It’s that time of year again! The time when I give you my best finds for gifts for your geeky friend or family member! A lot of these are special Black Friday deals, so check them out quickly! A dozen choices for you to peruse!
1)
Google Home Hub for $99.00 on Black Friday
$99.00
Out for less than a full month, but on discount for the holidays if you act now! The Google Home Hub is my screen hub of choice for the bedroom, because it doesn’t have a camera, and it can show me the weather while I lay in bed getting the gumption to get up in the morning! Help at a glance. See your life in one view, and get things done hands-free. Google Home Hub helps you make the most of moments at home.
Command your day.
With Voice Match, get your calendar, commute, reminders, and more right on the home screen. You can even watch the news, make a shopping list, and place calls to friends, family, and local businesses.1
“Hey Google, add doctors appointment to my calendar.”
Simplify your smart home.
Voice-control compatible lights, cameras, TVs, and more from a single dashboard. Works with Nest and 5,000+ smart devices from 400+ popular brands.
“Hey Google, show me the front door camera.”
Answers for any moment.
Ask questions and get visual, immersive answers from Google on weather, recipes, local business info, and more. You can even watch helpful videos from YouTube.
“Hey Google, show me how to tie a tie.”
Play your favorite songs.
Use your voice to play your favorite songs, albums, artists, and music videos from YouTube Music. You can also listen to Spotify and Pandora. All available free.
“Hey Google, play some jazz music.”
Relive your memories.
Use your voice to show any picture youve ever taken in Google Photos. And with Live Albums, always view the latest photos of loved ones.
“Hey Google, show me my photos from Hawaii.”
1 Calling available for US and Canadian domestic calls only, not including 911 calls and premium numbers.
2)
Nintendo Switch Game System
$299.00
The GameMaster’s favorite game platform is ready for you this season! Now that you can view YouTube, play games, even with other Switch users, why wouldn’t you get it? Not only would I get it…. we did… for the GameMaster last year! And, he HIGHLY recommends it! Nintendo Switch console, Nintendo Switch dock, Joy-Con (L) and Joy-Con (R), and Two Joy-Con strap accessories. One Joy-Con grip, HDMI cable, and Nintendo Switch AC adapter.
3)
Oregon Trail Card Game
$19.99
Nostalgia for us older geeks! Formally an eight bit game for old PC platforms, the Oregon Trail game is now a board game! Players work together to move along the trail, fording rivers and playing Supply Cards to overcome calamities.
Playing Time: 30 Minutes or Less
Number of Players: 2-6 Players
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age: 12 Years and Up; level of difficulty: Intermediate
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
4)
Star Wars Death Star Popcorn Maker
$49.99
Because Geeks love Star Wars and Popcorn, of course! Pop some corn and watch the original trilogy while eating your popcorn! That’s no moon, it’s a popcorn maker from a galaxy far, far away!
Popper heats with hot air, creating bright and fluffy popcorn you can season however you’d like. Machine makes delicious popcorn in minutes.
The top half of the Death Star conveniently doubles as a fun serving bowl.
Put it on display when not in use – makes a great addition to your Star Wars collection!
5)
Exploding Kittens Card Game
$19.99
Yes, this game is weird, but also VERY geeky! Cats, goats, explosions…what more do you need? Hologram ensures Authenticity. Exploding kittens is a card game for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats. Family-friendly, party game for 2-5 players (up to 9 players with 2 decks) This is the most-backed project in Kickstarter history and all cards feature illustrations by the oatmeal. Includes 56 cards (2.5 x 3.5 inches), box, and instructions. This box, like 99.99% of boxes, does not Meow.
Skill level: Beginner
6)
Star Trek Bluetooth Combadge (Half Off)
$39.99
Half off!! Come on, you know you want to answer your smartphone from your combadge! We’ve had a screen-accurate prop replica ST:TNG badge in our closet for a while. The only thing it was missing was the ability to emit the classic communicator chirp sound effect when we pressed it.
And then we found out an audio company is making a fully-functioning officially-licensed communicator badge. Behold the Star Trek TNG Bluetooth® ComBadge. It hooks up to your phone or device via Bluetooth® and has a built-in microphone for hands-free calling. Once connected, one touch answers/ends calls, plays/pauses audio, or accesses Siri, Google Now, or Cortana. And, of course, a touch plays that classic communicator sound effect. Warning: you’re going to want to keep the micro-USB charging cable handy right after you receive this, because making it chirp is well-nigh irresistible.
And don’t forget to sign off, “[Your name here] out.”
7)
Star Wars Death Star Waffle Maker
$34.99
“Come to the Dark Side, we have waffles!” This is an indirect omage to the old Geek Culture movie “Hardware Wars!” And, I am not sure the maker even knows it! The secret of the Death Star was that it looked like one thing, but it was technically another. It looked like a moon hanging there in space, but we know that secretly it was actually a space station. Waffles are a lot like that, too. They look like dessert, all covered with strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate chips and powdered sugar and syrup (well, maybe not all of those at once), but they’re technically breakfast. Booyah.
If you’re ready to make your kitchen explode with awesome, you need a Death Star Waffle Maker. Plug it in, warm it up, and pour the batter onto the non-stick cooking plates. In just minutes, you’ll have golden, delicious waffles, good enough to destroy a planet for. Well, a small one, at least.
And if one side turns out a little funny with bubbles or you overcook it and there’s a Dark Side, just flip it over. There’s a Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser indentation on both cooking plates, so you’re covered. And both sides have pockets for your tasty toppings. Just keep in mind when you break out the syrup that it’s likely to do its own version of the trench run.
Honestly, there’s no need to waffle. You know you want it!
8)
Star Trek NCC-1701 Pizza Cutter
$24.99
I have one! You need one! Of course you do! (Of course, it IS the Enterprise, so I have never actually used it to cut pizza! Respect.)
Star Trek Pizza Cutter – This Pizza Cutter is in the shape of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Cut Pizza Boldly – The Star Trek Pizza Cutter has its mission to explore strange new pizzas, seek out new toppings and cheeses, and boldly cut pizza where no man has cut before.
Stainless Steel – The pizza cutter is a laser-etched stainless-steel blade with a zinc-alloy chromium-plated body. Not dishwasher safe, hand wash only.
Dimensions – Blade diameter: 4″. Total length including blade: 8.5″. Weight: 10 oz.
Officially-licensed Star Trek Collectible – This is officially-licensed Star Trek collectible, and a ThinkGeek creation and exclusive.
9)
Schrodinger’s Cat Executive Decision Maker
$28.55
How else would a geek oriented executive make decisions? Helps you make tough decisions! Schrodinger’s Cat will give you an answer – Alive or Dead. A great gift!
Schrodinger’s Cat will help you make tough decisions! If you’re having trouble deciding between things often, then Schrodinger’s Cat can help. With this Schrodinger’s Cat Executive Decision Maker, just ask the cat a yes or no question, slide open the door to watch the cat magically fluxing between life and death.
If the cat ends up staying alive, then the answer is yes! If the cat comes back dead, though, then your answer is no. The almighty Schrodinger’s Cat Executive Decision Maker has spoken!
Go and do its bidding. Meow. The Schrodinger’s Cat Executive Decision Maker measures about 5 3/4-inches wide 4 1/4-inches deep x 4 1/4-inches tall.
Require 3x ‘AA’ batteries, not included. Ages 14 and up.
10)
RIF6 CUBE Mini Projector – 2 inch Portable Handheld Projector
$174.99
Wow. I really DO want this one! How cool is this? (Yes, it IS expensive, but look at what you get!)
