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View Full Version : Did you get anything new for Chistmas that you really like? If so what?



Harold Mansfield
12-31-2013, 03:28 PM
I got myself a 7" Google Nexus 7 Android tablet to take on my trip with me.

I've had a 10.1" Motorola XY Board for over a year now and I like it and mostly read and play games on it, but the Nexus blows me away. It's UI is very easy to use, it's fluid, smooth, and I put it through the ringer while out of town. It functioned as my entire entertainment, and communications center. Besides listening to music and reading blogs on the Google Currents app, I was taking pictures and uploading them to Facebook, Emailing, and Skyping and I didn't notice one glitch, lag, or stall...even when running 2 apps at one time.

I was thinking about getting a new iPod, but I don't even need it now. The music player is fabulous and the sound ( through ear buds) is every bit as good as my old iPod.

7" is also the perfect size. I hardly ever take my 10" tablet out of the house, but I take the Nexus everywhere....fits perfectly in my jacket's inside pocket.

Besides the XY Board, I've played with the iPad which of course is good, and I got my Mom an Asus Transformer running Windows 8 which I also like. If you need a tablet that runs office, has a detachable keyboard, and has a USB port, then that's the one to get.

But for speed and ease of use, the Nexus blows me away.

Google and Asus definitely got it right.

What about you guys, did you get any new toys this year?

Freelancier
12-31-2013, 03:31 PM
Got the Nexus 10 last year and love it. AND the Nexus appears to be the only tablets on the market that's always running the latest Android release (and the latest release supports printing properly!!).

Last year was about toys (the tablet, an XBox). This year we went skiing instead and bought another rental property.

Wozcreative
12-31-2013, 03:36 PM
This year I went out and went to school over a weekend instead. I wanted to start a new hobby so I went to get a restricted + non-restricted gun license so that I could go to the ranges to do some targets. They've also got archery as well so I can do both! I have a thing for trying new things. I am pondering about doing the polar bear swim tomorrow (jumping in winter cold water in a bathing suit for charity). Haven't decided yet ;). Anyway sorry this is not really a "tech" post but... whatev's! I spend too much time in front of a screen so there's something different :)

Brian Altenhofel
12-31-2013, 06:30 PM
Need for Speed Rivals for that PS4 I won earlier in the month... does that count?

I rarely get anything tech-related for Christmas, either from others or from myself or from all those gift cards and cash that I get from family because I'm "hard to shop for".

I did take some of those Christmas goodies and my own cash and bought myself my first pair of Lucchese boots. I now know why everyone has told me before that once you buy those you don't want any other boots. Took 2 hours to pick them out, but they're pretty much broken in after 3 days and they are already the most comfortable pair of boots I've ever worn. I guess something that comfortable must be "tech".

I have an idea of what I'll be getting myself for next Christmas, but I'll have to make the purchase in February or March. I've been wanting a suppressor for one of my rifles, and from what I hear from others if I buy in February or March the approval letter from BATFE should arrive just in time for Christmas. If I don't check the status constantly, it will be just like a Christmas present. Yep, that's definitely "tech".

Harold Mansfield
12-31-2013, 06:58 PM
Need for Speed Rivals for that PS4 I won earlier in the month... does that count?
.

Heck yeah it counts.

I changed the thread title. No sense in just limiting it to just tech. I also got a leather messenger laptop bag that I really like a lot, even though I'll probably only use it 3-5 times the entire year.

Wozcreative
01-01-2014, 10:52 AM
Heck yeah it counts.

I changed the thread title. No sense in just limiting it to just tech. I also got a leather messenger laptop bag that I really like a lot, even though I'll probably only use it 3-5 times the entire year.

Nice bags are awesome, I got a cool purse awhile back and love using it (even though its 3 - 5 times a year.. ;)

The NFS is also interesting.. I am a NSF fan as well.. just not enough time for video games.

huggytree
01-01-2014, 03:53 PM
This year I went out and went to school over a weekend instead. I wanted to start a new hobby so I went to get a restricted + non-restricted gun license so that I could go to the ranges to do some targets. They've also got archery as well so I can do both! I have a thing for trying new things. I am pondering about doing the polar bear swim tomorrow (jumping in winter cold water in a bathing suit for charity). Haven't decided yet ;). Anyway sorry this is not really a "tech" post but... whatev's! I spend too much time in front of a screen so there's something different :)


