Gadgets Blog » Netflix

I’ve often heard complaints from my gal-friends that boys are insufferably difficult to shop for, especially for the love-it-or-hate-it celebration of love that is Valentine’s Day. Some of this difficultly can be understood. After all, men always have the triumvirate of chocolate, flowers, and jewelry to fall back upon in case all other creative gift ideas fail.

As a young tech aficionado, I’ll admit that it can often be hard to shop for someone who’s into gadgets and electronics. When buying a device for myself, there’s often a rigorous investigative process that goes on, comparing reviews, checking out the unit in a department store, and finally shopping around for the best price. This usually takes several weeks, depending on how much free time I’m willing (or able) to sink into it. However, just because I’m pretentious about this stuff doesn’t mean there aren’t some great (and inexpensive!) gifts for your man on the most loving day of the year. You pretty much can’t go wrong with one of the following.

Netflix Subscription:

Netflix is one of my favorite online distribution companies, and this subscription is a great investment. Forget the entry level subscription; the real asset to Netflix these days is the ability to stream movies and TV shows to your computer, video game console, or Blu-ray player. There are some drawbacks to this system so far, such as a limited availability of new titles and a limited selection of titles one can instantly watch, but the good news is that the streaming accompanies the regular Netflix subscription, meaning your man can watch Lost on his computer before sliding The Departed into his Blu-ray player (all via the same subscription).

A Networking Hub:

For those unfamiliar with these devices, a good networking hub will serve several purposes. First and foremost, it will allow for all computers and office electronics in the house to have access to each other via a wireless signal. This is incredibly useful, as it allows you to do things like print a document while you’re sitting in the living room, or easily transfer files from one computer to another. Also, a hub can greatly increase the strength of your wireless internet signal, allowing you to surf the web regardless of where you are in the house. It may require a little installation, but the results can be both conveinent and a great asset to your computing.