Cheap Tech And Offices Mean Startups Need Less Funding [Infographic]

Entrepreneurs: This is the time to disrupt a market. Those holding out for a better market conditions are bypassing the opportunity of a lifetime.

Granted, two countervailing trends '- a slowly recovering national economy and a pull-back in later early-stage funding -- are keeping things interesting for entrepreneurs. But at the same time, stubborn recession conditions like cheap office space and tech trends like cloud computing temper the need for big piles of outside money to get new companies off the ground.

This infographic comes from Bob Rizika, CEO of cloud computing, Infrastructure-as-a Service (IaaS) firm ProfitBricks USA, who obviously hopes lean startups see an advantage in operating in the cloud. The key points are that creating a startup now is cheaper than ever before, there are new sources of funding available, and the lingering economic issues can reduce competition:

 

Google 2012: The Machines Are Getting Smarter

Google was full of surprises in 2012. It outdid Apple easily in mobile OS features. It rolled out a whole line of Nexus Android devices that are undeniably top notch. And it launched the Knowledge Graph, a watershed moment between the keyword-searching past of the Web and a future Web that understands whole concepts.

2012 was also the year that Google unified its offerings under a single privacy policy, a move that freaked out lots of people, but which was totally rational from Google's perspective. If we're going to have a data-driven future offering pervasive, free technologies in exchange for better targeting of advertisements, we'll have to accept that companies like Google have an eerily accurate, real-time profile of us.

As if to hammer that point home, Google hired futurist and Singularitarian Ray Kurzweil right before the Holiday break. Looking back at 2012, it looks like Google's brave new world is almost upon us.

Knowledge Graph: Search The World

The most important Google story this year was the launch of the Knowledge Graph. This marked the shift from a first-generation Google that merely indexed the words and metadata of the Web to a next-generation Google that recognizes discrete things and the relationships between them.

Now, when you search Google for certain kinds of things, you get an answer or an explanation in return, rather than a link to a Web page containing the answer. That's made possible by Google's new semantic intelligence. Google learned how to learn from the Web and its vast oceans of linked information, but now it's figuring out how to put the information itself to work for its users.

Web pages are a part of it. People are also a part of it, so Google built Google+ to get people on the Web to identify themselves, each other and their relationships. Maps are also a part of it, so Google can understand questions about location. The Web used to be an index of pages, but now it just looks like the world.

Google doesn't mince words about wanting to build the Star Trek computer - you know, one that you can talk to - and the Knowledge Graph is the most important component of that computer's mind.

Android: Google's Cyborg Army

What's always been clear about Android is that Google wants everyone to have a mobile device at all costs. By giving away the operating system, Android has taken over the market in terms of raw numbers.

But it hasn't always been clear whether Google cares that everyone has a great mobile experience. That finally came into focus in 2012. The Android 4.1 and 4.2 updates made the mobile operating system more powerful in some ways, cleaner and simpler in others. The pure Google mobile experience, for those without third-party cruft piled on top of their Android devices by device manufacturers, is now a world-class experience.

The new flagship Nexus devices are among the finest mobile computers on the market. The Nexus 4 is a hit phone, despite its lack of LTE connectivity, because it hits such a sweet spot of power and price. The Nexus 7 tablet is inexpensive and solid enough to inspire confidence - and powerful enough to keep around all day. The Nexus 10 is the only non-Apple device as good as an iPad, period. Where the iPad is refined and precious, the Nexus 10 is durable and hardy. It's purely a matter of preference.

Even more amazingly, Google managed to out-design Apple on Apple's own platform this year. Its updated Search app adds Knowledge Graph answers that blow Siri away. And the new apps for YouTube, Gmail, and especially Maps have heavy Google users on iOS breathing sighs of relief.

For Google, the point is to get as many people as possible using Google out in the world, whether on Google's own operating system or not.

Google's Nervous System

The changes in search and mobile are just the consumer-facing ones, but that means more at Google than it does at other companies. Google is all about building a statistically significant testbed for as many large-scale experiments as it can. The more aspects of our lives Google is a part of, the more it can learn about us and our world. The consumer stuff Google does are like the company's sense organs. The machine intelligence stuff is its mind.

In 2013, the most interesting part of the Google organism will be its nervous system. In 2012, Google rolled out amazingly fast, relatively affordable fiber optic Internet service in Kansas City. It also released Compute Engine, making Google's massive reserves of processing power available to outside customers. Google is an organism that thrives in a highly networked world, and now it has matured to the point that its business improves the networks themselves, so even more businesses can thrive.

