Top 10 Geek Gifts for the 2009 Holiday Season
Greetings everybody!
It is that time of year again, with a little over a month left before Christmas, it is time to start figuring out what you are going to buy! The big question is what are you going to get that geek in your life? I have compiled another list again this year of great geek gifts to get that geek in your life assuming they don't already have them. Here we go!
#10. Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt
Are you so good at Rock Band and Guitar Hero that you want to take your act on the road? You can do something like that with this awesome electronic rock guitar shirt. With this shirt, you can let everybody enjoy your awesome guitar skills! The shirt comes with a mini-amp that you can clip on your belt that will allow you to tweak your sound and crank up the music so that you make sure that everybody can hear you. ThinkGeek is selling this awesome shirt for $29.99.
#9. Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer
Are you or your loved one concerned about the safety of your electronic devices and just how much energy you are using? If so, than this Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer is for you. Not only will it protect you from voltage spikes, but it will also protect your precious appliances and gadgets from over current, over voltage and even under voltage. This device will not only let you measure your power usage down to the minute, but you can program it to function at different times for up to 7 days. There are a number of other features, but if you are looking to track your energy usage to help cut down on your electric bill or just want to protect your appliances and gadgets, you should definitely check out the Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer from ThinkGeek at the reasonable price of $69.99. If you can use it to save on electricity or protect your appliances, this wonderful meter could easily pay for itself over time.
#8. The Laptopper Portable Shelf
Have you ever been sitting in your car outside of a coffee shop using their wifi? Kind of uncomfortable isn't it? Well now you have a place to comfortably set your laptop while you are surfing the net. This portable shelf will slip on your steering wheel or even over a headrest to give you a place to set any laptop 17" and smaller as well as whatever other gadgets you may be using. Whether you just want to watch a movie or participating in a wardriving competition, at $14.99, the Laptopper Portable Shelf from ThinkGeek is great for anybody!
#7. Rovio - WiFi Roaming Bot
O Rovio, Rovio, where for art thou Rovio? Are you looking to keep an eye on your home while you are away on vacation or just want to check up on that new babysitter? If so, the wifi connected Rovio is just for you! This cool little robot is equipped with a webcam, microphone and speakers. You can control Rovio manually or set up way-points to monitor your house. Rovio can be controlled from any internet connection around the world. What is really impressive is that you can control it with a PC, Mac, an iPhone and even your PS3! The Rovio also has built in LEDs to light its way in poorly lit areas. At $229.99 from ThinkGeek, Rovio seems reasonably priced, especially considering the fact that it has a base station it returns to for charging similar to the Roomba.

Rovio - WiFi Roaming Bot
#6. Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster
I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to carry more gadgets with me. I have been made fun of on numerous occasions for having my pockets so stuffed full of stuff that you would suspect I just robbed an electronics store. Now you can carry more items and get more strange looks than ever before with the Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster! Strap this around your waist and legs and you will turn a lot of heads when people see just how many gadgets you can carry! ThinkGeek sells the Grab-It Pack Gadget Holster for $24.99.
#5. Scottevest Quantum Jacket
Maybe the Grab-It Gadget Holder isn't quite your style or maybe it doesn't have enough pockets to put stuff in, so why not try Scottevest's Quantum Jacket! Not only does this jacket look far less goofy, but it is also breathable and water resistant! Did we mention this jacket has an amazing 28 pockets?! Just think how many gadgets you can carry with you from phones to mp3 players to portable gaming devices when you have 28 pockets to store them in? Just think how much fun you could have have going through airport security when you have to empty out 28 pockets! Don't forget, this jacket has their patented Personal Area Network (PAN) to manage your earbud wires! If you head over to Scottevest, you can get this jacket for $250, but can you really put a price on carrying 28 pockets worth of gadgets while staying warm and looking good all at the same time?
#4. Mini 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router
Have you ever wanted to say that you are the proud owner of the world's smallest wireless N router? Now you can! This tiny wireless N router from TRENDnet will make sure you can transfer data across your wireless enabled devices quickly and easily. A product like this is great if you are stuck in a hotel with crappy wifi that you can only get if you are standing on the toilet with your arm stretched out like a fountain. Just fire this up where you can get the signal and you instantly have a good enough signal that you can get anywhere in the hotel room. For $79.99 from ThinkGeek, the TRENDnet Mini 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router might just be the best router for the road warrior in your life.
