Cybersocket’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

SLIGHTLY GEEKY GIFTS FOR THE GADGET LOVERS IN YOUR LIFE

Halloween and turkey day have both come and gone, so you know what that means… It’s time for another edition of Cybersocket’s Holiday Gift Guide. From handmade, one-of-a-kind items to the latest tech toys, this year’s list is full of geeky treasures that are guaranteed to warm the cockles of every nerd, technophile, and gadget freak in your life. Whether you’ve got $10 to spend or $100, we’ve got you covered. Just try to remember that the holidays don’t have to be a financial drain – and that homemade gifts are always the most touching. After all, who needs an iPod when you can spend the night playing Spin the Dreidel? However, if you’ve got a wad of mad cash that’s burning a hole in your pocket (or you just need some old-fashioned shopping therapy) we’ve got loads of bright ideas.

APPAREL

HANDMADE, ONE-OF-A-KIND APPAREL FROM ETSY
$10 & up
Unique, handmade gifts that  reflect a person’s personal obessions will always be a hit – if you know how to crochet or sew. Alternately, you can find one-of-a-kind, handmade goods at incredibly reasonable prices on Etsy. You’ll find themes such as videogames, owls, and other pop culture motifs interpreted in scarves, t-shirts, hats, keychains, magnets, original artwork, and tons more.

AUDIO / VIDEO

FLIP ULTRA HD VIDEO RECORDER $150
The original Flip made it easy to shoot video and to share it online, but the new 4GB Ultra HD model adds storage for up to one hour of 720p, 16:9 HD video – and a front faceplate that can be customized with any image of your choice. Uploading video to Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter is still a snap thanks to the Flip’s built-in USB connector, and you can even watch your videos on your HDTV with an optional HDMI cable.

WESTERN DIGITAL TV LIVE $100
Play video files directly from any USB external hard drive on your TV (standard or HD) at up to 1080p. The TV Live includes a small remote and supports formats such as Xvid, AVC, MPEG, WMV9, MP4, and MOV. TV Live also streams Internet video from Netflix Unlimited and YouTube and supports Pandora Internet radio and Flickr photo-sharing.

CROSLEY RECORDING TECH TURNTABLE $130
Enjoy collecting vintage LPs again with this turntable that has built-in speakers and can record your LPs directly to an SD card. It also includes a fun, retro AM/FM radio, a remote control, and support for 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM records.

ACORN KEYCHAIN SPEAKER AND RADIO $35
This cute little wooden acorn may look like just a charm, but it’s actually a surprisingly nice little speaker for your portable devices. The little hole in the middle is a standard mini-stereo jack that accepts input from your iPod, phone, portable game, or  other source.

iPOD NANO $149
The latest version of iPod’s Nano is a tiny, svelte square that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. In addition to playing your favorite tunes and accessing Apple’s iTunes store, the Nano sports a beautiful screen that can display album art and controls for its built-in radio.

FUJI FINEPIX REAL 3D W3 DIGITAL CAMERA  $500
If you can’t wait until March to get your 3D fix from Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS handheld game console that displays 3D without glasses, you can check out Fuji’s groundbreaking digital camera that shoots 3D stills and video and displays them on its built-in, naked-eye 3D screen. The camera features dual 10MP CCD sensors and lenses, a 3x optical zoom, one-button wide angle and telephoto shooting, an SDHC card slot, and the ability to shoot and display in both 2D and 3D.

HI-TECH ACCESSORIES

HAND-CARVED, WOODEN DEVICE CASES $35 to $170
Originally available only in Japan, the elegant, hand-carved wooden cases from Mokudigi are now available in the U.S. The cases are offered in various woods for the iPod, iPhone, Nintendo DS, and more. Another company, Vers Audio, makes more affordable shell-style cases (only for Apple products) as well as wood and bamboo earbuds and iPod sound systems using materials harvested from sustainable forests.

