The key word when describing this year’s hot technology is digital.

“Digital products in general — MP3 players, DVD players and digital cameras — are all things people are buying to replace older products such as VCRs and regular film cameras,” explained Garren Bugh, the store manager at Radio Shack, located in North Grand Mall.

Portable MP3 players allow consumers to download MP3 songs from their computer onto their player. Target, 320 S. Duff, recently began carrying one of the latest portable MP3 players, the Apple iPod, in its stores.

According to Jeff Wendland, Target’s Electronics team leader, the $399.99 iPod has 10 gigabytes of memory, which has the capacity to retain 4,000 MP3 songs in its memory. A little smaller than a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), the iPod has similar PDA-like functions such as a calendar and phone book.

Bugh named MP3 players as top-of-the-list items for college students this season as well as digital cameras.

“Digital cameras are easy to use and they’re nice because they don’t waste pictures. They’re really becoming more of a mainstream product.” In addition, CD recorders that record CDs on a stereo rather than a computer are gaining in popularity, along with Spring PCS phones with color screens and downloadable ringers.

Although there has been quite some buzz regarding PDA-cell phone combos, Bugh doesn’t see them as “the next big thing.”

“PDA phones tend not to be that great of a PDA, and not that great of a phone. They have too small of a screen for a PDA and too big of a screen for a phone.”

What is the most high-tech item that will be gracing the shelves this season? Bugh believes it will be DVD recorders. The recorders have built-in hard drives that record programs onto an average of 40 gigabytes of space, which is equivalent to 20 hours of “tape.” Stored information is brought up through a menu for easy viewing.

“It’s an expensive product at about $700. The price will decrease somewhat in the future, but it’s a computer and has high-cost components, so it will probably always be pricey.”

Wendland believes that like DVDs, the demand of DVD recorders will widen, but until then, they’re too expensive to be on many wish lists this year.

Other picks on Wendland’s list of hot items for college students include Palm Pilots and video games to be played on “the big three”: Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s Gamecube.

The Palm Pilot is a popular brand of PDA organizer that averages about $200. “They were popular when school started and I’m sure they will be popular for Christmas,” Wendland predicts.

However, the item that Target currently has to struggle to keep on the shelves is Grand Theft Auto IV: Vice City, which can be played on Sony’s Playstation 2. A video game that’s loosely based on the television series “Miami Vice,” it has only been in stock for two days since its release on October 29.

“Since we’ve gotten the game, we’ve sold 120 copies in 4 to 5 hours,” Wendland said. “I get at least 25 calls a day about it. Video games are becoming a fast-growing, popular Christmas gift this year.”