A Good Year for Geeks

With the Holidays quickly approaching, we give you some tech tips to help you last minute shoppers find the perfect gift for the geek in all of us!
At this time of year, even if you’re remotely interested in computers, you’ve suddenly become the “go-to” person for technology gift ideas. Sure you may have a lot of ideas, but what if the person on your list already has nearly everything? At PC Perspective we put our heads together and came up with a list of things you may have overlooked and we hope this will inspire you on getting that perfect gift.

PC Add-ons

Have you ever been in scenario? It’s Christmas day, you’re sitting there opening package and what do you find? Another 512MB stick of RAM. Geez! You exclaim as you toss it onto the pile of 2 dozen other sticks you got from people. Okay okay, maybe that doesn’t happen that often, but needless to say we have to be a bit more imaginative when it comes to giving tech gifts. So throw away ideas of buying motherboards or RAM, let’s see if we can find something a bit more special.
 
 
A PhysX PPU card would be a nice gift for a gamer who’s keen on staying at the head of the technology curve. With more and more titles being released with PhysX support, the Asus or BFG PhysX add-on will definitely make a gamer happy with all the extra effects.
 
 
For the more general user, you can give a Draft-N wireless adapter and router like the Linksys which will give you 650% the wireless throughput as compared to the 54mbps on current 802.11g products. Keep in mind that Draft-N are not based on the final 802.11n specification, but rather a near-final spec, so interoperability may be an issue in the future.
 
 
If you’ve got a computer that connects to your TV or like using your computer to watch movies, then you should really look into getting yourself an XBOX 360 HD DVD player because it’s the cheapest HD-DVD solution you can find for the PC at the moment. As Ryan discovered here on PC Perspective, this inexpensive console add-on also works perfectly on the PC!

Mobile

Notebooks are really popular these days. Though they are really nice tools to have, there are a few things you can buy for the notebook owner on your Christmas list that will really make their daily activities a lot more comfortable.
 


The Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse is a great little mouse that I’ve used in the past which tracks very well, is portable, and uses standard AA batteries so you’re never stranded without power. Best of all, the Bluetooth transmitter can be stashed away with the mouse itself for ease of transport.
 
 
Looking for something a little different that won’t bust the bank? How about a Targus portable laptop desk? This portable device helps raise the angle of a laptop to a more ergonomic incline, while keeping the system cool by allowing air to properly circulate.
 
Finally, what’s one thing that every notebook user needs? The answer is a bag. Sure you can go with one of those boring black shoulder bags that every suit owns, or you can stand out by owning either a sexy Crumpler bag like the Dreadful Embarrassment, or the functional  RoadWired Skooba Satchel.

I/O Peripherals

A computer input device is always a cool gift to give and Logitech has this order filled quite nicely. Their G7 Gaming Mouse is a great cordless mouse that boasts some impressive opinions around the ‘net. If you’re looking for something functionally similar but a little cheaper, then the G5 Gaming Mouse will fit your budget. Of course you can get other top-quality gaming mice from other manufacturers like Razer.
 
 

To match the G5 or G7 gaming mouse, you also have the Logitech G15 keyboard which has some great gaming specific features like a flip-up LCD display to give you vital in-game stats (like ammunition and health meters), and extra programmable buttons so you can bind frequently used actions to more accessible spots.
 


If a full-sized keyboard isn’t what you’re looking for, what about a WolfKing Warrior Game Pad or a Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit.

Any gamer will tell you that worn mice feet suck… the resistance and the drag almost makes you want to throw your mouse out the window.  Well maybe not, but there are good products out there that will help remedy this. Enter Hyperglide mouse skates. They’re made from untextured teflon for good durability which lasts for months of usage. They’re an inexpensive geek gift which says “I love you… for standing still while reloading”.

 

Next Page – More Gift Ideas!

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