MacBook 09 (Courtesy of Apple)

With the holiday season upon us, TGATP is spotlighting the best gift products, large and small, to wow your love ones.  My chosen items will represent the things that I would love to both give and receive.  First up, two of my favorite possessions – my MacBook and my iPod and the phone I covet most, the iPhone.  I love everything Apple as their products are so omnipresent in my Life, they are like trusted friends! TGATP is published from a beauty of a MacBook that I received as a gift a year and a half ago.  Thus, I am very excited about upgrading to the latest model this year.  The new MacBook improves on mine through a longer battery life of up to 7 hours on a single charge and it is even environmentally friendly!  While the previous batteries were designed to last up to one or two years, the new MacBook battery lasts 5 years!  Another great new innovation is the advanced glass multi-touch trackpad design. Eliminating the buttons the whole trackpad is clickable and allows for easier navigation.  In addition, there is an LED backlit screen and 250GB of hard drive!  Starting at just $999, the MacBook is a great gift for both the students and business people on your list.

iPod Classic (Courtesy of Apple)

There is simply no better MP3 player than the iPod.  I have tried a number of other models and always find my way back to my trusty iPod classic.  Also a gift, I am never without it.  More than just a music player, it is my personal tutor.  I highly recommend that you explore the thousands of free podcasts at iTunes that will help expand both the mind and the Spirit.  I am currently studying Spanish and Gaelic, taking A Course In Miracles, brushing up my Italian, keeping up-to-date with Joel Osteen’s messages, and learning new recipes all on my iPod!   In addition, I have tons of meditations that help me take much-needed daily breaks. (My favorites are the Chill Meditation and Meditation Oasis series which offer mini guided meditations.)  At $59, the price point of the iPod shuffle is so low that you can use them as stocking stuffers along with an iTunes gift card.  And the iPod nano makes a nice more advanced gift with its new built-in video.  To personalize your gift, Apple has even added a new engraving service allowing for special messages to be placed on the back of your iPod.  Choose your iPod based on how you or your gift recipient will use it.  Between the touch and the classic, I prefer the classic simply because it has far more storage. (I have 400 CDs and 300 podcasts on mine!) A 80 to 160GB touch would be a perfect next step for Apple as the touch now only goes up to 64GB versus the classic’s 160GB, a huge difference for media junkies like me!  The one drawback to my classic is that most apps are not compatible with it and require a touch, which is something I would also love to see change.

iPhone 3G (Courtesy of Apple)

Mad impressed with the iPhone 3G and definitely have to have one in the near future!  My friend Rachel walked me through the zillions of features and it is just amazing!  She just bought it and has hundreds of apps already.  According to the website, there are purportedly an astonishing 100,000 of them!  I am crazy for the Shazam app, which allows the user to identify any song that is playing in the room!  That is such a handy feature as I am always at the parties asking the DJ what a track is!  This nifty app even links you to iTunes allowing you to download the track straight into the player.  I was utterly delighted by this app and couldn’t believe that it knew even very obscure tracks!  I kept trying to trick it and find a track that it didn’t know to no avail!  I am also crazy for the cooking apps designed for both foodies and regular folk. Locavore and Seafood Watch are must haves as they allow cooks to support sustainable cooking by finding local food in season and making sure that seafood is not overfished.

Best of all, how can anyone beat a 3G phone for just $99!