Top 10 Christmas gifts for geeks

It's that time of the year again and we're offering our recommendations for what to buy the geek in your life.

Presents are difficult for the non-technologist because the potential for failure is huge. As the member of my family who "is something to do with computers" I've been at the receiving end of some terrible tech presents.

These include a book on WAP programming, a PlayStation game (despite never having owned a console in my life) and a gift certificate for iTunes that lost its value when it had to go on eBay because I didn't have an iPod.

While we're about it, calling this a Christmas gift list is in no way contributing to this phoney 'war against Christmas' meme going round at the moment.

'Holiday gifts' would be just as good a title, and the Christmas holiday is nothing more than a reinterpretation of an old pagan ceremony that has probably been around since mankind worked out that late December is as cold and dark as it gets in the northern hemisphere.

That said, it's a time for getting together with family and friends and sharing, so here are some ideas for the geek in your life.

Honourable Mention: Nothing
Iain Thomson: I wanted this in the number one spot, but Shaun talked me down. I'm just a little sick of the mindless consumerism that accompanies the holiday season. Yes, giving gifts is nice and it’s especially good for children who get stuff they wouldn't otherwise own. But for adults I wonder what all the fuss is about.

Call me a Grinch if you will, but I think we're missing the true point of Christmas. It's about getting together with friends, sharing food, talk and feelings and then getting the hell out of there before the spirit (or spirits) of the season wears off. Gifts are all well and good, but let's keep the season about people, not presents.

Maybe this year make a pact with someone who you normally exchange gifts with not to do so this time round. We'll consume less, be no less happy and the planet will be a bit better off for it.

Shaun Nichols: Come on, Iain. That's like opening a cookbook looking for a sausage stuffing recipe and finding a single page reading: 'Eat a carrot, you fat pig!'

I'm hardly one for making a big deal out of holidays (as many frustrated members of my family can tell you), but I can at least set aside my feelings on consumerism long enough to make a list of some cool toys to get the geek in your life.

That said, there is a good argument for avoiding all the shiny gizmos and instead delivering something from the heart. Yes, a speedy smartphone will make for a happy holiday, but at a time when most people are finding money tighter than ever, the sentimental gift definitely has a place.

Call me a sap, but I have to say that few of the gadgets and gizmos on the list would mean as much to me as the hand-knitted 'Jayne Cobb' hat my girlfriend made me. Even computer geeks have a soft side for the human touch.

[Iain: In the interest of the public's right to know, yes, Shaun does have such a hat, yes he wears it and yes, he almost pulls it off as a fashion statement. Almost.]

Honourable Mention: Batteries
Shaun Nichols: Every year this one makes our list, and every year we promise ourselves that this will be the last year we put batteries in the Top 10.

The problem is, they're still necessary. Yes, rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs are becoming more common than ever, but there are still plenty of uses for a good old pack of Duracells when you don't have the time or ability to recharge.

In particular, many Bluetooth peripherals still run on disposable batteries. If you're going to buy a shiny new wireless mouse or keyboard, you'd be well-advised to pick up a pack of AAs just in case.

Iain Thomson: 'Batteries not included': the death-knell of many a happy Christmas with gadgets.

Thankfully device manufacturers have got a lot better on this front. Shaun is still a little shocked that it used to be commonplace to sell electrical goods without plugs in the UK, let alone a shrink-wrapped package of batteries to power the gift.

But what I really want for Christmas is no batteries, or at least a replaceable power source that doesn't make me sick to my stomach with the waste. A quick twirl with the calculator shows I've thrown away over 12,000 highly toxic batteries in my lifetime, and I'm not alone.

A lot of these end up in landfill, and will poison the ground beyond the life of my children's children. Dear Santa, give us a longer lasting or better way to get portable power.