It can be a bit of a challenge to buy a special present for the Geek in your life as no doubt they will already have quite a few gadgets. And they’re likely to be up to date with any new and exciting products if they keep their eyes peeled to all those lovely techy magazines and forums out there. We’ve unearthed some great gift ideas which could surprise them on Christmas Day – here are 5 of the best.
Zensorium Tinke (£75)
A health and fitness device which is different to the other gadgets already out there. Tinke monitors your heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen levels found in your blood stream to track cardio-respiratory fitness and your levels of stress. It cleverly uses something called Photoplethsmography, known as PPG for short, and a special type of light technology to take the readings. It then converts the readings into two indexes, a cardio-respiratory index (VITA) and a stress index (ZEN). It works with any iOS device which operates on iOS5 and later. All you need to do it connect it to your device and the readings will be taken once you cover the sensors on the Tinke with your thumb.
FitBit Force (around £100)
The FitBit Force is the latest device from the fitness wearable company FitBit. As well as the usual step-counting, calorie burning, distance walked & sleep tracking FitBit features, Force also is a watch and can be used as an alarm clock. It comes in a choice of sizes and with Bluetooth 4.0. In the near future it will display caller-ID info when it’s used with an iPhone running on iOS7.
Makerbot Digitizer (£580)
If you really want to treat your other half, the Makerbot Digitizer is likely to impress. Essentially it’s a 3D scanner which you use to create your own 3D printable files in just over 10 minutes per item scanned. Just scan whatever item you want to create a 3D model of, tweak it or animate it using a 3D modelling program if you want to be uber-creative and print off your 3D piece of art.
Scentee
A brand new smartphone gadget from where else Japan! You can now emit a smell to relax you, curb your food cravings or simply make you smile thanks to the Scentee aroma cartridges which attach to your smartphone. Scentee works alongside an app to provide a unique way to notify you of text messages, alarms or emails by emitting an aroma depending on what cartridge you have plugged in. Choose from fruity smells, floral fragrances and food and drink aromas such as bacon or coffee.
Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner (£50)
If your loved one has lots of the old-style 35mm films or film negatives lying around, the Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner would be a very welcome present. It’s compatible with a decent range of smartphones and turns your images on 35mm film including negatives, slides and even black and white 35mm film into digital photos. Very simple to use, you load up the scanner with your 35mm film and photograph each of the images with your smartphone camera to give you a instant digital record which can be printed off or shared online with your family, friends and contacts.
