With temperatures dropping and the sun disappearing early in the day, no doubt your thoughts have begun to center around the holiday season and what gifts would stamp smiles on the faces of your loved ones.  As stores stock a wide range of toys, electronics and gadgets (wide in both diversity and quality) in preparation for the holiday rush, choosing the best gear for your money can be a daunting task. Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting work and compiled a definitive list of gadgets that will make just about anyone a happy camper.

The following items aren’t listed in order of appeal, price, or any other criteria.  Consider the list a round look at a diverse range of techie toys that should fit many budgets.

1. Touch-screen cell phones

Unlike many holiday seasons of the past, this one occurs in a time in which having the latest, greatest and sexiest handsets is of great importance to many consumers.  Many bloggers and gadget authorities are citing the iPhone 3G as the most desirable handset this holiday season, but I think that’s a bit short-sighted.  After all, virtually no handsets are available on every cellular carrier, and I could name of dozens of people who refuse to switch to AT&T simply because the carrier offers one of the more appealing touchscreen handsets on the market.

But even though the iPhone was, at least last holiday season, the undisputed ruler of the touchscreen market, the seasons have (both literally and metaphorically) changed.  The following touchscreen handsets are all competitive, but most importantly, they account for the four leading cellular carriers in the U.S., so you don’t have to worry about switching carriers to appease the phone geek you love.

- iPhone 3G – I would be remiss, I think, to not begin this list with the iPhone 3G.  Though there are competitors, many still feel that Apple’s revolutionary handset still has the most appeal and value of the bunch.  I’m not aiming to make this holiday list a spec breakdown, but it is important to note that the iPhone 3G might be the best example of matching simplicity with functionality. The recently-added Apps store completely opened the device’s potential, and users will have a host of fun and productive applications to make the iPhone a completely personalized device.

Available exclusively on AT&T, the iPhone 3G costs a reasonable $199 for the 8-Gb model with a new 2-year contract.

- Blackberry Storm – Just recently announced for Big Red (Verizon Wireless), the Storm is more than just another competitor of the iPhone 3G.  In my opinion, the Storm will be vastly more appealing to business and power users looking to couple touch-screen technology with the age-old Blackberry functionality and quality.  Though slightly pricier, the features of the Storm will doubtless result in many units being sold this holiday season.

The Blackberry Storm will be available on Verizon Nov. 21for the attractive price of $199 with a new 2-year contract.

- HTC Touch Diamond – Though Sprint has struggled recently with various issues, ranging from customer service issues to network difficulties, it has managed to secure one very appealing touchscreen handset to lure in potential new users and retain those who might otherwise have looked elsewhere for leading handset technology.  The Touch Diamond, a creation by respected industry leader HTC, boasts the impressive TouchFLO 3D graphical user interface resting on a solid Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system.  The TouchFLO 3D is arguably the most attractive interface, next to the iPhone’s, on the market, and allows users to enjoy various forms of media in a simple and fun way.

The Touch Diamond is available for $249 on the Sprint network with a new two-year contract.

- HTC/Google G1 – Critics and consumers have been in a frenzy over Google’s much anticipated addition to the touch-screen handset market, the T-Mobile G1.  The G1 claims to deliver the real internet, a powerful and customizable interface, and most significantly, a full-sized QWERTY keyboard in a small and portable form factor.  Some feel that the G1 has the most potential to match the success of the iPhone.  The G1 is also one of a few phones that operate on T-Mobile’s newly rolled-out 3G network, and many authorities believe T-Mobile’s 3G network is superior to that of GSM competitor AT&T’s data service.

The T-Mobile G1 is available for $179 with a new 2-year contract.

It has doubtless occurred to many of you that giving away cell phones isn’t something you can necessarily do for friends, unless you plan on paying the exorbitant full listing price for out-of-contract purchases.  I would recommend a new handset for someone in your immediate family, as you can save yourself quite a few bucks by purchasing new handsets on accounts that are ready for contract extensions.

2. Tom-Tom GPS navigation system - Much of what I will include in this list is available at heavily-discounted prices on black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.  If you don’t mind spending a few hours in the bitter cold, it is well worth your time to take advantage of the low prices that stores offer.  The Tom-Tom, an easy-to-use navigation system with no monthly service charge, is being offered for the low price of $99 at Circuit City (normally $199).  If you don’t have a GPS system, you might not understand how handy having such a unit can be, especially for those that commute to work daily.  Having a Tom-Tom means you can avoid that nasty traffic jam, rest assured that you won’t get lost on those long road trips, and have turn-by-turn directions to that all-important client meeting.

3. Sandisk 4 Gb Micro-SD Expansion Card – This little storage card goes nicely with those cell phones that don’t come stacked with high-capacity storage drives.  Most touch-screen handsets or higher-end media-centric phones come with less than 1 Gb storage capacity, and expansion cards are valuable to those who like storing songs, videos, pictures and more in large quantities on their mobile devices.  You can get the Sandisk 4 Gb Micro-SD card for $14 on Black Friday at Radioshack, a savings of over $50.

