Before putting out some rumors today, here's a holiday gift guide for sports/tech fans...
So with the holidays upon us, it's time for my annual holiday gift buying guide for your favorite hockey fan. I have basically three loves in life (besides of course family). I love Hockey, Music, and Technology. My job as an internet hockey writer has been a fantastic blend of two of those loves. I love my gadgets. Well, let's admit it. Guys love gadgets. We just do. And when those gadgets can help you with your love of watching hockey...well what a wonderful world it can be. I am fortunate, that my wife is also a geek who loves gadgets and technology as I do. But this stuff can be expensive, so years ago we both decided that living in the big house would be secondary to having really cool toys.
So today I share with you some ideas for the holidays. I also think this list could be helpful to other hockey bloggers, as some of these toys are a HUGE benefit to my job everyday and that not only means you can more easily justify the expense, but in some cases you can write it off.
So here is my ultimate list of gifts and gadgets for your favorite sports fan/hockey blogger. Let me add that NONE of these products are advertised on Hockeybuzz.com (though I wish they would be!)
#1. Canadian Satellite Dish...for Americans.
This is a bit hardcore, because it does require some creativity to make it legal. It is not illegal to install a Canadian Sat into an American home, but you will need a Canadian Address to do so. That sounds difficult, but it really isn't. There are two providers in Canada. Shaw and Bell. They both have "snowbird" packages, which mean that if you live in Vancouver, but have a vacation house in Florida you can install a Canadian Dish into your place in Florida. So what you need is Canadian Address or a friend in Canada who is willing to call your house their dwelling. The second is easier, but the first is actually not that difficult. If writing hockey is your livelihood, it is worth the cost of opening up a Canadian branch of your company and there are companies that can help you figure this all out for a VERY small fee. You can email me at eklund (at) hockeybuzz.com and I can steer you in the right direction.
Why you would want a Canadian Sat should be obvious. Every NHL team has several.
1. Cheaper than Direct TV or Dish Network in the States with all the same basic and pay channels.
2. TSN, Sportsnet, CBC, and Score, plus the Center Ice Package in mostly HD will give any American Hockey fan more hockey related content than they ever dreamed was possible.
3. And this is a bonus: If you have kids, Canadian TV is so much better. The amount of educational shows and non-violent creative cartoons (often with subtle hockey themes so you can continue your subtle hockeyizing of your children) is amazing. Toopy and Binoo. Need I say more?
#2. Slingbox, Slingcatcher, Sling Software, and Sling for Iphone.
Slingmedia.com
Many of you know about this already, but the ability to watch your TV on your computer at work is phenomenal. I actually use it instead of running cables to my office TV. I use it in four parts.
#1 Slingbox. This hooks up to your cable or dish and enables you to view the content anywhere.
#2 Sling software. This is installed into your laptop or PC and enables you to watch your Cable or Sat anywhere. It is a great thing to be able to be at a hotel or at a friend's house and bring TSN or the CBC with you wherever you are. You can change channels, play the DVR, anything you want. It is also available for the iPhone as long as you have a Wifi connection (but I will show you how to get around that in my video)
#3 Slingcatcher. The Slingcatcher is a set top box which by using wifi enables you to essentially not have to have a computer to see you home TV anywhere. It simply plugs into any other TV and the Slingcatcher remote suddenly can turn your buddy's TV into yours. Or a Hotel TV. I have to admit, that since I bought #3 in this list I haven't used the Slingcatcher once, but if you don't want to carry a computer around and aren't quite ready for computer/tv convergence, the Slingcatcher is awesome.
#3 Mac Mini with NHL.com Game Center
Mac Mini
This is my latest addition to my office. The New Mac Mini is really amazing. A tiny little computer you can throw into your bag. All you need to do is buy a cable that takes the display port out and allows you to plug it into an HDMI port in your HDTV and you are set. Having my Mac Mini hooked up to my TV is basically heaven. I can use it to watch my Slingbox, Surf the Net on big screen, and also watch hockey through NHL.com's Game Center. Game Center on a Mac Mini is like having the Center Ice package on Steroids. Phenomenal. I will show you that live in the video.
#4. iPhone or iPod Touch.
