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geeky gadgets and gifts for your family

by Mary Ford on November 28th, 2006

Were you one of the 61 million online shoppers trying to find a good deal yesterday? me too! and it took me hours.

I finally settled on a cool present for my husband’s birthday in December: the Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes. You can get this little musical play set from Walmart ($55 + .97 cent shipping) or from Buy.com for $79 -$20 (google coupon)+ ~$10 shipping = ~$79.

This little number is marketed for children, but I think that’s a big mistake. It’s perfect for my guy because he also makes his own flutes from PVC tubes (of which this is apparently made of), he loves his iPod (this musical instrument operates in tandem with an iPod or alone), and he enjoys drumming. whatever you do, don’t tell Bill. He doesn’t surf the web, so I know he’ll be the last person to know what I’m giving him for his birthday.

I used Google Checkout too and I hope it worked. Buy.com sent me a note that Google checkout doesn’t work with Buy.com coupons, but I didn’t use any, so I don’t understand why they emailed me this notice. Buy.com says I paid $20 more than Google Checkout. Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t get a deal after all.

Gifts I considered, but decided against:

Treo 680: wow, I want one. Bill doesn’t. It’s reviewed on Cellphone9.com too.
The Pepper Pad 3 — too new, too complicated for a guy who doesn’t like computer manuals and yells at Microsoft Works when it blows up. Bill has nooo patience with operating systems, let alone Linux. He’d hate the Pepper; I’d probably love it.
Slingbox - we don’t have Tivo, so why would I get a slingbox. We don’t have a media computer either. Maybe next year we’ll get one. I want one someday.
I find it annoying that a shopping web site thinks women only want jewelry and clothes. We want what the men want too! more tech stuff. I’m so annoyed that this shopping site is marketed ‘for men’. While I was waiting at the eye doctor’s today, I read an article in PC World which recommended My 3 Cents for consumer reviews. The December issue of PC World is one of the best tech magazines I have ever read and I recommend it to anyone trying to shop online this Christmas season. In addition, Top 10 Sources also provides helpful advice on shopping, coupons and reviews. Stay safe!

What did you buy for your family? Spill it here. I promise not to tell anyone else besides thatdamnPC readers.

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