Last Wednesday, my nephew dashed me off the following email:
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 3:18:42 PM
From: My Nephew
To: Me
Subject: christmasfor christmas can u get me a nintendo wii or a xbox 360? I’d really appericate it(if you do get me a 360 which I want more than wii, get the one with the harddrive please thanks.) But if u get me anything please make it a new laptop or desktop with at least windows 2000, please thanks.(the computer would be appericated more). well talk later. see ya
My nephew thinks I am Uncle Moneybags. 
All shock aside, I am the doting uncle who will do what I can for my nephew. Obviously, the Wii and Xbox 360 are the less expensive choice, but not by too much. Let’s take a look at some prices.
- Xbox 360 with 20GB Hard Drive: $396.99
- Nintendo Wii: $250.00
- Dell Inspiron 640m Laptop: $669
- Dell Dimension E521 Desktop: $549
Obviously, my nephew being 14, it would make sense to get him a computer. He would certainly get use out of it, and it would be increasingly useful to him in the coming years through high school. A laptop would be nice and portable, but there is the problem of him being a teenage boy who would possibly be prone to, shall we say, accidents. A desktop would certainly meet his needs, and if I bumped up some of the specs it could be a capable (but not screaming) gaming rig. Just as long as he doesn’t mind that any computer he gets from me won’t run Windows 2000.
The Wii is going to be incredibly difficult to acquire without sacrificing a limb, unborn progeny, or a large amount of money. The Xbox 360 should be easier to get, and I presume I can get it for a better price than that which I found on Amazon. Given my relative inattention to the console gaming world, though, I am going to need some ideas as to where to get consoles at a decent price.
I will probably talk to my uncle and grandfather about this and see what they want to do, as I know they would want to get him a gift as well. Sharing the cost would certainly be good.
#1 by johnny dollar on December 5, 2006 - 2:50 pm UTC
heheh you oughta prank him by giving him a 386 with amber screen first… or maybe a commodore 64… or best yet a TIMEX SINCLAIR!
#2 by Jason J. Thomas on December 5, 2006 - 2:56 pm UTC
If I knew he would enjoy the joke, I could get him the Sony PS3 someone sold on eBay–a PS1 and a PS2 duct-taped together (since 1+2=3).
#3 by Carol on December 5, 2006 - 7:02 pm UTC
I wonder if you bought the laptop as a commercial buyer…would they give you the same replacement-guarantee they gave me when I bought the POS system for the coffeehouse. If I ever break one of the pieces, or something goes wrong, they’ll bring me a replacement immediately while they fix the broken one. And you get a different tech support number so you don’t have to speak to offshore tech support people who can’t help. It’s worth checking into — the US-based tech support has been excellent so far.
#4 by Paul on December 5, 2006 - 9:23 pm UTC
Here’s an idea, check out the dell outlet. I picked up a cheap dimension for $199 + shipping. It was just the computer no monitor or printer but a good deal.
#5 by Jason J. Thomas on December 6, 2006 - 6:55 am UTC
Carol: One of the offers I saw was a Small Business offer. I know from my years at UMD, though, the best warranty is the 3-year gold. Essentially, with laptops, for example, if the user even dribbles it like a basketball, it gets replaced. A good warranty is definitely a must.
Paul: I will give them a look, but something else just came to mind as well. If I get him a desktop, though, he is definitely going to need a monitor.
#6 by Carol on December 6, 2006 - 6:20 pm UTC
Yes, that’s the warranty I have. In fact, I called Dell today and they’re sending me a new printer tomorrow — no fuss, no muss.