Christmas gifts for the techie him

[attach]3256[/attach]Gran Turismo 5

$59.99, playstation.ca
Gran Turismo is the racing game that all other racing games are compared to. Known for its photorealism and selection of over 1,000 muscle, exotic and tuner cars, the fifth instalment adds more real-life tracks and an online community. Online play was introduced in an earlier edition but it’s kicked up a notch now. Compete with as few as one to as many as 16 other real life racers from across the globe.

[attach]3257[/attach]Playseat WRC and Logitech G27 Racing Wheel

$1,200, playseat.com
Of course if you’re going to by a racing video game you need an authentic racing seat, steering wheel, pedals and gear shift. Playseat and Logitech team up to offer just such a contraption featuring the same seats found in actual rally cars and driving inputs designed to simulate real world driving.

Auto LED flashlight

$24.99, thinkgeek.com
It’s no problem finding enough change in your car to buy a round of double doubles during the day, but when night falls and you’re scrambling at the drive thru window while a parade of cars honk behind you, you’ll be thankful someone gifted you the auto LED flashlight. This compact unit plugs into your auto’s cigarette lighter and charges off of the car’s electrical system. Pop it out and the light comes on instantly.

TomTom GO 2505 Series

$329.99, tomtom.com
TomTom GPS units are well known for their pure volume of roadways included in their units. In fact, TomTom’s database has about 2.5 million more kilometres of roadway across Canada, Mexico and the USA than it’s next closest competitor. The TomTom GO with 5” screen makes use of finger gestures familiar to anyone who’s ever used a touchscreen smartphone. Its library of over 130 verbal commands helps you keep both hands on the wheel and includes lifetime updates to maps. Of course what would a GPS unit be without integration. Pair your phone to the unit and use its speaker and microphone to chat.

Collapsable Shovel

$29.50, leevalley.com
Shovels rarely fall into the tech category but when it folds up smaller than your kid’s backpack it earns some geek cred. Nothing is worse when trying to dig your ride out from a big snowfall than trying to get those 4-foot wide powder movers around your rig. This unit from Lee Valley folds up to just a foot long, is sturdy and has a huge handle to make it easy to use.