by Rachel Knowles

Created on: December 03, 2010

The trouble with new technology is that it tends to carry a big price tag. But there are some great gift ideas out there for tech lovers costing under $100.

Internet tablet

The Apple iPad may be outside of your budget, but the Android alternative is more affordable. Archos have developed a range of tablets starting at under $100. These tablets allow high speed browsing on the Internet and email via Wi-Fi as well as home streaming from a PC. They offer a good range of Android tools and applications including music player, video player, photo gallery and games, all operated by finger or stylus on the touch screen.

Graphics tablet

For the more creative tech lover, a graphics tablet is a great option. Wacom’s Bamboo range of tablets is very versatile, allowing the user to add handwritten notes, sketches and doodles and incorporate them into emails, pictures and presentations. Compatible with popular graphics programs such as Photoshop, Art Rage and Inkscape, this is also an excellent way to edit photographs. They work with any operating system and different models use touch or pen, with the latest model offering the choice of either with smooth transition between them.

Micorder

The Micorder portable MP3 recorder from Olens Technology is a brand new device which records high definition audio from any stereo output and writes it as an MP3 file to an SD card. The beauty of this machine is that it plugs into any audio device, enabling you to transfer music from vinyl or tapes to MP3 player with ease. It is available for sale in the US at around $80.

Mobile WiFi connection

A personal, portable Wi-Fi connection is a great gift for a tech lover on the move. A mobile Wi-Fi connection, such as the MiFi by Novatel, allows you to connect different Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet simultaneously and get fast Internet speeds with no wires and no need to find a Wi-Fi hot-spot.

Eye-Fi card

This is a wireless SD memory card that is capable of uploading photos to the web without the need for wires. The 8GB Eye-Fi Explore - available for around $99 - automatically uploads photos and videos to sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube via a wireless network or Wi-Fi hot-spot.

Ergonomic mouse

This is a very practical gift for a computer user – a mouse that adapts to the user’s own hand movements to relieve the strain on their hands and wrists, enabling it to be used comfortably for long periods of time.

External hard drive

Hardly the most exciting present, but guaranteed to be a life-saver in the case of computer failure. In these days of digital photography, it is essential to have a back-up of your photos and providing a loved one with the gift of an external hard drive may just save them from tears in the future. There are loads of external hard drives on the market to choose from made by, for example, Kanguru, Seagate and Buffalo.

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