EXTERNAL USB SATA DRIVE BLOCK $40~$75
Thanks to this USB drive block, you no longer have to pay a price premium for external storage solutions. You can simply buy cheap internal drives and hot swap them in and out of the block.

PRO-MINI WIRELESS KEYBOARD WITH TRACKPAD  $70
Computer remotes work well for basic music player functionality, but what if you want to do more without getting off the couch? The pro-mini puts an entire keyboard and trackpad into a device the size of a small remote control. With the pro-mini, you can do just about anything on your computer from across the room (up to 30m.)

WACOM BAMBOO TOUCH AND PEN $65
Apple’s new multi-touch trackpad represents a cool alternative to the traditional mouse. But all things considered, it’s extremely overpriced and it doesn’t work as well as a mouse in many situations. Wacom’s Bamboo Touch and Pen takes Apple’s trackpad and one-ups it by adding high-quality graphics tablet functionality that allows you to draw and write with pinpoint precision, sign documents, and perform Photoshop work in an intuitive way using the included two-button pen.

MIMOBOT USB MEMORY STICKS $10~$80
Carrying a USB memory stick has become indispensable for most of us in today’s world of digital video, mp3’s, PDFs, and text documents. If you’re going to carry one, you might as well have fun with it. For years Mimoco has been producing inventive, best-in-class memory sticks featuring both well-known and obscure licensed characters. The sticks come in various sizes and feature characters from the worlds of Hello Kitty, Star Wars, Domo, and Halo – as well as lines featuring designs from well known artists, community-designed memory sticks, and more.

ECO-FRIENDLY
   
STYLISH, REUSABLE WATERBOTTLES $9~$30
Bottled water and beverages result in huge amounts of plastic waste – and large amounts of energy are used to transport them to market. The Waterbobble and the 321-Water are both reusable, personal water bottles that filter tap water, removing chlorine and other substances to produce safe, delicious H20. The Kor One bottles are made from eco-friendly, recycled materials and feature a number of innovations. Vapur Anti-Bottles are perfect for folks who like to travel as light as possible and who don’t want to carry around an empty bottle. Earthlust bottles are made of aluminum and feature a wide array of hip colors and designs.

LED LIGHTBULBS $35-$110
LED bulbs are just as bright as incandescent bulbs and have none of the flicker of fluorescent bulbs. They burn cool and can last anywhere from 11-17 years depending on usage patterns and model. During its lifetime, you’ll save about $430 on electricity and replacement bulbs for each one of these that you buy. Long-term, it’s more expensive to buy regular light bulbs – but not all of us have the luxury of making such big, up-front investments. Luckily, competition is driving prices down – so check the latest online deals before you buy.

YOGEN – WORLD’S FIRST HUMAN POWERED DEVICE CHARGER $50
It doesn’t get much greener than this. You don’t even need the sun or the wind to create energy for your portable devices – just good old eco-friendly elbow grease! You simply pull the Yogen’s rip cord repeatedly to charge its battery and then plug in your devices to charge them.

HIGH-CAPACITY SOLAR CHARGER AND BATTERY $200
At last, a solar charger that is actually useful – with enough oomph and adaptor tips to power everything from your laptop and phone to your iPod, portable game console, and more.

AIRCURVE ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIER FROM GRIFFIN  $15-$20
It looks like a sculptural object – but it’s actually an iPhone acoustic amplifier that contains a coiled waveguide “horn” engineered to collect and amplify the sound output of your iPhone. It’s a lot like an old-fashioned Victrola, but it sounds great and has a pass-through cable so that you can still charge and sync your iPhone while using the AirCurve.

ART, GAMING, AND LEISURE

KIRICHIGAI PUZZLE BOX $20~$180
Can you figure out the seven steps necessary to open this traditional Japanese puzzle box? Created using intricate wood inlay techniques and locking mechanisms developed in the Edo period, some kirichigai boxes even feature a hidden drawer. What will you hide inside it for them to discover? Always a classy and thoughtful gift.

