You, yes, YOU can be like the girl who saved Christmas.  You can be smart, savvy, suave and with it.  YOU can buy your loved one(s) the perfect Holiday gift and allow them to relive the happy moments over and over again.

What do you have to do, you ask?  Simple – buy the right digital camera, with the right cables and software, and then just sit back and bask in the glory that is all you.  Provided…that is, that you get the right camera and follow some basic photography rules.

Say Cheese..!

I’ve got Part 4 of my Holiday Buyer’s Guide done and up on iTechgear.org.  You can check it out here.

I saw a blog posting from my friend, Ed Bott on ZDNet this morning indicating that the Office Genuine Advantage program has been officially retired. While, according to the article, this took other MS related programs and personnel by surprise, this is a boon to Office users everywhere.  You can now go online and download plug-ins, templates, and other related content for Office without having to verify your product code via Microsoft’s anti-piracy program.

Please note that the

change doesn’t affect Office activation, which still requires a 25-character product key and direct contact with Microsoft’s activation servers. It also doesn’t affect Windows validation, which is apparently alive and well and is still required for some downloads, such as Microsoft Security Essentials.

OGA dialog from Office 2007…

I love the Holidays. I love spending time with family, eating, watching professional football a couple times a week, and most of all, the sense of fun and anticipation in the air when my kids see Santa in the stores. Watching them, I can’t help but turn into a kid again myself.  I do get into the Holiday spirit as much as I can.  I also get a little on the giddy side when it comes to looking at the Holiday sales fliers and usually drool over all of the cool tech offers.

We’ve spent a little time looking at tech gifts for your loved ones this Holiday Season.  We’ve looked at both Computer Hardware and Computer Software.  Now its time to take a quick look at Cool Gadgets and Electronics! There are a lot of cool things available this year – smartphones, tablets, and computing accessories that can add to and round out your Holiday computing experience. Let’s take a look at some of the stuff out there right now.

Ho-ho-ho!

In Part 3 of my 2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide, I cover some really cool gadgets and accessories.  You can check it out on iTechGear.org!

Last time, we took a good look at some computer hardware that might be a nice holiday gift for someone on your gift list.  While a tablet purchase is almost certainly on everyone’s radar, I know that standard desktop and laptop hardware is also a definite possibility, especially for graduating high school seniors going away to college next Fall. 

The big question that is on everyone’s mind is likely – What software do I purchase for my new laptop?  Do I have to stick with the OS that it came with, or can I upgrade it from Windows Vista to Windows 7?  I have a trial version of (pick a Microsoft Office 2007/2010 component) on my hard drive, and I want the whole thing.  What is the easiest way to get that without pirating it? I’m glad you asked, kids, because I’ve got a couple of suggestions that are certain to help you get rid of the bloatware and get to the GOOD software that everyone is craving.

Does this software make me look fat..??

Check out the rest of Part 2 of my 2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide on iTechGear.org!

Every year, I get asked by a number of different people, what computer they should buy their loved one(s) for Christmas (or your end of year holiday of choice).  My answer is never what they expect and never what they think they need, as it starts with a question for them – "What do you/they want to do with the computer?" I almost always get the same response – "Hmmm.  I’m not sure."

Unfortunately, that’s one question you MUST know the answer to. If you don’t know what you (or your loved ones) want to do, buying the right PC for your/their needs is going to be harder than it might be if you knew what they wanted to do.  Good thing, though – unless you have a specific need that you need special hardware for (like a gaming PC), most people want to do the same things:

1. Surf the Internet (Facebook and its online games (farming…!)
2. Take, process and share family photos
3. Manage their music and off-line video collection
4. Send and receive e-mail/ Update social networking status

Other than the above, unless, as I said, you’re wanting to do something specific with your computer that requires specialized hardware, such as play processor and graphics adapter intensive games, buying the RIGHT PC is pretty easy; and for most (at least in this economy) price is usually the biggest driver. As such, I’ve pulled together the following holiday suggestions for desktops, note books and netbooks as well as tablets to help everyone out.  Let’s take a quick look and see what is available for everyone.

Check out the rest of part 1 of my 2010 Holiday Buyer’s Guide on iTechGear.org!