Holiday Gift - Apple TV - Under $100

If you have been looking for an inexpensive gift for the Apple lover, check out the second gen Apple TV. Not only is it the size of a hockey puck, but it operates in total silence. With the Apple TV  it opens up a world of viewing right onto your big screen TV. Besides renting and buying movies and TV shows on the iTunes store, you can play all of your music & videos from your iTunes library, play whatever you have on iCloud - including your photo stream from your iOS devices, and the coolest of all is it supports AirPlay. With AirPlay you can push video and music content to your Apple TV from your iOS device. On the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, it can also MIRROR what you see on your iOS screen. Great for some big screen Angry Birds action.

Best of all -- it's under $99.

You will need an HDMI cable, and you can pick up a high quality one of those  at Monoprice.com for under $5.

Product: Apple TV (second gen)

Price: $95 on Amazon

Holiday Gift: Clickfree C2 Backup Drive

Tim Verpoorten's Pick:  Clickfree C2 Backup Drive 

There is usually one underlying reason why computer users do not backup their systems, and that's because it can be a confusing and time consuming process. After all, backing up your system normally consists of two separate functions, the media to back up on and the software that sends your files to the media. Then there is the long and tedious process of having every file backed up while you patiently wait.

Apple has tried to overcome this natural aversion to backup by introducing Time Capsule, a combination of their Time Machine software and built-in media on their Airport Base Station. The idea was solid, wireless backup for any Mac on your network. Unfortunately the implementation has had it's share of speed bumps along the way.

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Holiday Gift: 1Password - Manage Passwords, Licenses, and More!

David Sparks' Pick: 1Password

If I were asked to choose between going to the mall on black friday or gouging my own eyes out with a rusty spoon, I'd have to think about it. So needless to say I am a big fan of online shopping. If you like to shop on your Mac, 1Password is a no-brainer. It keeps all of your identity, credit card, and store log ins handy and makes it easy for you to have distinct (and robust) passwords for all of your online shopping. They just released version 3 that includes numerous enhancements. Check it out.

Product: 1Password

List Price: $19.95 -> $69.95 depending on license type.

Recommended by: David Sparks from Macsparky.com

Holiday Gift: Drobo - Desktop Storage & Backups

Chuck Joiner's Pick: The Drobo
The Drobo is an essential purchase for anyone who has data they value...and who doesn't? With the redundancy offered by the Drobo, your data is safe even if a drive fails. USB and FireWire 800 connections let you choose from fast or faster data access. The best feature, for my money, is the expandability of the Drobo. As higher capacity drives drop
in price, or your data storage needs increase as you collect more photos, videos or whatever, the Drobo doesn't go out of date. Just swap out a drive to increase the amount of space available. No reformatting, no copying of data from one drive to another; Drobo does all the work. 

Compare the $399 price tag with the price of four hard drive enclosures
and four raw drives with no built-in redundancy, inconvenience (at best)
of upgrades and the fact that they work separately and you'll start to
realize why you want a Drobo.

Product: Drobo

List Price: $399.00  Street Price: $319 w/ rebate

Recommended by: Chuck Joiner from Macvoices.com