Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Last minute holiday-savers: 2014 gift guide

The sinking feeling in your gut. The cheap excuse to go upstairs. The sound of glass breaking, your body rolling off the grass, the car door slamming, the engine roaring, the tires squealing, the gas station the only place still open for anything even remotely resembling a gift...! Luckily, those Homerian moments are now a thing of the past, thanks to the internet. No matter how late you are, no matter how badly you need something great for the holidays, you can get it online, and in some cases immediately. Here then are the life-savers, the relationship-savers, the sanity-savers — the last minute gift guide!

Apple Store gift card

If you're shopping for an Apple fan, there's no going wrong with a gift card to the Apple Store. The recipient can use it towards their next iPhone, iPad, or other Apple device, or for an accessory for one of their current devices. And with the Apple Store app for iPhone, you never even have to leave the house to purchase this awesome gift!

iTunes, App Store, iBooks gift certificate

If they've got all the iOS devices they need, and it's too late to look into accessories, worry not -- content is king of the last minute gifts. Your special someone can never have too many apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, or books to enjoy.

You can either gift them yourself (here are a ton of best app picks), or better still -- get them a gift certificate so they can pick their own treats. What's great about the gift certificates is that you can purchase them directly from your iPhone in the App Store, iTunes, or Apple Store app.

Netflix, Hulu Plus, Slacker, Audible subscription

The real gift that keeps on giving, whether it's audio or video, a subscription can keep your special someone entertained throughout the year.

Amazon gift certificate

Amazon has a ton of digital content all there own, but they also have old school media -- paper books, plastic CDs and Blu-Rays, games that come on cartridges... Gift certificates let them pick just exactly the goods -- real or virtual -- they want, and Amazon will deliver it straight to their door or their device. Even better, you can send Amazon gift cards directly from the Amazon Mobile iPhone and iPad app!

Starbucks, Tonx gift card

Almost everyone loves Starbucks and will be ecstatic to receive even just $5 to the popular coffee chain. The good news for you is that sending a friend or loved-one a virtual gift card (through email or Facebook) is as simple as downloading the Starbucks app (that you probably already have, anyway)!

Or, if your special someone prefers to grind and brew their own perfect cup of coffee, Tonx provides several gift card options that will see their freshly roasted beans arrive every two weeks!

Other gift cards that can be purchased from iPhone

Interested in getting your loved-one a gift card from somewhere other than the one's mentioned above? Check out the apps below by some popular vendors that allow you to purchase eGiftcards directly from your iPhone.

It's in the mail!

Desperate times can call for desperate measures. If you want to get something really real, go check out our extensive 2014 holiday gift guides, order something you know they'll love, and then take a screenshot of the order confirmation, crop out the price, and print or share it with them.

They'll know you messed up, but they'll also know something special is headed their way.

Analog IOU

If all else fails, never underestimate the power of a hand written note, promising the one you love something that they'll love. Just grab a card or a piece of paper, and a pen, and write the words straight from your heart.

It's decidedly non-tech, but it can also be awesome.








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