As far as consumer technologies to look forward to in 2013, there are always Project Glass and self-driving cars. 2012 promises to be the year that people start wearing Google's augmented reality goggles in the real world, perhaps trying out optical search and other new interfaces to Google's web of information. And with so many mobile devices making such detailed maps of human traffic patterns, there are bound to be breakthroughs in Google's ambitions to automate transportation using the power of mobile data.

Nexus photos credit: Eliot Weisberg.

The 7 Technology Trends That Will Matter Most To Small Business in 2013

If 2012 was a year of "wait and see," for small business technology, 2013 will be a year to "go for it."

One key reason is that small business optimism is already rising. According to the Fall 2012 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report, more than half of small business owners project sales will grow in the next year, and almost one-third plan to hire. Just 7% expect sales to drop and only 3% plan to lay off employees. And entrepreneurs typically believe they're local economies are doing better than the nation as a whole. (That can't be true for everyone, of course, but it still speaks to increasing optimism.)

That's not all. Some 45% of business owners in a recent Kauffman survey believe consumer demand will grow in 2013. Record sales over Black Friday weekend sales suggest consumers have "frugality fatigue" and are ready to spend again. Consumer debt is falling, the housing market is improving, and even the job market is showing signs of recovery-all of which could increase consumer spending by 3.5% by late 2013, according to Moody's Analytics. With pent-up demand for everything from housing to personal services to travel, there will be plenty of opportunity for small businesses who aren't afraid to seize it.

As always, though, technology trends will make a big difference in determining which businesses will be most successful. Here's what to look for:

1. Death of the desktop? Mobility will increasingly change how we do business. Already, according to The Mobility Edge: CDW's 2012 Small Business Mobility Report, 36% of small business IT managers say some of their employees have replaced a desktop or laptop computer with a smartphone or tablet. An additional 20% predict even more employees will do so by 2014. Adoption of tablets in the workplace is projected to grow a whopping 117% by then, while smartphone adoption at work will surge 33%. Smart entrepreneurs will tap into mobile's potential to work faster, more efficiently and more effectively.

2. Understanding your tech options will be critical. While small businesses recognize the opportunity technology presents, they're often confused about how best to implement it. In a Techaisle study, 54% of small and midsized businesses say their technology "pain points" have increased in the last three years, and that they're most mystified by cloud computing, virtualization, business intelligence, remote managed services and marketing automation.

3. Competition for talent will get tougher. It's never been easy for a small business to compete with big-company salaries, perks and bennies, and in 2013 it will become even more difficult, as employees are eager to search for those greener pastures. That's especially true for technology experts, so small businesses will have to find other ways to meet their tech needs.

4. Outsourcing will become an even better option. Freelancers and contractors, on the other hand, will be easier to find. MBO Partners' second annual State of Independence in America study projects the number of independent workers (contractors, consultants, freelancers or solo-preneurs) will grow from nearly 17 million to 23 million in the next five years. That will make it easier to hire the talent you need on a temporary basis.

5. SoLoMo goes shopping. Social/Local/Mobile is becoming the standard way to shop. People shopping on their mobile devices, "showroomg" (use their phones to compare in-store products with prices online), and use local search to find retailers and social media to find products. In a new study from the Advertising Research Foundation, nearly one-third of shoppers said social media affects their choice of brands; meanwhile, a survey by YP says 40% of consumers use local search daily. Making sure your website is optimized for mobile viewing and (if appropriate) developing a mobile app are the bare minimum of what you need to do in 2013.

6. Connected millennials - and their moms - matter more than ever. Much of the change in shopping behavior is driven by two key consumer groups: Millennials and moms. Both groups are constantly connected, rely on their friends' opinions (as well as those of social rating and recommendation sites) and aren't shy about sharing their own opinions of your business online (and in person). In 2013 it will be more crucial than ever to monitor and reply to what's being said about your business online.

7. Social means more than Facebook. Facebook and Twitter are still the big names in social media, most used by both consumers and businesses. But 2013 could see a shakeup from newer social sites as Pinterest, Tumblr and other visually oriented social media grab the attention of Millennial and younger consumers. And don't rule out Google+: The site's unique visitors grew by 80% in 2012, says a report by NM Incite.

What are we missing? What do you think will matter most in small business technology in 2013?