#3. Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drives
How important is the security of the files you move around? Do you carry your financial documents on a thumb drive so you can have access to them anywhere? What about confidential plans from work? Now you can rest easy because with an Ironkey USB drive because you won't have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands again! With hardware encryption, the tough looking Ironkey can stand strong against both virtual and physical attacks. These drives have so much encryption and security on them thanks to a built-in encryption chip, even the military is using them in Afghanistan! The only way to access the information on the drive is with the password and if somebody tries to hack into it and enters the wrong password 10 times, the encryption chip self destructs and makes the drive useless and nobody will ever be able to get your data. If security is what really matters to you, you can't go wrong with an Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drive. ThinkGeek sells a 1GB model for $69.99 and a 4GB model for $139.99. Although they aren't cheap, you should ask yourself just how much your data is worth.
#2. Motorola Droid
My, how far we have come in a year. Last year's list included T-Mobile's G1 Android phone and this year, we have a vastly improved Motorola phone by the name of Droid for Verizon customers. With a 5-megapixel camera, turn by turn directions, a physical and virtual keyboard as well as turn by turn directions just to name a few of the features, many are calling this an iPhone killer or at least as good as the iPhone. With over 10,000 applications available on the Android Marketplace, now is a great time to be looking into getting the Droid on what many consider to be the best wireless network in the US. If you are in the market for a new phone and don't want to suffer the hell of the AT&T network just to have something as nice as an iPhone, check out the Motorola Droid which you can get from LetsTalk.com for $150.
#1. Mimo Mini USB Monitor
Not a day goes by that I think to myself, "Gee, I could be much more productive if I had room for a second monitor." Now I can and I won't need a new desk and power strip to get it! Any of the Mimo mini USB monitors might give you just the extra amount of screen you need to be extra productive without taking up as much room on your desk as a full sized monitor. These monitors are powered by a USB cable so you don't have to worry about trying to get a bigger power strip to plug a second monitor into or a new graphics card that can support a second monitor. Now you can keep email or whatever you want open on a smaller, secondary monitor while you work on your main screen so you can see when you get that important email you have been waiting for. Did I mention there is a touchscreen model? If you are into the touchscreen movement and want a monitor you can physically interact with, for a little higher price, you can have just that! You might have a hard time putting a price on productivity, but ThinkGeek managed put put a price on it, and depending on which of the three models you get, the Mimo Mini USB Monitor will cost you between $129.99-229.99.
Did we miss something? What geek items are on your Christmas list?
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Coming soon to the Global Geek News Blog: Reviews!
Greetings readers!
I've been thinking about doing it for a while, but I have decided that from now on, I am going to start giving reviews of all of my new tech toys and software. Whether its a new iPhone app or a new television, I am going to start reviewing everything I get. I may not be able to provide all of the in-depth information and benchmarks like many other sites can, but I am going to take a common consumer approach to everything I come across and tell you the good, the bad and the ugly about everything.
What am I going to review first? The Mahalo Answers iPhone app! Expect it on Monday!
If you would like your product reviewed, email me at pcnerd37@globalgeeknews.com and we can work something out!
Would you want to be buried with your gadgets?
Greetings Readers!
Earlier today, a story was brought to my attention that according to funeral directors, it is becoming common for people to be burried with their favorite gadgets. From iPods to bluetooth headsets to Blackberry phones, it seems people, especially tech-savvy ones are being buried with their gadgets.
Why would people want to be buried with their gadgets? According to some, it is because they loved the device when they were alive and spent much of their time with them. Families are even burying their loved ones with phones so that they can call them as a way to try to connect to them, even if they do only get voicemail. One obviously lonely woman continues to pay the phone bill for her late husband who has his phone buried with him so that she can call it to leave voicemails. Although the phone battery has been dead for sometime, at least she can call the voicemail and feel like she is still connected with him.
