'tween $200 and $400

Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Windows Phone 8X

The champion on each platform - $200

Although non-supported prices decease from $450 and up, few populate ever pay this much for their phones. If signing up for a 2-year condense is not an issue there are plenty of devices available at the $200 price point. We'll recommend one for for each one of our tercet preferred platforms. For the Apple faithful the iPhone 5 is a no-brainer. Humanoid fans are spoilt for choice but we'd go for the Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC Droid NDA over the new Nexus 4 (on-contract) expected to LTE support. On the Windows in advance, it's a close call between the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X -- Nokia has a slight butt on in specs simply we like HTC's design.

Link 7 / iPad miniskirt

The combat for the 7-in market is on - $200

Like last year, tablets are expected to be a hot item this holiday season, but now there are to a greater extent and much better options at lower price points. At $200, the Nexus 7 offers a good blend of performance, substitute and a price that North Korean won't upset your notecase. Its screen is bright and laconic, it has a beefy quadriceps femoris-core Tegra 3 processor, and should receive timely Osmium updates. That's our top choice for Android tablets -- not just affordable ones -- merely you power as wel want to look into the Kindle Fire HD ($199) and Link 10 ($399). On the opposite side of the fence, the iPad now starts at $330 -- the 7.9-inch mini strain, that is. The build quality is top pass, and while it lacks Apple's Retina reveal, the overall user experience and app selection is the identical.

Enthusiast-Grade Graphics Card

The backbone of all PC gaming rig - $240

There are few parts as essential to gaming as a comely graphics plug-in. You backside get by with an old disc drive, a dated processor and a modest amount of memory, but you'll take a reasonably high-level-last GPU to play Bodoni font PC games on max quality with 60 frames per second or more. That isn't to suppose you need to spend a fortune, even so, arsenic both Nvidia and AMD offer mid-chain card game that'll manhandle virtually of now's titles. Assuming the gamer in your life hasn't upgrade their GPU recently, the GeForce GTX 660 Ti or Radeon HD 7870 ought to be a safe buy.

Off-contract Google Link 4

High-altitude-end specs, low Price, no strings attached - $300

Whatsoever globetrotters connected your list? The LG-made Link 4 is a rightful world telephone that's sold without the nuisance of a contract at a Price that won't break the rely. Information technology's only $300 or $350 for the 8GB or 16GB model, as opposed to $600 or much for today's high-end phones if you give notice uncovering them off contract, and since it comes unlocked you'll be able to perplex a cheaper or pre-paid plan preferably than lockup yourself into ii years of overpriced spokesperson and data. Specs are about on equation with today's top performing phones except for the lack of LTE and microSD expansion. On the upside, it runs a clean physical body of Mechanical man 4.2 Gelatin Bean and as Google's flagship phone it bequeath get software updates before some other Android device.

AR Pilotless aircraft 2.0

Unagitated toy. Adults use. - $300

The Parrot Are Drone 2.0 is hands down the coolest remote possessed dally you can bargain this vacation mollify. It's a smartphone or tab controlled quadrocopter with a 720p camera for aerial video and photography (aka spying on your neighbors) that can take its cold-eyed share of bumps, knocks and crashes thanks to its lightweight foam and carbon construction. It can fly adequate 165 feet away, keep up a still position in everyone's thoughts, and offers both basal and high piloting options. Unluckily, the battery only lasts between 15-20 minutes per point, though you can buy free ones for $40. Look into out a selection of AR Drone flight videos from real users to get a better sense of what this efficacious toy can do.

3M Streaming Projector Powered by Roku

A big screen that fits in your hand - $300

This pico projector is small plenty to fit in your handwriting but can still transmit images to a wall or projection screen up to 120-inches across. What's more, it's bundled with a Roku Streaming Stick so you can current online content from services alike Netflix, Hulu Positive, Virago Trice, Pandora and more spell enjoying a big-screen cinema experience anywhere you have a Wi-Fi signal. The 3M Streaming Projector offers a brightness of 60 lumens and 800 x 480 WVGA resolution. It won't challenge a full fledged HD projector by whatever means but the convenience factor for presentations and movies active can't beryllium denied.

High-Resolution 27-Inch IPS Display

More pixels than 737,000 hands could count - $300+

Although the superior colors and viewing angles of IPS panels used to be prohibitively expensive, South Korean outfits possess inundated eBay with many winsome options that cost uncomplete arsenic much as equivalents from Dell, H.P. and Apple. Depending on the vendor and features, 27-in 2560x1440 IPS displays can be had for as weensy as $300 shipped. Given, abroad eBay merchants aren't exactly notable for their quality goods or reliable service, only many common people including our possess DivideByZero have vouched for displays from Achieva and Yamakasi.

Have more tech indue ideas than the ones listed here? Military post them in the comments, we'll consider altogether your suggestions to let in them along this guide until the end of the year.