5 Trends In HTML5 In 2012

At the end of 2011, the mobile industry believed that HTML5 was on the cusp of ubiquity. Everybody would be using it to build apps and mobile websites and we would finally see real operating systems based on HTML5 start creeping towards acceptance. HTML5 was to become the dominant development stack, taking the mantle from all those native apps that had come to dominate the iOS App Store and Android's Google Play. 

What actually happened is that HTML5 more likely took a step back in developer acceptance in 2012. 

Facebook Goes Native, Apple Cripples Webview

Facebook has long been a proponent of HTML5. The social network's 'native' apps on iOS and Android were actually mobile websites 'wrapped' to give native fixtures to the apps for Android and iOS (among other platforms). Yet, Facebook eventually came to find that this system was not optimal for the performance of the apps. Yes, using the m.facebook.com mobile website as a base that could be updated multiple times a day made for efficient development cycles, but in reality the apps were slow and buggy and users often complained that Facebook's native apps were simply not very good.

Facebook decided to change that in 2012. In August the social network relaunched its iOS app to straight native code, improving its performance. More recently, Facebook redid its Android app as native code in December. 

Facebook and its 'hacker culture' is, like it or not, a beacon for mobile developers. If Facebook is going native for performance reasons, then others will follow in the footsteps of a company that serves nearly a billion users, over half of them on mobile. 

Apple has some blame in the blowback against HTML5 in 2012, too. The iPhone maker has limited UIWebView in iOS Safari, causing hybrid and Web apps to perform slowly in comparison with native apps. It behooves Apple to limit the functionality of HTML5 and Web-based apps, as its App Store is one of the primary reasons that people buy iPhones and iPads. Mobile Web apps that circumvent the App Store are, in several ways, dangerous to Apple's bottom line. 

Hybrid The Name Of The Game

Despite Facebook's move to native apps, more and more developers are incorporating at least a little bit of HTML5 into their apps. For instance, the new LinkedIn app released in 2012 was almost entirely HTML5 and Node.js with only a thin native wrapper that made up about 5% of the code. 

According to the fourth quarter survey of mobile developers by Appcelerator and IDC, about 63% of mobile developers are "very interested" in using HTML5 to build their apps. Many developers are building 50% or more of their apps with HTML5 code. Many apps are including some type of Webview into their apps (for instance, see how social news reader Zite lets you read an article on through the browser or in the app). With the app economy exploding, we now see thousands of apps use the hybrid wrapper model to increase the efficiency of building an app and lower the overall development costs. 

One reason for hybrid development is that it is easier for many companies to find developers who are versed in HTML/CSS than it is to find coders who have the specific knowledge on how to create comprehensive native apps in C, Objective-C etc. By working with HTML5 and wrapping apps, companies (that may not necessarily be tech companies per se) can get more length from their developers and hit more devices in one shot.

Dealing With The Problem Of Hardware

The biggest difference between HTML5 mobile Web apps and native apps are that the native variety have quick an easy access to a smartphone's hardware features. That means functions as simple as the clock, vibrator, gyroscope, storage, camera and power management are much more difficult to implement in pure HTML5 apps. Developers have dealt with this problem in the past through services like PhoneGap or Brightcove's App Cloud and wrapping Web apps for native purposes (like Facebook used to do). 

Companies are beginning to crack the hardware puzzle for HTML5 apps. Mozilla is on the forefront with its Firefox OS, expected to be shipped on smartphones sometime in 2013. Mozilla has created what it calls Web APIs that will tie its browser-based HTML5 mobile operating system to hardware components like power management and the camera. Sencha and appMobi are also working on ways to bridge the device APIs. As of yet though, progress in this realm was not as robust in 2012 as many expected.

The Responsive Design Revolution

Responsive design saw a boom in 2012. Responsive design is built from a Web technology stack that includes HTML5 and CSS to create websites that respond to a variety of screen sizes by automatically resizing windows to fit a particular screen. The purpose is to build one set of code for a website that allows it to work on multiple devices without having to build separate sites for individual devices or mobile operating systems. 

For instance, take ReadWrite. This year we launched a new website in October that is fully responsive. Check it out. In this story, make the browser window bigger or smaller and you will see the content respond accordingly. Or try zooming the browser view in or out and note the same thing. The same goes for mobile. Read this article in smartphone and note how it perfectly fits your screen. On a tablet, look at it in both landscape and portrait modes and see how it adapts to each set. 

In conjunction with our responsive design relaunch (and subsequent rebranding from ReadWriteWeb to ReadWrite), we ditched out native apps on iOS and Android apps in favor of the simpler, easier to update mobile Web presence. 

