below.

Gadget Gifts Under $25

Joby Gorillapod:  These are great little flexible tripods that let you mount a camera just about anywhere.  They even make ones with magnetic feet that you can stick to a car or any other magnetic surface.  And for the ladies, they also come in pink.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones:  Do you spend a lot of time with headphones or earbuds on your ears?  Want something a little cozier and cheaper.  Theses Sennheiser headphones offer good insulation against ambient noise and a deep bass response.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

HDMI Cables: These make great stocking stuffers if there’s a big ticket gift like a Blu-ray player, game console or an HDTV to unwrap.  Don’t get hung up on silly $100 cables from Best Buy, pick up one online for less than $10 and the only difference you’ll see is in your wallet.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Gadget Gifts Under $50

Apple iPod Shuffle 2 GB: iPod shuffles are great for taking tunes on the go.  With the built in clip you don’t have to worry about holding it or stuffing it a pocket and the controls are simple and easy to get to.  With 2GB of storage there will be plenty of music where ever your day takes you.  The iPod Suffle comes in silver, blue, pink, orange and green.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Transcend 32GB SDHC memory card: All you photo and video buffs out there can always use more storage for your cameras.  The Transcend 32GB class 10 card is a solid performer that wont break the bank.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Gadget Gifts Under $100

Western Digital Elements External Harddrive:  This 1TB external hard drive will store a ton of photos and videos. Anyone with important data owes it to them self to use a quality backup drive.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Media Player: Offers up over 300+ channels, the most live sports available and tons of movies, shows and music for streaming onto your television set. All that’s needed is a wireless or wired high-speed Internet connection. The Roku 2 XS works with most TVs and is small enough to pop into your pocket. It’s capable of playing 1080p full HD video and it even comes with free movie service form Crackle with hundreds of Hollywood movies on demand, as well as a free full edition of Angry Birds.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910: If you need a quality webcam logitech has a solid solution in the C910.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Cameras and Camcorders

Sony Bloggie Camcorder: The 8GB Bloggie Touch records up to 4 hours of high def video to its internal flash memory. But, in addition to recording HD video, the Bloggie as does double duty as a 12.8MP digital still camera. Don’t forget, if the Bloggie Touch is not the only model available. There is also the Bloggie 3D, Bloggie Duo, Bloggie w/360° lens and the basic Bloggie if the Touch model is not for you.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Panasonic TM90 Camcorder:  Want a more full-featured camcorder.  The Panasonic TM90 delivers at a price that is hard to match.  Through November 19th, $369 is all coin you are going to need to pick this steal.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Sony HX9V Compact Camera: A compact camera loaded with professional-quality features guaranteed to bring passion to your photography with a 16.2MP high-resolution back-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 16x wide-angle 24-384mm (equivalent in 35mm format) super zoom lens and 10 frames per second shooting at full resolution .  Full 1920 x 1080 HD video makes possible crystal-clear movies with stereo sound.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Sony NEX-5n: The “mirrorless” camera format is among the latest technologies in the photography world, putting some pretty serious power in a small package, relatively speaking.  The NEX-5n comes in black and silver.  This one is my personal wish list.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Home Entertainment Gadgets

Apple TV: $99 gets you streaming of all your iTunes content, Netflix instant streaming titles, YouTube, and more.  All wrapped up in Apple’s polished interface and hardware form factor.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Western Digital WD TV Live Hub: A network device that connects to your HDTV. You’ll be able to use it to stream movies, music, and photos that are stored on your home computer over your network and display them on your TV. It features a wired Ethernet port, and an optional Wi-Fi adapter is available. A 1TB hard drive is installed in the unit, allowing you to store files locally.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Integrated-Wi-Fi 3D Blu-ray DVD Player: This player from Panasonic has all the good stuff pack in, from integrated WiFi for network streaming to 3D Blu-ray down to standard DVD playback.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Samsung 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D LED HDTV: Samsung really knocked it out of the park with the thin chrome bezel line of 3D LED TVs.  The picture is ultra sharp and the entire set is razor thin.  The 0.2 inch bezel gives the screen a seemingly infinity edge. Integrated internet and WiFi make this TV a great option for 3D connoisseurs.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Tablet Devices

Apple iPad 2:  This one’s a no-brainer, right?  The iPad 2 is king of the tablet hill right now.  With Wi-Fi and 3G options, there are plenty of configurations to choose from.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Amazon Kindle: Pre-order the new Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch or enjoy the recent price reduction one the wildly popular Kindle with keyboard.  If money is tight the the basic $79 wifi Kindle may me just the ticket.

