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Welcome to Staples Holiday Media Center
All the tools you need in one easy location.

mario

Expert tips from tech expert Mario Armstrong.

Technology lifestyle expert and Emmy award winning television host, Mario Armstrong's passion is to educate people on how to leverage technology to enhance their personal and professional lives.

This year he's teamed up with Staples to provide expert advice on the top holiday technology. Check out Mario's tips and ideas for the hottest tech gifts and how to choose the right ones.

Plus, don't miss Staples Tech'd Out Sweepstakes. One lucky winner will get an exclusive tech home makeover by Mario himself.

ereaders

eReaders

Some of the most affordable and versatile tech tools are eReading devices, available in both color touch screens and e-ink display technology. E-ink displays are just like reading a sheet of real paper. Plus, you can use your e-ink reader for up to a week, or store it for up to a month without recharging. And now that many e-ink readers have bookstores built right in, you can download your favorite books or magazines in seconds without a computer.

Things to consider

  • An eReader is the ideal gift for someone who loves to read. Whether it's business documents, magazines or newspapers. It's also a good choice for those who want to be able to read anywhere on the go without the hassle of carrying around heavy books.
  • Some eReaders use a local WiFi Internet connection at home or the local coffee shop. Others have 3G, which let you to buy and download books from almost anywhere. Ask yourself how tech savvy your gift recipient is. Will they have WiFi at home? Or would they appreciate being able to download news, blogs, magazines and books from anywhere with cell phone coverage?
tablets

Tablet Computers

Tablets are a step-up from eReaders in both functionality and price. Not only are they light, small, and easy to carry, they also offer an awesome web-browsing experience. Not to mention, they boot up fast, have a long-lasting battery life and there tons of apps that you can download to personalize your tablet experience.

Tablets also have full-color screens, so they're great for reading books and browsing the Web. You can also check email, watch, edit and even film home movies, create and edit presentations and so much more.

When shopping for a tablet, I recommend:

  1. Only buy a tablet with the features you will really use
  2. Experience holding, typing and touching them before you buy

Things to consider

  • Is the person you're giving a tablet to always on the go? Frequent travelers will especially love being able to have one device that does everything. With document editing and presentation software, a tablet makes it easy to stay connected to the office and share business directly with clients.
  • While a tablet can do many of the things a computer can, they're not meant to be a replacement. Some tasks require more typing, so an external keyboards might be a nice accessory to add.
  • As with eReaders, some tablets are WiFi only and others offer paid 3G services. Someone who's truly on the go may not always be near a WiFi hotspot but might need to get work done regardless. That's a great candidate for a 3G/4G-enabled tablet, which connects to cell phone towers anywhere.
laptop_computers

Laptop Computers

With prices always falling on computer hardware, it's now more affordable than ever to pick up a laptop or netbook. With laptops you can expect to have a powerful processor that will give you a full computing experience, letting you do tasks like editing HD video or even playing games.

Things to consider

  • With a laptop, you make some sacrifices compared to a desktop computer. Faster processors tend to use more battery life, so a higher-powered computer could have less battery life or a heavier weight to accommodate additional batteries.
  • While today’s laptops are powerful, they still don’t match the price and components of a desktop. This means that laptops intended for more processor intensive tasks like video editing and gaming may be bulky and underpowered compared to similarly priced desktop computers.
  • When buying someone a laptop, you really have to think about their computing lifestyle. Do they need something they can bring to the office or to class? If so, a lightweight laptop might be the best choice. If they mostly work from home, a desktop is probably the better way to go.
  • Small, lightweight laptops with processors designed for long battery life are often referred to as netbooks. Super portable and lightweight, you can easily throw them in a purse or a bag. A netbook is best for someone who wants to surf the Web, email and do word-processing in an easy to carry computer.

About Staples

Staples, the world's largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media.