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Gifts for the techies on your list

By Julie Gordon | jgordon@am-ny.com

November 26, 2007

Panasonic Portable DVD Player (Handout)

Just because a product is digital doesn't mean it's cutting edge. This holiday season, tech-savvy consumers want gadgets that would rival George Jetson's -- and make him jealous. Here are our top picks:

Rock Band video game
$169.99, www.rockband.com
Anyone who likes Guitar Hero will love Rock Band. The new game takes the same concept as Guitar Hero (jamming along to hits), but steps it up a notch. Rock Band competitors can sing, and also play guitar, bass and drums. It is compatible with XBox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3.

Bula Earphone Bomber hat
$34.99, Macy's, 151 W. 34th St., 212-695-4400
The worst part about wearing a winter hat (besides hat hair) is keeping ear-buds in place. Well, the designers at Bula have solved that problem. This stylish bomber hat has an MP3 player connector (with an extension cord so it easily fits in a coat pocket) and built-in speakers that have top-notch sound quality. Now all you need to hand over are your killer playlists.

USB cassette archiver
$169, www.fredflare.com
Hopefully, those well-crafted mix-tapes that took hours to make in 1997 are somewhere in storage. If so, they can make a much-deserved comeback with this device, which converts cassettes to MP3s or CDs.

Slingbox SOLO
$179.99, Best Buy, 529 Fifth Ave., 212-808-0309
The frequent traveler sick of missing favorite TV shows will thank you for this gift. By attaching the Slingbox SOLO to a home television, the hook-up will allow the owner to remotely watch any program on a laptop or mobile phone with Internet connection.

Star Wars mimoco USB
$69 (1 GB), $99 (2 GB); www.dynamism.com
May the force be with your computer. Jazz up that boring USB file-holder with Star Wars characters: Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtrooper or R2 Unit. They can be attached to a keychain for easy transport through the galaxy (or NYC).

Lomographic Society Diana camera
$50, International Center of Photography, 1133 Sixth Ave., 212- 857-9725
Sure, a digital camera is cool, but for a different twist, buy someone the Diana camera, which creates bright yet dreamy and soft-looking pictures. The Diana was created in the 1960s, but this updated version has a few new features: a removable lens and small aperture for pinhole images, two image formats, panoramic capabilities and tripod thread and shutter lock. It takes 120 film.

Samsung hand-held mini DVD player