There is no better tool for hockey fans/people in general than the iPhone or iPod touch. You can keep up with your twitter, surf for scores, watch your TV with your slingbox, listen to Home Ice on XM, and utilize countless iPhone applications like the CBC or HockeyNews iPhone App or the Hockey News App (pssst....I hear the Ultimate Hockey iPhone application is coming soon as well...hmmm) I have an iPhone and I tell you, I hold the thing ALL THE TIME. Hockey bloggers can also utilize this by not only updating their blogs, but shooting video and taking pictures, streaming live video content to their sites, or uploading stuff to YouTube.
While I have an iPhone, I would deeply suggest the cheaper route, and getting the iPod touch and coupling it with #5 on the list...
#5 Verizon/Sprint or Bell/Rogers Mifi.
Verizon Mifi
Bell Mifi
This looks a little bigger than a credit card, but what it does has been revolutionary to me. It takes a cellular carrier's 3G signal and acts like a Wifi router projecting a password protected "bubble of Wifi" for 30 feet around it. You can connect up to 5 devices to this tiny wireless router. So your laptop, your iPhone, your iPod touch, etc. It cost around $100 bucks and you have to pay $40-60 a month, but understand what this is. This is your internet solution on the go. If you already have a USB stick that you plug into your laptop when you travel you are already paying the $40-60.
Some really cool real world applications that I use the Mifi for...
#1. Make your car into a Wifi Hotspot. Since I am often blogging or doing research constantly, my wife will often drive me and the family on our many one hour road trips to see the grandparents in NJ. So I will sit next to her with my laptop open and work. My kids will sit in the back seats with their tiny laptops and play games I hook up a laptop that goes between the seats and they can watch our Home TV through the slingbox. That's right LIVE TV in the car. On some late nights, when the kids are conked out in the back I will be either watching TSN Live or the NHL GameCenter in the car. So you will NEVER miss a game again.
#2. iPhone Slingbox. Currently the Slingbox on the iPhone doesn't work through 3G, but with the Mifi card the iPhone is connected to the Verizon 3G Network, but the iPhone thinks it is connected to a Wifi connection. Therefore I have watched hockey, football and movies from my TV live while sitting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, waiting for a train, or laying in bed falling asleep.
#3. Get an iPod touch instead of an iPhone. Then you can save a ton of money. The combination of an iPod Touch, Mifi card, and Skype or Vonage for the Touch means that you can cut your cellphone out completely and call anywhere in the world as much as you'd like for a flat fee.
#4. Never pay for hotel or airport Wifi again. And it is faster.
#5. NHL Press Box Internet can STINK! This one is specific for those of you covering the game, but how many times does the Wifi go out during a game in the Press Box? At events like the Draft and Cup Finals, even if it is working there are so many people tapped into the same routers that it gets a slow as molasses. Well I just pop out the Mifi and my troubles are over. Since the device can drive up to 5 computers, I can also pick the four other reporters I like and give then my password. As internet writers, it is all about speed and being connected. If we are not connected there is no point in being there. I also love that the card is Verizon for my purposes. All I need to do is is make a call and I can get on a temporary plan that extends my usage into Canada without incurring incredible fees. Last year, I learned the hard way. I was Qik.com live-streaming through At&T in Canada in Montreal and two days of videos and texting cost me almost $2,000. With the Mifi, this past Draft and All-Star Game cost me $20.
(It should be noted that "Unlimited Data Plans" are often capped. So you still need to watch your usage a bit, especially when streaming or downloading torrents over a Mifi card. If it weren't capped, I would consider getting rid of my home internet all together)
#6 Amazon Kindle/Barnes and Noble Nook.
I often say that there are two devices that you will need to pry from my dead, cold hands.
1. My iPhone.
2. My kindle.
The Amazon Kindle enables you to download news content wireless anywhere, anytime. Plus you can buy books that go directly to the device for much less money. You can actually read the first chapter of almost every book on Amazon for free to see if you want to buy it. It has a screen that is not backlit, so it is great on eye strain. If you are like me that matters A LOT. I spend way to many hours looking at computer screens. I keep this next to my bed. I wake up and all the newspapers as well as several blogs are magically on the device since I went to bed. I love my kindle.
The Kindle also enables you to read certain blogs. (with certain cool ones coming soon as well)
Barnes and Noble just came out with a Kindle competitor called the Nook that looks like it may be even cooler. I haven't seen one yet, and you can't even buy one before the holidays, but it may be worth looking into if you are thinking of waiting.
How many of these 6 Toys do you have? Anyone else have all six?
I will be back with some rumors for you....
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