Gifts for Computer Geeks

It's a shame Gateway uses such a boring image for its award-winning XHD3000 30" widescreen LCD display. Because the picture doesn't show it in action as computing monitor, TV display, and all-around home entertainment device. Features include a native resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels; DVI, HDMI, and component and composite video connections, which means you can play games on it and watch HD programming, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs; a 6-port USB hub; and a removable sound bar so you can listen to audio from whatever device you have hooked up to it. Wired says, "What (Gateway) promised seemed unfeasible: A gaming monitor with an upscaling chip capable of over a trillion calculations per second. Yeah that's trillion with a 't'. Many moons later, the XHD3000 showed up, and our snickers were replaced with gasps of awe."

The new HP Mini 1000, like the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, isn't just a tiny laptop. It's a "netbook," which is loosely defined as a small, lightweight, affordable, energy-efficient laptop that's geared for Web surfing and emailing. The Mini 1000 is less than an inch thick but its keyboard, according to HP, is 92% as big as that of a full-size laptop. The netbook starts at $400; the base price includes Windows XP Home, an 8.9" screen, 512MB DDR2 system memory, mini webcam, 8GB hard drive, and Wireless-G card. But you can upgrade components if you're willing to pay a bit more.

There are some people in our office building who like to work in the dark. (GameSpot, we're looking in your direction.) We don't understand that. We need bright lights to a) keep us awake, and b) see what we're doing. But if you're one of those computing vampires, Logitech just came out with an illuminated keyboard you might like. The 9.3 mm-thick keyboard has a sleek, minimalist design (no USB ports or any other bells or whistles) with laser-etched keys that have adjustable backlighting. And it's black, so when you spill food all over it (because you can't see what you're doing because you're working in the dark), it won't show that much dirt.

Behold the new Apple MacBook laptop. With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.4GHz), a frame made from a single piece of (lightweight, durable) aluminum, a hard drive up to 320GB, and a beautiful LED-backlit display, it might just turn work into fun. The new multi-touch trackpad lets you use your fingers to click (no more button!), scroll, right-click, zoom in and out, and more. And the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card is up to 5 times as powerful as its predecessor. Completing the package are black backlit keys, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 8x SuperDrive, 802.11n wireless technology, iSight webcam, and 30 days of free tech support. Prices start at $1299.

Now shipping: The Slingbox Pro-HD, a device that lets you stream HD content from your home TV to almost any broadband-connected laptop, desktop, or smartphone (but not iPhones - yet). CNET says the picture quality is excellent within your home network, but once you leave your home network, your video might be more YouTube- than DVD-quality, depending on local broadband speeds. Frankly, the whole idea of streaming terrible reality shows from the TV in the living room to the desktop in the den is a bit beyond us, but then again, we live in tiny apartments. See all Slingboxes.

Even if there wasn't a tangled mess of cords behind our desks that descended into a dark and dusty Corner of Despair, we'd still have trouble identifying which plug belonged to which electronic gizmo if we needed to unplug anything. Maybe we should get these Kableflags. The "Computer" set includes preprinted labels for your computer, printer, scanner, monitor, speakers, network, etc., while the "Home" set has labels for your TV, receiver, DVD player, DVD recorder, set top box, subwoofer, game console, and other gadgets. You can also get blank labels if you want to make your own.

Dell calls its new Inspiron Mini 9 laptop "your new best friend." The petite laptop is an ideal travel companion if you want to blog, keep a journal, surf the Web, send email, and listen to music while on vacation. The Mini 9 has a 9" display and 4 hours of battery life, and weighs all of 2.3 pounds. Under the hood, the $349 base configuration will get you an Ubuntu Linux OS, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB hard drive, but of course you can spend a little more if you want additional upgrades (Bluetooth, Windows XP, more memory, webcam, larger hard drive). It's not something we'd want to spend 8 hours a day with, but for vacations it sounds like it has everything we need.

If Ikea made external hard drives, they might look like the SimpleTech (re)drive. Made from bamboo and recycled aluminum (hence the "re" in the product name), this 500GB low-power hard drive has an Energy Star power adapter, minimal packaging, and no noisy fans. As "green" as it claims to be, we're more impressed with its looks and plug-and-play feature set: Turbo USB 2.0 interface, automated backups, free technical support, and compatibility with PCs and Macs. And reasonable price tag.

This new Samsung 26" LCD HD monitor puts the "fun" back into "functional." It's got full 1920 x 1200 HD resolution; a fast 5ms response time; built-in speakers (less desktop clutter!); and VGA, DVI, and HDMI connectors so you can fully enjoy movies and play games while you're supposed to be working. And not only does it have an adjustable-height stand, the thing also rotates 360 degrees, so you can spin it around to face the wall when you see the boss approaching. More huge LCD monitors.

Remember that 2GB SD memory card we told you about that lets you upload photos to your computer or Facebook page without a single wire? It just got even better. The new Eye-Fi Explore is the same 2GB card with geotagging. It automatically adds geographic location labels to your photos, and lets you (wirelessly) upload them - to Facebook, Flickr, Shutterfly, Costco, and lots of other sites - from more than 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the US.

"Michael, where would you like to go today?" That's how K.I.T.T. greeted David Hasslehoff in "Knight Rider," and that's how the Mio Knight Rider GPS greets you when you turn it on. In the exact same voice, thanks to Mio's partnership with Universal Studios. (You can then change it to one of 300+ other names.) K.I.T.T. (William Daniels) will give you voice guidance and turn-by-turn directions (accompanied by LED synthesizer lights), and make you feel like a 1980s TV star.

The 250GB Iomega eGo portable hard drive may look like a military flask, but it stores data, not hooch. A lot of data - up to a million photos, 4600 hours of music, or 375 hours of video. Not bad for $130. It has a USB 2.0 interface, so you just plug it into your computer, using software you download (free for PCs). It's less than an inch thick, and measures slightly smaller than 4" x 6", so you can take it anywhere. Best of all it has a Drop Guard so it can withstand a drop of 60 inches without losing data. See all Iomega eGo portable hard drives.