Motorola Xoom: The tablet features a large 10.1″ widescreen display, Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) operating system, 1GHz dual-core CPU, features 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal flash storage.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Tab: A 10.1 tablet only 0.34″ thick features Android 3.1 Honeycomb OS and gorilla glass covered 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display with a 1.0GHz processor and 1GB of RAM.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Cell Phones

Samsung Epic Touch 4G Android Phone (Sprint): A premium Android-powered smartphone with ultra-fast 4G connectivity and brilliant 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus multi-touch display featuring a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, GPS for navigation and location services, Wi-Fi networking (with optional hotspot capability), 8-MP rear camera, full HD 1080p video capture, 2-MP front camera for video chats, Bluetooth 3.0, personal and corporate e-mail and 8.7 hours of talk time

BlackBerry Torch 4G 9810 Phone(AT&T): A 4G-enabled professional smartphone with 3.2-inch touchscreen, slide-down QWERTY keyboard, and BlackBerry 7 OS, featuring a 1.2 GHz processor and Liquid Graphics technolog, Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking, GPS for navigation and location services with a 5-MP camera with HD 720p video capture, Bluetooth stereo music, 8 GB memory, microSD expansion, HTML5 web browser and 6.5 hours of talk time.

HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 2(Verizon Wireless): Features a 480 x 800 4″ WVGA capacitive touch screen, 8 megapixel rear camera with autofocus and dual LED flash, Android 2.2 operating system andfull HTML Browser with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1

Audiophiles

Sennheiser RS 180 Digital Wireless Headphone System with Dynamic Surround Sound: What’s better than to be able to cut the cord on our electronics?  Sennheiser has address that need with a quality wireless headphone for audiophiles.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III Speaker System: Bose has been making speaker systems for a long time and the Acoustimass series has been a staple in the home theater market for many years.  The Acoustimass systems have been a personal favorite.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Computers – Laptops

Apple MacBook:  While mobile devices are taking the world by storm, a great laptop just cant be replaced in many situations and the MacBook Pro is great companion to have around when you just need a bit more.  Available in 13 inch, 15 inch and 17 inch models there is a size to fit most everyone.  If something slightly more portable is in order the MacBook Air may be just the ticket, with 11 inch and 13 inch sizes available.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Computers – Desktops

Apple iMac: The Apple iMac may be the perfect blend of form and function.  Everything is packed neatly into a monitor-sized housing, which results in a clean workspace without the need to have cables strewn about.  The available power in the iMac line makes it a doable computer for those who want to take their photo and video editing a little more seriously.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Apple Mac Mini:  With a compact form-factor and the wonder OS X interface, the affordable Mac Mini covers just about every casual computer user’s needs.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Blu-rays and DVDs

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cars 2

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The Lion King

Software

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3: Bring out the best in your photography

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Microsoft Office Home & Student 2010 – PC: From document to spreadsheet creation, the Office suite can handle the task.

Microsoft Office Home & Student – Mac:  Mac users are not left out.  The great Office tools available for PC are available for Mac too.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Windows 7: Upgrade your XP or Vista machine to Windows 7 Home, Professional or Ultimate

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

Video Games

Microsoft Xbox: Features include 4GB internal memory, built-in Wi-Fi, whisper quiet opersation.

Playstation 3: Along with the traditional AV and composite connections, the 160GB system also boasts an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port, which delivers uncompressed, unconverted digital picture and sound to compatible high-definition TVs and projectors. It’s a Blu-ray player too.

Nintendo 3DS: Nintendo 3DS offers a new way to play, 3D without the need for special glasses. The 3D Depth Slider lets your determine how much 3D you want to see. Connect to a deeper wireless experience with SpotPassTM and StreetPassTM, giving you more exclusive content and connecting you with other Nintendo 3DS players.

If All Else Fails…

Magazine Subscriptions:  There is a magazine for just about anything you can think of out and that’s why magazine subscriptions make great gifts.  Everyone likes to relax and read a good magazine to find the perfect article, waiting, or just lounging around.

Just get a freaking gift card.  Gift cards are a great way to show that hard to buy for person that you care enough to let them get what they really want anyway.  They’re quick and easy, and there’s really no one out there who can’t find something worth buying at B&H or Amazon.

