During the holidays, it’s a time of reunion and celebration and many gifts will exchange hands. It can be very tough to find that perfect gift for the special people in your life. At IOGEAR, we have put together some gift ideas to help you find that perfect gift for your mom, dad, siblings, co-workers, boss and friends.

Before we get into the ideas, here is one bit of exciting news; be sure to check back on Friday, December 11 at this blog for an exciting giveaway!

For Mother

Bluetooth Stereo Headphones – $69.95



Especially suited for mothers on the go, this device allows her to enjoy music stored on Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, mp3 players and a host of other audio sources wirelessly within a 33-foot range.

Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit – $49.99

Does mom drive often? This device, which mounts on a visor in the car, will help her keep safe while obeying cell phone laws with the freedom to wirelessly place and receive calls.

56-in-1 Memory Card Reader/Writer – $19.95

Does mom take lots of digital photos of her loved ones? This device will make sure she can easily save those photos onto her PC or Mac. With support for all major memory card formats, you can feel safe that her media is supported.

For Dad

Wireless Audio / Video Kit – $299.95

If dad loves his entertainment center and computer with equal love, then with this device he will be in heaven! The Wireless A/V Kit allows dad to connect his PC to a HDTV wirelessly to stream videos, movies and music, all from the comfort of his couch.

4-Port USB Net ShareStation – $99.95



This device allows you to share up to 4 USB devices over a wireless network, a perfect solution for a dad who does not mind sharing their USB devices with the rest of the family. Dad will be extra excited as it does not involve physically moving those devices from computer to computer.

USB Laptop KVM Switch with File Transfer – $49.95

So dad now has a new Netbook or Laptop, but how will he easily transfer files to his desktop home or work PC? The USB Laptop KVM Switch is the answer! This device even has an extra USB port that can be used to attach an external hard drive.

For Your Siblings

Powerline Stereo Audio System – $444.95

Does a multi-room audio home system that is truly DIY sound appealing? Well your sibling may think so! This device allows you to connect an iPod or other audio source and listen anywhere in the home that has a power outlet.

Portable Media Server Player – $349.95

If your sibling is a media-phile, then they must own this device. With storage of up to 34,000 digital photos, 30,000 songs (mp3) and 50 hours of DVD quality video, this device is a media lover’s portable jukebox!

Turbo Powerline Networking Kit – $149.95



Your sibling owns an Xbox 360, Blu-ray Player or Sony Playstation 3, and now they may have discovered that to connect those devices to the Internet, they will need to buy a WiFi adaptor or run an Ethernet cable from the router all the way to the device … not very attractive. This device allows you to use your power outlet as a Ethernet port! No more Ethernet wires running across the living room floor.

For Your Co-Workers

Pocket Card Reader – $7.95

Give your co-worker the gift of being able to take their media with them in their pocket with support for a PC or Mac. They will be able transfer pictures, data and music at USB 2.0 speeds from a device that easily slips into their pocket.

GearPower – Rescue Charger – $9.95

We’ve all experienced the dreaded dead cell phone battery predicament, and usually at the worst times. Save your co-worker from the stress that entails with this convenient rescue charger.

Bluetooth 2.1 USB Micro Adapter – $22.99

Not all computers come with Bluetooth support, but there exists many useful Bluetooth devices. Allow your co-worker to take advantage, whether it is with a PC or Mac with this tiny unobtrusive device.

For Your Boss

Wireless USB to VGA Kit – $229.95

Your boss is on the road about to give a presentation. She plugs one end of this device into her computer, and the other end into the projector or TV. She then wirelessly transmits her Power Point onto the screen. The client is amazed, the boss smiles and perhaps you have just earned a raise.

Mobile Digital Scribe – $99.95

Allow your boss to reach another level of productivity with the mobile digital scribe. He can take his notes on ordinary paper and then transfer to his PC to store those notes in a digital format.

Wi-Fi Finder – $12.95

Internet access is perhaps the lifeblood of business today. Make it easy for your boss to find out whether a hot spot is nearby without needing to boot up her netbook.