We are not alone. BostonGlobe.com rolled out its responsive design site in 2011 and About.com is now fully responsive. The New York Times has built a responsive site and large companies like Microsoft and Apple use responsive design on aspects of their websites. 

The Leaders Are Changing

In 2011, we said that the game developers of the mobile world were taking the lead in HTML5 development. At the time, that seemed true. Yet, the game makers lost interest in HTML5 as a default platform in 2012. True, companies like appMobi are pushing game makers toward HTML5, but most of the best games of 2012 were built with native code. 

To a certain extent, the leaders in HTML5 adoption are now media companies and news organizations. Those in the business of content are more apt to take a Web-centric view of the world. By doing so, they can avoid the 30% tariff from Apple's App Store, while still optimizing content towards mobile devices. This trend is not precisely tied to HTML5, but the current evolution of the technology stack makes it much easier for media companies to achieve this objective. 

Facebook was seen as the quintessential leader in HTML5 development in 2012. Yet, with its move to native for iOS and Android, it has ceded that role to the community. As such, open source developers spearheaded by the likes of Mozilla are now the leaders that will drive HTML5 for the foreseeable future. 

Lead image courtesy of Shutterstock.

3 Big Privacy Issues Of 2013 - And What You Can Do About Them

On the surface, 2012 saw some major shifts in how privacy is treated online. The Federal Trade Commission's Do-Not-Track Online Act and the White House's Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights prompted Facebook and Google to change allegedly deceptive practices for tracking users. And most Web browsers and even Twitter adopted the do-not-track functions in one form or another.

These were steps in the right direction, but in reality, they didn't solve the data insecurity problem. Facebook can still track users through its "Like" function. And Web surfers' online data can still be used by law enforcement and "market research" for the employment, credit, healthcare and insurance industries. And let's not even get into denial of service attacks and cybersecurity...

That said, here are three major privacy issues that everyone should pay attention to in 2013:  

1. Transparency
2. Data sharing
3. Dodgy QR codes

1. Transparency

Ever been to a restaurant that's so proud of its clean kitchen that it lets customers see right into it? It's called an open kitchen, and this kind of transparency is what Internet companies need to strive for.

Consumer confusion and uncertainty over how social sites use their data threaten to derail the social media gravy train, and services like Facebook and Twitter need to take the initiative to stave off fears of abuse. That means no hidden fees, confusing Terms of Service or the like. The more open a company is, the more a customer is likely to trust the service, and keep using it. 

Social privacy login service Gigya uses your data to to log into sites such as Twitter or Facebook. With a reach extending to 75% of the Web, you probably use its technology and don't even know it. But with 1.5 billion unique users a month and more than 600 enterprise clients like CBS, NBC, ABC, Nike and Verizon - it knows you.  All that data raises some very real concerns: 53% of Internet users utilize social logins, and 41% of them worry about their security and privacy.

To alleviate those, Gigya practices an "open kitchen" policy. It has partnered with the Future of Privacy Forum to develop social privacy certification allowing "businesses to verify that they follow approved social network guidelines and industry best practices for managing consumer social data." It promises users that their social data is safe.

Back to the restaurant analogy, a promise like this is like coupling an open kitchen with a health department grade in the window. The idea is to instill confidence in potential customers.

2. Data Dealing 

It's not gold, it's not oil, it's not drugs. Today's most valuable commodity is information.

With so much personal data online and accessible by law enforcement and many marketers, the only real control we have over our data, is ourselves. Michael Hussey, the chief executive of New York-based people search experts PeekYou, recommends mirroring your online identity with your real life: Don't post anything you wouldn't want everyone to see. 

One solution to curbing marketers is Mine, a purchase directory site that combs through e-purchases to allow people to add public sales history to their online identities. More importantly, it also lets you erase unwanted purchase data so marketers can't monitor it. Pierre Legrain, Mine's chief executive, says the best way to stop companies tracking and selling data behind our backs is "not by blocking it, but by offering marketers what they ultimately want, while also benefiting us." 

It's a nice idea, but it's unclear how much those aggressive marketers will cooperate. So it's still all about keeping your digital footprint clean. Because "leave no trace" is no longer an option. 

3. Bad Barcodes

Just because it's there, that doesn't mean you should click it. Especially when it comes to QR codes. 

"People need to undersand QR codes are just URLs," says Jim Fenton, chief security officer of the digital identity service OneID. 

