Best tech gifts under $100 for grads

The Roku 3 is our current top pick in the Internet media box category. It's the best overall choice for online streaming, with Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Amazon Instant, Vudu, and literally hundreds of others -- pretty much everything except iTunes and YouTube. Perfect for students or new grads who can't yet afford a pricey cable bill.

If your giftee is a full-on Apple person -- iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Mac -- the Apple TV may be a better choice than the Roku.

Yes, tablets and smartphones can double as e-readers. But the $69 Amazon Kindle has a long-lasting battery and a paperlike screen that avid readers will appreciate. And unlike more versatile devices, there won't be any calls, emails, or texts to distract the reader, either. (You'll need to pay $119 if you want to step up the self-illuminated, touch-screen Paperwhite version.)

If Amazon isn't your thing, the basic Nook Simple Touch remains a solid e-reader for just $79. Unlike the slightly cheaper Kindle, it has a touch-screen -- and no ads. (The GlowLight version costs $40 more.)

Idealistic graduates will appreciate the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760. It's eco-friendly and practical -- use it with a Mac, iPad, or iPhone, and never worry about recharging the battery.

Students -- or ex-students -- are always sitting on a mountain of documents, photos, videos, and music. Even with cloud storage, you need a local backup -- and the Seagate Backup Plus gives you 1TB of storage -- that's 1,000 GB -- for just less than $100.

The Jawbone Jambox gets all the press, but the JBL Flip is our favorite Bluetooth speaker for under $100. It's portable, rechargeable, has speakerphone capability, sounds great for its size, and works as a wireless speaker with virtually any smartphone or tablet.

This tiny $25 gadget turns any stereo into a Bluetooth receiver, allowing nearly any tablet or smartphone to wireless stream music to it.

Panasonic's RP-HTX7 headphones have been around for a while, but -- at under $40 -- they're still an excellent value. They come in multiple colors.

Another "cheap but good" headphone, the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 delivers awesome sound for under $60.

For iPhone owners who prefer to listen on the go, the Klipsch Image S4i II in-ear headphones are a great choice. (If you're buying for an Android owner, go with the otherwise identical Klipsch Image S4A II model instead.)

Anyone graduating in 2013 will be living and working in the post-PC era. Thankfully, accessories like the Belkin Ultimate Keyboard Case -- which allows them to add a keyboard to an iPad -- helps bring the best of the PC to the world of the tablet.

Students have been known to use iPads as their de facto TV. The affordable VersaStand makes that a hands-free proposition -- great for using iPads to watch videos, read, or work on documents (with a wireless keyboard).