21st-century gifts for graduates

A reliable graduation gift used to be a new dictionary or a couple of $10 bills tucked in a greeting card. But books and bills might seem as old school as quarters for a pay phone. If you’re at a loss what to give a graduate in 2007 - be they moving on from eighth grade, high school or college - here are some options:

Eighth-grade graduate

•iPod: Note that this suggestion is an Apple iPod, not one of the many less expensive but just as good MP3 players on the market. When you are going into high school, appearance is everything and iPod is the only player to have. The basic 30GB iPod holds 7,500 songs, far exceeding your child’s needs (or so it’s assumed) and thus should be with her for years, or until she forgets it in gym class. The iPod retails for $350, but check out price-searching sites (mysimon.com, pricegrabber.com) for discounts.

Available at: discount and electronics stores, Apple stores, www.apple.com, www.amazon.com.

•Cell phone: No matter how many reasons your 14-year-old has for needing the latest in cell phone technology, do you really want an adolescent armed with a device that can send video and photos across the globe? No. Try Virgin Mobile’s Slice ($40), a cool, ultra-thin phone whose main function is to communicate with others. And since Virgin specializes in pay-as-you-go plans (minutes are up to 25 cents each), you can control how much is spent each month. Once the balance is gone, the phone is deactivated until another payment is received, avoiding the shocks that can come with monthly phone bills.

Available at: Target, Radio Shack, www.virginmobileusa.com.

•A 529 College Savings Plan: This gift (minimum contribution is $250) might not earn any screams of joy until eight years from now, when the now-eighth-grade grad is leaving college with less debt. For parents and grandparents, it means socking away money nearly tax-free and retaining control of the money when Junior enrolls four years from now.

Available at: savingforcollege.com, a terrific site that offers basics and compares plans. Also visit www.collegesavings.org.

High school graduate

•Laptop computer: When they’re not researching their first college term paper, they can watch episodes of “The Real World.” Considerations, besides the $1,000 price tag, are speed, portability, weight and battery life. Check cnet.com for consumer information.

Available at: dell.com or retail stores such as CompUSA (compusa.com), Best Buy (bestbuy.com) and Fry’s Electronics (frys.com).

•Cell phone: Any self-respecting, tech-savvy high school senior won’t be happy with a cell phone designed largely for communication (which is so Class of ‘97). But a big smile will greet the LG CU500, a thin flip-phone packed with audio and video features. It includes a camera, music player and an address book. The phone retails for $180, but can be found for less than half that with a two-year contract from Cingular.

Available at: Cingular stores, www.cingular.com.

•Refrigerator: The ubiquitous mini dorm refrigerators ($80 to $120) are now available in colors (red, green and black) to better coordinate with the comforter.

Available at a variety of stores.

•Budget-friendly: Shell out $20 or so for an iTunes gift card. This is a present with almost universal appeal to an iPod-carrying high school graduate and available in the denominations you want to spend. The card works like a debit card, allowing you to purchase songs from the iTunes store (millions available) and download and transfer them to an iPod.

Available at: apple.com and discount stores.

College graduate

•Etiquette lessons: Besides knowing to ditch the flip-flops and give a firm handshake, grads may need a little hands-on coaching on how to successfully navigate the job interview, business cocktail hour and a fancy dinner. A customized consultation by image pros costs about $150 an hour.

Look for “image consultants” locally.

•Briefcase: After nearly 18 years of carrying school paraphernalia in a backpack, it’s time for the big people’s carryall. Tastes differ, as does price. The monogrammed canvas attache costs $60 to $100, or go with the hand-tooled leather keepsake that can cost hundreds.

Available at: landsend.com, (800) 963-4816 or at retail stores. •Budget-friendly: With gasoline moving past $3 a gallon, give a grad a gasoline gift card. Depending on the company, it can be used for anything from milk to petrol.