B&H Photo/Video or Amazon

 Engadget reported about this uniquely designed solar charger, shaped like a bonsai tree, which retails for $370.  On the surface, it seems like a great idea, but whether it is efficient (given it’s use is indoors, most indirect than direct sunlight), green (looks like it’s made of plastic), and cost effective (it’s expensive!) remains to be seen.  Nonetheless, it’s a great looking design, if not the most practical.

Coincidentally, I previously bought and reviewed a solar charger from Ebay, made by a Taiwanese company, and cost $24 + shipping.  Feel free to drop by the link below and check out my review of that (much more) portable unit, compared to the tree.

Solar Charger Review, via MyGeekGarage

-via Engadget.

First, you have to understand that I’m not one to hand out compliments to Comcast on a regular basis.

In fact, a few years ago, I left Comcast due to its terrible customer service – not the quality of its services – just the idiots on the phone.  After living with sluggish DSL for a couple of years and a satellite that would lose its signal every time a squirrel farted in the neighborhood (daily fails during the 2010 Tour de France was the nail in the coffin for DISH), I begrudgingly switched back to Comcast.

Since my switch a few months ago, it has been a relatively pain-free experience.  Although, I have had to occasionally call in for a modem refresh when power cycling the cable modem on my end didn’t restore the signal.  Aside from the occasional hold time, this process hasn’t been all that bad either.

Then, tonight, my modem dropped its signal.  Power cycling didn’t work.  So, I knew I had to call Comcast to see if there was an outage and, if not, have the customer service tech do it on their end.

So, I called.

I pressed the requisite buttons to get past the Spanish menu, confirm my account number and select “problem with Internet.”  Then I figured I could be on hold for awhile.

Nope.

The next menu said something to the effect of:

If you would us to refresh your modem connection, press 1 now.

I pressed 1 and almost instantly the modem rebooted and my Internet connection was restored.

As much crap as I’ve shoveled toward Comcast over the years, I figured that I should give credit where credit is due.

The only thing that would make this process easier is if Comcast would give me direct line to call for a modem refresh without having to go a few menus deep.  That would land Comcast a spot in my “favorites” on my phone.

Kudos to you Comcast for making something easy.

It’s 2010.  Sign me up for your newsletter or email marketing campaign.  I’m game if I like your product or service.  But don’t make me respond with ink and paper to electronic marketing.

I love seafood.  And living in Tennessee means that Red Lobster is about top shelf for seafood.  But that’s ok, because I like Red Lobster’s shrimp and crab legs.

In fact, I’m a member of the Red Lobster Fresh Catch Club, which is basically the email marketing arm of Reb Lobster.

I’m cool with that though, because they keep me posted on things like the start and end dates for Endless Shrimp (I get my money’s worth . . . my record is 100 shrimp and would’ve been higher if we could have gotten the waitress came back to our table a little more often . . .)

As a member of the Fresh Catch Club, Red Lobster occasionally sends out coupons in those email updates, which occasionally prompts me to visit the local establishment for some shrimp or crab legs.

Recently, I was out with the wife shopping for Christmas presents, and we ended up at Red Lobster for dinner.

I remembered that I had recently received some coupons from Red Lobster via email.  I pulled up the email on my HTC Hero and asked the waitress if we could use the coupon.  She tells me that normally they have to collect the printed copy of the coupon and send it back to Red Lobster HQ; however, she said that she would ask if they could accept it.

Cool.  I figured this is a no-brainer customer service issue.  Turns out, it was a no-brainer . . . but not in a good way.

We finished our meal, which was pretty good by the way.  Our waitress then showed up with our tab and asked if we lived close by.

[Cue Twilight Zone.]

Oh, crap.  I knew where this was going.

She said that they could accept the coupon if we would promise to go home, print it out and bring it back so that they could have a printed copy of the coupon to mail to Red Lobster HQ.

What?  Are you kidding me?

Now, I would have been mildly disappointed if she had just said, “No, sorry, but we don’t accept coupons unless you bring the printed coupon.”  However, this “accommodation” (if you can call it that with a straight face) was just bizarre.

So, to take advantage of a $4 off coupon for our $50 meal, Red Lobster wants me to

1. drive home,
2. log on to my email,
3. open the email that I just showed my waitress,
4. print the coupon,
5. drive back to Red Lobster and
6. hand my waitress a hard copy of the email coupon that I just showed her from my inbox?

All so they can do what?  Send the printed coupon back to Red Lobster HQ via US Mail.

