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Wacky Gifts for the Holidays

by Chris Morris on November 26, 2009 at 01:30 PM

We've all got that person on our list -- the one who's impossible to buy for. They've got everything they need and most of the stuff they want, which makes them a challenge for any gift giver. You could go the gift card route, but it's much more fun to get creative. We dug up 10 of the more unusual gifts around this year for people in all price ranges.

Decoy Gift Boxes (Four for $23) -- Need to throw an expert gift guesser a curveball? These boxes, for real-looking fake items like a USB-powered toaster, look like something from the SkyMall catalog. They're actually from satire-king The Onion. And they're a great way to temporarily throw someone off the scent of the real gift.
Tangent Quattro WiFi Alarm Radio ($200) -- Know someone who can't stand the morning "zoo crew" on their local radio station? This Internet radio gives them 6,000 stations from which to choose -- originating from all across the U.S. -- and the world. No matter how picky they are, they're bound to find something they like.


Temperature Controlled LED Faucet Light ($20) -- The faucet is such a boring appliance. Why not spice it up a little? This add-on brings colors to running water -- changing as the temperature does. Cold water runs blue, but once it tops 89 degrees, the light turns red.
Shift and Ctrl Key Lights ($20 each) -- Need some mood lighting for your favorite uber-geek? These oversized keys light up in yellow or white via an energy-saving LED bulb. They're cheap and unique -- and give off a nice ambient light -- but probably don't do much to impress the opposite sex.


Kymera Magic Wand (roughly $83) -- Got a Harry Potter fanatic on your list? (We mean a REAL fanatic.) This magic wand is actually a remote control for the TV and DVD player. A flick up or down changes the channel -- and rotating the wrist adjusts the volume. All totaled, there are 13 programmable gestures. We're guessing none can salvage users' self-respect, though.


Yoostar ($170) -- Everyone has repeated lines from their favorite films -- now they can star in the scene. Yoostar lets people digitally (and seamlessly) insert themselves into famous film and television moments using an included green screen and camera, and then post their Hollywood close-up on a public site for all to see. Think 'Guitar Hero' for the film buff.


Grassy Lawn Charging Station ($25) -- The tech world is not a pretty one. Cables strewn about to recharge gadgets make for some ugly countertops. Now your gadget-hound friend or family member can hide the mess and still get the juice with this 11"x7" box that puts the cables under a field of fake (but realistic looking) grass.

Freehands Texting Gloves ($18-$70) -- Fight frostbite and have the flexibility to fire off texts to friends with this specialty winter wear. Unlike traditional gloves, which made hitting keys on a phone keypad or BlackBerry impossible, the fingertips on these flip back, letting tweens and crackberry addicts send dispatches while staying cozy.

Joby Gorillamobile for iPhone ($40) -- Funny looking, but durable, these mini tripods make the iPhone 3G or 3GS a lot more portable. It's great for people with an active lifestyle or those who live in their car, but it's even better for travelers who watch a lot of movies on planes. It also comes with an adapter for traditional cameras.

G-Robots G-Dog ($950) -- Dogs are great, but they're messy, chew up shoes, and don't even get us started on allergies. G-Dog has solved those problems with this robot pup, which can be trained to do up to 17 actions. Don't expect Frisbee catching to be one of them, though.


Airboard Personal Hovercraft ($14,000) -- We were all supposed to have flying cars by now. We don't -- but we do have hovercrafts. This gas-powered device floats 8 inches above the ground and moves at up to 15 mph. Drivers navigate by shifting their weight. It's admittedly tough to bring much home from the store -- but heads will surely turn when this pulls into the parking lot.

Tags: features, gifts, hgg, holidays, top

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