Comments on: great gadget gift?

Question: great gadget gift?

beccaj — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 16:51:42 -0800

Best. gadget. ever? Valentines Day help.

Even though my boyfriend thinks holidays are all about corporations trying to separate him from his dollars I figure I'll lead by example and get him something he'll love.

He loves gadgets- and gadgets that make sense. He's a bit handy and likes computers etc so I was thinking something like that cool touch soldering iron or a neat little jump drive. He needs a new alarm clock. Help- does anyone know where I can find the worlds coolest alarm clock or the leatherman like tool that will blow his mind?

By: onalark

onalark — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 16:56:55 -0800

I like thinkgeek for this sort of shopping. They've got a lot of neat things that appeal to the geek in me.

By: matkline

matkline — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:01:24 -0800

Maybe this really cool binary clock?

By: staggernation

staggernation — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:02:11 -0800

worlds coolest alarm clock

It's not available yet, but maybe for next year.

By: anjamu

anjamu — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:05:33 -0800

Does he like cooking? We got some of these for Christmas, and they blow your average juicer away.

By: jefftang

jefftang — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:27:14 -0800

Check out the Cool Tools site. Lot's of good stuff like you have in mind.

By: stefanie

stefanie — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:41:36 -0800

If he likes putting stuff together, get him the cool touch soldering iron and one of these kits for making a usb cellphone/iPod charger out of a 9-volt battery and an altoids gum tin (which conveniently comes in Valentine's colors). Gum sold separately, of course.

By: middleclasstool

middleclasstool — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:08:13 -0800

Okay, stefanie's the big winner so far, IIRC. Ditto Cool Tools, and check Gizmodo too.

How expensive you willing to go? Inexpensive mp3 player/portable drive? How 'bout the iconic Swiss Army knife with flash drive? That's leatherman-ish and good for computer dorks.

Actual leathermen you can get at Target. My inner dork would love either a binary clock or a projection clock.

By: middleclasstool

middleclasstool — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:21:18 -0800

s/b IMO, not IIRC.

By: adamwolf

adamwolf — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:21:03 -0800

One of the problems with the Cool Touch soldering iron is that it can fry chips, as it uses an arc to solder things. It's cool for soldering passive things on, resistors, things like that, but not cool for chips. However, he probably should use sockets for those.

The Leatherman Wave is adorable.

If you shop thinkgeek, depending on your budget, you may want to look elsewhere after you've narrowed it down. You can usually find things found at thinkgeek for about 70% the price elsewhere.

Let us know what you decide!

By: geeky

geeky — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:44:25 -0800

...like that cool touch soldering iron...

I would pass on that. My fiance just bought one recently, and returned it because it didn't work well at all.

ThinkGeek does have a Swiss Army knife made just for computer repair, but it will set you back almost $80. You could also check out Surprise.com's Gadgeteer gift ideas.

By: kneelconqueso

kneelconqueso — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:50:13 -0800

i recently got a sleeptracker alarm clock.

it tracks your movements as you sleep, records your sleeping patterns, and wakes you up when you are most likely to feel refreshed and ready to start the day.

basically it is a wristwatch with an accelerometer. it records your movements at night. you give it a window of, lets say 30 minutes, to wake you up. if you need to be up by 8, give it a window between 7:30 and 8:00. it will find the time during that period when you're the closest to being awake, and then go off.

it actually works, and i think it is worth the 150 bucks they want for it.

By: rob511

rob511 — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:00:57 -0800

Some pretty good alarm clock info on this recent thread.

By: roundrock

roundrock — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:11:00 -0800

I love the Progression Wake Up alarm clock from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Does he play pool?

The Swiss Pen is also handy -- a twist action pen featuring multitools, including the Swiss army knife, screwdriver, file, and scissors; in addition, the pen features a red light flashlight and pressurized ink (by Fisher Space Pen) that enables writing upside down and underwater.

By: tula

tula — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 20:40:25 -0800

The hands-on type geeks I know devour Make magazine like it's porn. It focuses on regular people making super cool things rather than buying things ready-made. Might be more fun than an alarm clock, and appeal to his anti-corporate-holiday-gift desire.

By: trevyn

trevyn — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 17:13:00 -0800

Does he play PC games? The Ergodex is pretty mind-blowing.