Canada is fun....you need a license just to go target shooting....while I can just go in my back yard anytime and shoot any gun I want

congrats on the new hobby...target shooting is a ton of fun...I got the kids an air rifle last year and we have fun practicing at some spinning targets

trying to talk the wife into a concealed carry license....she loves target shooting, but doesn't trust herself enough to carry

no option for carry in Canada right? I don't think you can even own a handgun there?

ive also gone to see the polar bears jump in at lake Michigan.....good job living life!

huggytree
01-01-2014, 03:58 PM
my family is enjoying our Xbox One....my son in better than me on Forza Racing....im enjoying Battle Front.....I wish they made a PG version without the constant F word...I don't mine my 9 year old seeing violence, but I don't want him to learn every swear word......the game is a blast

also enjoying Assassins Creed......there isn't all that much violence in it....but of course they have to add tons of swearing too.....it would be a game I could easily play with my kids if I didn't hear the F word every few minutes...its more of an adventure game w/ finding treasure and naval battles....some killing of people, but its not 100% of what the game is about (not like Battle front where killing IS the game

huggytree
01-01-2014, 04:02 PM
I have an idea of what I'll be getting myself for next Christmas, but I'll have to make the purchase in February or March. I've been wanting a suppressor for one of my rifles, and from what I hear from others if I buy in February or March the approval letter from BATFE should arrive just in time for Christmas. If I don't check the status constantly, it will be just like a Christmas present. Yep, that's definitely "tech".

Im surprised you can get a license to own a suppressor....I know you can make a home made one out of a 2 liter bottle if you follow some internet plans

I thought it was even an issue to have threads on barrels for it.....but then again I know HK makes a .45 with threads on the end

Brian Altenhofel
01-01-2014, 05:18 PM
Im surprised you can get a license to own a suppressor....I know you can make a home made one out of a 2 liter bottle if you follow some internet plans

I thought it was even an issue to have threads on barrels for it.....but then again I know HK makes a .45 with threads on the end

I'm in Oklahoma. We score 2 points on the Brady scorecard. Still working on getting that to zero. :)

I also live in the country. Like you, I can step out on my back or front porch and shoot if I want to. Pest control (cottonmouth and rattle snakes, skunks, coyotes, etc.) doesn't require a call to a third party.

Homemade suppressor is a big federal no-no no matter what you make it out of unless you have a manufacturing license. However, you can thread your own barrels, though it's not recommended because barrels themselves are precision parts.

I'm wanting the suppressor for my .30-06. Each time I've harvested a deer, I've had to deal with my ears ringing for a few days afterward, so the suppressor is for my own hearing protection. In Oklahoma, we can hunt with suppressors on private land. I always found it quite strange that in most of America suppressors are not allowed for hunting "in the name of public safety" while in parts of Europe suppressors are required for hunting "in the name of public safety". Plus, if I get a suppressor for a .30 caliber, I can also use it on anything smaller than a .30 caliber with just an adapter if I want to without having to purchase a separate suppressor and another $200 tax stamp.

I don't agree with the regulations at all, but until they get changed for the better I'll have to deal with it.



As for Need for Speed, it's really just to hold me over until Gran Turismo comes out. I really hate that the NFS series doesn't allow wheels. Once Gran Turismo comes out, I'll need to schedule regular times for game breaks. I used to be an endurance race addict (you know, the 2, 4, 8, and 12 hour races), but my first racing game was Papyrus' NASCAR Racing 1999 on PC, and I ran those races full length and even with the autopilot for pit road turned off...

huggytree
01-01-2014, 06:20 PM
you must have sensitive ears!.....but I have no issues with the suppressor.....I also agree it makes sense over all

Patrysha
01-02-2014, 12:04 AM
I am a Canadian who is happy not to have handguns readily available and carried around. I don't mind rifles and bows, but handguns freak me out so please keep your guns south of the border. My boyfriend bought me the software I needed to establish my affiliate program. I was hoping to pull in some pre-Christmas sales but it didn't quite work out the way I intended...but now I've got the program and work on growing things over the coming year.

billbenson
01-02-2014, 12:14 AM
In some states suppressors can be quite illegal. I'm told its 5 years in prison for owning one in FL. That came from a competent source although I haven't tried to verify it. There are plenty of guns out there with threaded barrels, mostly 22's. Still, be really careful of the law's if you look in that direction.

vangogh
01-02-2014, 08:02 PM
Pretty much everything I got for the holidays is something I really liked. It helps to talk to the people who bought them before they bought them to let them know what I wanted. Bringing the thread back to Harold's original post, I guess the present I like the most is a new iPad mini. My brother got it for me, though I contributed by giving him my old iPad and old iPhone to sell to cover some of the costs. The mini wasn't the only present he got me and I didn't want him to spend too much.


