I believe it was Bill Gates who said, “Somewhere deep inside all men, there's a little tech geek just waiting to bust out.” All right, maybe Gates didn't say that, but I'm guessing his market research shows such a line to be true. Men, who were once boys, love their gadgets. Year after year, surveys show that the most requested Father's Day gifts are gadgets. It goes back to those youthful nights we spent wishing we had a watch like James Bond's that could shoot lasers and unhook bra straps. Truth be told, most guys would give their left eyebrow for Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. Unfortunately, we live in the real world, so you'll have to set your sights on the following gadgets and leave the Hollywood stuff to, well, Hollywood.
For The Traveling Geek
For the “Traveling Geek” inside you, one of the most popular gadgets right now are G.P.S. monitors. As gas prices continue to skyrocket, it is so important to map out your driving course like you were Magellan himself. The most popular G.P.S. model on the market right now is the Garmin Nuvi 350 ($200/Amazon.com). This little gem has eight hours of battery life, MP3 Audio, and is small enough to fit in your briefcase. Plus, it will steer you away from driving the wrong way down a one-way street, which, come on, we've all pulled that one in an unfamiliar city.
For The Business Geeks
For you “Business Geeks”, Phillips has introduced a new 22 inch 3D monitor (Price T.B.D.) with an LCD panel that's ideal for retail, point-of-sale advertising, gaming applications and 3D visualization. Also, there's no need for those old-school 3D glasses. This could be the perfect attention grabber for those of you trying to grab a bigger piece of the market-share pie.
For The Video Game Geek
Of course, since this article is about soothing one's inner geek, we would be remiss in not mentioning the latest gadget for the “Video Game Geek” in you. The Ben Heck 1-Hand New Access Controller (Price T.B.D.) combines all the video controller doo-dads you'll need to take on (and destroy) your child or kid-neighbor in Madden 08'. Plus it allows you a free hand to munch on your favorite pizza while you're breaking world records. God bless you Ben Heck, whoever you are.
For The Sports Geek
Finally, for your “Sports Geek”, how many times have you bragged to your friends that you had a cannon for an arm in high school? Now you can prove it during next season's tailgate parties by busting out the Virtual Distance Football. Put out by Discovery for only $19.95, this baby calculates how far you can toss the old pigskin. So, the next time you heave a 60-yard post pattern to your buddy in the L.A. Coliseum parking lot, you can prove that it was a 60 yard bomb and be deemed the “Peyton Manning of Tailgate football”.
Those are just some of the cool gadgetry you can find out there. So be sure the wife, kids, or girlfriend knows what's on your wish-list so you can be the cool kid, um, adult on the block.
