Geek your mom out with gadgets like D-link’s DSM 210 or a Nintendo DS Lite for Mother’s Day

May 11, 2008 |

Geek your mom out with gadgets like D-link’s DSM 210 or a Nintendo DS Lite for Mother’s Day

By Leslie Poston

$Geek your mom out with gadgets like D-link\'s DSM 210 or anintendo ds lite for Mother\'s Day$ If you’ve been looking for a way to bond with your mom if she isn’t into technology, a way to get her into technology, or the perfect present for the tech savvy women in your life, look no further. These gifts are gadgets any mom will love, whether she is a technology maven, geek mama or someone who can’t even turn on a computer.

One way to make mom happy with gadget gifts on mother’s day is to appeal to her desire to see photos of her kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces and more. All the rage right now, a digital photo frame might do the trick. They come in a variety of looks and price ranges, both with and without sound. Preload it with photos of the munchkins in her life and watch as she glows.

The digital photo frames are easy to use and work much like an ever changing slide show, giving everyone equal time in mom’s eyes. There are two types of digital photo frame - a static frame that holds only the photos you put in it, and must be updated manually, or a more expensive frame that works with your home network to update remotely.

My personal favorite is wireless network connected D-Link DSM 210. Not only does it work with your wireless network, you can update it directly from your existing web services like Flickr and Picassa. It comes in at a slightly higher price in most places, but is well worth it for saving the hassle of updating or transferring photos manually.

Is mom a gamer, or does she want to learn to be one? If that’s the case, and you can’t afford an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3 and can’t find a Nintendo Wii, she might enjoy the Nintendo DS Lite. A bit easier to learn to use than other portable’s like the PSP, the DS Lite also has a vast array of games to choose from and appeals to mom’s sense of fashion by coming in a variety of colors. The Nintendo DS Lite is a budget saver as well, coming in at under $150 USD plus the cost of whatever games you choose.

If you got mom any one of the iPods for Christmas, then your Mother’s Day geek gift options are endless. You can get her any item from an array of iPod accessories, cases, speakers and players. Two items I like quite a bit are the Monster iPod car dock for mom’s who don’t yet have a car with an Aux jack for playing their tunes, and the iHome under cabinet iPod player. Both come in at under $100 and let mom find a new way to use a gadget she may already own.

$Geek your mom out with gadgets like D-link\'s DSM 210 or a nintendo ds lite for Mother\'s Day$ Geeky gift certificates are always a hit. If mom has an iPod or a Kindle, try a gift certificate to Apple’s iTunes or Amazon’s Unboxed. If she already has a game console or a portable device, get her a certificate to Best Buy or Circuit City or another brick and mortar store where she can shop for games and other accessories to her heart’ content. What mom doesn’t love shopping? Even better - go with her and have a little mother to geek child (or husband) bonding time.

If you have one of the moms who don’t know about computers and they want to learn, offer a gift of your time or a training session with the Best Buy Geek Squad or the Apple Store Genius Bar. This will save everyone future headache, if mom can handle her own computer needs. It will also make it easier for mom to stay in touch with everyone in the digital age and give her a sense of independence she may not have had before.

If she is a bit tech savvy or loves gadgets, get her a new cell phone. iPhones are a hit with moms, but don’t overlook the other options out there that she might like, such as the Chocolate, the enV or even a Blackberry. Some moms who have had trouble using the extra features on a regular cell phone fall in love with the internet access and texting and other phone uses once they have a phone with a keyboard.

Does mom get lost a lot? Maybe she avoids driving in to the city or seeing far away friends because she has to wait for someone who can ride with her an navigate. If that’s the case, get her a Garmin or a TomTom. the little portable navigation devices are a real life saver for moms who want to travel.

Whatever your mom’s level of technological knowledge, there is a gadget out there that she will love. It’s just a matter of finding the one that resonates with her or fills a need she has. Whatever you pick, don’t forget that half the fun of a new gadget for mom is having the giver spend a little time with her showing her how to use it, so go spend some time geeking out with your mom this Mother’s Day.