7" is also the perfect size. I hardly ever take my 10" tablet out of the house

That's how I feel too. I think it depends a lot on what other devices you have and what you use them for. I don't really need to carry the tablet with me most places. Having my phone with me is enough. However since much of what I do on the tablet involves reading, the smaller size works better. It's easier to hold with one hand. When I want a bigger screen, my laptop is there. If I didn't have the laptop I think I'd like a 10 inch tablet, but because I do the smaller tablet works better for me.

Brian Altenhofel
01-02-2014, 08:30 PM
I take my 10" tablet just about everywhere, but my "laptop" option is an 11lb 17.3" desktop replacement behemoth.

billbenson
01-02-2014, 09:37 PM
I bought my wife a new laptop several months ago. Its a MSI, 17" , 12 G of ram gaming computer. Paid $1300 at Fry's. It's heavy but the screen is absolutely beautiful for movies. We watch streaming movies in bed with it. Since her daily commute with the laptop is from the bedroom to the living room, the weight is not an issue. Unless we have problems over time I may buy one for myself. It would be way to cumbersome for a road warrior, but if you are like me and would only travel with it a few times a year, mostly in my car it's great.

As for me, I bought a gopro hero plus black edition camera. It's the popular helmet cam. Waterproof so it can attach to the front of a surfboard or be used at limited diving depths. It can record at up to 240 fps so you can do great slow motion or capture still frames with it. It's really tiny. I wanted it for martial arts. I go to a lot of seminars. You will be shown techniques at full speed and it can be hard to see all the movements. I want to be able to view them in slow motion. I went to a 3 day boot camp last August. 5:30 am to 11 pm. It about killed me. But we had to have been shown hundreds of techniques. No way I can remember all of those. I'm going next year and I want to capture them and be able to play them in very slow motion or frame by frame to practice when I get home. It's really cool for that. Great 12G panoramic pictures as well. A real cool product.

KristineS
01-03-2014, 01:40 PM
This year I went out and went to school over a weekend instead. I wanted to start a new hobby so I went to get a restricted + non-restricted gun license so that I could go to the ranges to do some targets. They've also got archery as well so I can do both! I have a thing for trying new things. I am pondering about doing the polar bear swim tomorrow (jumping in winter cold water in a bathing suit for charity). Haven't decided yet ;). Anyway sorry this is not really a "tech" post but... whatev's! I spend too much time in front of a screen so there's something different :)

That's too funny - I'm thinking about getting myself some shooting lessons and getting my gun license as a late Christmas early birthday present. Did you have experience with shooting in the past?

huggytree
01-03-2014, 08:47 PM
That's too funny - I'm thinking about getting myself some shooting lessons and getting my gun license as a late Christmas early birthday present. Did you have experience with shooting in the past?

its a fun hobby...there are plenty of women's shooting clubs...my trap shooting club has a women's league.....trap shooting is really fun(and expensive)...if you can handle a shot gun its a blast...a $50 air rifle and a spinning target is all you need to get to start...teach yourself in your back yard



i

huggytree
01-03-2014, 08:52 PM
I am a Canadian who is happy not to have handguns readily available and carried around. I don't mind rifles and bows, but handguns freak me out so please keep your guns south of the border.
.

with concealed carry all of us here in the US are around armed people every day....we don't know who.....and nothing happens because of it

except once in a while a criminal gets killed who thinks he has an easy mark

your only freaked out because your not around them..its just a tool, there's nothing magical or scary about it. when im carrying mine i often forget its there. it doesn't go off by itself...it just sits there...with all the hunters and outdoorsmen in Canada im always shocked Canada went the way they did with guns.

billbenson
01-04-2014, 12:40 AM
I bought my wife a new laptop several months ago. Its a MSI, 17" , 12 G of ram gaming computer. Paid $1300 at Fry's. It's heavy but the screen is absolutely beautiful for movies. We watch streaming movies in bed with it. Since her daily commute with the laptop is from the bedroom to the living room, the weight is not an issue. Unless we have problems over time I may buy one for myself. It would be way to cumbersome for a road warrior, but if you are like me and would only travel with it a few times a year, mostly in my car it's great.

