Giving a Laptop, PDA, or Smartphone As A Gift? Be Sure They Want It, First

Between all the Black Friday and pre-Christmas sales and discounts, you may find that buying a loved one a new computer, PDA, or smart phone is within your budgetary reach.  Before you do that, though, make sure this gift will be something the recipient wants. Electronics configurations vary a great deal — even if you know that someone on your list wants a PDA, do you know what brand or model?  If they covet an Eee PC, do they want the 4G Surf, the 901, or the 1000H? This is important not just to make the giftee happy, but to keep you from having to return said item and, possibly, paying a restocking fee.  If the computer, PDA, or phone is unboxed and used, even if used gently, stores may hit you with that fee unless you’re going to buy something of equal or greater value.  Even then, they still might charge you. While a Black Friday deal on a notebook may be great, you usually only have a 14 day window for returning computers, even during the holidays. Don’t make your gift unreturnable by default by buying too early. Even the best laid plans can go awry and you or the recipient may have to take the gift back to the store.  Be prepared and check out our tips for keeping electronics free of personal data and ready to return.  And check out our Gadget Gift Guide for our holiday gift picks.