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It's time to go 80s retro with the NES Classic system many of us grew up with. This is a modern take from Nintendo itself and it includes 30 classic games in the box.
Photo by: Nintendo
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Whistle GPS Pet Tracker
We haven't tested this device, but anything that can help reunite a pet with his home is worth a look. This is the Whistle Pet Tracker, which interfaces with your smartphone.
Photo by: Whistle
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Microbot Push
This is a remote control robot that pushes buttons. That's it. If you love a geek, that person is bound to go "Oh, cool!" for reasons that muggles will never understand.
Photo by: Microbot
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Lego Mindstorms EV3
Lego is back with its latest generations of the Mindstorms robotics kit. If you have a techie who loves Lego and you want to buy something special, this is the gift to buy.
Photo by: Lego
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Star Wars Force Band
It's meant to control the Sphero BB8 robot, but with the addition of IFTTT, you can use this band to act as if you or your favorite techie has The Force. Like that won't get annoying, fast!
Photo by: Sphero
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Raspberry Pi kit
The Raspberry Pi is a very inexpensive full computer in a basic package. If you get your loved one a Raspberry Pi kit, you'll spend about fifty bucks and give real power and geek joy.
Photo by: ZDNet
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Automatic car monitor
This is the perfect gift for your car geek. It sends vehicle telemetry and tracking info to a smartphone. The base unit is $79 and the pro unit is $129, either way a great gift for motorheads.
Photo by: Automatic
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Mychanic Pik Light
True story: this light, provided by Mychanic, helped us make it through Hurricane Matthew. It held its charge for a very long time and the magnets let us use it where we needed it.
Photo by: David Gewirtz
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Mychanic Sidekick Stool
Mychanic also sent us what we think is the ultimate rolling workshop stool. It's got drawers, side stands, and even a tool rack in the back. For $99, your geek will love this.
Photo by: David Gewirtz
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Blink(1)
This is going to be hard to explain. Blink is a USB colored light. That's it. The coolness is your geek can program it to light a color when something specific happens. Geeks love this stuff. Trust us.
Ear Trumpet Labs sent us this gorgeous hand-made Edwina mic and we can't be more impressed. It's ideal for acoustic vocalists and makes for an amazing look and sound for podcasting.
Photo by: Ear Trumpet Labs
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Dymo XTL 300 Label Maker
Dymo sent us their labeling system and after some testing, it became apparent that if you run wiring, this can be a huge help. It connects to your computer and can make cable management a breeze.
Photo by: Dymo
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Amazon Alexa devices
Amazon's Echo has quickly become my family's favorite (and most relied upon device). It responds to voice commands, turns on and off lights, answers questions, and plays tunes. It's the gift for your loved ones.
Photo by: Amazon
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Logitech Harmony Hub
Your geek friends, with all their entertainment center devices, need to switch between them. This hub makes that fast and easy. It pairs with a smartphone for remote remote control.
Photo by: David Gewirtz
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Logitech Pop
Earlier we showed you a robot that pushes a button. This is a button that turns on your various IoT devices. Yes, it's actually helpful. Yes, your friend will like it. No, don't think about it too hard.
Photo by: Logitech
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Harbor Freight Drill Press
At some point, your geek friend will want to play with power tools. A drill press is a very helpful tool in building electronic projects. This one is only $60, although it's often on sale for less.
Photo by: Harbor Freight
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Roku
One of the reasons I feel so confident recommending Roku is that they're available in models ranging from about $30 and up -- and they're all good.
Photo by: CNET
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Apple TV
The Apple TV has shown steady improvement and the app selection has grown nicely. It's still the best box to see the enormous selection of iTunes video content, and I like it for most streaming services.
Photo by: David Gewirtz
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Intel's NUC
Intel has a great line of mini-PCs that can be used as desktops or even media PCs. They're small, inexpensive, full of ports, and powerful. All you need to do is add RAM and an SSD.
Photo by: Intel
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Matricom G-Box Q2
One of the very best stream apps out there is called Kodi (formerly XBMC). You can run Kodi on almost anything, but it runs natively on the G-Box. As long as you don't want 4K, this is a win.
Photo by: Matricom
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Monoprice 4x4 HDMI switch
One of the challenges of all those gadgets on the entertainment center is switching HDMI inputs. I use this powered switch (which I control with the Harmony Hub and Alexa) to switch both inputs and outputs.
Photo by: Monoprice
Caption by: David Gewirtz
ProClip
ProClip makes a huge variety of mounting options for phones and other devices. We've bought a few ourselves for custom applications. The company is a bit prickly, but their products are worth it.
Photo by: ProClip
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Surebonder DT-280F
I recently upgraded my hot glue gun to this inexpensive, but very solid device. If you're joining materials, it's a winner. If you want a budget gift for a geek, you can't go wrong with this purchase.
Photo by: Surebonder
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Philips Hue
My wife and I now have 24 Hue bulbs and we love them. They're controlled by Alexa and our phones, can change color and brightness. For a gift, buy the starter kit which comes with a Hub and two bulbs. It's a win.
Photo by: Philips
Caption by: David Gewirtz
WeMo Light Switch
Home automation is all the rage, but if you've got already-installed lighting, a great way to go is replace your switch with a WeMo switch. These, too, can be managed by Alexa or IFTTT.
Photo by: Belkin
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Hakko Digital FX888D soldering iron
You can buy a soldering iron for under five bucks, but if you want precision temperature and materials control, this is the iron to get. I researched these with care. This is the one I asked Santa for.
Photo by: Hakko
Caption by: David Gewirtz
Tuff Magnets
Between this inexpensive set of 100 magnets and a glue gun, almost anything is possible. If you aren't sure what to get your geek, a big ol' pile of magnets is sure to make any techie smile.
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