The REAL Holiday Geek Gift Guide

November 28, 08 by Daniel Foster

Just about every major site on the web has posted its own technology gift guide for the holiday season. Comprised mainly of mainstream gadgets like iPhones, camcorders, and netbooks, it’s almost as though every tech writer has been using copy and paste a bit too much lately. Not only that, but any real geek will already own the most popular gizmos.With that in mind, here’s a real holiday gift guide with the products your special geek really wants

1. Throwboy Dock Icon Pillows

Any Apple fan will love these icon pillows, giant versions of the most popular OS X dock icons in a softer form. Available at $29 each or $149 for a set, there’s a pillow for Finder, iTunes, Dashboard, Front Row, Photobooth, and iPhoto.

2. Wi-Fi Detecting T-Shirt

This $29.99 T-shirt will display any nearby 802.11b or 802.11g network, meaning that wherever you and your geek friend visit, you’ll always be able to find a hotspot. The front of the shirt has a Wi-Fi icon with bars to show signal strength. Wear it around the house, at the mall, or most likely, the nearest sci-fi convention.

3. Optimus Mini Three 2.0

Art Lebedev has improved upon the popular Mini Three with the Mini Three 2.0. Containing three mini customizable OLED screens, the device has all sorts of functions. It can be used as a toolbar, remote control, RSS reader, and more. Though it is still unavailable, the new version of the Mini Three should be up for sale soon.

4. Intel Core i7

Every geek with two pennies to rub together is drooling over the new Core i7 CPUs. Featuring an updated architecture and clock speeds as high as 3.2 GHz, they are among the fastest desktop processors on the market. If you plan on buying one, be ready to shell out, however, as not only do they start at $299.99, but using the i7 also requires the purchase of a new compatible motherboard.

5. Fallout 3

The hottest action game of the season, Fallout 3 is set in Washington, D.C. during the 1950s after a nuclear apocalypse. The game’s excellent storyline as well as stunning graphics have only helped its success, but if you plan on purchasing it for anyone, make sure their computer is up to par first. Recommended requirements include a Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM, and a high-end video card.

6. Uranium Ore

Uranium ore is the perfect gift for the aspiring nuclear physicist or that one guy who has everything. Available at various sizes and radiation levels, the ore is perfectly safe and legal to own. Buy too much, however, and you might get some unexpected holiday guests in the form of Homeland Security.

7. Drobo

Data Robotic’s popular Drobo has undergone some changes recently. Now featuring FireWire 800, this automatic storage robot holds up to four hard drives and supports data volumes as large as 16 TB! With Drobo, there’s no need to worry about making backups or sorting through data, as the device does the whole process for you. If that special someone already owns a Drobo, consider DroboShare, a $200 add-on that lets you hook Drobo up to a network.

8. SteelSeries SX Mouse Pad

If you use a computer for any extended period of time, you’ll quickly notice how limited and cramped traditional mouse pads are. To the rescue is the SteelSeries SX, a high-end aluminum mouse pad designed for gamers and other heavy computer users. Not only does it offer nearly twice the surface area of a normal pad, but offers a smooth surface on which the mouse can glide effortlessly. With the SteelSeries SX mousing will not only be faster, but also easier.

9. AeroGrow AeroGarden

The foolproof nature of the AeroGrow AeroGarden means your geek can grow plants without having to get up and take care of them during his next 72-hour World of Warcraft session. Able to grow the included herbs and other plants at five times the rate of a normal garden, the garden only requires a few minutes of maintenance every month and is for the most part self-sustaining.

10. Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Costing more than $1500, the Optimus Maximus is the keyboard for the few of us with high amounts of disposable income. What makes the keyboard so expensive are the keys- each one is a customizable mini OLED screen. This means the keys can display anything, from math functions to Russian to plain old English. On the side is a set of eleven application hot keys, which display the color icons of your favorite programs. That extra kidney of yours is looking pretty useless right now, isn’t it?

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