Grade A gifts for grads

By Kim Komando
Gannett News Service

Graduation season is near so here are five high-tech gift suggestions for young people on your list:

Shopping list

Apple iPod digital music player, $299-$499

Panasonic GU-87 camera phone, $299 with service from AT&T Wireless

Gateway 200 laptop PC, $1999

FujiFilm FinePix 3800 digital camera $332

Palm Tungsten C personal digital assistant, $499

There are scads of digital units around. A three-megapixel camera, which captures images that can be printed up to 8-by-10 inches, works well for most non-professionals. Look for a model that has a 3X or higher optical zoom and that can record short videos with audio. Cameras in this class include the FujiFilm FinePix 3800 ($332, www.fujifilm.com), the Kodak DX4330 ($299, www.kodak.com) and the Olympus Camedia C-740 Ultra Zoom ($500, www.olympus.com).

For less money, a two-megapixel camera is still a fine choice. It will produce prints up to 5-by-7 inches. In this area, the Canon PowerShot A60 ($249, www.canon.com) and the Nikon Coolpix 2100 ($249, www.nikonusa.com) should please your graduate.

If your grad already has a digital camera, consider add-ons. Most digital cameras usually include a low-capacity memory card, but a larger card — 128-megabytes (MB) or more — is a great gift starting at about $50. Add a carrying case and some rechargeable batteries and the package is complete.

An up-to-date computer

This is a great time to buy an new computer. Expect to pay less than $1,000 for a desktop, a little more for a laptop.

In a desktop, you'll want to buy a unit with a 2.4-gigahertz (GHz) Intel Pentium 4 processor or an AMD Athlon 2400+ chip. The system also should include 256 MB of memory, a recordable and rewritable CD drive (CD-RW), and a 60-gigabyte (GB) or larger hard drive. If your grad already has a monitor, you probably don't need to buy another.

In a laptop, look for a model with at least a 2GHz Intel or AMD processor, 256MB of memory, a CD-RW drive and 30GB hard drive. The system you buy should include Windows XP Home or Professional.

Macintosh computers also are worth a look. Their processor speeds are lower, but they operate about as fast as Windows machines. Macs should be configured with similar specifications for memory and hard disk space as Windows PCs.

Comparably equipped models probably will cost a bit more than a similar Windows unit.

Digital music player

If you listen to research from the recording industry, your grad is probably downloading tunes, so he or she will want a portable MP3 player. Look for one with at least 20GB of storage, which is enough for more than 5,000 MP3 songs.

Apple's acclaimed iPod ($299 to $499, www.apple.com), which works with both Macs and Windows, holds 5 to 20GB, depending on the model. Creative Technology's Nomad Jukebox III ($300, www.nomadworld.com) is also a 20GB player.

Size is important. You'll want a player that can easily fit in a pocket or backpack pouch. The iPod is smaller and lighter than the Nomad. Plus, the iPod offers 20 minutes of anti-shock protection that prevents skipping. The Nomad has only 5 minutes.

A personal digital assistant (PDA)

A PDA will help keep your grad organized. These powerful little computers are easily distinguished by their operating systems and prices.

Systems that use the Palm operating system are the most popular, so there's a lot of software for them. The Palm handwriting recognition system, used for entering text on the screen with a stylus, is less than intuitive. Pocket PC 2002 devices are the alternative to Palms. They are easy for Windows users to learn because their operating system is a cut-down version of Windows. Not as much Pocket PC software is available, but all the basics are covered well, so this isn't a big handicap. Pocket PCs also sport easier-to-use handwriting recognition.

Under-$300 PDAs will give the graduate adequate memory to store phone numbers and some programs. Units that cost more than $300 often have built-in extras, such as digital cameras or wireless capabilities.

A way to call home

It's confusing to find the right calling plan. Telebright (www.telebright.com) makes the chore easy. Enter your ZIP code to get a list of providers in your area. Then, check up to three boxes to see a side-by-side comparison.

A calling plan isn't much good without a cell phone. Phones have to be matched with a plan. Many plans offer free or inexpensive phones as part of the deal.

But your graduate may expect more. You can get a nice phone with an Internet browser for about $100. Want a camera in the phone? Plan to spend $350 or more. Buy it with a plan, though, and you may save as much as $250. Sony Ericsson's small T300, for example, is only $100, with a new contract from T-Mobile (www.tmobile.com).