Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Gift Ideas: Computers

The holidays are upon us. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both over, and the December rush has begun. Whether you're shopping online, through retailers like Amazon.com, Overstock.com, or offline in retail outlets such as Wal*Mart or Target you can be a smart consumer. By using sites like PriceGrabber or Google Product Search or mobile applications like ShopSavvy (Android & iPhone) you can be sure you're getting a good deal.

Of course, the best place to start is to look at who you're buying for, and how much you're willing to spend on them. But to get you started, I've thrown together a list of some of the bigger consumer products of the year. Ranging from the cheaper stocking stuffers, to the more expensive presents this list has a little bit of everything, although it's definitely for the geekier folk.

Computers

Apple MacBook Pro 13" $1199

In the past, the MacBook Pro line was targeted at, well, professionals. But times change, and now a 13" MacBook Pro is just over $1,000. The baseline MacBook Pro has the same beautiful display the 15" and 17" models have, a 2.26 GHz Intel processor, 2gb RAM, and 160gb HDD, as well as an NVIDIA 9400M. For $200 less you can get an almost equal machine (missing the card reader, a Firewire port, and aluminum design), but those two hundred dollars are well spent on a sturdier, and nicer looking machine. It's especially nice combined with the LED Cinema Display.

Apple LED Cinema Display 24" $849

While it's not the completely perfect "docking station" for a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air, it's pretty damn close. Using the 24" LED monitor you can utilize two screens, or just the large gorgeous one, while charging it at the same time. Additionally, the LED Cinema Display features a built-in iSight camera, microphone, speakers, as well as USB ports to plug in a secondary keyboard and mouse.

HP Pavilion P6230F $650

A newer model of one of the desktops in my house, the HP Pavilon line is generally well designed and spec'd for average to more advanced consumers alike. 8gb of RAM is a bit excessive unless you're a heavy multitasker or dealing with tons of multimedia, but for the very low price (especially in comparison to a Mac Pro), it goes great with the 2.6GHz AMD processor and ATI graphics card. Comes with Windows 7. Great with a nice 22" LCD monitor from Acer.

Acer 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor $159

If you're looking for a great, affordable monitor this is one of your best options. Only way to make it better really, would be to use LED backlighting. Especially considering the pricing, this Acer monitor is an amazing deal.

Nokia Booklet 3G (AT&T) $299.99

For always-on connectivity, a netbook with built-in 3G like the Nokia Booklet is great. Of course, you're paying AT&T (or another company) monthly for your data plan, but if that special someone is a frequent traveler it's a minor setback. The Booklet 3G is rated for a full 12 hours of battery life, and runs Windows 7.

This is the day five of our Twelve Days of Christmas, Holiday Shopping Ideas from Maverick Revolution.