Computerworld's holiday gift guide 2013

From audio gear to gadgets, smartphones to stocking stuffers, we've rounded up the best tech gear to give and get this year.

Holiday shoppers, start your engines: Our annual holiday gift guide is underway, chock full of great ideas for the technology lovers on your list.

We've got tech toys and cool gadgets for a variety of tastes. Is your best friend a music enthusiast? We highlight some great speakers and headphones, a USB microphone for recording his own tunes and a shower curtain that will let him listen (and Web surf) in the bathtub. An exercise fiend? We've got a bike bag made especially for smartphone users and a top-notch fitness tracker she can wear on her wrist. Looking for a gift that's both cute and useful? We've got iPhone cases, USB hubs and cable holders that will rival any YouTube cat video.

For each product you'll find a description by a Computerworld staffer or contributor, along with links to product pages and places to shop. When possible, we've included a range of prices as offered by various vendors, but be aware that prices fluctuate, especially at this time of year.

Keep in mind, too, that while we've focused on the most up-to-date versions of products like smartphones and tablets, you can often save a chunk of change by opting for earlier models -- that is, if you know your gift recipients won't mind missing out on some of the latest features. And as always, be careful of false deals and scams.

To get started, click on one of the sections listed above or expand the chart below to see the full gift list. After expanding the table, you can sort by clicking on column headers. Or, search using the box below.

2013 holiday tech gift ideas

ProductCategoryStarting price
8GB USB Flash Drive Bottle Opener Tech gear 15
Apple iPad Air Tablets 499
Apple iPad Mini with Retina display Tablets 399
Apple iPhone 5C Smartphones 99
Apple iPhone 5S Smartphones 199
Beacon Phoenix 2 Bluetooth portable speaker Audio/video 80
Beats Studio headphones Audio/video 300
Blue Microphones Nessie USB microphone Audio/video 100
Bose QuietComfort 20 and 20i earbuds Audio/video 300
Bowers & Wilkins P7 Mobile Hi-Fi headphones Audio/video 399
Braven 850 Bluetooth speaker Audio/video 280
Canon CanoScan LiDE 210 photo scanner Photography 80
Canon CanoScan LiDE 700F photo + film scanner Photography 130
D-Link DAP-1320 Wi-Fi range extender Tech gear 40
David Weeks Studio Micro Cubebots robot figures/puzzles Gaming 7
Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablets 300
DigiPals smartphone case and cleaning cloth Smartphone accessories 18
Easy-Macro magnification lens for smartphone cameras Photography 15
Fitbit Flex wristband activity + sleep tracker Fitness 100
Fitbit Force wristband activity + sleep tracker Fitness 130
Francois et Mimi Trois Plus Bluetooth portable speaker Audio/video 25
GOgroove Pal Bot portable speaker Audio/video 30
Google Chromecast HDMI streaming media player Audio/video 35
Google Nexus 5 Smartphones 349
Google Nexus 7 Tablets 229
Griffin WoodTones headphones Audio/video 100
Gumdrop Drop Tech Series cases for iPad Air Tablet accessories 60
Hammacher Schlemmer iPad Musical Shower Curtain Audio/video 50
iFixit Magnetic Project Mat Tech gear 15
iFrogz Boost NearField Audio speaker Audio/video 40
iFrogz BoostPlus NearField Audio speaker Audio/video 60
Iogear GearPower Ultra Capacity Mobile Power Station portable device charger Tech gear 35
Iogear MediaShair Wireless Media Hub Tech gear 57
Joby GPod Mini Magnetic flexible tripod Photography 15
Kangaroom Bamboo iPad Cooking Stand Tablet accessories 30
Kikkerland USB Hubdog 4-port USB 2.0 hub Tech gear 9
Kingston MobileLite Wireless Media Hub Tech gear 44
KoKi Mogi smartphone case for bicycles Smartphone accessories 30
Kribbitt universal tablet stand Tablet accessories 40
Leef Spark USB flash drive Tech gear 10
Levenger Nantucket Lapreader lapdesk Tech gear 79
LifeProof nüüd case for iPad Mini Tablet accessories 120
LifeProof nüüd case iPad (gen 2/3/4) Tablet accessories 100
Logitech Easy-Switch K811 keyboard Tech gear 75
Logitech Tablet Keyboard for iPad Tablet accessories 52
Logitech Tablet Keyboard for Windows and Android Tablet accessories 55
Memorex Fun Series USB drive Tech gear 14
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 Tablets 899
MoBoogieBoutique handmade tablet sleeves Tablet accessories 28
Moga Pocket game controller for Android devices Gaming 30
Moga Pro game controller for Android devices Gaming 50
Monoprice 7-port USB 2.0 hub with AC adapter Tech gear 14
Mophie Powerstation Micro portable device charger Smartphone accessories 40
Mophie Powerstation Mini portable device charger Smartphone accessories 57
Moshi Complete Cleaning Kit for screens and keyboards Tech gear 25
Moshi TeraGlove microfiber cleaning cloth Tech gear 20
Motorola Moto X Smartphones 100
Nice CableKeeps cable organizers for iDevices Tech gear 16
Nokia Lumia 1020 Smartphones 150
Nokia Lumia 925 Smartphones 100
Outdoor Tech Adapt Bluetooth headphone adapter Audio/video 40
Panasonic SC-NT10 Bluetooth portable speaker Audio/video 100
Samson Go Mic portable USB microphone Audio/video 40
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Smartphones 250
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones Audio/video 100
Shure SE846 sound-isolating earbuds Audio/video 999
Skullcandy Ink'd 2 earbuds Audio/video 16
Sonos Play:1 wireless speaker Audio/video 199
Sound pOp water-resistant Bluetooth portable speaker Audio/video 29
Space Invaders Wind-Up Toys 2-pack Gaming 6
Speck CandyShell Grip smartphone case Smartphone accessories 14
Spigen Slim Armor smartphone case Smartphone accessories 25
Spigen Tough Armor iPhone 5S/5 case Smartphone accessories 25
Tylt Tagz programmable NFC stickers (6-pack) Tech gear 20
Universal Gadget Wrist Charger Tech gear 26
Ventev Powerdash r900 portable in-car device charger Tech gear 30
X-Cube 3D puzzle Gaming 40

Happy shopping -- and happy holidays!

Next: Audio gear

This article, Computerworld's holiday gift guide 2013, was originally published at Computerworld.com.

Copyright © 2013 IDG Communications, Inc.

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