For those of you who are actually out shopping for Christmas gifts, here is a list of tech items to consider, buy or avoid. It’s offered by Lance Ulanoff of PC Mag.com.

Among the things to buy:

• Apple iPhone 3G or RIM BlackBerry Bold:
  For people without my virtual typing handicap, the Apple iPhone 3G is the ultimate, do-anything pocket device. On the other hand, if you have to have a keyboard, go with the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9000.
• An E-Book Reader:
  I’m encouraged that the new Sony Reader Digital Book supports gestures, but they forgot to add wireless content download. Meanwhile, the Amazon Kindle’s update, if leaked photos are to be believed, looks as if it’s moving in the wrong direction. Even so, I love the technology, and if you’re a serious reader, then there is no better solution for travel.
• Spore:
  Enough, already with the moaning about DRM. Spore is a game for your entire family, and it’s so vast that you’ll all be playing for hours and hours and hours. Plus, it runs nicely on pretty much any new PC-no killer graphics capabilities required (though, they can improve the graphics quite a bit if you have them).

And things to avoid:

• A Big Old Box:
  Large, old-school desktop PCs are a blight in almost any room of the house. The Jurassic-age BTX-size case designs are relics of the 20th century that need to die. If you do want a somewhat traditional system, take a look at some of the mini boxes offered by HP (its Slimline series) and at the Apple Mac mini.
• Do-Nothing Gadgets:
  I hate desktop tchotchkes that look pretty or funny but have no discernible utility. This includes the WowWee Chatterbots-desktop toys that comment on your computer-based actions-and all Hasbro I-Dogs, I-Penguins, I-Ducks (wait, they haven’t released a duck version-yet), which add piddling speakers to your MP3 players and dance. Useless.
• Grand Theft Auto IV Knockoffs:
  I’m not a big fan of GTA4. The violence and misogyny are just too much for me. But if you’re going to go for that kind of game, get the original and keep walking past blatant rip-offs like Saints Row 2.