In our smartphone-heavy culture, we have to be wary of the sites we frequent, especially now that fake QR codes are popping up in crowded spots like airports and metropolitan centers. A string of international cybercrimes has been linked to stickers featuring bad QR codes leading to dodgy websites. And they're popping up everywhere: Posters, boxes, buildings - you name it. 

And while practically anything can be on the other end, you could likely expect bad codes to result in malware, spam and phishing attacks. "QR codes aren't magic," Fenton warns. "If anything there's less visiblity about who they are."

So take these three steps to protect yourself:

• First, get a QR reader that can check the associated site's URL, and make sure it has built-in security features.
• Enable a QR code review prior to opening the link to make sure you're not headed for the temple of doom.
• Finally, inspect the code to make sure it isn't a sticker, a dead give away that it's probably not authentic.

Better yet, just don't click on any QR codes. After all they don't really do anyone much good anyway (see ReadWrite DeathWatch: QR Codes).

 

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Does Microsoft Still Matter? 2013 Will Decide

2013 will be a make-or-break year for Microsoft. Not so much from a financial standpoint, but for how the company is perceived.

Traditionally, Microsoft has built itself around the PC, anchoring itself by its core operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and now Windows 8. But in the last few years, Microsoft's Server and Tools division has generated the highest revenue and profits in the company, followed by the traditional pillars of the company, Windows and Business Tools, or Office.

How will Microsoft fare in 2013? Financially and overall, just fine. But be on the lookout for softness in the company's traditional businesses as Microsoft evolves into a services company.

Windows 8: A Mild Flop

Any Microsoft predictions need to start with Windows 8. So let's get this out of the way: Windows 8 will flop in 2013.

Not hard - the new operating system probably shouldn't be compared to the catastrophe that was Windows Vista. But Windows 8 will likely be seen as overly ambitious, a risk that many potential customers won't be willing to take. In all, though, Windows 8 will sell slightly fewer copies than Windows 7 during 2013.

That's not because Windows 8 is bad. It isn't. To its credit, the new OS hasn't been plagued with the sort of slowdowns and crashes and user interface mistakes that afflicted Vista. 

But the break from previous version is sharp. Windows 8 doesn't launch to the desktop, the most familiar interface (and - perhaps to speed the transition to the new user interface - Microsoft is refusing to let users configure it to go direct to the old-style desktop). Years of interacting with smartphones and tablets have taught users how to navigate the Metro interface, and swiping left and right along the main Start screen is easily understood. But most consumers don't quite seem to get what they need to do when they want to 'work,' i.e. use the desktop. The back-and-forth between the desktop and the Start menu, the navigation between apps, the lack of a traditional Start button and other interface changes will frustrate users. Unlike Michael Dell, I see a significant chunk of enterprises still choosing to standardize on Windows 7. 

Typically, Microsoft halts sales of the previous operating system two years after the new version goes on sale, which would mean that Windows 7 would fade away in Oct. 2014. (Windows 7 mainstream support will expire in January 2015.) I think we might see a 'toned-down,' more transitional edition/service pack of either Windows 8 (or 9?) that will help consumers shift over to the new OS. 

Basically, what consumers will accept is a Windows 8 tablet interface on top of a Windows 7 desktop environment. They don't have it. Yet.

Surface: A Nice Idea, But...

If Microsoft could deliver a full-fledged Windows 8 experience at the $500 price point of the Surface RT, the company would sell a ton of its new tablets. So far, it's not even trying - the Surface Pro starts at $900.

Windows tablets - from Microsoft or others - will be lumped together with Windows Phone: lovely experience, but without the variety of apps that users are used to on the leading platforms. Sorry, but developers are going to support Android and iOS first, and then maybe Windows and BlackBerry. That leaves Web apps as the saving grace.

In that environment, Surface will survive, but not thrive. Windows tablets from other manufacturers will barely survive. Expect some hardware makers to try a consumption-oriented 'Surface Mini' form factor, though, with modest success.

Traditional clamshell laptop form factors will still be the most popular for business, with convertible/detachable hybrid tablet/laptops making headway among consumers. That means it's hard to see a sweet spot for the Surface Pro to catch on.

Finally, Touchscreens will become a standard necessity very quickly. Logitech and other peripheral manufacturers are in trouble. 

Server Tools and Office: Under Pressure, But Still Dominant

At this point, most people use Office because they use Office. It's a habit. Most consumers don't really need Office for basic Word processing, but there's always just a bit of formatting that the free alternatives can't manage. Businesses, meanwhile, have made Word, Excel and PowerPoint into staples of everyday business life.

