Who says all the best gifts come in big
packages? Guys are difficult enough to buy for without worrying
about getting a gift in a really big box.
So here are a dozen items that will make him ooh and ah on
Christmas morning, but still leave enough room under the tree
for the really big boxes that hold your gifts.
Honey, I shrunk the car
Radio-controlled cars are nothing new. But Hot Wheels-size RC
cars?
ZipZaps, which fit in the palm of your hand and come with a
controller that looks like a small digital camera, would be a
great gift for a car freak. The tiny cars, which go forward and
backward and turn left or right, are suprisingly quick,
especially on a hard surface. They come in a kit and must be
assembled -- install the engine, pop on the hubcaps, slip on the
tires, a process that takes five minutes or so.
Upgrades are available, so guys can change the body (Porsche
911, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford SVT Mustang or one of the cars
from The Fast and the Furious), put in a bigger engine or
change the gear ratios. You can also buy tracks, trading cards,
carrying cases and cleaning kits if you're really obsessive.
Available at Radio Shack. Starter kits are $19.99.
It's a credit card! No, it's a camera!
Digital cameras get smaller every year, and there are plenty
of good ones to choose from this holiday season. For instance,
Casio's Exilim line of cameras are about the size of a credit
card, 3 1/2 by 2 1/8 inches, and weigh less than 4 ounces. But
they pack a lot of punch -- 12 MB of internal memory, built-in
flash, 2 megapixel capability and digital zoom. That's a lot of
technical mumbo-jumbo that basically means they'll take a lot of
pretty good pictures. The high-end EX-M2 model (pictured) even
has an integrated MP3 player.
Available at electronics stores or from www.casio.com for
$299 to $399.
Anybody got a screwdriver?
Gizmo guys will love something like the Leatherman Micra, a 2
1/2-inch, 1.75-ounce tool kit that fits on a keychain. Unfold
this little wonder and you'll find scissors, a knife, tweezers,
a nail file, a Phillips screwdriver, two regular screwdrivers, a
bottle opener and a ruler
Available at Wal-Mart, Kmart, Sears, Target, the Sports
Authority and other retailers for around $32.
G'day, mate
Protect him from the sun and give him a little style with a
Tilley LT6 hat. It's lightweight, water-repellent, offers SPF50
sun protection and can be crushed to the size of a baseball and
still pop back into shape. And it's really tough -- the company
claims a zookeeper had his hat snatched off his head and eaten
by an elephant. A few days later, it had passed through, so the
man washed it and it was good as new.
Available at www.tilley.com for $65.
Attack of the iPod people
Apple's iPod MP3 players aren't cheap, but they are extremely
cool. Not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes, they'll hold up
to 4,000 songs at CD quality. Hook it up to the computer, pick
the tunes you want (you can download an entire CD in 10 seconds
with Apple's FireWire connection), plug in the headphones and
away you go. Plus -- guys love this -- there are all sorts of
extra gizmos you can buy (speakers, chargers, headphones and
carrying cases).
Available at electronics stores or store.apple.com for $299
to $499. Custom engraving is available for another $19.95.
Peek-a-boo
Those annoying ads that pop up on your computer screen to
advertise tiny wireless video cameras always seem to picture a
pretty woman. But there are other, less prurient, uses for a
camera such as X10.com's new XCam2. Set one up in the toy room
to keep an eye on your kids. Put one at the front door to see
who's out there. Stick one in the garage so you can check out
your shiny new Corvette without actually walking out there. The
XCam2 uses a wireless transmitter and an external power supply
to send images to a TV, monitor, camcorder or VCR up to 100 feet
away.
Available through x10.com
for $79.99.
A baby bumbershoot
Our license plates may say "Sunshine State," but
anyone who lives here knows it's always a good idea to keep an
umbrella handy. Magellan's Mini Max Umbrella folds up to a
6-by-1-by-2-inch package but unfolds into a 40-inch cover,
enough to get a big guy from car to office high and dry.
Available from www.magellans.com or by calling 1-800-962-4943
for $19.85.
Hip to be square
Not that your guy would ever imbibe at a Jaguars game, but
this stainless steel hip flask with the Jaguars logo still might
come in handy some day. It holds
6 ounces of whatever he wants to put in there. The flask is
also available with other team logos and can be engraved with
your guy's name for an extra five bucks.
Available from nflshop.com
or by calling 1-877-NFL-SHOP for $29.99.
Words and images
Think of it as a tape recorder with no tape and a camera with
no film. The Olympus W-10 digital voice recorder allows guys to
record up to three hours of speeches or lectures or whatever it
is they want to record. It also has a built-in digital camera
that lets them take pictures of the people they're recording.
Recordings and pictures then can be downloaded to a computer
through a USB connection. The whole thing weighs 2.5 ounces and
is less than
5 inches tall and 1.2 inches wide. Available at electronics
stores for $99.
Wee and wireles
Remember when mobile phones were first introduced and they
were the size of a suitcase? My, how times change. Sony
Ericsson's new T68i phone is 3.9 by 1.8 inches and weighs less
than 3 ounces and has all the features you'd expect to find on a
high-end phone. Snap on the MCA-20 digital camera accessory,
though, and you can use the phone to take pictures that can be
stored, downloaded or sent to another phone.
Available at wireless dealers for around $300.
Birdie finder
OK, so it's illegal to use a laser rangefinder in a golf
tournament. It sure could come in handy for a weekend player,
though. Bushnell's Yardage Pro Scout is 4 inches long and 2 3/4
inches high and weighs less than 7 ounces, but it will tell you
precisely how far you are from the flag up to 250 yards out.
Information like that can cut strokes off a guy's game, and that
is a gift he'll appreciate. Hunters can also use it to track
moving targets.
Available at golf shops for around $300.
Come fly with me
Outside of the golf course, there are few better places for a
guy to relax than a fishing hole. The folks at the Salty Feather
flyfishing shop on Southside Boulevard have put together a
Redfish Lunchbox, which includes the seven best flies for
catching redfish in Northeast Florida. For the uninitiated, the
shop also offers a Flyfishing 101 class, for $75, or a four-week
Beginning Fly Tying course, also $75.
Redfish Lunchbox available at Salty Feather, 3733 Southside
Blvd., for $36.95.
