Gift Guide For The Technophile

The holidays are creeping up fast. Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be here before you know it. The technophiles among us are already champing at the bit, combing the web and creating their wishlists. Those of us who have to shop for them are starting to look for ideas.

There's no shortage of technology gifts available this holiday season. And some will even leave enough in your bank account to get yourself something nice too. Here are some great ideas, whatever your price range happens to be.

It's The Thought (Under $25)

The iPhone is anything but warm and cuddly. And it's definitely not cheap. But put it inside the the Woogie 2 from Griffin Technology, and it becomes a plush toy for the kids to play with. The Woogie's legs form a base to stand it up, and the touch-through plastic shield keeps little fingers from poking too hard.

Maybe protecting a smartphone from adults — not kids — is the problem. We've all dropped our expensive devices while digging through our pockets. The Callet solves this problem, combining a smartphone case with a wallet for double the protection. The case guards the phone from wear and tear, while the slit pockets provide quick and safe access to cash and credit cards.

Let the technophile declare war on those roving bands of pen thieves invading his cubicle or home office. A few clicks of the mouse aims and fires this USB Rocket Launcher from Thinkgeek. Unsuspecting victims of a foam missile attack will never know what hit them. Maybe war isn't the answer. The Grassy Lawn Charging Station offers a "green" solution to all those unsightly cords and cables. No fertilizer needed.

Woogie 2 - Griffin Technology ($19.99)

The Callet - Callet ($19.95)

USB Rocket Launcher - Thinkgeek ($24.99)

Grassy Lawn Charging Station - Thinkgeek (24.99)

Spend A Little More (Under $100)

The Eagle Eye Converter from Penguin United brings mouse and keyboard accessibility to the PS3 (Xbox 360 version coming soon). A gamer can connect both via USB to get the customized, precision control that many games require. The HELO TC Indoor Helicopter is a twin-rotor mini-chopper controlled through an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The free app lets the user guide it with every tilt of the device or record flight patterns to be replayed later.

Speakal's iKurv docking station is meant for an iPhone or iPod, but it handles game consoles and anything else that needs amplifying. The extra 20 watts of portable stereo power — digitally amplified and accented by LED lights in a starship-like design — makes everything sound better.

Eagle Eye Converter - Penguin United ($59.99)

HELO TC Indoor Helicopter - Griffin Technology (49.99)

iKurv Docking Station - Speakal ($79.99)

The Sky's The Limit (Over $100)

All that technology doesn't leave much time for diets and exercise. But what if we could combine them all? The Withings WiFi scale communicates with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The technophile can track his progress, or lack thereof. He may not want to lose a few pounds, but at he'll have all the information to get started on this year's New Year resolution.

There's always room for the vibrant sound of the battery-powered microPIANO from Korg. Built within its compact and sleek appearance are 61 keys, 60 digital sounds and 25 one-touch musical phrases. An adjustable lid adds a touch of elegance to the high-gloss black or red body.

Serious gamers can put the pedal to the metal in their favorite racing games for the PC and PS3. Thrustmaster has a full-size wheel replica of the Ferrari F1 2011 racing wheel, along with foot pedals, to put them in the race. This is as close as a person on a couch can come to the experience of Formula 1 racing.

Maybe pool is more the right speed. The CueLight Interactive Pool Table System from Obscura Digital will set the mood. The motion video response tracks the balls as they move across the pool table's visually enhanced surface. A remote can switch among three different modes, with the as the high-brightness imaging on the touch-sensitive surface is projected at 60 frames per second.

WiFi Body Scale - Withings ($159.00)

microPIANO - Korg ($299.99)

T500 F1 Racing Wheel - Thrustmaster ($699.99)

Interactive Pool Table System - Obscura Digital ($25,000.00)