Time for Part 2 of the annual Byte-Sized Holiday Gift Guide, and I'm declaring this the year of the USB! Nowadays, everything hooks into the computer, and anything worth your hard-earned cash has a port or dock to keep you connected.

Here are 3 great gifts for the geek in all of us!


MIMOBOT USB Flash Drives
Price: $24.99-$99.99
Buy it online at Mimobot.com

Have a totally geeky friend and don't know what to get him/her? Try one of these wicked cool MIMOBOT USB flash drives.* I know, sounds a little weird, but they are totally adorable and fully functional -- and who couldn't use a little smile while uploading or transferring files? Hint hint for anyone out there looking to buy me something... this little babies are the perfect place to hide files you don't want leaked and are great for stocking stuffers!

USB Slippers
Price: $29.99
Buy online at PerpetualKid.com

Cold feet? Absolutely, you work in an office. So, here's the solution: USB slippers that heat up using a cord that plugs directing into and uses power from your computer. They aren't much to look at, but you won't have to worry about shorting out the fuse in your cubicle row anymore by plugging in that space heater you brought from home that management was too, um... restructured to buy right now. These are cheap, easy and sure to draw envious gazes from fellow cube-dwellers.

Tonia Welter 4GB USB Cufflinks
Price: $490
Buy it online at DijitalFix.com

OK, you may be a geek, but you've definitely got some style. Then this gift is for you: USB cufflinks and male and female jewelry that honest-to-goodness doesn't look like a DIY craft. This designer has created beautiful brushed silver pieces that would look great if they *didn't* include a 2 gigs of memory (the cufflinks have 4). My fave is the leather bracelet called the MÜNCHEN -- it looks like a hot trend you'd see on Banana Republic shelves, but it's way cooler even than that! These are not even close to cheap, affordable or even reasonable, but is high fashion ever?


***Click here to read my other Byte-Sized Holiday Gift Guide must-haves, and stay tuned for more great gift ideas next Monday, and a full platter of the top tech headlines Wednesday and Friday! Also, we may be having a big announcement in the next few days (crossing fingers) so stay tuned for that too!

*OK, I can't take full credit for this one, so thanks to our friends over at USA Today for the tip.

Labels: MIMOBOT USB Flash Drives, usb bracelets, USB Cufflinks, USB JEWELY, USB Slippers

By contributor Ashley DiFranza

Hey everyone, Ashley again, back for part two of my series on tech jewelry -- now it’s all about what’s cute and practical!

The most common serviceable pieces of jewelry are the USB drives made into bracelets and necklaces. I don’t know about you, but anything to help me from misplacing my USB every 10 seconds is something I’m interested in! Stylists are starting to get a bit funkier with their creations and they seem to target every audience.

You can go for a more bohemian style with a USB bracelet wound from what looks like thick string for urban jungle-feel. The USB is camouflaged by the plant-like markings on the outer case, so you can hide your techy side outside the office.

A more futuristic angle is this plastic-banded bracelet with a twist. The band curls in to a criss-crossing shape -- I swear, you’d barely know the drive was there. In many bright and hip colors like neon green, bright blue and fuchsia, this bracelet is perfect.

A bit more hidden than the bracelets, the USB drives in the necklaces are just a stylish accessory, like in this mature piece. A squared pendant crafted from beautiful and soft metals hides a 1GB USB drive. And with any number of designs for the pendant, it can fit anyone’s style.

There is another set of beautiful USB necklaces out there that are a bit simpler: A delicate silver chain holds at its end a small heart, half silver and half crystal. Together this heart looks like a simple but elegant locket, however when the crystal cover is removed, it reveals a small 1GB USB drive. I don’t know about you, but I’d *love* to have something like that on hand. Not only is it cute, but it actually works -- that’s the way to my heart!

Although the USB drive jewelry is most common, it doesn’t mean that it is the only functional tech-jewelry out there.

This bracelet alerts you when your phone’s ringing without actually having to hear it ring. This ‘Bluetooth Bracelet Wristband Call Alert for Mobile Phone’ has a small motor that detects when your phone is ringing even when it’s on silent or vibrate. When you’re receiving a call, the metal bracelet will vibrate strong and fast until you react and pick up your phone or disable it. It’s the perfect way for both women and men to stay in contact even when they don’t want to have their phones on.

But, as I said before, function isn’t everything. If it was, why would we wear jewelry at all? There are some pieces that we found that are just plain adorable and I assure you will bring up a laugh or two at your next party!

Take the ‘Caffeine Molecule Necklace’: This piece has absolute no function whatsoever – other than being awesome!

Lately, the craze over cell phones has hit a new level; with all the charms, covers and other accessories it seems like they’re getting more fashion accessories than you. So why not give yourself a little cell phone flair? These ‘Cell Phone Earrings’ are the perfect thing for those of us who constantly have our phones glued to our ears -- now they can hang from them, too.

There’s no need to be ashamed of the techie that’s in all of us, so why not show the world with some of this interesting and attractive jewelry? And you never know: maybe you’ll be the one in your group to start the next USB-inspired trend in accessories!

Labels: caffeine necklace, tech jewelry, usb bracelets, usb necklaces, wired bracelets