As for me, I bought a gopro hero plus black edition camera. It's the popular helmet cam. Waterproof so it can attach to the front of a surfboard or be used at limited diving depths. It can record at up to 240 fps so you can do great slow motion or capture still frames with it. It's really tiny. I wanted it for martial arts. I go to a lot of seminars. You will be shown techniques at full speed and it can be hard to see all the movements. I want to be able to view them in slow motion. I went to a 3 day boot camp last August. 5:30 am to 11 pm. It about killed me. But we had to have been shown hundreds of techniques. No way I can remember all of those. I'm going next year and I want to capture them and be able to play them in very slow motion or frame by frame to practice when I get home. It's really cool for that. Great 12G panoramic pictures as well. A real cool product.

I'm quoting myself. Is that allowed?

I also bought a tv for my office to replace one that had failed. It's a 42 inch Vizio, 120 Hz 1080p. I hooked it up to my PC. When I am watching videos from the GoPro camera, the colors are far more vivid than on my 27 inch Planar monitor. I'm wondering if its not better to just by a TV instead of a monitor these days. Not much price difference?

huggytree
01-04-2014, 09:34 AM
I bought my wife a nice new digital camera for Christmas

then I made the mistake of showing the kids ahead of time....they all blabbed....they played a guessing game with my wife and she guessed it after a few tries....so I gave it to her early...I was irritated with my wife for playing the game with the kids...she spoiled her Christmas...

its very cool with a 30x digital zoom.........we get a new camera every 5 years or so...and im always amazed how much they improve.....

I got the Xbox one and a snowboard from my parents

Wozcreative
01-04-2014, 04:24 PM
I bought my wife a nice new digital camera for Christmas

then I made the mistake of showing the kids ahead of time....they all blabbed....they played a guessing game with my wife and she guessed it after a few tries....so I gave it to her early...I was irritated with my wife for playing the game with the kids...she spoiled her Christmas...

its very cool with a 30x digital zoom.........we get a new camera every 5 years or so...and im always amazed how much they improve.....

I got the Xbox one and a snowboard from my parents


Wives love early christmas presents anyway ;)

huggytree
01-04-2014, 07:55 PM
Wives love early christmas presents anyway ;)

I expect the kids to play games with my wife over her gift....I expect her to not want to spoil the surprise and teach the kids NOT to play the guessing game....it was a teachable moment with my kids....instead she played the game and wrecked her surprise......I wasn't happy with any of them...it kinda wrecked it for the gift giver(me)

we never exchange gifts(me and the wife)....so it was supposed to be a bit special

obviously im not over it yet

billbenson
01-04-2014, 10:39 PM
As a kid I remember seeing my dad hiding a gift for me the night before. It ruined my Christmas.

This year, my wife had told me about a perfume she wanted in november. I wrote it down. Perfect gift. Several days she bought it for herself. I didn't have a backup plan. I was pissed. I showed her my notes on the gift and didn't get her anything for Christmas. She's really difficult to buy for. The last gift that I bought her was a cool camera several years ago.

But WHY does a girl go shopping for herself just before Christmas. It really ruined the day.

Wozcreative
01-05-2014, 12:36 AM
As a kid I remember seeing my dad hiding a gift for me the night before. It ruined my Christmas.

This year, my wife had told me about a perfume she wanted in november. I wrote it down. Perfect gift. Several days she bought it for herself. I didn't have a backup plan. I was pissed. I showed her my notes on the gift and didn't get her anything for Christmas. She's really difficult to buy for. The last gift that I bought her was a cool camera several years ago.

But WHY does a girl go shopping for herself just before Christmas. It really ruined the day.


Maybe we just don't like surprises. I'd be happier going out myself and picking out the exact thing I wanted. I'm very particular with things. Who do you think had the idea of doing the courses we took for christmas instead? LOL I tried to avoid the surprise gift stuff.

billbenson
01-05-2014, 02:46 AM
Maybe we just don't like surprises. I'd be happier going out myself and picking out the exact thing I wanted. I'm very particular with things. Who do you think had the idea of doing the courses we took for christmas instead? LOL I tried to avoid the surprise gift stuff.

I bought her a car once in November as an early Christmas present. She still wanted a surprise present on Xmas.

Freelancier
01-05-2014, 08:55 AM
She still wanted a surprise present on Xmas.

Reason #22 why I hate "Shopmas".