4. Western Digital 750 Gb external HDD – Nowadays, what with all the media that is available on the internet, having ample storage is a necessity.  Unlike days of old, mass storage comes cheap, and the Western Digital 750 Gb HDD provides .75 Terabytes of storage for only $88 on Black Friday, available at Target.

5. Playstation 3 Bundle – Though just about everyone has been spewing praises of the Nintendo Wii, I’m going in a different direction, recommending Sony’s Playstation 3 as the best all-around choice for gaming and media entertainment.  The Wii, as far as I’m concerned, is a half-hearted attempt to lure in the “casual gamers,” but it lacks many of the features that take a gaming system from being just that, and to being an all-out entertainment center.  The Playstation 3, normally priced at $399, comes equipped with 80 Gb of storage for music, videos, games, game demos and more, and a Blu-Ray player for the ultimate in high-definition media entertainment (and which upscales normal DVDs to near-HD quality), access to free online demos and gameplay (unlike the Xbox 360).  With the PS3’s Wi-Fi, you eliminate the need for cumbersome cables, and can access photos, movies and music stored on computers networked within your home.  PS3 Dual-Shock 3 controllers are completely wireless, continuing the theme of wireless entertainment, but they don’t require replacement batteries (something the Xbox cannot claim).  All things considered, the PS3 is the best console for the money on the market.

In regards to “casual gaming,” I would argue that the PS3 is delivering some of the most fun and simple games with the most impressive graphics on the market, which the casual gamer can pick up and enjoy for countless hours.  Titles like LittleBigPlanet deliver the simple fun that was once associated with Super Mario, and downloadable titles like PixelJunk Eden offer unique and creative gameplay in an immersive musical experience.

On Black Friday only, consumers can get the Playstation 3, along with Blu-Ray title “Casino Royale” and fun game “Ratchet and Clank: Future” for the normal listing price of the PS3, $399.  That’s the best deal you’ll find this Black Friday on the most powerful and rounded gaming system on the market.

6. Dual-Shock 3 PS3 Controller – This goes hand-in-hand with the previous recommendation of the Playstation 3, but if you are currently a PS3 owner, or plan on picking one up on Black Friday, this should be a no-brainer.  The Dual-Shock 3 controller, normally $55, is available at RadioShack for $29.  The Playstation 3 only comes with 1 controller, so picking up a second or third unit would be in your best interests.

7. Westinghouse 37″ LCD 720p HDTV – If you haven’t watched football or a movie on a large HD set, you really haven’t lived.  Westinghouse is renowned for delivering high-quality picturing at a reasonable price, and right now on Buy.com, you can get this set for $550 with free shipping, normally listed at $1500.  Though the Westinghouse is a monitor (not a TV with a built-in receiver), those of you who have cable or satellite boxes will be just fine with enjoying television programming.  This is a great match with your new PS3!

8. iPod Nano – Many internet sites are listing the iPod Nano’s larger cousin, the iPod Touch, as the ultimate portable media device this holiday season.  If you’re planning on using your iPod mostly for video entertainment or Wi-Fi web browsing, those sites would be right.  However, if your main usage of an iPod is to listen to music on the road, at the gym or on your lunch break at work, the Nano is a much more compact and inexpensive option.  An 8 Gb Nano runs $150, but you can get a 16 Gb Nano for just $50 more, at $199.  In my opinion, that’s more than enough storage for those long runs or car rides.

9. Blu-Ray discs – High-def is the name of the game for media entertainment this holiday season, and with one-time competing format HD-DVD dead and gone, Blu-Rays are in high demand.  Though new and popular Blu-Rays are usually a bit pricey, costing upwards of $30, you will be able to find various Blu-Ray discs ranging from $8 to $15 dollars on Black Friday.  Doubtless, many retailers will offer competitive deals on the most popular titles closer to Christmas.

10.  Kodak Wi-Fi 8″ Digital Picture Frame – This last little gadget is the wild card of the bunch, but it certainly has a lot of appeal.  If you’d like a way to showcase your photographs of loved ones and special memories, a Wi-Fi enabled picture frame is the ticket.  Kodak’s picture frame will display images stored on your computer anywhere in your house, free of wires, for $199.

There you have it, a comprehensive list of the most popular and desireable gadgets for the 2008 holiday season.  Ranging in price and use, each and every electronic device listed above will make those to whom you give each gift very happy, indeed.

Related:

Choosing the right photo printer

How to buy a budget digital camcorder – our top picks

Buying guide: what touch screen phone to buy in 2009

Buyer’s guide to Blu-ray players to help clear up the confusion

Buying guide: how to buy a low-cost subnotebook – Asus EeePC, Everex Cloudbook, or HP Mini-Note 2133?

Entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 2:00 am under Apple, Buying guide, GPS navigators, LCD monitors.

Read more entries by Triston McIntyre.