“From stocking stuffers to budget busters and from toys to technology, holiday shoppers this year will be confronted with a wide array of ‘hot’ gifts from which to choose. But this year, Santa’s load may be a little lighter, with many of the most-wanted gifts smaller and more portable than those of the past,” Michelle Machado reports for The Record.

“‘Everything is going portable and Wi-Fi,’ said Casey Clark, store manager at Best Buy in Stockton, California. ‘People are interested in MP3s, digital cameras and notebook computers.’ For Computer Link in Stockton, the new Apple iMac G5 — an almost unbelievably slim, 2-inch-thick, high-performance desktop computer — is one hot seller, said Derek Schuffenhauer, a sales assistant and repair technician,” Machado reports. “But Apple iPods are even hotter, he said.”

“The latest addition to the line, iPod photo, is no bigger than a pack of playing cards and weighs in at just over 6 ounces. The new unit features a color display with built-in backlighting and storage for up to 15,000 songs and 25,000 photos,” Machado reports.

Full article here.