How is this even a possible option?

As noted earlier, I could understand an outright refusal over this ridiculous suggestion.

Of course, my waitress was ready to take my word that I would be back with a printed coupon; however, I wasn’t going to lie for a $4 savings, so I politely declined and had a good laugh over the bizarre suggestion with the wife after we left.

I hope this is an obvious lesson in customer service.

It’s 2010.  If you are going to hold yourself out to the Internet-connected world, send electronic coupons and have a Facebook page with nearly 200,000 fans, then you should be ready to deal with the way your customers access your electronic communications.

Sure.  The Red Lobster email said “click here to print” the coupon and it’s totally my error for not having a hard copy of the coupon on me.

But the “rules” of using a coupon sent via email shouldn’t restrict me from spontaneously deciding to eat at Red Lobster.  To the contrary, emailed coupons should encourage people to choose Red Lobster while out running errands or doing whatever.

If a coupon is meant to entice customers in the door, then doesn’t the inability to use that coupon discourage those who haven’t printed it out from patronizing a particular business?

While I was headed to Red Lobster anyway, what about those days where the coupon might be the deciding factor for some people?  What if they leave the coupon at home but can access it on their smartphone?  Guess where they aren’t going.

Aside from the waste of ink and paper (and in the ridiculous accommodation above – gas and time), it just doesn’t make sense in 2010 that Red Lobster HQ needs me to print its email so the restaurant down the street can put it in an envelope and snail-mail it back to HQ.

Come on Red Lobster . . . printing email coupons is lame.

Better get to work on your costume for next year.

Here’s an interesting clip that’s circulating the web right now. In some additional footage from the 1928 Charlie Chaplin film, The Circus, it looks like a woman is caught on film will talking on a cell phone, or perhaps a tricorder since there were no cell towers around in 1928.

Check it out below.

Remember the groovy Parrot AR.Drones from earlier this year?

Well, you can finally buy one at Brookstone stores in the US.

The AR.Drone features an augmented reality mode where you can pilot it from an iPod touch, iPhone or iPad.  They’ll set you back $300, but having seen these up close, I’m almost willing to say they’re worth it.

If you are hoping to pick one up, Brookstone.com is saying quantities are limited, so these could be a challenge to acquire once we get closer to the holidays.

Joby, maker of all things bendable, announced a new addition to its flexible product line today – the Gorillatorch Flare.  Building on the big success of the original Gorillatorch, the Gorillatorch Flare features 100 lumens of output via 4 LEDs, along with a red light (flare) and strobe options.

It also has the magnetic feet that were so popular with the original Gorillatorch and, most recently, the Gorillapod Magnetic.  It looks to be a handy device to keep with your car . . . or, it could be an evil robot that will kill you in your sleep.

The Gorillatorch Flare carries a price tag of $35, and is already available from Amazon.com.

The feature-packed Gorillatorch Flare is the ultimate flashlight. Mounted on Joby’s award-winning bendable, flexible legs and powerful magnetic feet, the Gorillatorch Flare can grip to virtually anything, allowing you to illuminate any target hands-free. Four powerful LEDS – one 100 lumen ultra-bright CREE white and three red – provide six unique light settings, allowing you to choose the best one for any situation. Choose from low, medium, high, or flashing white light, or steady and flashing red light. The focused projection lens provides a powerful, even beam, great for detailed applications. Rubberized leg and foot grips provide enhanced stability on difficult terrain, and water and drop resistance deliver increased durability in any condition. And its compact and lightweight design allows for easy storage in everything from a kitchen drawer to a car glovebox to a camping backpack.  - Joby Press Release

Voltage Pictures just filed a lawsuit against 5,000 Bit Torrent users for downloading The Hurt Locker.  The suit seeks a number of things, including statutory damages under 17 USC 504, which an range from $750 to $150,000 per infringement.

Joe and Jane Does should expect their “settlement” letters soon.

[via Tech Dirt]

If you’ve read this blog long enough, then you know that I’m a big fan of Netflix.  Every so often, Netflix will send me free trial coupons to pass along to friends.  Today, I got some new codes in the mail for a one month free trial and now I’m passing them along to the first four of you who use the codes below.

Just go to netflix.com/tellafriend and enter one of the codes below.

1. M555808064985
2. M555878064505
3. M585888064535
4. M505898164385

They’re only good for the first four of you that use them, so drop a comment to let me know when you use one.