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 Linda Thomas
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Linda is the morning news anchor and features reporter for KIRO Radio. This is her local news blog, with an emphasis on social media, technology, Northwest companies, education, parenting, and anything else that grabs her attention.

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Consumer.jpg
The average holiday shopper will spend $749.51 on gifts, up slightly from the $740.57 they actually spent last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The majority of that amount will be spent on electronics. (AP photo)

Which tablet, smartphone or laptop should you buy?

November 21, 2012 @ 11:30 am (Updated: 7:10 am - 11/23/12 )

Consumer electronics are once again at the top of just about every holiday wish list. But with so many choices, what do you buy?

Technology takes the top 1, 2, 3, and 4 spots of the most in-demand gifts.

Smarthones, tablet computers, e-readers and laptops are the electronic items most adults want according to Jim Barry with the Consumer Electronics association. They're the ones who put on the huge trade show in January.

"Those really represent mobile electronics - taking our information and our entertainment with us just about anywhere," he says. "Also using these devices even while watching television on a nice, flat panel, big-screen, high-definition screen. More than three quarters of us have another device in our hand when we're watching TV to be on social networks at the same time."

With tablets, the first choice is screen size. The prices are around $200 for a seven-inch screen, and $500 for a 10-inch screen. After you narrow that down, the next decision usually comes down to which operating system you prefer.

"If you're an Apple person, if you have a Mac and an iPhone and all the rest of those, you may very well want to stay with the iPad and you're not going to go wrong with that," Barry says. "If not, Google has the leading operating system with the Android, more than half the smartphones use that, then that's the way to go."

The Consumer Electronics Association recommends the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, the Microsoft Surface, Google's Nexus 7 and Apple's iPad3 and iPad Mini being among the most wanted tablets.

With Smartphones Barry leans toward Samsung products.

"Samsung now has the Galaxy Note which is a five-inch, they have a new one that's 5.5 inch. Some people call that a phablet," he says, "a cross between a phone and a tablet. Odd word."

Microsoft's Windows Phone software is also getting a lot of buzz. The Nokia Lumia 920 is one of Windows Phone 8's flagship phones, the other being HTC's Windows Phone 8X.

Described as "big, bold and beautiful," the Nokia Windows phone adds its own suite of software goodies such as City Lens, Drive + Beta, Maps, and Music.

Laptops are also hot this year, with products like the Lenovo Yoga, a tablet and laptop in one, and the VIZIO Ultrabook.

If you're looking for an e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite allows you to read outside and in the dark.

Cameras used always make the top 5 holiday buying list, not as much anymore.

"Research shows that somewhere around 75 percent or more people are using their phones for taking spontaneous pictures," he says.

For the best in gaming, look no further than the XBox 360 with Kinect and the PlayStation Vita for portable gaming.

By LINDA THOMAS I'm looking forward to holiday shopping, but might skip the mall mania Friday.

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (15)


  • Add A Comment

  • William Lawn wrote...
    phablets
    November 21, 2012 1:04 pm
    don't fit well in pockets
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    I should buy a Chromebook.(I will buy)!
    November 21, 2012 5:28 pm
    Second choice would be a Windows 7 laptop , and put Linux on it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BeenThere wrote...
    November 23rd
    November 21, 2012 9:01 pm
    The new Nexus 10 tablet. Check it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    I have a Chromebook
    November 22, 2012 5:17 am
    And I love it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cdbtx wrote...
    So many choices
    November 22, 2012 8:45 am
    Funny - someone told my wife that her phone was an antique.. even though 1 year ago it was the latest and greatest..

    Time to step back and re-assess my needs.... have to admit.. the surface looks interesting..

    Chromebook - price is right... but have a serious issue with Google, android OS, etc... if you had ANY clue as to how much data they're collecting and what they're doing with it.. you'd run like heck!

    For example - want to know what the overtime bedtime is for kids in Redmond vs Tacoma? Driving habits of those in Bear Creek vs Mill Creek? Hmmmmm.. what are all those people doing at 11pm in Seattle?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Old Timer wrote...
    TABLETS
    November 22, 2012 9:37 am
    When I was at the Verizon store looking at tablets I was told I'd need a bigger data package than I have with my Droid. I have a wireless network at home isn't that all I would need to use at home? Thanks for any help
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jstumbo wrote...
    Verizon is a cellular company/
    November 22, 2012 10:23 am
    So of course they are going to try to get you to up your data package. If you will only be using it at home, then you should not be shopping at Verizon for it. You do not need one that has cellular service, a wifi one will do just fine. Try Best Buy or Fry's or something like that instead. Depending on the phone you have, you may also be able to use your phone for a wifi hotspot if you were away from home. Then you could use your tablet, connect it to your phone the same as you would if you were at home, and use the internet on your tablet while not at home. Some cell companies charge more to use hotspot, but there are also some apps that allow you to turn your phone into a hotspot without having to pay extra to use the data allowance that you are already paying for with your phone data plan.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Here is my $.01 Old Timer
    November 22, 2012 11:42 am
    My wife has an iPad3, I paid extra for the cellular version because I felt like this was a long term device and the extra $$$'s over its life didn't add up much (maybe $130 extra). We got ATT's basic service, it runs $15/month for 250 (or 200, I can't remember) MB's. Now if you are going to stream or surf away from WiFi that is gonna be gone pretty darn fast. However, it is useful for occasionally checking on something when we travel, making hotel reservations and generally doing things away from WiFi when what you are trying to do isn't set up for the tiny smartphone screen. It defaults to known WiFi when in range although my wife does keep the cellular turned off most of the time. We have never gone over 150 MB. Unlike jstumbo, I feel like a cellular version is worth the extra bucks. It has been very handy and works seamlessly with her iPhone using Apple's cloud. I do agree there is no necessity to get it at a cell phone store. I'd shop around, Verizon will be more than happy to activate it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Old Timer wrote...
    Tablets
    November 22, 2012 12:27 pm
    Thank You both for you help.I did see a bunch at Best Buy I'll check them out.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dnbrown wrote...
    A couple of edits
    November 22, 2012 8:46 pm
    Windows 8 is an operating system for PCs, notebooks, and tablets. The new phones from Nokia run on the Windows Phone 8 operating sytem. The motion sensor for Xbox 360 is spelled Kinect. Happy shopping!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TheNewsChick wrote...
    dnbrown
    November 23, 2012 6:23 am
    A couple of thank yous. I didn't write the Windows Phone 8 description very well. It's been updated. Don't know how I misspelled Kinect - we even have the Xbox 360 with Kinect, but my son spends more time looking at it than I do.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    Always wait it out..
    November 23, 2012 7:00 am
    There's only one product catagory that loses its value and depreciates faster than cars and boats: Consumer Electronics. Sold mostly on marketing hype and the people who really believe they "gotta have one".
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • not_anonymous wrote...
    Love my Nexus 7...
    November 23, 2012 9:31 am
    Not infallible, but the bang for buck is far and above anything else.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }