Valentine’s Day Tech and Gadget Gift Guide

Trash the flowers and pick up something thoughtful and techie this Valentine's Day.

Chocolates, roses and fancy dinners are played out. OK, well maybe not fancy dinners. The point is, just because Hallmark and company have convinced you to crack open your wallet on (or preferably before) Feb. 14, doesn’t mean you need to squander those dollars on something cheap, pink, and bound for the garbage in 24 hours. Take a chance to show your creative side and get your significant other something he she might really be able to use with some of our techie gift suggestions.

For Women

Canon SD1100 IS, $180

Two well-established facts:
1. Girls love to take pictures.
2. Girls love cute, tiny things.
Take a hint and get her a tiny digital camera. In our opinion, the best of the bunch in this department come from Canon’s PowerShot line, and the SD1100 IS hits the sweet spot on value at $180. It’s also purse-sized and comes in a fem-friendly palette of blue, pink, gold, silver, and brown.

Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Photo Frame, $100

You might recall that digital photo frames made our list of crappy gifts for geeks for Christmas, but a photo frame isn’t a bad idea for the lady friend this Valentine’s Day. Just make it thoughtful by opening it up ahead of time and preloading it with pictures of you and her together. This Kodak frame makes the list with a customizable frame that lets you swap out different matte colors, and an appropriate $100 price tag (though it can be found farcheaper).

Preservino Preservo Wine Steward, $100

A bottle of chilled wine makes a fine accompaniment to any meal for two, but finishing one can be a tall order, too. The Preservino Wine Steward will save it for the next occasion by actually sealing the bottle up inside it and flushing the chamber with argon gas. Because it’s heavier than air, it will sink to the bottom of the bottle, keeping oxygen (which ruins the wine) out. There’s no better way to trick her into thinking your $5 bottle of wine cost $50 than putting this much effort into saving it.

iRobot Roomba 416 Vacuum Cleaning Robot, $200

Your traditional gift-giving oracles will tell you that all cleaning and kitchen-related items are strictly verboten for Valentine’s day, but we don’t think that applies to robotic ones that do the work for you. A Roomba will collect all the pet hair, crumbs and other crud that falls into the carpet with her ever having to bust out a vacuum. Think of this as the adult version of those chore coupons you used to give to your parents as presents when you were a kid, minus the labor on your behalf. Irobot is also offering free second-day shipping and a free pet upgrade kit for Valentine’s Day, if you order in time.

Samsung YP-S2 MP3 Player, $30

Anything that will get an, “oh isn’t that cute?” from her girlfriends is a sure-fire hit. And this pebble-sized MP3 player in a slew of bright metallic colors is sure to elicit that reaction. Dare we say, it’s even cuter than the iPod Shuffle. It’s also only $30, and like the digital picture frame, you can score extra points by loading it up with “your” songs, too.

For Men

Monster’s RadioPlay 300, $60

Unless your guy is seriously handy with a soldering iron or has a BMW with an iPod dock built right in, chances are he’s stuck listening to the same old collection of scratched-up CDs or whiny DJs whenever he takes a trip in the car. Monster’s RadioPlay 300 is a cheap way to get an MP3 player into your car stereo, and it doesn’t even have to be an iPod. Unlike many cheaper models, it also lets you set the frequency yourself instead of from a list of presets.

MinoHD, $230

Save the $1,100 Sony cam for when you’ve got kids running around. Flip Video’s MinoHD is a cheap and surprisingly good quality way to capture life’s little moments in 720p high-def. You can also customize the case when you buy it, choosing from Flip’s designs making your own, or even plastering a photo on there.

MinoHD

Garmin nüvi 265WT, $330

There’s probably a well-worn joke about guys asking for directions in here somewhere, but let’s cut to the chase: A GPS can be really, really useful. Whether you need instant directions for an impromptu vacation or just need to dodge traffic on the way home from work, Garmin’s nüvi 265WT is up to the task. We especially favor it as a gift because you don’t have to saddle your significant other with subscription fees – traffic’s free for life.

Garmin nuvi 265WT

Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170 Earphones, $50

Ninety percent of earbuds that come with an MP3 player are complete crap. Which is why you would be wise to bump hubby up to a nicer pair from Ultimate Ears, a company that started producing high-end earphones for touring musicians but has worked its way down into the consumer market in recent years. Sealed in-ear models like this will also help preserve his hearing, since he won’t have to turn them up as loud to drown you out.

Nike Oregon Series Square Digital Watch (Model WA0036), $100

Speaking from experience, this is one tough-yet-classy watch that looks equally at home with a dress shirt and tie or with a faded flannel and jeans. Functionally, the stainless steel case and mineral glass crystal are also incredibly tough to scratch, the white-on-black display is easy to read even in the sun, and it has all the typical digital extras like a date display, four alarms, and a chronograph.