It’s that time of the year again. Now that everyone is stuffed from all of that good food at Thanksgiving and if you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start thinking about what to get your loved ones for Christmas. In case you were going the gift card route, TGSB is here for your rescue. Starting off with smartphones, we will highlight our choices for great gifts in our 2012 holiday gift guide.
Apple iPhone 5
The iPhone tops our list as a great all-around device that is loved & hated by many. Running a slightly dated iOS 6, the latest iPhone offers a super-slim & lightweight body with a streamlined design. The chipset makes it faster, Siri is more useful, the camera is even better, and finally a taller 4inch screen. What’s not to love? Available on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon (sorry T-Mobile, maybe next year) with pricing starting at $199 and going up to $399 on contract.
Google’s latest flagship Nexus device is made by LG this time around and offering better specs & build over last year’s model. Upping the ante with a 4.7inch IPS HD display, quad-core S4 Pro processor, and the new newest version of Jelly Bean w/ Android 4.2. Though it is lacking LTE radios, HSPA+ speeds on AT&T and T-Mobile are no laughing matter either. This can be purchased on for $199 or unlocked at the Google Play Store.
Galaxy S III / Galaxy Note II
Samsung’s flagship Android device enters its third year with the Galaxy S III. Offering a 4.7inch HD Super AMOLED display, the standard 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor inside, great performing dual cameras, and Samsung’s gestures courtesy of the new TouchWiz UX. Definitely the most popular & successful of the Galaxy S series, the GSIII is available on all of the major carriers & a few smaller ones like C Spire, MetroPCS & US Cellular. The GSIII varies from $99-$199 on contract, depending on which carrier & which retailer you get yours from.
The sequel to the highly-popular Note is now better than ever. Taking everything you loved about the Galaxy S III (hardware/software), beefed up the S-Pen to be more accurate, bigger screen + battery & faster 1.6GHz quad-core processor to create the 5.5inch mammoth that is the Galaxy Note II. The Note II can be picked up at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, or Verizon for $299.99 or $369.99 (T-Mo).
AT&T has no QWERTY keyboards out there at the moment, sorry folks.
If you prefer HTC’s Sense UI and hardware build over Samsung’s, you can pick up the One S for T-Mobile. Consider it to be One X’s little brother offering nearly the same specs & features like the awesome 8MP camera w/ ImageSense chip and Beats Audio but with a smaller, 4.3inch Super AMOLED display w/ qHD resolution and smaller 1650 mAh battery. The sleek One S can be acquired for $149.99 on contract at your local T-Mo retailer.
Windows Phone 8 is making strides with their new high-end devices like the 8X by HTC. This beautifully constructed & slim design combined with a variety of features to make your custom WP8 experience, a good one. Powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor, 8MP rear-camera w/ ImageSense chip, a wide-angle 2.1MP front-facing camera, Beats Audio w/ built-in amplifier inside, & NFC all on a 4.3inch Super LCD HD display. The 8X has a standard $199.99 price tag on contract that utilizes the carrier’s HSPA+ speeds.
Keyboard lovers should check out: the myTouch Q or the Galaxy Relay 4G.
