DIY-IT Gift Guide: Geeky gadgets and gizmos

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  • Geeky gadgets and gizmos

    Geeky gadgets and gizmos

    Do you have techies in your family who seem to have it all? If so, we have 30 geeky gadgets and gizmos sure to delight. Dig on in!

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • littleBits

    littleBits

    LittleBits is kind of like an Erector Set for the 21s century. Blocks go together to create powerful and interesting digital creations.

    Photo by: littleBits

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Stephenson's Rocket Kit

    Stephenson's Rocket Kit

    Not everything geeky and cool needs to be electronic. This is a Timberkits wooden model of one of the first steam engines, known as Stephenson's Rocket.

    Photo by: Timberkits

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • NES Classic System

    NES Classic System

    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

    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

    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 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

    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

    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

    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

    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 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)

    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.

    Photo by: ThingM

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit

    iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit

    This helpful toolkit provided to us by iFixit has been used in DIY-IT projects. It's got just about everything you need for tinkering and repairing digital gadgets. The bit selection alone is almost priceless.

    Photo by: iFixit

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Edwina mic

    Edwina mic

    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 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 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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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'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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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.

    Photo by: Tuff

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

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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.

Caption by: David Gewirtz

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