Last-minute Christmas gifts you can email

Katie Gatto · December 24, 2010 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/1533

Your last-minute gift guide for the forgotten person on your list

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Except for you. You forgot a Christmas gift, and you need to act fast. I know. Why the heck would you be reading this article if you weren't looking for ideas?

I've anticipated your procrastinating ways, and prepared a list of gifts that you can truly give at the last second. Here, you will find some instant gift options. This list includes only gifts you can download, email, or print out. No muss. No fuss. And, no last-second trips to the convenience store down the street.

Without further ado, here are your choices.

Send a beloved movie, TV season, album, or app from iTunes or Amazon store

The gift feature on iTunes is not exactly new, but it can save you in a pinch. You pick a title, and a gift code is emailed to the forgotten person. This option is first, because it gives you the chance to send something personal. You can send your friends' kids The Grinch that Stole Christmas or gift Easy A to your friend.

The gift feature on Amazon is similar to iTunes, but it does have a different library. If you want to send something that you cannot find on iTunes, or your target does not have an iTunes account, then this is a good choice.

In either case, you can email, or print the code to the recipient.

Prices for this option vary, from $.99 for a cute app, to $20 for select HD feature films.

A subscription to Pandora One

If your target loves music, but hates commercials, then a one-year subscription to Pandora One is the best gift ever! The subscription allows your target to make an unlimited number of custom radio stations, without the annoyance of being pitched every other song. Pandora One will set you back $36. All you have to do is go to this URL, log in (or create an account), buy the subscription and email it off. Alternativly, you can print it out and put it in a card.

The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

If the person you have neglected is a fan of the MMORPG genre, then you may want to give them the newest update to the World of Warcraft game. Pulling this one off will require some finesse, and a co-conspirator who has access to the target's Battle Net account. You can buy and enter the key code on their account. The next time the game loads, the update will auto-download. Just be sure to send an e-card so your target knows the gift is from you. This option will set you back $39.99, plus tax.

One note of caution, should you choose this option. The updates to World of Warcraft are cumulative. Unless your target is already running the Wrath of The Lich King expansion, it will not run on the computer.

A month (or more) of free TV - Hulu Plus

If your target person loves TV, or just does not watch shows when they air, then the gift of Hulu Plus could be a lot of fun for them. Hulu plus gives users access to new shows, and whole series runs of classic TV shows. It is also a great option for people who travel a lot, since they can watch it on any Web-enabled device. One month will set you back $7.99, and a whole year is $95.88. Any place on the Web that houses the complete series of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, is OK, by this reporter. Just be aware that there is not a print-out option here. You have to have the target's email address.

An eBay gift certificate

When you are totally lost, this is your go-to item. Getting a gift certificate for eBay is giving them license to buy anything on the site, which is just about anything. They start at $5 and run up to $500. They can either be printed, or emailed.

A Netflix subscription

If your target is a fan of feature films, then giving them a subscription to Netflix is the ideal present. This one comes in a wide variety of options. The least expensive option will run you $7.99, and the most expensive will sent you back $119.88. You can either print out a gift-certificate, or email your target with the gift.

There you have it, we just saved your Christmas! We can't help you, however, if target thinks of you as a last-minute-gift giver.

(Images are all property of their respective owners)

Katie Gatto

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Pandora

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on February 21, 2008

Pandora, the leading internet radio service, gives people music they love
anytime, anywhere, through a wide variety of connected devices: laptop and
desktop computers, smartphones, connected BluRay players, connected TVs,
etc. Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single “seed” –
a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project®, a deeply
detailed, hand-built musical taxonomy, powers the personalization or
Pandora. Using this musicological “DNA” and constant listener feedback
Pandora crafts personalized stations from the more than 800,000 songs that
have been analyzed since the project began in January 2000.
More than 75 million people throughout the United States listen to
personalized radio stations for free on Pandora through their PCs, mobile
phones and devices such as the iPad, and connected in-house devices
ranging from TVs to set-top boxes to Blu-Ray players. Mobile technology has
been a significant factor in the growth and popularity of Pandora, starting
with the introduction of the Apple app store for the iPhone in the summer of
2008. Pandora instantly became one of the most top downloaded apps and
today, according to Nielsen, is one of the top five most popular apps across
all smartphone platforms.

Pandora is free, simple and, thanks to connectivity, available everywhere
consumers are – at the office, at home, in the car and all points in between.
In 2009 the Company announced that Pandora would be incorporated into
the dashboard in Ford cars via SYNC technology; GM has already followed in
announcing plans to integrate Pandora into its vehicles and Mercedes-Benz
introduced their Media Interface Plus device that works with the
free Pandora iPhone app to provide direct control of Pandora from in-dash
stereo controls. This was all great news for the millions of Pandora listeners
who had been plugging their smartphones into car dashboards to listen to
personalized stations while driving. More than 50 percent of radio listening
happens in the car, making it a crucial arena for Pandora.

Today tens of millions of people have a deeply personal connection with
Pandora based on the delight of personalized radio listening and discovery.
These highly engaged listeners reinforce the value Pandora provides to: 1)
musicians, who have found in Pandora a level playing field on which their
music has a greater chance of being played than ever before; 2) advertisers,
who benefit from the multi-platform reach of Pandora, as well as its best
practices in targeting consumers for specific campaigns; 3) the music
industry, which has found in Pandora a highly effective distribution channel;
and 4) automobile and consumer electronics device manufacturers, who have
noted that incorporating Pandora into their product makes it more valuable
to consumers.

Pandora continues to focus on its business in the United States. The radio
arena has never been hotter, thanks to technology that enables radio to be
personalized to the individual and more accessible than ever before. Right
now millions of people listen to Pandora in the United States and we hope
someday to bring Pandora to billions of people around the world.

Timeline:
• 2000 – Tim Westergren’s Music Genome Project begins.
• 2005 – Pandora launches on the web.
• 2008 – Pandora app becomes one of the most consistently downloaded
apps in the Apple store.
• 2009 – Ford announces Pandora will be incorporated into car
dashboard. Alpine and Pioneer begin selling aftermarket radios that
connect to consumers’ iPhones and puts the control and command of
Pandora into the car dashboard.
• 2010 – Pandora is present on more than 200 connected consumer
electronics devices ranging from smartphones to TVs to set-top boxes
to Blu-ray players and is able to stream visual, audio, and interactive
advertising to computers, smartphones, iPads, and in-home connected
devices.