Nothing says “Happy holidays, sweetheart” better than a new digital camera or flat LED television.

OK, so high-tech gadgets and gizmos might cost more than a cardigan or fancy bath soaps, but imagine the look on a loved one’s face when they tear the wrapping off a sleek iPod docking station, Xbox 360 video game console or small netbook computer.

But with a seemingly endless number of products to choose from, picking the right gift can be an intimidating endeavour.

If you need some ideas for some of the year’s best tech, consider one of the following eight tech toys you can purchase right here at The Shopping Channel (and with their Easy Pay option, if you prefer).

And don’t worry, we won’t tell if you decide to keep these gifts for yourself — even if this year you were more naughty than nice!

WHAT’S THE WORD?

Carry hundreds of digital books with you on something thinner than most magazines with the Aluratek Libre eBook Reader ($144.69). Simply connect the Libre to a computer via its USB cable (included) to transfer over downloaded books in a number of formats including ePub, PDF, RTF, TXT, and more. Plus, you can rent books digitally from your local library (read: no more late fees). Along with the ability to adjust font size on its anti-glare screen, the Libre has a built-in MP3 player, therefore you can listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts, too (headphones included). One hundred classic books are also preloaded, plus there are thousands more available at KoboBooks.com.

MINI BUT MIGHTY

This newly designed Dell Inspiron Mini 10 ($299.54 + FREE S&H) is a sleek-looking 10.1-inch netbook built for work or play. Type comfortably on its 92 percent full-sized keyboard, log onto the Internet wirelessly via built-in Wi-Fi and enjoy battery life up to 8 hours between charges. Other features of this Windows 7 Starter Edition-powered netbook includes an Intel Atom processor, 160GB hard drive, memory card reader and USB ports, and built-in webcam for online video chats.

POWER PLAY

Simplify the way you charge up your favourite gadgets with the Powermat ($99.98), a slender black mat you can drop your portable electronics on – such as a smartphone, game system or iPod – and it’ll begin charging up the device wirelessly. Not only does this clean up the clutter in your home or office, but it’s better for the environment as the power is cut off once the device is fully charged. Be sure to pick the right Powermat case to outfit your favourite device ($25 to $47 apiece) for the magic to work.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY

We all know it’s important to back-up your important files – such as irreplaceable photos, camcorder footage, documents and email messages — but not everyone knows how to do it correctly. The Clickfree 1 TB Hard Drive ($164.00) is a convenient gadget for the digital packrat on your gift list. Simply plug the drive into your computer’s USB port and it automatically finds and backs up all your important files for you. That’s right, as its name suggests, you don’t need to click anything at all. By the way, a 1TB drive can store 16,000 hours of music, more than 1,000 hours of video or roughly 320,000 digital photos!

CUT THE CORD

Not all printers are created equal. The HP Photosmart e-All-in-One ($169.98) isn’t just a printer, scanner and copier in one machine — and one that everyone can print to wirelessly in the home – but it’s the first web-enabled printer that lets you print documents or photos from any computer or smartphone outside the home, too. For example, give this present to a less-than-tech-savvy relative and you can email photos of the kids or grandkids, anytime and anywhere, and they’ll have glossy prints in seconds. Built-in apps also let you print Disney colouring books, Sudoku puzzles, recipes, greeting cards, calendars and more.

A TOUCH TOO MUCH

Gift the gift of music (and photos, videos, games and e-books!) with the Apple iPod Touch with Bonuses ($299.16). This 8GB touchscreen media player — which is capable of storing thousands of songs, photos and downloadable applications (”apps”) – synchronizes smoothly with iTunes on your PC or Mac, and also lets you surf the web and pick up email via a Wi-Fi connection. The “bonuses” offered in this bundle include three silicone skins, four screen protectors, a silicone armband, FM transmitter, headphone splitter, extra cables, and more.