For Your Friends

2.4GHz Multimedia Keyboard with Laser Trackball and Scroll Wheel – $99.95



If your friend has a computer, then he uses a keyboard, but probably the stock keyboard that came with the computer. Upgrade his life with this next level keyboard that sports a built in laser trackball and scroll wheel.

Bluetooth (R) Wireless Stereo Headphones with Built-in Mic – $37.95

Give your friend the gift of wireless audio, and witness her doing the robot without getting entangled in a mess of wires. Whether it is a computer, PDA or MP3 player, this device allows 33 feet of wireless freedom.

GearPower – Portable Battery for Mobile Devices – $19.95



When we need it most, it is not there. Of course, I’m talking about battery power! Don’t let your friend venture out into the world without the necessary power to keep all of his gadgets running. With 5 connectors, your friend can be the MacGyver of batter power!

Please take the time and share some of your gift ideas for this holiday season in the comments below, on Facebook or via Twitter. We can’t wait to hear from you!

We hope that regardless of whether or not you take our ideas to action, that at the very least are inspired to give the one gift that is irreplaceable, your time. Happy Holidays!

As consumers recover from their turkey hangover and dive into the holiday shopping season this Friday, they are scouring the Web and retail stores for the best and most affordable items on their X-mas lists.

IOGEAR offers many great green gadgets for under $50!

Consumers can save the green and become greener with the USB Laptop KVM Switch with File Transfer, which allows users to easily control, and switch (as well as transfer files) between two computers on only one monitor. The USB Laptop KVM Switch with File Transfer can be purchased for an impressive $49.94. Now users can seamlessly control their secondary computer with a netbook, laptop or desktop PC as the console.

For $44.95, shoppers can pickup a MiniView™ Micro USB PLUS KVM Switch with audio and cables. This KVM is the simplest way to simultaneously run and share audio between two computers with a single USB keyboard, monitor and USB mouse. No more extra money spent unnecessary cables that take up space.

Lastly, for those on a budget this X-mas, IOGEAR offers the entry level 2-Port USB KVM Switch with Cables and Remote. Another great way to share a VGA monitor, a USB mouse, and a USB keyboard between two computers with no fuss.

What’s on the top of your list this Black Friday?

Check out IOGEAR’s ‘Black Friday Guide’ and for more information on IOGEAR items online, visit www.iogear.com.

Cheers,
The IOGEAR Team

This year, Black Friday falls on November 27, 2009, which is the day after Thanksgiving. During a time of belt tightening and recession, it is even more important to find great deals; so at IOGEAR we have rounded up a few resources to help you save money and find great value to start off your holiday shopping activities right. Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday 2009 Tips

Here are resources for general purpose tips to help you take the best advantage of Black Friday:

Top 10 Tips to Getting the Best Bargains on Black Friday – About.com
10 Survival Tips for the Friday after Thanksgiving – MSNBC.MSN.com
Top 5 Black Friday Shopping Tips – AOL.com
Top 10 Tips to Bag a Bargain – ConsumerWorld.com
Black Friday Tips – Mahalo.com

Black Friday 2009 Deal & Coupon Sites

Looking for all Black Friday ads, coupons and more in one place? These are the places to look (each of these links take you to a specific section for Black Friday content within their sites):

CheapCheapCheap.com
FatWallet.com
GottaDeal.com

Black Friday 2009 on the iPhone

Are you addicted to your iPhone? You are in luck. There are several apps to help you with your Black Friday activities: (note that these are links to iTunes)

DealNews Black Friday
FatWallet Black Friday
Black Friday Wish
BF Deals
BlackFriday2Go

Black Friday 2009 on Twitter

Do you prefer to receive your Black Friday news in 140 character bite sized pieces? These are the people to follow:

@blackfriday – 1,745 followers
@blackfridayweb – 1,024 followers
@dealnewsbf – 723 followers
@blackfriday_org – 2,185 followers
@blackfriday_fm – 3,282 followers

Don’t forget to follow yours truly! @IOGEAR

Black Friday 2009 on FaceBook

For all of you FaceBookers out there, here are the fan pages you need to join:

Black Friday – 95,053 fans
BlackFriday.info – 202,376 fans
BFAds – 77,893 fans
Black Friday Ads – 6,091 fans
Black Friday Savings – 1,458 fans
Black Friday Deals – 732 fans
TGIBlackFriday – 2,677 fans

While you are taking a break from all of those fantastic deals, be sure to join our FaceBook fan page.

