19 Coolest Holiday Gifts for Geeks, Gamers, Tech-Nerds & Beyond

Whatever holiday you may or may not celebrate, you probably like stuff. And unless you’re an uber-minimalist or going really really green, you could probably stand some new swag around this time of year. Whether you’re a gadget guru, a nerd, a trendster or a downright practical lady, our holiday gift guide should have a little somethin’ for you.

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GADGETS & ELECTRONICA

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Because you already have an iPod.

And you always need more gadgets.

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1. Behold, the Kindle Wireless Reading Device:

A quick way to be a book nerd and a tech geek simultaneously! Be the envy of all those paupers on your commute reading books made of paper.

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2. A Gift From Gaga

So maybe you can’t do the twist in the background of the Bad Romance video, because it’s already made and stuff. And that’s a letdown, but hey, you can get a little closer to Gaga with these zany in-ear headphones designed by the deity of crazy herself!

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3. Kodak Zi8, Meet the Flip Cam’s Sexy Older Sister

The Kodak Zi8 rocks the world of the handheld HD cam with a slick design, that wacky USB pull-out arm and an SD card slot for expandable memory. Flip cam, your days are numbered.

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4. Play Favorites With the Olympus EP-1

I love the style of this camera. Seriously. I wish all DSLRs looked like this. This Olympus straddles the line between an entry-level pro camera and a throwaround consumer digital cam. Interchangeable lenses make it lean toward a pro cam, but the lack of a viewfinder is certainly weird. So buy the EP-1 and use your other less gorgeous camera to take pictures of it. Because it’s that hot.
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5. Motorola Droid In Yo’ Face

We’ve sung its praises already, but the Motorola Droid is a great phone on the Verizon network. Let that red eye of doom gaze deep within your soul while you enjoy the Droid’s sleek design and Google’s mobile OS.

verizon-motorola-droid

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WANT MORE GADGET GIFTS?

Palm Pixi, Squeezebox Wifi Stereo, Geek USB Toolbelt
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LOOKIN’ GOOD:

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As a nerd, it’s important to look your best while being as absolutely effortlessly clever as possible. If you aren’t witty enough to pull that one off alone, here’s some help.

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6. “Space Invaders Under the Knife” Tee:

Behold, the glory of a Space Invaders Autopsy tee. You are so retro and throwback and clever! I can tell by your t-shirt!

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7. “Turtle Shell Wipeout” Tee:

Who doesn’t love Super Mario World? No one. Jerks, maybe. The image on this shirt reminds me of my glory days in Super Mario Kart. And how those g*ddamn heat-seeking red turtle shells would get you every time. Every time! Amazing.


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8. Photoshop Hero Hoodie:

Maybe you don’t have mad skillz at playing the fakeguitar. Maybe you mainly use your dexterity for keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop! This hoodie is inspired by a hilarious design geek comic by Penny Arcade. And if you snag one, clone stamp the thing immediately because I want one!


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GAME YOUR WAY THROUGH THE HOLIDAZE

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If your family rituals verge on unbearable, why not engage in a little legal, low-risk escapism? It’s better than putting too much Jim Beam in your eggnog this year.

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9. New Super Mario Bros Wii

A NEW SIDE-SCROLLING CLASSIC STYLE PLATFORM MARIO GAME!? Heart be still. The new Mario Bros offers coins, pipes, new power-ups and a veritable rainbow of Yoshis, so we can OD on nostalgia around the holidays. And it’s multiplayer too! You might have better luck convincing the fam to play Mario on the Wii than getting them to humor helping out with your World of Warcraft subscription fund.

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10. DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable

Now you don’t have to blast LCD Soundsystem and get so drunk that you forget you’re alone in your living room to feel like you’re a DJ! And if you’re too cool to play a fake guitar, maybe a fake turntable will get you going!
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11. Assassin Action

Channel your inner history buff in a less sophisticated way and your inner Wolverine in a more sophisticated way. Play Ezio, a deadly, gorgeously animated assassin dude packing some sweet little knife things that pop out of his sleeves. Assassin’s Creed II takes place in a painstakingly historically accurate rendering of Renaissance-era Italy. How cool is that? And you get to sneak around and poke people with those sleeve-knives. Neat!
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NEED MORE GAMING GIFTS?

Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2, Modern Warfare 2
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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM IN THE BEST WAY

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Here are some random holiday geek gifts just in case everything else is sold out…or you want to look original.

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12. It’s Like a Geek Chastity Belt:

Username and password underwear! How hi-larious! And they’re boy-cut! Even if your lover isn’t a geek, they probably password protect their computer, so they’ll get the joke. They password protected it because you are creepy.
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13. Wired on ‘Wired’:

This mag has a little somethin’ for everyone. And a magazine subscription is the gift that keeps on giving…at least for 12 months or so. That is unless y’all break up and you have the mag rerouted to your new address. Then that gift gives back.
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14. I Don’t Give a Hoot:

It’s cute you said hoot and all, but clearly you mean this. This is a holiday gift that definitely, definitely bears repeating. Practical uses include: Tuning out the unsettling political ideals of your relatives, scoring severance pay and a vast array of live-action lolcat applications- just add cat.
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15. How to Get a Geek in Bed:

It’s as simple as this. These Adobe suite pillows are an amazingly cute gift for the girl with an eye for design. Buy them and insist on helping lay them out on a bed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. You’ll ⌘+x the pants right off of anybody!

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16. Notebook Lust:

Here’s something so simple yet so deeply aesthetically satisfying that you might have a hard time sullying it with writing. You can pre-order a whole year’s worth of seasonally-themed colors or just stick with the Field Notes classic. With one or two of these on hand, you can document strange family rituals as they emerge in the wild.
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A GIRL CAN DREAM:

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Just because we can’t afford it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth looking into. Here are some high end gifts for the girl who could use a little holiday bling.

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17. The Mac to End (Most) Macs:

Here’s the hot new Apple 27-inch i-Mac, with a screen that will make you go blind from sheer joy. This thing’s a powerhouse to boot with a display large enough to hide behind if you need to evade any weirdo aunts or anything.
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18. Amateur to Pro in One Purchase Flat:

They say the camera doesn’t make the photographer, but honestly, you could hand the Canon 5D Mark II to a drunk monkey and want to frame the results. Buy this beast, close your eyes and click. Voila! Instant Ansel Adams! Go from absolute photofool to pro photog as fast as you can max out your credit card. But humor us and take a few classes so you don’t embarrass yourself.
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19. Jet Setting. No, REALLY:

Nothing beats the Neiman Marcus holiday catalogue when it comes to absurdly lavish excess. Buy this private aircraft “his and hers” starter set and soar far above trivial matters like the economy, global warming and poor people.
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Taylor has written 136 articles for us.

48 Comments

  1. After I read “I love the style of this camera. Seriously. It turns me on,” followed by, “The Olympus straddles…” I absolutely lost it in a fit of giggles. “Straddles! Teehee!” I *might* be a 12 year old boy at heart.

    But no view finder? On a DSLR? Crazytalk.

    Cameras can sure be sexy though. I definitely needed a room when I walked by a giant add for the Canon 5D Mark II the other day. My friend had to tell me to stop fondling the sign. It was just so, so pretty and it has so much potential to let me make even PRETTIER things! Unrequited love though until I get a magic bonus or something.

  2. 19 — not 20! 19.

    oh hey guess what i love those undies! and the Olympus EP-1 is so freakin’ pretty. i have a couple of lomos that don’t have viewfinders and i hate to say that i never really got used to it. maybe if i had more $$ to spend on film.

    anyway this list is RADICAL and i love it. #technostraddle4evs

  3. GAGA DESIGNED HEADPHONES??? Must have. This is probs why I stepped on/broke my headphones last week. I could sense these in my future. I am emailing this link to my mother, stat. …Oh wait, she reads this site religiously so she’ll see it anyway! (And she loves Gaga. She’s so great, guys.)
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    If I didn’t need a laptop, I would want that Apple iMac so badly. I love screens that make my peripheral vision disappear. Though sometimes I get motion sickness working on them.

  4. Great recommendations. DJ Hero is definitely on my wishlist this year. My goal for 2010 is to become the master of every fake musical instrument / device possible.

    • you talk better than you fool. i told you who the master of the universe was, and there can only be one. real talk.

        • Agreed. I’ve spent the last week pefecting my axe-weilding and my rock stance. I won’t lie, it’s quite intimidating. I don’t think you’re ready dubs.

  7. -I was watching a friend play that Assassin’s Creed game, and it is quite possibly the best looking video game ever. I don’t know what it’s about, or how you play it, but seriously, it’s beautiful.
    -After Effects pillow – WANT
    -My boss totally bought himself a new private plane a couple of weeks ago(probably didn’t come from a catalog, but still). Also, he did away with Christmas bonuses this year. Gotta love rich people.
    -Technostraddle, you make me happy.

  11. Ace list! Sadly I have no money/neither does anyone who might buy me these, but one day when I am rich I will buy most everything! And a Wii.
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    Also, totally seeing the Eye of Sauron now. Wee bit alarming.

  12. I love threadless tees so much. Also my aunt has the kindle book reader thingy and she loves it. Also also I have that jet already.

    • I love Threadless, too. Both of their stores (well, retail store and warehouse) are near me and if I had more $ I’d be there all the time. I went to high school with one of the founders. He is the most ‘famous for a good reason’ person we’ve got so far (the others being ‘famous for bad things like pedofilia’, or being ‘famous for being a playmate’…)

    • I haven’t tested either but the Kodak records on cards and has image stabilization, which are awesome. Does the Flip HD have that?

    • I don’t think either are very good. They might suffice for YouTube, but don’t expect quality that you’ll enjoy when stretched for larger screens. Flip has been advertised heavily and has a lot of hype surrounding it, but doesn’t pan out quality wise, and most of my customers were very unhappy with Kodak as well. A lot of the popularity of these things is because they’re small and cheap, but that means that they also have smaller sensors and processors and cheap lenses. I wouldn’t spend my money on either of them.

  14. I don’t understand kindles. I guess I like the feel of a real book in my hands. Just me?
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    Ohh Lady Gaga headphones, must have! P.S. Have you all seen the preview for The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009?
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    Barbara Walters: “Have you had sex with women?”
    Lady Gaga: “Uhh.. ahh.. my goodness.” o_0

    • I like having a real book in my hands too…it’s comforting to curl up and read. Somehow curling up with a plastic monitor doesn’t seem the same.

      Does a kindle make people’s eyes sore like a computer screen does after staring for awhile?

      • It has some anti-glare technology so it’s easier on your eyes than a computer monitor (or so Amazon would like us to believe).

        • Also you can store multiple books on the kindle, so instead of bring 5 heavy books if you’re traveling somewhere (for example), you can just bring the kindle.

    • Still no matter what people tell me I am constantly suspicious that the kindle will somehow make me blind. But I want one. I want to be blind!

  15. I asked for the God of War collection (I and II have been remastered onto a Blu-Ray disc) but I am thinking that Unchartered 2 and Modern Warfare 2 will also be in my stocking this year. :-D

  16. i love super mario… ive always wanted to be mario and lugi for halloween but I can never convince anyone to be mario, hmmm.

  17. I want the kodak zi8 but I don’t know anyone who has it yetttt… and don’t always trust online reviews ..that is alll goodnight

  20. Great recommendations … with the exception of the Kodak. I work at an electronic store in the camera section and I’ve found that many many people were displeased with that camera. It’s great for YouTube videos, but don’t expect video or audio quality that will thrill you on your 1080p television. Don’t buy the Flip either; it’s even worse. But on the other hand, yey Kindle, and I’ve heard some fantastic things about the Gaga headphones.

  24. Great post! I myself think that finding the right gift can sometimes be difficult. What I think is that people tend to like unique gifts that are hard to find and not sold in stores. People like the gifts more this way since they cannot be replaced. I have been buying a few items from http://www.thinkfuntoys.com and giving it away to friends and family. They all love it. They have a few tech gifts to choose from. The stuff there are pretty cheap and unique and they deliver fast.

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