GARMIN eTREX VENTURE HC COLOR GPS $270
If you’d like to experience the worldwide treasure hunt known as geo-caching, the eTrex Venture HC is an ideal first GPS that doesn’t sacrifice key features like high-sensitivity WAAS antenna and hi-res, sunlight-readable color display. Easy to operate, it’s an indispensable tool for geo-caching, camping, hiking, fishing, and more.

CRAZY CAT LADY ACTION FIGURE $10
When does rescuing stray cats turn into hoarding? At what point does loneliness give way to madness? Let your spinster friends know when they’ve crossed the line with this hauntingly detailed action figure that includes (at last count) six cat figures.

DELICIOUS FOODS

MARIE BELLE OF NEW YORK, 25-PC BLUE BOX $60
From one of New York’s finest chocalatiers comes this box of delicious, edible artwork. The chocolate is top notch and every piece bears an intricate, colorful design.

ICE CREAM MOCHI AND JAPANESE PASTRIES  $30
L.A.-based Mikawaya has become world famous for introducing ice cream mochi to a wide audience. If you don’t live in L.A., you can now order it online from their store (5 packages at a time, totaling $30) in an assortment of intriguing flavors. They’re all good, but be sure to try the delicious green tea and red bean flavors. A large selection of traditional Japanese pastries and confections are also available.

LIFESTYLE ENHANCERS

SENZ XL UMBRELLA $94
This uniquely shaped umbrella shears the wind and can withstand gales of up to 70mph without inverting. It automatically rotates in the wind to find the position of least resistance and the unique shape keeps your entire body dry, rather than just your head. The asymmetrical design is eye catching and the extra large canopy sports protectors on the tip of every spoke to protect the eyes of passers-by. It’s one of the finest umbrellas you can buy.

GRASSY LAWN CHARGING STATION $25
Add some green to your décor and hide the clutter of multiple chargers and wires at the same time with this little oasis of artificial grass. Your devices can be nestled snugly on top, while a hidden compartment in the base hides cables, wires, and chargers.

SOCKET POCKET $5
Tired of laying your cell phone on the floor or on a table so that it can be next to an outlet? Here’s the solution – a sturdy pocket that attaches to the wall next to even the most oddly placed outlets. A clip on the bottom secures extra cabling, with a pass-through for adaptors.

SONICARE TOOTHBRUSH $110~$170
The Sonicare toothbrush is a thoughtful gift that shows you care. Every model uses the same sonic technology recommended by dentists, so go for the base model unless they really need the extras. If they already have one, replacement heads ($30) always make for a useful gift.

SONY E-READER DAILY EDITION $250
Although it’s not the cheapest, the Daily Edition Reader from Sony is the most flexible E-reader currently available thanks to its 7-inch
e-ink touch screen, stylus for freehand note taking, and – most importantly – support for open formats such as  PDF, doc, txt, and ePub. It also includes wi-fi, free 3G access, expandable memory (SD or Memory Stick PRO Duo), MP3/AAC audio playback, an aluminum shell, and lots more.

PROVOCATIVE

HOT IRISH FARMER CALENDAR $20
This hot new calendar features half-dressed Irish farmers looking sultry in their natural habitat. By “natural habitat,” we mean Ireland – not your bedroom. All proceeds go to benefit charity and you can even download all the photos from the calendar at the official website.

FLESHJACK $65
The Fleshjack has made jerking off into a science. You can customize the look and feel of your Fleshjack online, opting for different styles, orifices, and textures. Then prepare to be blown away!

WET SYNERGY LUBE $7
Lube is one of those items that is always appreciated, even if the receiver acts a little flustered. That’s because many people just don’t like to buy it for themselves. This silicone-water hybrid formula is silky smooth, lasts three times as long as many other lubes, and washes away with warm water.