The Bagel Drive plugs into any available USB port offering 512MB or 1GB capacity

Why give your computer a boring compact USB drive when you can offer it a delicious bagel drive packed with high quality bytes direct from Bubke’s bakery? This USB 2.0 flash drive available in 1GB and 512MB capacities, includes technical support by Tanta, the wired bubbe herself. While not certified Kosher, all but the most observant should find it acceptable, given that epoxy schmeer is parve.

The bagel itself is perfectly natural – you’ll be hard pressed to leave it to your laptop and not take a bite out of it yourself. As you can see, it plugs easily into any available USB slot, only blocking 5 or 6 neighboring slots (depending on your machine’s configuration).

But I’m sorry to say, that I am unable to give the drive a perfect review. As you can see, the Bagel Drive has a generous layer of cream cheese. But where’s the lox? Talk about cheap. It just isn’t a bagel without a nice layer of Nova Scotia lox (and I’m not talking that pink colored lox schmeer – I want the real thing, and so does my computer).

Don

And if your computer is on a diet? Oy vey. The drive uses the FAT file system! Would it really hurt the data to use the NTFS (Not too fat system) instead?

But I’m being picky. Give your computer a Bagel Drive. It will impress your friends. It will really mess with the heads of the TSA security people when you travel with it. That alone is worth the $24.95.

Khet may be the ultimate geek game. Fun? Who cares? It has laser beams!

Every gadgeteer has their own idea of the best holiday gifts for geeks. It seems only fitting to wrap up my own series of unusual gift guides with this guide to the geek gift guides (with commentary).

ExtremeTech’s Geek Gift guide 2008 starts their list with the Patriot 64GB USB drive at $170. It’s a bit pricey and wider than most. I wonder why they didn’t choose the Kingston 64GB at $129 or the SuperTalent Luxio Ultra-Fast Drive at $166 that claims up to 30MB/Sec transfer and a lifetime warranty.

The ZDNet Holiday Gift Guide also starts with a USB drive, this time the IronKey ultra-tough, waterproof USB drive with built-in hardware encryption. At $299 for an 8GB drive, you’re paying a steep premium for the security and reliability. Hint: The 4GB version is being more heavily discounted. They also have Khet: The laser game on their list. The only board game with two class II lasers, it’s probably the ultimate geek board game.

BBSpot’s Geek Gift Guide 2008 doesn’t start with a USB drive! He starts with his own book “The BBook of Geek: The Only Geek Humor Book You’ll Ever Need”. Who can blame him? He also includes The Tube Clock – a bit retro for my taste, but check it out.

Juixe TechKnow’s Ultimate Geek Guide 2008 opens with the IPhone and Netbooks. The Flip Mino follows – ultra miniature HD camcorders that are definitely geeky and cool.

CIO’s 2008 Geek Gift Guide likes Acoustibuds earphone adapters that fit onto your existing earbuds and turn them into “in the ear” style earphones for improved audio fidelity and sound isolation. Their number two spot is the Infocus IN1102 projector. At 1680×1050 resolution and 2200 Lumens brightness this small projector is a great choice for any geek on who you want to spend $1000 or so.

InfoWorld’s 2008 geek gadget gift guide recommends the botanicals.com plant Twitter kit. It’s a moisture sensor that sends you messages on Twitter when the plant needs water (or has too much). Not only is it overkill, but you get to build it yourself – it’s surely the geekiest gift on the list. This list is definitely worth looking over.

ComputerWorld’s 2008 geek gadget gift guide has the same list as InfoWorld. I wonder if they’re related?

Our own Denver Technology Examiner, Kevin Rook, doesn’t have a formal gift guide, but he should. Check out his recent postings in the gift category and you’ll find find such curiousities as a “poking box“, wrist bands with USB storage and a power-nap machine that claims to give you three hours of sleep in 20 minutes (yes! more time for Warcraft!).

ars technical has multiple gift-guides for geeks, 25 pages worth. If you still haven’t found that perfect gift, this might be your last resort.

TechRepublic’s Geek Gift Guide 2008 requires a free registration to view. Sorry, that’s way too much trouble.

Geek gift guides are fun and can inspire ideas, but remember: contrary to popular opinion there are many kinds of geeks with many different interests. Be sure to spend some time thinking about the person you are shopping for, and not just reading gift guides.

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What kind of geek would I be if I didn’t have my own lists? Enjoy:
Top five gifts for people you hate.
Top five gifts for kids that might change their lives.
Top five gifts for the unemployed.
Top five gifts that are really green.
Top 5 less expensive off-brand alternatives to name brand gadgets.
Top 5 gifts for a healthy new year.
Top 5 toys for future inventors.

Legos Mindstorms might turn anyone to a career in engineering or robotics

Sure IPods, Cell phones and video games are what most kids want. But some gifts have the power to inspire and educate as well. And in tough economic times, if you’re going to spend on a gift, you really want to get your money’s worth.

These are examples of gifts that might spark something – an interest, a hobby, maybe even a career.