IOGEAR Products

Looking for Great Deals on IOGEAR Goodies? Check out the Black Friday deals some of our re-sellers are offering:

Target – IOGEAR products – Black Friday Deals
Wal-Mart – IOGEAR products – Black Friday Deals
Staples – IOGEAR products – Black Friday Deals
Best Buy – IOGEAR products – Black Friday Deals
OfficeMax – IOGEAR products – Black Friday Deals

What deals are you hungry to find? Have you found any awesome IOGEAR product deals? Do you have any resources we should add to our list? Share them with us at our FaceBook page or here on your comments.

A recent survey* commissioned by IOGEAR shows that interest in watching Internet video on a TV continues to grow.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents stated they would consider getting rid of their cable or satellite subscription in favor of using a product to connect their PC and Internet to the TV. Forty six percent might consider the option and only 16 percent said no.

Nearly 50 percent of survey respondents said they spend between $50-$100 on monthly cable or satellite subscriptions. Thirty five percent spend more than $100. If there were a more affordable option to getting your favorite content, how many of you would end a long-term cable or satellite relationship?

Fifty percent of those surveyed said they currently watch between 0-2 hours of video each week on their computer. Thirty percent watch 3-5 hours and nearly 20 percent of people watch 6+ hours of video on their computers each week.

As these numbers continue to grow, it is obvious that a fundamental shift in the cable / satellite TV industry must occur. The cable and satellite TV industry has always assumed that the more content they give the consumer, the more they can charge, the happier we are.  With the busy schedules we all keep now, flipping through 400+ channels to find something actually worth watching can be a chore unto itself.

Utilizing new technologies that provide high quality video streaming over the Internet users can now watch the shows they want, when they want to.  For a minimal cost for hardware up front, often less then a few months’ worth of cable bills, the elimination of the traditional TV is becoming more of a reality.

Cheers,

The IOGEAR team

*The survey of 2,812 people was conducted by LAPTOP Magazine.

Quarter One for 2009 is coming to an end and it’s been an exciting ride thus far in the computer hardware sector.  With computers being such integral parts in our everyday lifestyle, innovations shining through are getting harder to find.  Here’s a roundup of the best, and a look to what the future may bring.

Today’s Innovations

LaCie iamaKey USB Flash Drive.  Why did it take this long to make a flash drive, commonly called key ring drives, to actually be made of metal and be shaped like a key?  Sure many flash drives can be added to a key ring but they are a bit too bulky and often break apart within a few weeks.  5.5 Designers created this flash drive to be made entirely of metal and it carries a full 2-year warranty.  4GB and 8GB models are available with prices starting at less than $20.

Dymo DiscPainter brings a whole new world of wow to your discs.  The art on a CD or DVD is a dying art, but it doesn’t need to be.  When you burn photos or music to disc for a friend, don’t write on the pre-printed label with a market; use plain white discs and the DiscPainter to create a visually stunning presentation.  This is great for personal or professional use and provides quality second to none.

MSI introduces the Wind Top AE1900, the new line of NetTops, or all-in-one computers.  With a 19” 16:9 monitor and enough processing power to handle all needs, it also sports Bluetooth, 1.3MP web cam, Wi-Fi and a built in card reader.  The AE1900 uses 80% less energy than a traditional desktop, while saving you desk space at the same time.  This elegant new computer is leading the back in the crossover sector of Netbooks moving to Desktops, the NetTop.

Stealth’s LPC-625F Fanless Mini PC might just be the perfect media center.  With more video content coming online, homes are gearing up for a better way to watch them.  Hooking up your old PC to the family plasma won’t cut it, they are loud, big and can’t be stored nicely anywhere.  Stealth’s answer is the bring a Core 2 Duo powered computer in a fanless chassis that holds standard 2.5” SATA drives (up to two), integrated HDMI port for easy connectivity to your TV capable of full HD video playback at 1080p, integrated Gigabit Ethernet (wireless is optional), 7.1 Realtek audio and up to 4GB of memory, all packed inside a tiny aluminum chassis.  Hiding this in your media cabinet or behind the TV shouldn’t be a problem.