There's no reason any of that will change in 2013. Office for Windows RT and Surface remains one of the compelling selling points for the platform. And, revenue concerns or not, it makes perfect sense for Microsoft to ship Office for the iPad and the Mac. So it no doubt will do just that. It's in Microsoft's best interest to keep its .DOC, .PPT, and .XLS formats (and their XML equivalents) front of mind for most of the Web's population.

It's also difficult to see Microsoft's Server and Tools business disintegrating. This has been one of the company's most stable businesses, and should continue to be so for years to come.

Xbox: The Top Dog's Getting Long In The Tooth

Will there be an 'Xbox 720' by Christmas 2013? Hard to say. But with each passing year (the Xbox turns seven in 2013) the possibility becomes more and more likely. 

Either way, the Xbox is becoming even more important to Microsoft. The Xbox's function (as a games console) has evolved into an entertainment console. I think we'll probably see that recognized as a rebranded 'Arcade' version, reimagined as a sort of beefed-up Roku. Cloud services remove much of the need for local storage, but the Kinect provides a compelling user interface as well a gaming controller. Microsoft could strip out cost from Kinect, possibly making it audio-only. I think a stripped-down Kinect Arcade bundle is likely.

Kinect for Windows, though a fascinating idea, probably doesn't as make as much sense, given Windows 8's a touchscreen interface. In general, however, Microsoft will have to stumble badly to allow Sony, Nintendo or others back into the console game. 

Windows Phone: We're Number Three!

Great product, nice interface, solid hardware. Count me in the camp of people who admire what Microsoft's done in the smartphone arena. But there's no way Microsoft unseats either Android or iOS. Instead, Microsoft should hope to become the third option - outpacing RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 10.

Will it? Probably, over time. In the United States, BlackBerry and Symbian are dead ducks.

Microsoft Online: Bing, IE Gain Respectability

It's probably fairer to say that Microsoft's online services have already gained respectability, and will continue driving forward in 2013. Bing's home page is still one of the most attractive sites on the Web, and if people were forced to visit it for every search it would do even better. They're not forced to do that, of course, and Bing continues to trail Google by a large margin.

If that's going to change in 2013, the boost will come from Windows 8. In the new operating system, Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome are unwelcome guests, rather than a fundamental part of the OS. And integrating Bing - which has diverged into its own ecosystem, rather than follow Google - will help Microsoft gain share in search. Whether or not Internet Explorer is truly the most popular browser varies by which analyst firm you ask, but IE10 will definitely help grow Microsoft's presence online.

The tougher question is whether Microsoft's online division turn a profit in 2013? The answer is No. It will come closer, but that milestone will have to wait.

All the changes should work together to benefit Microsoft's online ecosystem. The company has brought together a suite of products, from Skype to Microsoft's Office Web Apps, that can all be tied together. How well Microsoft can monetize them, however, is anyone's guess.

Put it all together, and 2013 is the year Microsoft doubles down on its pivot away from being a software supplier to being a services provider.

Expect some softness in Windows sales, but continued strength in back-end tools and services. How this all plays out will determine whether 2013 ends with a very different Microsoft perceived as a newly revitalized dominant player or a reeling giant struggling to regain relevance. 

Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Tablets For Kids

One of the biggest questions tech-savvy parents must contend with when it comes to tablets for their kids is this: do I really want to give my precious wee one a really expensive piece metal and glass?

Tech blogger Shelly Palmer asked the same question this holiday season and came up with five good tablet options for kids.

Palmer's picks are pretty good, touching on safe and educational options for younger and older kids alike. I like the fact that he threw out an Android- and an iOS-based device, though I'm not sure that I would have picked a Kindle Fire.

Unless you want to (a) give your child quicker access to a lot of content that will (b) suck your bank account dry, I'd suggest a Nexus tablet instead. You can still get multimedia content if you want it, but from more sources then just Amazon's web store.

I loved Palmer's kid-only choices, but you may want to weigh your own budget needs before getting one of these highly specific devices. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, if you're trying to cut costs for the long term, you may want to buy an Android/iOS device first, rather than a kid device for $99-$199 that they'll outgrow very quickly and you'll have to get a new tablet for anyway.

But if you have a string of little kids in your creche, I would definitely opt for a kid-specific tablet that can be shared and passed along so it will get more than just a year or two of use if you're lucky.

Time's running out, so you'll have to move quick to get a tablet under a holiday tree. But whatever you decide to buy, be sure it exceeds the level of your child's abilities so they'll grow into using the tablet over time, instead of outgrowing it next week.