holidays

Google has unveiled a new doodle on its home page today to serve up some interactive Christmas cheer.

Topping the company's home page for the next two-and-a-half days, the new doodle is more ambitious and challenging than past holiday doodles. Most of the Christmas doodles that have graced the site's home page over the past 12 years have been relatively simpler designs that tweaked the familiar Google logo. But the new doodle displays a collection of festive scenes created to suggest that logo in a rather abstract fashion.

At first glance, you may not see the Google logo … Read more

Buckyballs aren't a traditional tech item, but they are magnetic, meaning there's science behind how they work. And because science and technology go hand in hand, voila: there's my justification for today's slightly unusual deal.

Today only, and while supplies last (which may not be very long), Sellout.woot has two sets of Buckyballs for $29.99, plus $5 for two-day shipping (which should get them in your hands just in time to stuff them into some stockings).

Update: Sorry, everyone, but the Buckyballs are sold out. Same goes for the monitor deal below. But the … Read more

I'm not the type to decorate my place for the holidays. I'm simply not home enough to enjoy the decorations, and not enough other people would see it to make it worthwhile. My dog might like the effect, but I'm pretty sure he's an atheist. Nonetheless, I'm going to try to make some of these Star Wars-themed paper snowflakes just because I can.

It started with this blog post that included instructions for Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Clonetroopers snowflakes. Bren over at Geektress saw those 'flakes and got so excited she added old-school Stormtroopers, Wampas, and Princess Leia snowflakes. Awesome. … Read more

Laptops are, by definition, pretty self-contained. After all, they've got a keyboard, display, and touchpad built in, as well as (in most cases) an optical drive, speakers, and a Webcam.

Still, there's a whole industry built around aftermarket accessories for your laptop, from the sensible to the ridiculous. We've covered mice and laptop bags extensively, so for this mini roundup of last-minute laptop stocking stuffers, we'll look at some other noteworthy categories, including laptop stands and A/V accessories.

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It's the final new show of 2010, and we use it to host a relaxed roundtable discussion about last-minute holiday shopping; check out some holiday cards sent by video game companies; and tune into the perfect iPad app for cats.

It's also a perfect time for an end-of-year office clean out, so there are tons of video game goodies to give away. Leave a comment on our Facebook page and we'll randomly pick some stocking-stuffer recipients this week.

Bonus: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

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Welcome to The 411, my column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have similar queries, too. Occasionally I solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

In lieu of the usual Q&A format this week, we're offering a few quick tips on cell phone gifting. I realize it's probably too late for some of you to go out there and buy holiday gifts, but for the last-minute shopper who plans to give a mobile-related gift, here are a few quick tips.

Don't forget the carrier -- It's easy to get enticed by shiny phones and forget that not all phones are supported by all carriers. If coverage is important to you, make sure the carrier of your choice has good signal in the recipient's home or office. Also realize that if you're getting a new phone, there are often two-year contracts that need to be signed, and if you're getting a smartphone, data plans are often required as well.

Of course, you can get past these issues if you're willing to fork out extra for a non-contract device. Sometimes this means getting an unlocked phone if you're on a GSM carrier, or you can also choose to get a prepaid plan if you want something a little cheaper. Definitely check out our cell phone buying tips for more detailed information on how to choose a carrier.… Read more

I love receiving and giving gadgets as gifts, especially around the holidays. But not everyone "gets" consumer electronics like me and my cadre of professional tech cohorts. In fact, some people in my social circle outright dislike tech toys.

What do I gift them? A gift certificate? That's the holiday equivalent of saying, "Here, pal, you do my holiday shopping for me." Enroll them in the Ham of the Month Club? Possibly. A Snuggie? Nah.

I really want to get my Luddite friends something tech related. And I imagine that I am not alone in this. Everyone has a family member with a rotary phone and a VCR that blinks 12:00 constantly. What should we get those folks to help them increase their tech IQ?

Here are 10 simple tech gifts designed with analog personalities in mind.

10. Custom stuff from the Internets Step one: Go to Cafe Press/Zazzle.com/other provider of custom swag. Step two: Find mug/T-shirt/thong. Step three: Upload romantic/embarrassing/funny/memorable/Robocop on a unicorn. Step four: Send to loved one.

9. Green gizmos Green is the new black. Everyone wants to do their part and help conserve resources (and even if they don't, they all want to say at dinner parties that they do). If you have a bunch of environment-loving, technology-averse neo-hippies on your list this year, try getting them some green consumer tech. Check out this solar-powered wireless keyboard from Logitech for starters. Other options include Samsonite solar luggage and this alarm clock that runs on water.

8. E-readers I'm going to be honest here. I'm not a huge e-reader fan because as an iPad owner, I feel I have everything I need in one smart package. However, I understand they are popular for a reason, price point included. If you're thinking of gifting the bookworm on your list some tech, there is a case to be made for these devices. For instance, if you go to the beach and drop your Kindle in the ocean, you're only out $139 (a sad picnic, but not as costly as a blended iPad. Give this gift a try and see how quickly your old school bibliophile transforms into a user of high-tech e-readers.

7. Doggie tech Dog lovers will wag their tails over Mattel's Puppy Tweets, a device that lets your canine companion microblog. The toy attaches to the dog's collar and sends out a random tweet when it senses noise or motion. There are more than 500 random tweets included on the gadget ("I bark because I miss you. There, I said it. Now hurry home," for example). Dog lovers are known to be "rabid fans" of their pets, and there are plenty of other examples of high-tech stocking stuffers for Fido available, including doggie geolocators and light-up leashes. … Read more

If you still need that perfect gift this Christmas, you can always make something special, like a book, calendar, or other personalized item. But if you're going to do it, you should hurry.

Many of the services on the Internet that handle making personalized gifts have begun to announce shipping deadlines for customers to create the product and still have them in time for Christmas.

There are a number of places, including Apple, Shutterfly, Snapfish, and Blurb.com, that allow you to create a gift that is more creative--and certainly more focused and individual--than buying something off the shelf at a big box store. But people who want to take advantage of these service should get a move on. … Read more

You don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate good sound and music, so I've put together a healthy selection of great gift ideas, all priced under $300. Tuesday's blog has nine more, and they're all less than $100 each!

The Sherwood RX-4503 stereo receiver ($130) would be a great way to start building an awesome-sounding budget hi-fi. I briefly auditioned the Sherwood and came away really impressed with its sound quality. The stereo receiver serves up 100 watts into each of its two channels, and includes a mono preamp output if you decide to add a powered subwoofer. It has Dolby Virtual Surround and Dolby Headphone faux surround processors. A front-panel connection is also included for the Sherwood BT-R7 Bluetooth Audio adapter, allowing wireless streaming from your mobile phone or other devices. The Sherwood could also work wonders in a stereo home theater system.

B & W is one of the more legendary names in British hi-fi, and its speakers are used in many of the world's top studios, including the Beatles' favorite, Abbey Road. B & W is also known for its sleek styling, and its P5 on-ear headphone ($300) is definitely a looker. Its real leather earpads and chunky tubular metal construction put all of the other similarly priced headphones on the market to shame. The P5 sounds best plugged into an iPod or other portable music players.

The Audioengine P4 is a bona fide audiophile mini speaker that sells for $249 per pair. I gave it a very positive review last year, and now I love it so much I retired my self-powered Audioengine A2 ($199 a pair) speakers. While the A2 is still amazing in its own right, the P4 is better in every way, but it has to be used with a receiver, like the Sherwood on this list, so the P4 winds up costing a lot more than an A2. If you have the dough, or a spare amp, the P4 is the way to go. … Read more