10 Gifts for the Hard-Core Techie

Gadgets, kits, and hacks for the geek who has everything.

"Easy and Fun" Touch-Screen Kit for Netbooks

Give the hard-core techie in your life a tactile jolt with the US$95 "Easy and Fun TouchKit" from Hoda Technologies. This modification adds resistive touch-screen abilities to those ultracompact, ultracheap netbook computers that are all the rage right now. Though no soldering is required, installing the kit does involve some dismantling of the netbook (which most likely will void its warranty); Hoda provides full instructions on how to proceed.

The kit currently claims compatibility with most 8.9- and 10.2-inch netbooks, including the Acer Aspire One, the MSI Wind U100 and various Asus Eee PC models. Support for the Dell Mini 9, the Lenovo Ideapad S10, and other netbooks is reportedly coming soon. Available for purchase online through Fidohub.com or eBay.

Battery-Boosting iPhone 3G Cases

Useful though they are, the Internet and GPS features of the iPhone 3G smart phone suck power like there's no tomorrow. Solution: Use a rechargeable battery booster case such as the Incase Power Slider or the Mophie Juice Pack. Both cost $100, are designed specifically for the iPhone 3G, use a grip-friendly soft-touch coating, and include LEDs that indicate how much charge remains. Mophie says that the Juice Pack can give the 3G up to 6 hours of extra talk time or Internet use--an hour more than Incase claims that the Power Slider delivers.

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