PICTURE PERFECT

They say two heads are better than one, so why not two LCD screens? The Samsung Dual Display Digital Camera ($228.98) is the first digital camera with a second LCD screen — and it’s on the front of the camera. This extra 1.4-inch display helps with self-portraits (when taking photos of yourself for, say, Facebook) or it can serve as a countdown timer to let people know when to smile (big numbers count down from 3 to 1). And if you’re snapping pics of young kids, this extra screen can show adorable animation of a juggling clown in order to keep their attention. This black, 12.2-megapixel point-and-shoot camera also features “smart gesture” technology, allowing you to tilt the camera left or right to scroll through your photos.

TAKE SOME DIRECTION

We all know guys don’t like to ask for directions, so perhaps it’s time to invest in a reliable GPS device for the car. The Garmin Nüvi 255W GPS ($139.98) is a 4.3-inch touchscreen nav unit that can give you clear and accurate turn-by-turn directions anywhere in Canada or the U.S. In fact, this model supports text-to-speech technology, therefore you’ll hear spoken street names, too. Craving Chinese food? Need a gas station? This Garmin model ships with more than six million points of interest, so you’ll be able to find nearby restaurants, hotels, bank machines and gas stations. A fitted case is also included.

Marc Saltzman
Technology Expert, Blogger & Journalist

SmartSwipe PC Credit Card Reader is the world’s first personal credit card reader that attaches to your computer and allows you to swipe your card at your PC just like you would at a retail store. This product offers a truly safe online shopping experience. You have been warned - the future of online shopping will include Smart Swipe. Just image a world where you never again expose your credit card number over the internet meaning you never type in anything, you simply swipe, smartly with the SmartSwipe.

Why use SmartSwipe? This answer is very easy friends. You may not know this but there are extremely sophisticated hacker programs waiting to steal your credit card information while you shop online. Sure you have antivirus and programs on your computer that help, but unknowingly, you may download malicious software onto your computer that makes is vulnerable to hackers. Identity theft is all over the news and it’s the number one cybercrime. Avoid being the next statistic adding to the $10.9 million in losses from identity theft (in Canada).

Your SmartSwipe is a plug and play device that is easy to use. Your card information is encrypted and never stored onto your computer. What’s more is that the company has a guaranteed insurance policy for consumers. You need to have a Windows based computer using Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 6 or higher, internet connection and an available USB port.

I recently made an online magazine purchase, and because of SmartSwipe I felt more secure about making the purchase. I will be taking the SmartSwipe with me while travelling because with wireless internet, hacking can occur so I can still make my online purchases but now with peace of mind by using my SmartSwipe.

I am excited to share with you that this product was created by a Canadian and is sold all over the world. It has received excellent reviews all over the world from hundreds of reputable technology reviewers and I am glad that I can showcase this product to you at The Shopping Channel. Watch me present it live this Friday.

Marianthe Mesbouris
The Shopping Channel’s Electronics Expert

Thanks to the ReZap Battery Engineer, we can now recycle our throw-away batteries again and again and again! We can use the ReZap with our regular alkaline batteries, our rechargeable batteries and also to just simply test out the life of our batteries.

This breakthrough technology uses an advanced microprocessor along with proprietary AlkalineMax™ charging technology that senses each battery type, life of the battery, and will deliver the optimum charging cycle to maximize the charging capacity and extend the battery life. Imagine, we can now take our alkaline batteries and extend the life of them up to 15 times. Wow! We can use this product for our rechargeable batteries too and charge them hundreds of times.

There is a bonus being offered in this package and it includes 4 AA to C and D-sized battery converters allowing you to save money and never have to buy C and D-sized batteries again! The ReZap will recharge most household batteries such as: AA, AAA, AAAA, C, D, N, 6V, 9V, and prismatic formats).

In the three short weeks I have owned the ReZap, I have recharged 30 batteries that I was ready to dispose of and I saved approximately $45.00 just by using this product. Once you make the investment in the ReZap Battery Engineer, you will save money on replacement batteries and reduce battery waste. Our environment will thank you.

I’ll be presenting this item live on The Shopping Channel this Friday, be sure to tune in!

Marianthe Mesbouris
The Shopping Channel’s Electronics Expert