For a geek...

Know a nerd? Then know they'll love these...

Tabletop audio technology

Branded part of Sony's high-end Vaio range and looking pretty sleek for what's effectively a rectangular lump of tabletop tech, Sony's lengthily-named Vaio Wi-Fi Audio WA1 is a wireless audio streaming device that's just a little longer than a shoebox. The idea is that the receiver of this pressie links it to their wireless-enabled PC or laptop so that they can then listen to their digital tracks in their living room, without having to carry in the computer itself, benefitting from the WA1's fine sound quality in the process.

US $217, www.sony-mea.com

Always online

With Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet your tech-loving pal can always be online, wherever they are. This dedicated web surfing device features an integrated webcam for freaking out net friends, Opera's easy-to-use tabbed browser, and a high-resolution wide-screen, four-inch display. It can also be used to enjoy tunes, because it includes built-in speakers and an internet radio player. (Note: the user connects to the internet either via Wi-Fi - when at a ‘hot spot' location for instance - or by connecting to a net-connected Bluetooth phone.)

$436, www.mea.nokia.com

Bring me power!

There's nothing likely to annoy your nerdy bud more than their gadgets running out of juice when they're out and about, so do them a favour and make their new year by giving them APC's Mobile Power Pack product. Designed to give an iPod Nano up to 55 more hours of power, or a Palm Treo eight-to-ten hours of extra talk time, the code-named ‘MPP UPB10' is a high-capacity, lithium polymer battery with USB and mini-USB jacks for connecting up devices.

Price varies, www.apc.com

Dress to connect

Locating a hot-spot can be a fiddly job for the busy geek, what with all that laptop opening and network searching. With this present however you can save your square-eyed friend all that hassle - and brand them like the technology-freak they truly are - by allowing them hunt out Wi-Fi networks automatically, just by their being there. Available from website ThinkGeek in the US, the obviously-named Wi-Fi Detector Shirt displays the current Wi-Fi signal strength, wherever a geek happens to be, by using glowing bars on the front that change as the surrounding Wi-Fi signal strength fluctuates. Quite a sight. (Batteries are not included.)

$29.99 plus shipping, www.thinkgeek.com

Bright inside

Give your geek pal's system a dose of modding style with Poweroptionz's new dual tube cold cathode kit. Featuring two cathodes for just over twenty dollars, this pack includes all the necessary wiring and attachments that your mate will need to light up their rig and amaze and confound their fellow power users. Cathodes come packaged in a safe corrugated box and are available in a variety of colours.

$20.50, www.poweroptionz.com

The world of Windows (Middle East)

What could be better for any self-respecting, regionally-based tech-head than a year's supply of market-leading monthly PC and consumer electronics magazines? Our current Windows subscription deal will give your pal not only twelve issues of the mag, but they'll also get three brand new PC games, and all of this costing you just AED100 (US $27).

$27, www.itp.com/subscriptions/windows

Seriously smart storage

Perfect for super storers who aren't format-loyal, Elecom's MR-C12 series memory card reader and storage case is a geeky little box of tricks indeed. A dweeb can use it store their memory cards, as well as then connect this gadget to a PC via USB 2.0 to read what's on them. Totally neat.

$28.22 (plus international shipping - costs vary), www.geekstuff4u.com

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