IOGear Wireless USB Audio/Video Kit makes hooking the family computer or laptop up to the TV so painless even grandma could do it. Watch anything on your hard drive or streaming over the Internet on your TV that’s up to 30’ away in full 720p resolution.  No more running specialized cables every time you want to watch a Hulu or YouTube video on your TV. This product is available to consumers late Q2.

Future Innovations

jMac and jMac Pro Tower are the next generation computers from Apple.  After running out of products to be created with the standardized “i” that Apple has become so famous for, they’ve moved to the next letter in the alphabet.  This new line will feature AMD powered offerings with a standard 16GB of ram for the jMac and 32GB for the Tower.  2TB solid state hard drives will be standard with an option to upgrade to 10TB by early summer.

Nintendo PowerGlove real world Windows powered PC.  Modeled closely after the iconic PowerGlove introduced for the original NES, this new version will offer an Intel Core Trio powered, 4GB RAM and 32GB SSD hard drive all crammed inside the glove.  Wearers will be able to do all normal computer tasks within a 100’ range of their monitors.  Corporate board meetings once filled with half asleep executives and their laptops will be replaced with the same individuals flailing their arms around, controlling the mouse, typing and communicating.  No official word on what function the middle finger will serve.

Self Stick Bluetooth speakers.  These next generation computer speakers are 12” x 12” and about the same thickness as a piece of construction paper and transparent to boot!  An advanced glue technology allows them to stick to nearly anything and be removed without damage to walls, glass or even people.  A built in Bluetooth device receives music from any computer tied to it and broadcasts it without wires.   These super slim speakers utilize whatever they are stuck to as the woofers to generate sound.

No-scratch Laptop.  In a joint effort, Apple has teamed up with a Swiss designer to start production of plastic based laptops that don’t scratch.  This new polymer is also touted to not stain under the palms or on the white keys from excessive use.  Apple is in talks with Dell, HP and several others to license the technology to them as well.  Several makers of laptop “skins” or protective devices are contemplating a lawsuit, since it will essentially make their over-priced products totally unneeded.  Apple said they started to look into this after the 10 millionth Macbook rolled off the lines, ironically it was the same day the received their 9 million, 999 thousand, 998’th complaint email about how easily their products scratch.

Moving forward, the second quarter promises to bring advances in video cards, internal and external storage options and larger, less power hungry monitors.  Should continue to be an exciting 2009!

…

If you believed our future innovations… well just look at the date this was posted (April 1)

After providing a solution for your wire clutter problems on a previous post, we found great interest on the topic; judging from the amount of web traffic sent to that blog post. Here, we expand on the idea of de-cluttering with 4 ways to help move towards a de-cluttered digital life.

1. Wireless VGA – Connecting to your display wirelessly

Whether you are giving a presentation or watching a movie on your computer through a projector at home, you can finally put away that extra long VGA cord. This handy device not only reduces clutter, but adds at least ten points to your coolness factor . Learn more from the video.

2. Use Existing Wires

Using the existing electrical power lines in your home or business you can do some amazing things:

-       Stream music to any room, a great way to create a holiday atmosphere

-       Network your computers without a degree in Computer science

-       Extend a Wi-Fi network to the furthest part of your home or business

3. KVM – Easy Switching and File Sharing Between Two Computers

If you have a PC and a laptop on your desk, a KVM switch will reduce the clutter on your desk while allowing you to control both computers with the same keyboard, video display and mouse.

4. Portable Media Server – Free Your Photos, Songs and Movies

Getting photos, songs and movies to play from your PC onto a TV, HDTV or display usually means hauling a computer around and dealing with a mess of cables. With the Portable Media Server, not only do you eliminate the need to lug a PC around to enjoy your content, you can take your entertainment on the road!

What are your favorite tips for de-cluttering your digital life?