I see this new trend as rather silly. I can't use my gadgets when I am dead, so I don't think I should be burried with them. I think it would be better to give them to somebody who doesn't have the gadgets and would like them. A gadget being used is better than a gadget sitting six feet below ground doing nothing. Most people think the ancient Egyptians were odd for being buried with all of their wealth, yet this is really no different. If I could take my gadgets into the next life and still be able to use them, that might be a different story, but since I can't, somebody else should get to use them since I am not around to do so anymore.
While I can identify with the feeling of loss associated with a death, I can't see how people get the feeling of a connection with a deceased person just by being able to call their also dead phone. If you want to hear their voice again, there are better ways to accomplish this than continuing to pay a cell phone bill years after a person has died. If you are still longing for a person, you can't move on. Not moving on has and will continue to destroy many lives merely because people don't want to face reality and would rather live in the past.
What do you think of this growing trend? Would you want to be buried with your favorite gadget? Would you want your family member to be buried with their gadgets? I want to hear your opinion, so share it in the comments!
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Swoopo, the Gambling Auction Site
Greetings Readers!
I've spent most of the day catching up on podcasts, when I heard about the new auction site Swoopo from Ken Rutkowski of one of my favorite podcasts, KenRadio. If you haven't heard of Swoopo, I wouldn't be too surprised as it is a new auction site that is unlike any auction I have seen before.
Swoopo is like an auction site for gamblers. Unlike Ebay, you can't sell anything on this auction site. Swoopo is the one selling all of the items. They sell items ranging from game consoles to bids (more on this later). Also unlike Ebay, there is no defined end time to an auction. The more bids an item receives, the longer the auction will continue until people stop bidding. If you thought that's where the differences end, you would be wrong. All bids take place in $.15 increments and there is no reserve price. Auctions also start at $.15.
If you were wondering what I was talking about when I called it a gambling auction site, this is what I mean. You have to pay for bids. Every time you bid, it costs you $1. It can cost you less than that if you buy your bids in bulk. Whether or not you win the auction, if you are bidding, they are making money off of you. Much like the gambling you would do at any casino, you can spend a lot of money in the hopes of winning something, only to end up with nothing more than a dent in your bank account. This is where the genius part of the site lies.
While many auctions often go for less than their retail value (I saw a 8GB USB drive go for less than $6 last night), because you are paying for the bids you place on an item with a set bid increment, they are still making money hand over fist. Let me give you an example. Last night, I was watching an auction for a PS3, just to see what it would go for. It was an 80GB PS3 with the retail value of $400.00. The last time I looked, the auction was approaching $430 (why people will pay above retail when they don't have to is always something that will confuse me). Not only did the company make back the retail value on the game console, but when they charge at most $1 per bid (it could be less if you buy bids in bulk) which is $.15 above the last bid, they have likely made over $3000 profit from a single auction. This is not something other auction sites such as Ebay can boast.
Another ingenious part of this new auction system is that the auction end time is only dependent on when auctions stop receiving bids. With the real-time AJAX interface, there is no need to refresh the page to see if somebody has outbid you. If somebody bids in the final seconds of an auction, the clock is immediately increased back to 15 seconds, allowing people to bid again if they choose. By upping the time left on the clock when people bid, the auction will continue to go on until people stop bidding. This allows the company to make the most amount of money from bids while making sure that people don't have their auction sniped without being able to do anything in the last second of an auction.
While I will admit that I love this concept and think it has profit margins that no other auction site can come close to, there are some problems with this system. Since Swoopo is the seller of all products instead of the consumer, there is a fairly limited selection of items on the site. Don't expect to find any antiques or stamps that my be missing from you collection here. This site can't compete in the number and diversity of items with companies like Ebay. While I would call this a possible flaw, it does keep the profit margins on the products they do have much higher. Another major drawback of this system is its gambling like nature. Because of this, there are several states that you are not allowed to participate from what I presume are gambling laws. While I would call this a major drawback to the system, I don't think it is having a major impact on the system at this time. I do see it as likely that they will run into legal issues as more state attorney generals find out about the site.
All things considered, if you are looking to try to get some great gadgets for cheap, this might be a place to check out although you should be prepared to lose money if many other people want the same item, not something many people can do in this down economy. I recommend checking out Swoopo, but I will warn you, even watching other people bid can be addicting.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
P.S. Don't forget to check out the return of the Global Geek News Podcast!








