Sometimes people want things for the wrong reasons, setting their sights on items while failing to realize alternatives that will fill their needs just as well, if not better. The problem often pops up in gift-giving, when givers seek to impress recipients with flashy, well-known products, disregarding their usefulness.

DealNews identified several common gifts, along with alternatives to consider:

* Instead of a tiny HDTV, opt for a cheap tablet. Low-end tablets are comparable in price to their flat-panel television analogs, and are far more versatile. Cable apps let you stream most of the programming you’d watch on TV.

* Instead of an iPad, go for a laptop. For the price of an iPad, you can find a laptop with far more impressive innards and capabilities. Ever try to type a term paper on a touchscreen?

* Instead of a Roku, get a Blu-ray player. Most Blu-ray players, which have bottomed out in price in the past year, let you stream just about everything a Roku would handle, and add the ability to play discs.

10 Gifts You Shouldn’t Buy for the Holidays (and 10 Alternatives) [DealNews]

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