RIGHT DIRECTION: Navman iCN 630 GPS by Navman, $499, www.amazon.com. Your favorite gadget junkie will never get lost on the way to grandma’s again with this portable GPS system strapped to the dash. And if traffic is too hairy to get a peek at the colorful, 2-inch screen, a pleasant voice talks them through maps of the full 50 states.
GIVE THEM A HAND: Nintendo DS by Nintendo, $149.99, electronics stores. Nintendo’s new hand-held gaming rig will keep both of your geek’s eyes busy thanks to its clever dual-screen display. The bottom screen is touch-sensitive, promising new gaming concepts, such as using the stylus to pick scorpions off a scorned lover in Sega’s oddball Feel the Magic: XX/XY, the best launch game of the bunch.
CRYSTAL CLEAR: VOOM by VOOM, one-time $499 price and no monthly fee, or- $199 plus $9.50/month for service, www.voom.com. Surely the techno-savvy on your list already broke their piggybank for an HD telly. Help them keep that pretty idiot box warm with VOOM, a satellite system that receives dozens of HD-only channels. Whether its crystal-clear westerns on VOOM’s original Gunslingers channel or the latest Sci-Fi Channel HD offerings, there’s something for everybody to watch on VOOM.
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: Sushi Disk by Dynamism, starting at $79, www.dynamism.com. Think the gadget gurus on your list have everything already? Surprise them with this left-field doodad: mini hard drives shaped like sushi. They can categorize their go-go data to their personal tastes–photos on the Ikura, music on the Uni, and the first few chapters of their unfinished techno-thriller novel on the Maguro. Delicious.
PICTURE PERFECT: IPod Photo by Apple, $499 (40GB) or $599 (60GB); www.apple.com. Apple’s sleek music machine was this close to being overexposed before Steve Jobs pulled the curtain back on this color-screen iPod. It comes in 40GB and 60GB models, allowing family albums reaching back to the advent of the camera to be stored and shared. Use iPhoto to upload this year’s holiday pics, mix in some music (still the iPod’s primary function) and create a musical slideshow documenting the festivities and merriment.