My wife has access to the same money I do. She can give herself the exact gift she wants without hoping I get it right. Because the odds are that I'll screw it up. Around any holiday or birthday, I encourage her to get whatever she wants and we talk about ideas. Then she spends hours finding the best price and buying it. For her it's a sport. For me it's boring. We both get what we want out of this. :)

PayForWords
01-05-2014, 10:30 AM
I got my girlfriend the following:

42 Inch LCD TV
HP Tablet

She got me the following:

XBOX 360 w/ Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Madden 25
(I didn't want a XBOX One or PS4....YET and already had a PS3)

Paid to get the air ride fixed on my Lincoln lol

We also sent all of our family gift cards...

Starbucks, Shell Gas Cards, those kinds of gift cards....$25 each to about 4-6 people

My business partner also bought me a rare figurine of Tarman from Return of the Living Dead.


Pretty good Christmas on my end. Hope everyone else had a cool one as well!

Wozcreative
01-05-2014, 11:47 AM
I got my girlfriend the following:

42 Inch LCD TV
HP Tablet

She got me the following:

XBOX 360 w/ Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Madden 25
(I didn't want a XBOX One or PS4....YET and already had a PS3)

Paid to get the air ride fixed on my Lincoln lol

We also sent all of our family gift cards...

Starbucks, Shell Gas Cards, those kinds of gift cards....$25 each to about 4-6 people

My business partner also bought me a rare figurine of Tarman from Return of the Living Dead.


Pretty good Christmas on my end. Hope everyone else had a cool one as well!

Holy moly all that for christmas? LOL I got an iPad for my birthday/valentines day (bday is 3 days after vday) once and I had a really really hard time accepting it (even though it was really something I wanted). I was really upset he spent so much money on my Birthday.
Boys are nuts. Years ago an a boyfriend (now ex), got me a PSP.. he knew I really wanted it but he sorta hinted on it and I guessed what it was. I got him to return it. There's something about going overboard with gift giving that I don't like. This year I told my boyfriend I'd be really happy with a new can opener. Of course he refused.

Anyway I think I will ps4 it up for valentines day to screw things up---muahahahahaha!

Or I could get that table saw he saw at home depot and wouldn't stop drooling. This one apparently flips around and does angles on both sides and stuff. haha.

KristineS
01-06-2014, 12:15 PM
My family is horrible about getting me gifts that I want, they always tend to get me what they think I should want, rather than what I actually do what. This year, they actually listened to me and I got some new exercise DVDs that I'd been wanting to try and an Amazon gift card to use with the Kindle and aunt and uncle got me for Christmas last year. After years of saying thank you for stuff I really didn't need or want, it was nice to get some things I actually asked for and could use.

huggytree
01-06-2014, 09:26 PM
Maybe we just don't like surprises. I'd be happier going out myself and picking out the exact thing I wanted. I'm very particular with things. Who do you think had the idea of doing the courses we took for christmas instead? LOL I tried to avoid the surprise gift stuff.

maybe next year that plumber boyfriend will find you a ring in one of the old drum traps he removes....wouldn't that be a nice surprise?....it may look nice, but don't hold it up to your nose

Wozcreative
01-06-2014, 09:54 PM
maybe next year that plumber boyfriend will find you a ring in one of the old drum traps he removes....wouldn't that be a nice surprise?....it may look nice, but don't hold it up to your nose

LOL!! That's funny.. his family is bugging him to find me one of those shiners!

huggytree
01-08-2014, 09:55 PM
LOL!! That's funny.. his family is bugging him to find me one of those shiners!

I was always told to shake the old drum traps for jewelry.....I replace them all the time....I stopped shaking them years ago.....somewhere some plumber must have found a diamond ring in one and urban plumber legend has spread it all around....

I found a screw driver in a urinal once....I was an 1st year apprentice and attempted to keep it as a free tool.....I poured chemicals all over it...no matter what I did the horrible smell never came off....I gave it away to another apprentice who didn't mind the pee smell as much....he probably has it in his tool box still today..

LeadMaster
01-17-2014, 09:50 PM
I didn't get much this past Christmas which I don't mind cause I probably would have spent half a day in the return lines lol! I did experiment with a backdrop for Youtube videos which still needs some enhancement but it's going in a positive direction! --Lauren

vangogh
01-22-2014, 02:26 AM
I probably would have spent half a day in the return lines

That's why my family, friends, and I generally ask each other what we'd like. With some we shop together for each other. With others we give a list of things we want and let them choose. That way you can still be surprised, but know you'll get something you actually want.