Holiday Gift Guide

Tweens will dig electronic gadgets

Gretchen McKay

December 12, 2007 — The limited edition Hines Ward MotoRAZR V3a

When kids are little, it's fairly easy to figure out what holiday gifts will put a smile on their faces: Just wander the aisles at Toys R Us. But it's a bit trickier when your child reaches his or her tween years. Instead of toys, it's suddenly all about the latest electronic and digital gadgets.

Chances are the Apple iPhone is on your kids' wish list this year (www.apple.com/iphone) and really, who could blame them? One of the hottest electronic products ever, it works not just as a cell phone but also as an iPod and wireless Internet browser. At $399, though, it may be a bit too pricey.

A less expensive alternative is the Samsung Juke ($130 with a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless or $80 if purchased online; www.samsungjuke.com). This switchblade-like "swivel" phone includes 2 GB of memory dedicated to music, along with a VGA night camera, speaker phone and personal organizer with calendar, calculator, alarm clock and stop watch.

Enable your hyper-texing teen to take it to new levels with the two-keypad Pantech duo smartphone from AT&T (www.pantechduo.com). Sliding the phone up vertically reveals a numerical dialpad, and sliding it horizontally unleashes an alphabetical one. It also comes with music and video services. Cost: $100 after applicable rebates this holiday season.

Perhaps your little talker is also a die-hard Steelers fan. If so, Santa will score with the limited-edition Hines Ward MotoRAZR V3a phone from Cricket Wireless (www.mycricketpittsburgh.com; 412-403-0696). The $299 cell is emblazoned with the wide receiver's signature and Steelers logo, and comes with Ward's voice on the ringback tones, wallpaper and a certificate of authenticity. How's this for added cachet: Just 2,000 phones will be sold in the Pittsburgh market. If you already subscribe to Cricket, you can add a Hines Ward ringback tone or wallpaper for $1.99 a month.

As high as a cell phone on most kids' list is the latest portable music player. With Apple's 8GB iPod touch ($299; www.apple.com/ipodtouch)users can listen to music, browse, buy songs and movies from iTunes and even watch YouTube videos.
The Zipit Z2 Wireless Messenger ($150; www.zipitwireless.com) allows teens to instant-message their friends, listen to music and view photos with no monthly fee. All you need is access to a Wi-Fi network and an IM account.

If your child is more of a gamer, you can't miss with RedOctane's "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" for PS3, PS2, Wii and PC Xbox 360 ($90-$100 with the wireless Gibson Les Paul guitar controller, $50 without; www.guitarherogame.com). This wildly popular game allows kids (and their parents) to get their rock star groove on by strumming chords and playing notes on a guitar-shaped controller as the correct notes appear on screen.

And if they'd rather make their own music? The Sony Jam Trax ($20; www.sonycreativesoftware.com) software package comes pre-loaded with more than 600 loops (music samples) that can be mixed and matched and made faster or slower. It also has the ability to record vocals on a microphone attached to your child's PC. Then, keep those sounds from driving you crazy by coupling it with a pair of retro-looking Grado SR60 headphones ($69 at Amazon.com), rated a Consumer Reports best buy. (They also work with iPods and an electric guitar amplifier).

Budding filmmakers or YouTube enthusiasts will appreciate RCA's Small Wonder point-and-shoot digital camcorder ($90-$150, www.mysmallwonder.com). Kids also will get a kick out of the pocket-sized digital keychains. The Royal Digital Picture Keychain ($20 at Bed Bath and Beyond) has a 1.1-inch digital display and holds 56 photos; the slightly larger Digital Foci Pocket Album ($40, www.digitalfoci.com) stores up to 74 photo for manual or slideshow playback on a 1.5-inch screen.

With so many electronic distractions, your kid might have a hard time getting organized each day. You can help by stuffing their stocking with Nagtag bag tag ($20, www.nagtags.com). They create a checklist from a master list of activities and attach the egg-shaped device to their backpack or sports bag.

Gifts that play to your child's more cerebral interests might start with Techno Source's new electronic Rubik's Revolution ($20, www.rubiksrevolution.com). This spin on the classic game includes six strategy- and speed-based games in one cube with lights and sound effects.

They could also include a class at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland. Topics include everything from exploring ancient Egypt to paleontology, archaeology and biotechnology ($8 and up, www.carnegiemnh.org; 412-622-3238). The museum also offers several overnight programs, including a "CSI" adventure that tests kids' sleuthing skills and a backstage look at bugs. The $35 cost includes breakfast and free admission the next day.

Or you might consider "adopting" one of the bones featured in the new Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit in their name as part of the Adopt-A-Bone program (www.adoptabone.org; 412-622-3308). Prices start at $25. The gift comes with name recognition on a plaque in the exhibit hall.

If your child's a reader, personalized book plates from Felix Doolittle ($40 for 25, www.felixdoolittle.com) will keep her well-thumbed library in order. Or further indulge her love of J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis' famous characters with Complete Idiot's Guides to Harry Potter and Narnia (Alpha, $17 each).

For the budding fashionista on your list, a piece of wearable art from G Squared Gallery on East Main Street in downtown Ligonier is sure to please (www. gsquaredgallery.com; 724-238-8083).

The store's many unusual offerings include a circular "what goes around, comes around" sterling silver "Karma" necklace for $49 and a wishbone-shaped "Make A Wish" charm on a 16-inch tobacco silk-thread necklace for $25 (both are crafted by Dogeared). Silver cuff bracelets by GK Designs emblazoned with inspirational words like "peace" and "love" cost $41.