Gift Guide #3 - iPods

The portable music device has become a mainstay in our society.  The Apple iPod represents the most popular version but there are others.  Do you know someone getting one of these devices this holiday season?  Here are a few ideas of gifts that will be sure to please.

The obvious first choice is music.  Also, if the device they are receiving plays video you could also include movies, music videos and TV shows.  But how do you pick which ones to buy?  In this category, gifts cards are not only the best way to go, they are the only way to go.  iTunes is probably the easiest service to buy gift cards for.  Many retailers including big box electronics stores and even grocery stores carry them.  But there are other services.  Be careful though.  If the person receiving the music player has never had one and the device is not an iPod, there is no way to tell which service they will end up using.

Now that we covered but to put in the player, we can discuss what to put the player in.  Most people prefer to carry their portable player in some type of case.  For this, it would be helpful to know what the person is going to be doing while using the player.  Walking to school, jogging, working out, driving or working; there are cases for each of these activities.

Probably the most overlooked gift is a good set of headphones or external speakers.  Most portable music players ship with pretty crappy headphones (and the iPod is no exception).  The make one of these devices really shine requires a decent set of headphones.  The is also the option of purchasing external speakers but beware, a cheap set of speakers will sound, well, cheap.  And a decent set with good sound quality can cost almost as mush as the player itself.