ULTRA PORTABLE PROJECTOR SCREEN – This 2-inch mini projector lightweight, portable and can be easily carried for a movie theater experience at home or outdoors. This pico pocket projector is equipped with a built-in rechargeable internal battery that lasts up to 90 minutes
COMPATIBLE with HDMI DEVICES – This small handheld and wireless projector is designed with an HDMI cable port to mirror out your smart phone, computer, laptop, gaming console, or TV screens. It also comes with a built-in speaker and a headphone jack
MULTIPLE CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS – Unlike other digital cube projectors, ours is powered with a wide range of inputs where you can play high-resolution videos, movies, slideshows, music and office text files directly from a USB flash drive or micro SD card
CLEAR FULL LED DISPLAY – Vibrant LED light projection with full 50 lumens lasts up to an incredible 20,000 hours and displays a video screen size of up to 120 inches. Whether on the bedroom wall at home, or office board room for business presentations, you’re guaranteed an amazing experience
COMPLETE with ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES – 2 x 2 x 1.9 inches mobile projector has a flexible mini tripod with bendable legs to help adjust projection angle and keeps your projector stand stable. It also comes with a remote control charger, USB and HDMI connectors.
11)
Amazon Fire TV Cube
HALF OFF – $59.99
Again, HALF OFF! You KNOW you need it! Great for Cord Cutters, and at this price, a real deal! Fire TV Cube is the first hands-free streaming media player with Alexa. From across the room, just ask Alexa to turn on the TV, dim the lights, and play what you want to watch. With far-field voice recognition, eight microphones, and beamforming technology, Fire TV Cube hears you from any direction. Enjoy hands-free voice control of content—search, play, pause, fast forward, and more. Plus control the power and volume on your TV, sound bar, and A/V receiver as well as change live cable or satellite channels with just your voice. Fire TV Cube has a built-in speaker that lets you check the weather, listen to the news, control compatible smart home devices, and more—even with the TV off. Fire TV Cube is always getting smarter with new Alexa skills and voice functionality.
Experience true-to-life picture quality and sound with access to vivid 4K Ultra HD up to 60 fps, HDR, and the audio clarity of Dolby Atmos. Enjoy tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills. Get over 500,000 movies and TV episodes from Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, NBC, and more. Access YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, and more websites with Silk and Firefox browsers.
An Amazon Prime membership unlocks thousands of movies and TV episodes including “Thursday Night Football” and Prime Originals like “The Big Sick” and “Sneaky Pete.” Now includes all-new Alexa Voice Remote with power and volume controls.
12)
ZOLO Halo Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Smart Speaker with Alexa
$19.99
Alexa AND a Bluetooth/WiFi speaker for your PC, Tablet or other Bluetooth or WiFi connected device! Oh yeah! Superior Audio: Professionally tuned 5W high-excursion speaker and bass port deliver exceptional sound quality and rich bass from Halo’s miniaturized body. Alexa Built-In: Voice-activated Alexa functionality with over 10000 life-enhancing skills. Stream audio and music services (including Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Audible ); Check news, traffic, and weather; find answers; control smart home devices; and shop with your voice. Multi-Room Sound: With simplified Wi-Fi connectivity, link up to 6 Halo speakers simultaneously for house-wide audio and Alexa communication. Bluetooth Connectivity: Not only a Smart Speaker, Halo works as a stand-alone high-fidelity Bluetooth Speaker!
This is a great Free Utility that works really well!
Previously only on a few special PC builds, the Alexa App is now available for download in the Microsoft Store on Windows 10. Alexa is becoming fairly ubiquitous! I have Alexa in my car, on my phone, in my house via the Echo, I can pretty much ask Alexa to help me from anywhere. Creepy, huh? 
My son, the GameMaster, loves his Nintendo Switch, and he loves to watch YouTube. This announcement should make him happy!
Given they own all the Marvel content, I suspect this will be a popular streaming service.
I saw this yesterday. My legitimate copy of Windows 10 said it wasn’t activated. I did do the “Troubleshooting” fix by shear guess and it fixed it. However, you gotta do better Microsoft!