The Geeky Gift Giving Guide
What does the tech geek on your holiday gift list want for Christmas? Tech Talker has a ton of ideas in the ultimate geeky gift guide.
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The Geeky Gift Giving Guide
Maybe you’re a bit of a nerd (like yours truly), or maybe you have a geek to buy a gift for on your holiday list, either way you probably have someone in your life who will appreciate an awesome gadget.
So if you’re wracking your brain to find the perfect tech gifts, this episode is for you.
If You’re the Techie…
Let’s say that you’re a proud, card-carrying techie and your friends and family are always complaining that they don’t know what to get you for the holidays. What are you to do? Well, you have two options:
- Act thrilled when you unwrap yet another outdated router (yawn).
- Look for the items you want online, make a list with links, and email them or print them out to friends and family when they ask what you want for Christmas.
It may sound a little against the Christmas spirit, but in the long run everyone will be happier. I’ve also found that writing a description of what the item is helps the non-techies in your life understand it a lot more. It’s a win-win for both the gifter and the giftee.
For example if I send a link to my Grandma asking for a 500watt laser diode, I could preface it by saying, “This will help me vaporize zombies in their tracks from 100 feet away.” And now that she knows exactly what she’s buying me, she too will feel the warm fuzzy feeling when she watches me unwrap her gift. If nothing else, it prevents the question of “I know I bought this for you, but can you please explain to me what it is!?”
If You’re Buying Gifts for a Techie…
If you’re the non-techie of the family, but want to blow away that special geek in your life, here are some gifts that they will love!
Let’s break down your geek into a few categories. This is by no means a complete breakdown of the types of geeks, but odds are you’ll be able to identify at least one of these:Â
For the Computer Geek
The Computer Geek is a pretty generic term. But generally speaking, this is the person who always gives you the best updates on apps and tech news, and probably the person you’d call if your computer or smartphone was broken.
Someone like this would love a flash drive. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “A flashdrive? Come on, Tech Talker, that’s lame!” Hear me out on this though. Flash drives are always in demand by techies like yours truly. Just make sure you get a USB 3.0 (for blazing fast speed), and make sure it’s above 16GB. From here you can scale up or down in size and style depending on your price range. You can even find some metal ones online that you can have engraved with their name or phone number to make it that much more personal.
For the Podcast Fanatic
If your techie loves to listen to music or podcasts, check out these waterproof speakers, perfect for the pool, hot tub, or shower. This way,  your techie never has to miss a single episode of Tech Talker, Grammar Girl, Everyday Einstein, or any other awesome podcast.
For the Geek on the Go
If your geek is always on the go, I recommend and external battery pack for all of their electronics. I have two of these guys and they are awesome. I can watch movies all day long as I’m traveling, and still have plenty of juice to charge all my other USB devices. What’s especially great about USB battery packs is that they can charge a number of different devices, and you can scale up or down on the amount of battery based upon your price range. These are compact enough to store in your back pack, car, or even in a carry-on.
For Geeky Stocking Stuffers
If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, there’s always universal USB chords that are super convenient to have around.
You might also want to think of purchasing a few months of their favorite digital service such as Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, or Pandora. This may not be something they can unwrap, but if they already use one of these services (and I bet they do), I’m sure they would appreciate the extra space or time with a subscription.
Here are a few more great stocking stuffer ideas: a wireless mouse, a USB cup warmer, Amazon Prime, extra chargers, or even (dare I say it) a customized mouse pad!
For Educational Techies
Now let’s say you’re a parent, educator, or just want to buy something that will be fun and educational for the geek in your life.
Look no further than the Raspberry Pi. I did a podcast on the Raspberry Pi a little while back and it’s an incredible little device. As a quick summary, this is a fully functioning computer that is about the size of a credit card. It was developed for educational purposes but has become a favorite for almost every computer enthusiast. You can do anything from creating a security system, to managing a webserver with this little guy and if you’re looking to get someone you know into computers and programming, this is the best way to go. And best of all, it’s only $35!
If they’re not quite ready for the full-on programming of the Raspberry Pi, I recommend Lego Mindstorms. These robotics kits are really intuitive and allow youngsters to build working robots out of LEGOs! (This set of LEGOs can pretty much take all of the credit for making me an engineer).
For the Tinkerer
If you have that person on your list who is always tinkering with something or always has the latest gadget, I highly recommend giving them something like the Nest. This is a WiFi enabled thermostat for your house. What geek wouldn’t love to fire up their smartphone and kick on the heat without having to get out of bed?
If I haven’t listed anything you think the geeks in your life would be interested in, feel free to post your ideas in the comments section of this article, or on the Tech Talker Facebook page! Â
I and the rest of my fellow geeks would love to hear some of your suggestions.
And of course, be sure to check out the full archive of episodes at quickanddirtytips tech-talker.
Geek gifts and USB drive images courtesy of Shutterstock.
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