Awesome Christmas Gifts 2013

In a special edition of ‘Awesome Links’ I share what you should be buying your geeky friends for Christmas (assuming they haven’t already bought it for themselves)

We may all use smartphones for everything now, but if you asked the futurists of the 1980s what we would be using now, they probably have described something like Pebble. This Smartwatch took Kickstarter by storm, and continues to impress. At USD$150 it may fit into your budget for a loved one.

For all those geeks with kids, the Leap Motion is the perfect gift. There is nothing quite like watching a kid discover magic. And at USD$79 it has a much better time to entertainment ration than the movie gift voucher you were thinking of giving them.

If you’re looking for something with a smaller budget the Raspberry Pi ($35) or Beaglebone Black ($45) may fit the bill. One of the benefits to giving one of these as a gift, is even if they already have one, a second or third is always useful (they tend to get used in projects). The Raspberry Pi tends to be a bit friendlier for getting started, and the Beaglebone Black fits into the slightly more advanced category.

Need more ideas? Hacker Things has an impressive list of awesome gadgets. Also browsing Adafruit, Sparkfun and Tindie should help you find that perfect geek gift.

Update: opensource.com also has an awesome gift guide.