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Top 10 Geek Gifts for the 2008 Holiday Season

Greetings Readers!

Its almost that time of year again, when geeks either get the cool gadgets that they have been wanting thanks to holiday sales or are given the gifts they have been wanting by people that love them.  Whether you are looking for some great gadgets to get for yourself or that lovable geek in your life, I have compiled a list of some of the top geek gifts for the 2008 holiday season.

#10.  26-piece PC Repair Tool Kit

What true Geek doesn't need a good repair tool kit?  Whether they are making some amazing case mods or just replacing a dead hard drive, a Geek needs his tools!  ThinkGeek has a great 26-piece PC repair tool kit for just $21.99!

#9:  Circuit Board Necklace

Geeks often like to show off just how geeky they really are, and what better way to do that than with a circuit board necklace?  You may not want to spend the money on a fancy necklace made of all kinds of precious metals and stones, but you can still look good and show everybody just how geeky you are at the same time with a circuit board necklace from ThinkGeek.  For only $19.99, you can make a fashion statement and have a great conversation piece!

#8.  Shut up and Reboot T-Shirt

Every geek that has ever played the roll of tech support to anybody before is guaranteed to have said "Just shut up and reboot" at least a million times.  Now you can just tell people to read your t-shirt!  This shirt, also from ThinkGeek, will allow you or the geek in your life to wear some of the best tech support advice ever, all for between $14.99-16.99 (depending on the size of shirt).

#7.  2GB Secret Pen-Shaped Pocket Spy Camera Digital Video Recorder

Geeks are often looking for new ways to capture information and store it without bringing attention to themselves (except when they like to boast about how many Terabytes their computers and servers store).  This pen is great for doing just that.  This 2GB pen-shaped digital video recorder can hold up to 5 hours of video and uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts close to 100 min.  Whether you are looking for a way to capture embarrassing moments for the company Christmas party or capture some blackmail material against that boss that refuses to give you a raise, for $67.66, you can own this 2GB spy camera pen that wields great power to those who know about its capabilities.

#6.  NeatDesk

While not all Geeks are messy (I will admit that I am very messy), it is always a good idea to keep all of your contacts and financial information organized.  NeatDesk helps you accomplish this task.  NeatDest can scan business cards, receipts and documents all in one batch.  With NeatDesk, you no longer have to scan in all your items separately on a flatbed scanner.  NeatDesk also comes with software that helps you identify, extract and organize scanned information.  You can purchase this organizational wonder from Neat, makers of NeatDesk for $499.95.

#5.  T-Mobile G1 Android Phone

The iPhone might be the sexiest phone of all time, but it can't compare in openness to the new Android based G1 phone ("The Google Phone").  Any geek that appreciates an open platform will love the new G1.  Open systems such as Android are a geeks dream.  Not only can you make your own applications for the G1, but you can hack the operating system till your heat's content.  It is also a cheap alternative to Apple's iPhone.  You can purchase the phone from T-Mobile, but rumor has it that Walmart has the phone considerably cheaper although the price isn't listed on their website.

#4.  Acer Aspire One Netbook

Netbooks have become wildly popular this year and few match Acer's Aspire One in price or performance.  Although there are several models of the Aspire One which have different hard drives, batteries, operating systems and various other differences, the best deal is the Aspire One with XP, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM and a six-cell battery.  The screen comes in at a compact but nice 8.9" and it has a larger, more comfortable keyboard than some of the competing netbooks.  Whether you or your beloved geek is looking to browse the Internet or do some coding on the go, the Aspire One is a great alternative to getting a full sized laptop, especially for road warriors.  You can pick up this wonderful device for $399.00 plus free shipping from Amazon.  It also comes in several colors!

#3.  iRex iLiad

If you or the geek in your life has been looking into moving from traditional books to an e-reader, the iRex iLiad is a great alternative to Amazon's Kindle.  Although it is a considerably more expensive alternative ($699), it has the added features to make up for it.  One of the biggest features that this new e-reader boasts is the ability to write on it like you would normal paper.  This feature allows you to make notes, annotate documents which you can transfer to other iLiad devices or a PC and even play games like crossword puzzles and Sudoku!  The iLiad can hold dozens of books, documents and even digital subscriptions to international newspapers!  If that isn't enough, you can quickly increase the storage with a Compact Flash card or even a USB stick.  The one drawback that it has compared to the Kindle is that instead of having a cell connection that you can download new content anywhere, you are restricted to Wi-Fi or USB to transfer content.  I don't see this as a big deal since most people will load up on books before they leave the house anyway.

#2:  Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote

Are you tired of trying to track down the remote for each device in your house.  If you are like me, you likely have a remote for each TV in your house, DVD player, Blu-ray player, HD-DVD player, gaming console, stereo and other devices, plus a few remotes that you don't remember what they are for.  The Logitech Harmony One helps you cut down on all of the remote clutter by allowing you to have a single remove for everything.  The Harmony One is able to replace the remotes of over 225,000 devices while still maintaining all the functionality of the original remote.  The Harmony One even has a color touch screen!  The Logitech Harmony runs $249.99.  If you think that is too much to replace just a couple of remotes, you can get the lower-end Harmony 510 universal remote for $99.99.

#1.  Vuzix iWear AV310 Widescreen

Having a screen that you could attach to your face so you can watch videos easily at any time has long been a dream of most geeks (although some just dream of looking like LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation).  The Vuzix iWear AV310 widescreen wearable display will help you do just that!  This unit's display appears like a 52" widescreen display viewed from 9 feet.  The unit is compatible with any device with a composite out connection as well as most iPods, portable DVD players, game consoles, and much more!  With independent focus adjustments and high quality stereo earphones, the iWear AV310 gives the user an engrossing entertainment experience.  The unit runs off of a single AA battery which can last for up to 11 hours.  Personally I find this as a drawback as I long ago gave up disposable batteries, but you can probably use the rechargeable AA batteries just fine.  You can pick up this visual wonder from Vuzix for $249.95.

These gifts are sure to light up any geek's face this holiday season.  If you have any suggestions for other items that geeks might like this holiday season, tell us about them in the comments!

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-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray