Tax refund your way to cool tech

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Even though you put the work off, you made it past tax filing day. That deserves some celebration, and maybe a reward. Don't expect to get even a card from the IRS (better hope you don't get one), let alone a present. But if you're like the many who expect a refund, you could buy yourself a little something, particularly when the average refund should be about $3,000, according to government estimates.

Here are some suggestions for ways you could put some of that money into key technology upgrades that could make you more productive, or at least have some fun while you're waiting for the efficiency to kick in.

Lighten your notebook road load

I typically suggest people to get as much life as possible out of hardware as possible. But new developments in mobile computing will add power while carving weight from what you sling over your shoulder.

For example, new CPUs like Intel's Ivy Bridge deliver more computing while needing a lot less power than in the past. Whether a Windows-based Ultrabook might be your speed or you want an Apple MacBook Air, these chips will be in both.

Get tablet fever

Being distrustful of trendy technology is always smart. There are many people who want to sell you whatever they can. But if you have to work with technology in any way, shape, or form, it's time to look at getting a tablet.

They take some time to get used to. An IT person I spoke with estimated that it took him three months to figure out how to most effectively work with them. But since then, he'd largely dropped bringing anything larger or heavier.

I'd have to agree from my own experience. Take some time to learn how to get things done on the device, because not everything will work they way PC habit might suggest, and you can be amazingly effective. Read books, listen to music, watch videos, do email.

You might consider the new iPad, given the high resolution screen. That visual crispness will become a must in the next year or two as people realize how much more they like the great graphics.

Or do as I did and get an Android tablet. When I hit the store, credit card in hand, I opted for an Asus Transformer Prime and later got a docking station. That means I can separate the screen and use it like a tablet, or dock it and suddenly have a netbook with a touchpad (you can still do things by touching the screen, though) and a way to connect SD flash memory cards or USB devices. The keyboard makes more intense email and writing sessions easier.

Get a great pic

Many consumers are abandoning cameras for taking pictures with a smartphone. It's all well and good unless you are a photography buff and want more control. Traditional point-and-shoots don't do enough and DSLRs can be heavy and bulky.

So go with one of the more forward-thinking designs out there. So-called mirrorless cameras significantly shrink the size and weight of a DSLR but still let you interchange lenses. Sony, Nikon, and Olympus all have entries and Canon is rumored to be planning a debut of its own later this year.

Or you could make life smaller and lighter while still getting the control you want. There is a category that you might call advanced point-and-shoot, where the lens is fixed but the image sensor bigger (translates into better looking images) and the settings more nuanced. I've been toting a Fujifilm with me to snag photos with a good lens and low light capabilities while keeping my shoulder happy. (I slip one into my briefcase along with the tablet and docking station.) Here's a sample image I recently took from an airplane:

I deliberately underexposed the image to get the texture of the clouds and the deeper blues at the top. This wouldn't have been as easy with a point-and-shoot or smartphone, plus the 12 megapixel image means I can make a photo-quality print that is at least 8x10-inches -- more than double what an iPhone could give me.

Internet-enabled TV

Why be satisfied with whatever the local cable company delivers when you could pull video from the Internet? You can do this in three ways:

• Get a TV already wired for the net.
• Look for a DVD player that has networking built in. (We got a Sony Blu-ray player late last year and said goodbye to satellite TV.)
• Connect the output from your PC to the input of your TV to bypass the traditional gatekeepers.

The good news is that you could do any one of these and still have most of your money left to put into a rainy day fund -- in case next year's refund isn't as robust.

Image: morgueFile user rubencolorado

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman is a widely published writer and editor who also does select ghosting and corporate work. The views expressed in this column belong to Sherman and do not represent the views of CBS Interactive. Follow him on Twitter at @ErikSherman or on Facebook.

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