a) ——_ @er e~" eer ea- @c oe~ oe cer eer e (0 Top Holiday Shopping Tips for Finding The Perfect High-Tech Gift (NAPSA)—From your uncle who is obsessed with home improvement to your sister-in-law who just took up cooking, friends and family can be as varied as snowflakes. This year, many of the most desired presents from Santa will be high-tech gifts such as digital cameras, portable music players, PC games and photo-editing software. But with the vast selection of makes, models, versions and prices available, how do you determine which one is the right gift for the special people on your shopping list? And how do you find the unusual gift that speaks to their passions? Online resources such as the Microsoft Windows Marketplace (http://www.windowsmarket place.com) help makegift-giving easier by offering suggestions for the perfect presents this season based on the hottest trends. Easy to navigate and loaded with great gift ideas that are compatible with Windows-based PCs, Windows Marketplace allows you to search its large selection of software by each recipient’s passion and discover uniquegift ideas. The hottest gifts of the season include the following: Digital cameras continue to be the No. 1 holiday gift. The latest are not much bigger than a deck of cards and are ideal for travelers, on-the-go parents or anyone looking to capture life’s special moments. Another hot item for those on yourlist who already have a digital camera is a color photo printer that provides the convenience of a photo lab for glossy, printed pictures “developed”right at home. Entertain kids with hours of their favorite songs with a portable digital music player that can play up to 50 hours of music, allowing them to makethetrip to grandma’s house and back a musical journey. Or there are Portable Media Centers, which can be used to enjoy music or, on the built-in screen, DVDs, recorded TV shows or digital photos. For the truly hard to buyfor, Windows Marketplace allows you to search by interest so you can select gifts like a professional shopper. For example, recipes and cooking software for the epicurean or golfing games for those that love golf—the numberofchoices is staggering, and intuitive search capability makes them easyto find. Holiday shoppers often end up returning technology gifts because they don’t work with their personal computer or other gadgets. Shoppers should look for the “Designed for Windows”logo, which means the products will work with Windows-based PCs and other technology. Also, you can take some gifts for a “test drive” at Windows Marketplace by downloading samples of software, shareware and other free items.
