It's that time of year again, the time of year that drives me crazy. Christmas present buying time. As always this time of year comes around again when I'm on a serious Web 2.0 Layoff Budget and cannot indulge in the kick ass fantasy gifts I'd been planning for all of my geek friends.
You know: life size robots and 3G iPhones and Blu-rays for EVERYONE!
Not so much.
However, with some careful research and considered thought you can still come up with cool tech toys to give.
Here are our suggestions for great gifts under $50 that will be a hit with your tech geek on Christmas morning!
$49.99 Optimus 7 Digital Photo Frame
It's the hot gadget this year that everyone wants: a digital photo frame. Good ones with high memory are hard to find for under $50, but the Optimus 7 from Radio Shack isn't half bad. The 7" LCD displays photos cleanly, you can use either a memory stick or xD memory card to load your media and photos display either as a slideshow or a single frame.
$46.62 AlcoHAWK Micro Keychain Breath Alcohol Tester
Tis the season to be jolly and more than likely that involves a few cocktails along the way. Have ya had one too many? Is it time for cab over car? Here's a way to answer that question: the AlcoHAWK keychain will test your breath via a semi-conductor oxide sensor to deliver .00 to .12% Breath Alcohol Content. Over a .05%? Do us a favor and call a cab!
There is a $15 version of this available via Bed, Bath & Beyond; but, we wouldn't play with fire when it comes to drinking and driving by buying the cheap keychain. Keep in mind that when in doubt it's always best to hand over your keys!
$29.99 ColdHeat 23114 Cordless Pro Soldering Tool with Wire Stripper
A gift for the hardcore geek. The ColdHeat 23114 heats and cools within seconds, takes AAA batteries and solders over 700 joints per battery pack. If you -or someone in your vicinity- understood what any of this means, this will be a great gift for your geek!
$17.50 Mario and Duck Hunt Nintendo Cartridge Clock
If you are a packrat who paid attention during 7th grade wood shop, you could probably craft this cute clock DIY. If you're like us and were fantasizing about John Taylor during wood shop and have a Mom who cleaned out your closet as soon as you moved out, then you'll buy this cute one from Etsy seller Geekdetails.
$10.99 Sneaky uses for everyday things by Cy Tymony
You know your geek guy friends like to fancy themselves as MacGuyvers, able to make anything out of a tinfoil wrapper from a stick of gum, a penny and a paperclip. Help them reach their geeky potential with this DIY tome designed to help them generate battery power from household items, transform FM radio towers into a eavesdropping device and thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.
$8.99-$17.97 MicroSpy Remote
Tired of your honey hogging the remote? Go Sydney Bristow on his ass with this tiny spy like micro universal remote. Don't want to watch football? Quietly change the channel over to what you want to watch.