Affordable Electronics Gift Guide

The many colors of the iPod Shuffle are shown in an Apple press image. The miniature MP3 players are great for music on the go. Courtesy of Apple

Electronics get a bad reputation for being overly expensive, and the inexpensive ones often get a bad reputation of being “cheap.” But it’s not always the case. Whether in the realm of notebooks, eReaders, tablets, or cameras, there are great products out there that are surprisingly affordable. We’ve collected some of the best of these in the list that follows.

Amazon Kindle

Sometimes you just want to read a book. There are many gadgets that let you do this today, from phones to tablets and notebooks, but they all have other features built in—and thus have other distractions built in. Nothing beats a book, in my opinion, but the Amazon Kindle still has its place, and here’s why: you have access to every public domain book in existence. Feel like reading “The Odyssey,” then maybe some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, followed by a random medieval book of poetry? It’s all there, for free, right at your fingertips. Of course you also have access to the many new titles that are only available as ebooks, and you’re also susceptible to Amazon’s cleverly built-in shop that lets you see all the fancy new novels and coaxes you to buy them on the spot with its whispersync instant-download option. Also, it has an E Ink display. It’s the closest thing to paper since paper.

Price: $69

Website: www.amazon.com

Crosley Revolution Ultraportable Record Player

Have you ever heard a record? The sound quality is wonderful. It has a warmth to it that, despite popular belief, is less true to the actual sound than some digital formats. But it is pleasant, it gives the music a more natural feel, and it also gives you access to tons of great music collections that were never transferred to digital format. But there is nothing hip about lugging around a record player... until now. I give you the Crosley Revolution Ultraportable Record Player. Resembling a cyberpunk thermos, the record player can be taken with you on the go, with its FM transmitter, headphone jack, and a USB plug that will let you record music from a record to your computer. Also, if you want to sound cool, you can tell people it’s a “turntable.”

Price: $99.99

Website: www.thinkgeek.com