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Tech Gadgets: The Top 11 Gifts for Geeks

If you have from $13 to $80 to spend on your favorite tech geek, we've got gift and stocking stuffer ideas in the categories of fitness, music, travel, cool tools, unusual gift cards, and more. Let's go shopping.

By Anne B. McDonald

November 25, 2008 — PC World —

Let the Holiday Shopping Begin!

'Tis the season to be jolly and to find interesting gifts for your tech-minded friends and family. I set myself a budget of up to $80 per gift (fortunately, only one product here costs that much; most are a lot less) and scoured the Internet to find fun uses for your precious dollars.

I came up with new ways to charge mobile devices, use digital photos, and cool and pamper a hot laptop; I also found gift cards with fun technologies built in, and much more.

If you don't find what you need here, we have other good holiday slide shows for you to check out. Try "Video Games: The 12 Best Holiday Bets" and "Celebrity Tech Gift Guide 2008."

eTape Digital Measuring Tape

Need a stocking stuffer for a tool lover? I'm a tool hound, and I'm lusting for this battery-powered eTape Digital Measuring Tape ($25). (Note: At posting time, the Web site said you may have a waiting period of one to three weeks, until the device is back in stock.)

After you take your measurements, you just push a button on the device and it will "memorize" and display the figure on its easy-to-read display. That makes it so easy to grab the pencil and write it down!

The Digital Measuring Tape turns on automatically when the tape is extended, and off when fully retracted back into the case. It can measure up to 16 feet, and will display the results in five different formats.

This is one gift that really measures up!

Belkin Flythru Laptop Case

If you're looking for a gift for a techie who travels a lot, the Belkin Flythru Laptop Case ($60) may be just the ticket. Nothing is more irritating than pulling a notebook out of its case when going through airport security—while whipping off your belt and juggling your shoes.

This case would spare you at least part of the TSA shuffle. The bag isolates your laptop on one side and all of its accessories on the other. The notebook side has a clear window, so when you unzip the case and put it flat on the checkpoint belt, the TSA agents can easily see your PC. There's no need to remove it from the case. The Flythru also is built with a minimum of metal hardware and zippers to be more security friendly, and it fits most standard and wide-screen laptops up to 15.4 inches wide.

(If you're looking for what's literally a stocking stuffer, the Flythru is a little large for that purpose, but I couldn't resist its practicality.)

i.Sound Twin Charging Dock

So, you're lucky enough to be a dual Apple iPhone family. Or one of you scored an iPhone, and the other has stayed with their iPod. Both still need to be charged regularly, right?

That's where this little gizmo could come in handy—the i.Sound Twin Charging Dock. Just park your two sets of Apple gear into this docking station when they need charging and grab them on the go when you leave the house. Beats separate chargers and their cords draped all over the bedroom floor, doesn't it?

The $50 dock includes brackets for current iPhone and iPod models to make sure they are securely supported, and the charger plugs into any wall outlet.

Charge!

BlueLounge Cool Feet

Here's a cool solution to a hot laptop: Cool Feet from BlueLounge.

The four nodes attach directly to smooth-bottomed notebooks via suction cups; for laptops with contoured bottoms you would use the included small, very thin adhesive plates to which the suction-cup feet attach.

The two front feet are shorter than the back two, so the setup allows air to circulate and the heat from your laptop to dissipate. A possible bonus is that you also get a slight ergonomic tilt to the notebook when using the feet.

These $13 removable supports—and a pouch for carrying them, also included—could be a great stocking stuffer for any laptop user.

Denver Bag Tag

You've shot lots of great digital pictures, but what do you do with them?

You've almost filled your PC's hard drive, you might have shuffled others off to a digital picture frame or two, and your Flickr site is about to burst.

Here's a nice use for a good digital photo. Have the folks at Kimbra Studios make you a one-of-a-kind luggage tag for your suitcase or briefcase (sorry, but the great bag in this photo would blow the budget).

As shown above, an obvious use would be a child's face; or perhaps one made from a memory of a favorite vacation or a good close-up of a family pet. Grandparents could get grandchildren on the tag, and vice versa. The possibilities are endless.

After all, you have hundreds of digital photos, don't you?

The Denver Bag Tags, $28 each, are waterproof and scratch-resistant, and tie to the luggage with a sturdy ribbon. They're also easy to order—you just upload your digital image to the Kimbra Web site, which also sells many other items that can be personalized with photos.

 

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