Electronics Lab 130-in-one project kit. Ok, I’m biased here. My road to an electronic engineering degree started with an old radio shack 50-in-one kit. And while you may think it’s all about computers and software these days, make no mistake – electronics is hot, and going to get hotter. Check out starting salaries for analog engineers compared to programmers and you’ll see what I mean. These kits come in many sizes and price ranges.

Physics Solar Workshop or Thames and Kosmos Wind Power. Everybody is talking about alternative energy. Thomas Friedman, in his new book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America” suggests the next boom will be in energy technologies. And just looking at these kits makes you want to stop and play.

Lego Mindstorms. Be very careful – you may find yourself unwilling to actually give it away. What other toy teaches you basic mechanics, electricity and programming all at once? Yes, it’s the most expensive item on this list, but worth every dollar.

Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game Win/Mac. Can’t afford a Mindstorms set? That’s ok. Not all videogames involve racing or explosions. Those who remember “The Incredible Machine” will recognize this modern variant. Create the most amazing machines (Shhh, but don’t tell anyone you’re learning physics at the same time).

Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens: The Secrets About Money–That You Don’t Learn in School! I know Kiyosaki is not everyone’s favorite, but there’s no denying that most kids (and adults) are woefully ignorant about finance. This recession will end, and the people who understand money will do better than those who don’t. And while this isn’t a toy or gadget, maybe it will help them appreciate what it takes for you to get them that new IPod or video game, or better yet, help them afford to get their own one day.

Google Trends (trends.google.com) is a useful gadget for tracking interest in a topic – it displays the relative search frequency for different terms. In this case we’re looking at Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Google trends shows Wii still in the lead

Indications are that the Wii keeps its lead, though the PS3 is catching up. Nintendo’s insistence on actually making a profit on their game consoles has resulted in a steady production rate, meaning a likely shortage for the holidays for a third year running. There are a number of Wii finder web sites such as wiitracker.com and outtastock.com that can help you track one down. And supply on EBay is plentiful, with prices above retail, but not terribly so.

The Wii not only has an innovative controller, it also supports the very popular Wii Fit (also hard to find), which can definitely help you work off those holiday pounds.

This is the year for High Def, and there’s no doubt that Blu-Ray is the winner in the media wars. If you’re planning on getting a Blu-Ray player, you might as well spend a few extra dollars and get the PS3 (which has a Blu-Ray player built in). One thing to watch out though – the newer PS3 units do NOT include PS2 compatibility! So don’t be too quick to throw out your PS2 until you’re sure your PS3 is backward compatible.

And what about Xbox? Some of its games have a strong following (Halo), and this season it is the least expensive console with an entry level (no hard drive and no compatibility with original Xbox games) unit coming in under $200. A Pro unit will run you about an extra $100.

Bottom line is that any of the units are a good value – if you consider the cost per hour of entertainment. And if your budget is tight, look for used PS2 consoles at about $75 or less, with plenty of great used games at a fraction of the cost of the newer ones.

Would the real Fender Stratocaster please stand up?

Guitar Hero, Rock Band and all the variations of electronic music video games have two things in common: They can make players feel like rock stars, and they don’t teach a lick of music. Ok, maybe the drumming games do a bit, but you certainly can’t compare a Rock Band guitar with a real one, for all that they look the same.

And while it might be old fashioned, there is quite a bit of evidence that learning to play a musical instrument (that is, a real one), can have long lasting benefits. Studies show that kids who play instruments do better in school, have greater self-discipline, and lower levels of stress.

Believe it or not, a decent beginning guitar setup won’t cost much more that the Guitar Hero game. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Start with an acoustic or classical with nylon strings. They are much less painful on the fingers when starting out.
• Don’t buy a toy guitar – buy a real guitar. The Honor student series or Yamaha student series are good examples. Guitars from Hasbro are not. For an electric, you can even go with a real Fender Stratocaster for under $200. You can by online, but before you do – try it out in a local music store. But buy it at the store, and they may toss in some music lessons.
• The strings should not be so high as to require a great deal of force to push down, and should not buzz when played. And the guitar should sound good.
• Get an electronic tuner. The Korg GA-30 can be found for under $15 and is virtually foolproof. Making tuning easy will help beginners sound good – and sounding good will encourage more practice.
• Get some lessons, and try to find a teacher who focuses on helping students to play real music quickly, without bogging them down too much in theory to start with.

Guitar Hero is a fun gadget. But a real guitar is an investment that can last a lifetime.

Yes we can!

It’s completely useless, and a total waste of money (aside from perhaps helping the economy a bit). But for the Obama fan in your life, this completely useless but possibly inspirational talking bobblehead might make the ideal gift.

It also might make for a good investment. There are currently a limited number of these available (to be followed soon by a whole raft of “President Obama” bobbleheads that don’t talk. People do collect these things (believe it or not).

Of course chances are that it will end up gathering dust in a few months and you’ll wonder why you wasted any money at all on such a useless item. But then again…

Find one at:

• Amazon.com
• Things You Never Knew Existed